I just thought of this – call aqua vu and buy a couple of the rubber ” stops” from them so you dont have to build one. They cant cost much IF they are available.

The 5 gallon bucket sits up nice and high to work with and you have a flat surface for your beer or bible, whatever. I’m giving my manual panner to a buddy and i’ll use the bucket and ” stop”.
Good luck with it.

I dont recall the name of the manual panner but I got mine at Fleet Farm for under $16.

here is a good idea on how to make one and the bucket comes in handy too if it isnt loaded real heavy.

The only thing i would add is a rubber or cork “stop” that is also slit to the middle that the cable goes into and stays held. this sits on top of the upside down bucket ( the outside bottom of the bucket ) and you rotate it with your fingers. this will hold the cable at a set height. This set height feature is good for when returning to the same hole or dept- it’s all ready set where you left it last. see the persons quote below:

” I made a manual one out of the lid from a 5 gallon bucket. First drill a hole in the middle of the bucket lid that is slightly smaller in diameter then the camera cable. Then slice the lid from an edge to the hole. Slide the line into the slice and lock it in to the desired depth . now you can slowly turn the camera and it will hold it solid. DC”

I own the Marcum panner and it is junk. For the $50 or so, mine only goes one direction. Get the Aqua Vu $15 manual panner. Very easy to adjust, small increments vs pan forward- oops, too much, pan backwards, oops, too much, oh oh, mine doesnt go reverse now. . . they all are junk except the manual Aqua Vu.

Sure, some people will have good luck with some of these battery powered ones but I’d say at least 40% of those I talk to who own the battery powered $50+ panners have problems.

Plus, the Marcum panner could go down the hole fairly easy. Anything falls on it’s cheap whimpy ” legs” that adjust it over the hole and you’ll wish you didnt own it.