# OH, MY! WHAT HAVE I GONE AND DONE NOW???



## BVH

Little did I know in Sept of 04, that by joining this innocent appearing forum, that I was setting myself up for a BIGGGG TIME addiction! Yes, I enjoy the hotwires. I enjoy the LEDs. I REALLY, REALLY enjoy the HID’s!! Especially, the military grade HID’s. Sure as heck, I’ve bought, played with, enjoyed and sold my share of these and loved every minute of it and my time here on CPF. I had a great time getting and building my tank lights and finding the Blackhawk Locators! I still get just as excited now about lights as I did back in ’04.

But now I’ve gone and done it – REALLY done it. I’m past the point of no return. I cannot turn back – EVER! I may be forever banished from CPF for turning to the “brightest side” (as opposed to the “Dark Side”). In keeping with my unplanned and unguided migration towards high-power military lights, I present the latest in my collection of “Flashlights”!

Weighing in at 850,000,000 Candle Power with a beam that travels 5.6 miles, that can be seen on a good night from 35 miles away and with a traveling weight of 8,500 pounds, I present…………..
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Opps, sorry, wrong picture……..
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My wife and I are now “Sierra Searchlights, Inc.” and this is our rig. She's a 60" Carbon Arc, 1942 WWII anti-aircraft searchlight in her original 2-unit configuration and she arrives August 20th. She runs on 78 Volts DC (ballasted down from 93) and consumes 150 Amps, all while her Hercules JXD 6 cylinder, 320 cubic inch, 110 HP flathead burns 2.5 gallons of gas an hour running just above idle at 1250 RPM – and very, very quietly whether or not its highly effective noise insulated enclosure is open or closed. There are very, very few of these originally configured, 2 separate unit lights around. The vast majority of the lights and generators have been cut off their 4-wheel dollies and permanently placed onto trailers. It makes for a smaller, easier to maneuver and cheaper to maintain unit.

Why did I do this? Simple…..I like flashlights! It’s as simple as that. And, just as importantly, owning, using and improving her will be a significant part of my past time when I retire in about 10 months. I actually plan to hire out for events, although according to most in the know, it is a dying business. Most businesses are ignorant of the power of these lights and are renting the Sky Trackers – Those NASTY little new-fangled things! (Can you tell there are definitely two camps when it comes to advertising searchlights) The NASTY things don’t have a third of the power and visibility of the genuine 60” Carbon Arc!

Our light is about an “8” out of “10” and I plan to spend a lot of time making her at least a “9”. One thing that few people know about these lights (I, for one) is that they were/are remotely controllable via a tripod with head-piece setup that was located a hundred or so feet from the light via cables. (When enemy planes were overhead, you didn’t want to be too close to a brightly lit target back then!) An operator stuck his head into the head piece, looked through the attached binoculars and as he moved his head, the light would follow in the same movements. Unfortunately, there is only one light known to exist in the world that works with this system. So unless I get really lucky and find a long-buried remote, I’ll only be able to fix her up to a “9”.

Lucky for me, I stumbled upon “Bob” who happens to own thee one-of-a-kind, remotely controlled, museum quality light and he happens to live just a few miles from me. He’s been instrumental in finding me my light. I visited him a few weeks ago while he used his light at a midnight sale for a local Chevy dealership and got a quick education on its operation. I’m certainly no expert yet, but hopefully, I will quickly come up to speed on the operation of my….errr….our light.

The automated rod feeding system is, to me, way ahead of its time. There is a small 1” or 2” mirror just to the side of the arc which precisely focuses a pinpoint of light onto a thermostat. As long as the pinpoint of light is on the stat, nothing happens - well, the positive rod is constantly rotating for an even burn. When the positive rod burns down a little, the position of the arc changes relative to the small mirror and the pinpoint of light moves off of the stat thereby causing the electrical contacts inside to close, thereby feeding more rod to maintain the precise gap. Many of the operators are still burning original National Carbon rods made back during the war, still in their sawdust-filled metal cans. The 22” positive rod will last about 2-2 ½ hours, the negative somewhat less because it’s about 12”-14” to start with. A can of 25 pairs runs about $350.00 so it costs about $7.00 an hour to run the light in rod costs.

