which direction to go

Did you contact Ri22o by PM for his settings and try them as wittaj suggested here ?
 
What distance is that?
Can you show a full size, full resolution image?

First blush I'd change exposure to 1/1000 and see what you get
 
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about 115-120 - 5241 Z12

HOAEntranceP2P_EntTag_main_19691231190000_@3.jpg HOAEntranceP2P_EntTag_main_20241031002603_@3.jpg


Clipboard01.jpg Clipboard02.jpg Clipboard03.jpg Clipboard04.jpg Clipboard05.jpg Clipboard06.jpg Clipboard07.jpg Clipboard08.jpg
 
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Didnt realize that was a printed plate. Ughh
 
Yeah that is a big improvement!

Now if you want, try just minor adjustments, but also recognize we won't capture every plate.

I would try dropping sharpness to 45 and see if that helps the plate pop off the screen.
 
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