It’s a little scarey knowing she’s almost 70 years old and that parts, while not impossible to find, are not easy to come by. Believe it or not, there are still parts wrapped in their original cosmaline’d containers available, for a price. There are even 3 brand new, never used light and gensets built by Sperry available for purchase. (Sperry could not keep up with demand during the war so they licensed G.E. to help them) But even with the parts issue, I love owning a piece of very old military history and letting her do what she was built to do. Am I nuts? Probably! 

And gee…..I didn’t have anything to tow her with so I HAD to go out and order a new Black Chevy diesel pickup. It was really difficult, but someone had to do it.

Can I still hang around here even though I have – or will have a Carbon Arc and there’s no Carbon Arc forum? When I run it, I’ll probably have the opportunity to run my tank lights at the same time. :twothumbs

So come on, won't someone buy my Helios to help me pay for this monster?

Sorry for possibly mis-leading some of you who thought I had some inside information on a new Xeray and was keeping it under wraps :nana:

Beamshots from the SoCal March 8, 2008 get-together. JetSkiMark took the pics.





60" and VSS-1 on the left, VSS-3a from the top





60" on top and VSS-1 on the bottom





60" and VSS-3a from the top, VSS-1 from the bottom





60" and VSS-1 from the bottom and VSS-3a from the top





60" and VSS-1 from the bottom and VSS-3a from the top





60" from the center, VSS-1 on the left and VSS-3a on the right





60" and Locator





60"





60"


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## PhantomPhoton

You sir are my hero!






Nice pics!
Oh yea and I want beamshots!


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## skalomax

PLEASE bring this to the next Southern California get-together! 


Nice pictures too.


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## tvodrd

Holy feces, Bob!! :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:


Larry


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## ddaadd

:wow:

WOOHOO !! :rock:

I am so glad to see one of those giant spotlights in the hands of a forum
member finally, atta boy BVH !

I had spent a few hours reading about these, and sure looks like you got
a nice setup there, very unusual to find them on original trailers.... :twothumbs

Man that is just awesome! ( taking a moment to reflect on how CPF, like life,
has it's ups and downs, and that things are looking up, way up now :naughty:,
beamshots please  )

I recall the searchlights cost tens of thousands ( apx $60k ? ) of dollars when 
purchased new by the military. Fascinating piece of military history
you have there BVH...


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## BVH

Skalomax, I'll certainly bring it to the next SoCal get together. Ddaadd, I originally just wanted a unit on a trailer because I had walked by one on the way to dinner about 8 weeks ago. But when I got connected with Bob and learned of the original light and genset units for sale in their original configuration, I new immediately that I wanted to preserve some military history and enjoy one of these beauties at the same time. 

It's the same way with my VSS-1 tank light. I could have cut off the mounting hardware which would have made it easier to mount but I wanted to preserve the light in its original condition. However, I did violate my own principles lately when I cut off the handles of one of my VSS-3a's to accommodate its mounting to one of Larry's wonderful tripods. But my other one stays original.

You were probably reading Bob's website if you were reading about the $60,000 cost of these lights back in the 40's. It is still hard for me to believe it.

Timing is everything and it just so happened that a friend of Bob's was interested in selling his GE light. (I wanted a GE instead of a Sperry - I love the big GE emblem on the back of the drum) Lucky for me, it was only 220 miles away instead of across the country.


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## XeRay

BVH said:


> Skalomax, I'll certainly bring it to the next SoCal get together. Ddaadd, I originally just wanted a unit on a trailer because I had walked by one on the way to dinner about 8 weeks ago. But when I got connected with Bob and learned of the original light and genset units for sale in their original configuration, I new immediately that I wanted to preserve some military history and enjoy one of these beauties at the same time.
> 
> It's the same way with my VSS-1 tank light. I could have cut off the mounting hardware which would have made it easier to mount but I wanted to preserve the light in its original condition. However, I did violate my own principles lately when I cut off the handles of one of my VSS-3a's to accommodate its mounting to one of Larry's wonderful tripods. But my other one stays original.
> 
> You were probably reading Bob's website if you were reading about the $60,000 cost of these lights back in the 40's. It is still hard for me to believe it.
> 
> Timing is everything and it just so happened that a friend of Bob's was interested in selling his GE light. (I wanted a GE instead of a Sperry - I love the big GE emblem on the back of the drum) Lucky for me, it was only 220 miles away instead of across the country.


 
Bob, If you don't mind telling us. What did one of those set you back? I'll understand if you don't want to say.


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## BVH

Dan, the light, genset, 24 foot tandem axle trailer and about $1,000 in spare parts and delivery was $19,000. I've seen units - both modified and original 2 unit configuration run from $5,000 (pretty bad "boneyard" condition) to $30,000. There are even some old fire engine pumpers with two lights mounted on them for $60K or more. Saw a 1960-something ford HD truck (not a pickup) with a light and genset on the back. I think it was 30-35K. If I hadn't found this light, I might have considered one of the brand new old stock Sperry's - they're separate units. I think they might be 30K or so.

Forgot to mention, on the side of the drum, there's a darkened Mica sight glass that allows you to see a magnified image of the + and - rods and the gap. There's a reference line on the Mica where the gap should be. When you initially install a new rod and set the gap at about 3/4" to start and then hit the switch, you can watch the + rod being automatically adjusted to its proper gap. It still amazes me to see this type of automation from the 30's and 40"s.


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## Outdoors Fanatic

That's one hella sick rig!!


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## lotsalumens

Glad to see a carbon arc on here! I collect 1800's carbon arc street lights (see my avatar), and those big searchlights really took the technology to an incredible scale. I can't wait for beamshots! Very nice!!!!

Charles


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## FASTCAR

Man, that light would make a great host for 4000 or so Q2s!
Lets mod it


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## JRTJRT

That's the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Thanks for posting pics!


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## KingGlamis

That is awesome, congrats on the purchase and congrats on having the most powerful light on CPF!

Now... beam shots please!


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## chakrawal

I love it.


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## Mash

WOW!
I guess you WIN!!!!
Congratulations on your new acquisition.
Will you be able to make your own carbon rods eventually?
This is the kind of question I ask about anything old, or with proprietary tech.


BTW have you cross posted this on the EDC forums???? ;-)


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## BVH

Mash, I know there is a risk in buying this but sometimes you just have to grab on and go for the ride despite the risks. New rods are made in Japan and India and are available although they are not supposed to burn as bright. The WWII rods have an inner core of seizium and something else that enhance the brightness. Seizium sounds like something radio active?

Have not cross posted.


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## Duglite

Gaaaaawd, I can't wait to drop one of those into a Mag!

Now you have to find a 60" aspheric to make it throw a bit.


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## LuxLuthor

I'm laughing because I knew this type of light is pretty much the end of the line. Here in CT, I have visited many of the lighthouses, and talked to some of the people that do the maintenance on them. Recently, someone had one of these major promotional lights that was about your size, or a little bigger with its diesel generator piping away. 

I saw that from about 8 miles away (as the crow flies), and tracked it to a car dealership sale. I talked to the guy running it for about 30 mins, doing my best to ignore the hard up salesmen trying to get their monthly bonus. 

The owner really loved his light, and was thrilled that I saw it and drove all that way because of it. I just happened to bring my BB with me which he also was amazed to see. As I stood there with him, I think there were more people who came because of the light and wanting to see it than the car sales. It's a little bit like finding the end of the rainbow for people. They don't quite know what the light is promoting, but they want to see.

Congrats, BVH. It is a perfect thing for you to have invested in. Same thing when I look at the Vegas strip...the Luxor grabs you at night.


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## Mash

BVH said:


> Have not cross posted.



It was a feebleattempt at humour, as in BIG BIG Searchlight----> everyday carry:twothumbs

I guess I need more comedy lessons, or less irony! :twothumbs


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## Oddjob

So that's the light I saw outside my window the other night. I was wondering where it came from.


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## ez78

HAHAHA holy cow. That might be kind of bright.:twothumbs Birds propably love it too. Just before they get all crispy and very well cooked.


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## paulr

:bow: :bow: :bow:


Amazing pics.


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## BVH

Lux, "drawn like bugs to the light" is what many of the operators say. Human curiosity just brings people to it to see whats happening. I think that except for one C.A., these 60" lights are the biggest out there now. I think I read where there is a larger C.A. on top of a building in Missouri. In the 1800's there was one huge C.A. that used 2 1/2 thick rods!! By comparison, rods for these lights are 5/8".

My understanding is that the Luxor "light" is really 39 ea., 4KW metal halides of which, usually only half are on at a time. Cumulatively, they out rank the 60" C.A. in CP but pale individually. The only man-made brighter device "MAY" be one of these 60" C.A.'s that's been retrofitted with a 25KW Metal Halide light system. They "claim" these are 1,000,000,000 CP but there is, of course debate on this. Also, the AN/TVS-3 liquid cooled and trailered military light may be as bright. I know where there are two for sale if anyone is interested. I thought about it, but the potential dangers of a 25 KW very high pressure xenon lamp brought me to my senses. My 2.2 KW xenon is danger enough.

Mash, I thought you were being funny but I wasn't quite sure. You know, the forest thru the trees thing.

Gee, and no one's volunteered to buy my Helios yet! :mecry:


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## ShortArc

Bob, absolutely amazing!!! :twothumbs
She is a beauty, congraulations. 
I think your retirement will be filled with Carbon Arc Bliss.


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## FredM

Get some white wall shots and Lux readings at 1M.....errr.....10M errrr....100M....1KM?


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## sysadmn

Now THAT is Imagination at Work!

I never would have guessed that it "only' burns 2.5 gal/hr. Must be like a boat engine - if you spend most of your time a one RPM, you can optimize everything for that point.

Congrats on turning your hobby / obsession into a second career! About time one of us found a way to reverse the money flow!


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## SaVaGe

BVH

maybe u know this guy??......there also beamshots just like your GARGANTUAN LIGHT

http://www.geocities.com/bobz299/victory.html

Also if u scroll down the page, click on the tab "we made it on nbc" i guess the light also came with a standing telescope so you can actually see the plane.


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## flashfan

BVH, wow, wow, wow!  You've really gone over the edge of light addiction. Very nice, but just a tad too large for EDC...


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## PhotonWrangler

LuxLuthor said:


> ... As I stood there with him, I think there were more people who came because of the light and wanting to see it than the car sales. It's a little bit like finding the end of the rainbow for people. They don't quite know what the light is promoting, but they want to see.



Exactly! I've done the same thing in the past, feeling a little silly when I arrived at the opening of a movie that I had no interest in seeing. I was much more fascinated by that amazing light! :huh:


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## BVH

SaVaGe, that is the same Bob that I refer to in my original post. In the picture with two lights, his is the one in the foreground with the extra cables going to the only known working remote control station you can't see. Mine is the one in the background. He is a real wealth of information! Both lights and Bob starred on one of Huell Houser's shows.


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## Manzerick

HAHAHAHAHA

I'm laughing so hard I got tears rolling down my face!!! HAHAHAHA



PhantomPhoton said:


> You sir are my hero!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice pics!
> Oh yea and I want beamshots!


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## Mash

sysadmn said:


> Now THAT is Imagination at Work!
> 
> I never would have guessed that it "only' burns 2.5 gal/hr. Must be like a boat engine - if you spend most of your time a one RPM, you can optimize everything for that point.



Does it mean we have to start a new rating system? Like Runtime in gallons kinda thing?:twothumbs


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## tvodrd

Mash said:


> Does it mean we have to start a new rating system? Like Runtime in gallons kinda thing?:twothumbs



If Darell gets his way! :green: 

Larry


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## BVH

Oh, No! I'll have to covert Mr. Herc to CNG, or Propane or Hydrogen or solar or ....


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## Mash

Lord have mercy!
Imagine the discusssions:
will a 1.865 fuel tank fit in this or that?
Does it have fire protection circuitry?
which gas station fuel is the best?
Not to mention LEEF tanks etc
I am getting a headache already!


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## larryk

Most Excellent !!! How about a Passaround ????


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## Amorphous

BVH,

Awesome CA light. :twothumbs

Btw, the cabon rod contained Cerium, (cerium fluoride, cerium borate, and cerium oxide)


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## LuxLuthor

BVH said:


> Lux, "drawn like bugs to the light" is what many of the operators say. Human curiosity just brings people to it to see whats happening. I think that except for one C.A., these 60" lights are the biggest out there now. I think I read where there is a larger C.A. on top of a building in Missouri. In the 1800's there was one huge C.A. that used 2 1/2 thick rods!! By comparison, rods for these lights are 5/8".
> 
> My understanding is that the Luxor "light" is really 39 ea., 4KW metal halides of which, usually only half are on at a time. Cumulatively, they out rank the 60" C.A. in CP but pale individually. The only man-made brighter device "MAY" be one of these 60" C.A.'s that's been retrofitted with a 25KW Metal Halide light system. They "claim" these are 1,000,000,000 CP but there is, of course debate on this. Also, the AN/TVS-3 liquid cooled and trailered military light may be as bright. I know where there are two for sale if anyone is interested. I thought about it, but the potential dangers of a 25 KW very high pressure xenon lamp brought me to my senses. My 2.2 KW xenon is danger enough.
> 
> Mash, I thought you were being funny but I wasn't quite sure. You know, the forest thru the trees thing.
> 
> Gee, and no one's volunteered to buy my Helios yet! :mecry:



How does that compare to The Dominator which seems to be 60". I think the one the guy had at the car dealer was this big....or very close....but I can't remember for sure now.


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## 270winchester

so, uh, Bay Area road trip to visit BVH? I'll bring beer...

and yeah, beamshot please....


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## yuandrew

LuxLuthor said:


> How does that compare to The Dominator which seems to be 60". I think the one the guy had at the car dealer was this big....or very close....but I can't remember for sure now.



I've seen the dominator's web page before. The company that made it, Skyview Advertising, used a 1930's GE searchlight for the host and replaced the carbon arc with an 18KW HMI lamp. It's rated at producing 2,100,000 lumens.

Skyview once had two of these units for sale mounted on trailers with a diesel generator. One unit was 18KW and another smaller unit was 12KW


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## Flymo

To light up with that kind of stuff, I need a license from the government (and I don't get it, I know that for sure).
My neighbours are happy.


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## lotsalumens

Just a guess, but I'd think the HMI retrofit would have a bit less throw since it is not as much of a point source. I suppose the throw is so extreme in either case that you might not notice though!


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## BVH

Lux, in my post #43, the Dominator was the one I mentioned (not by name) might be putting out 1,000,000,000 CP if their claims are correct. They're using the same physical shell as my light but gutting it as yuandrew said above.

Edit: Opps, it must be a competitor. It's a $50,000 "Freedom" here. //cgi.ebay.com/The-FREEDOM-tm-High-Intensity-Searchlight_W0QQitemZ190135309109QQihZ009QQcategoryZ1268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And the AN/TVS3 I mentioned uses up to a 25KW lamp so it may be even brighter? I went so far as to buy one of the original manuals on this little light before I got cold feet. I think it could be used with 3 different lamps, 12 KW, 18 KW and 25 KW.

Amorphous, thanks for correcting me on the content of the rods. I thought seizium sounded radio active and bad!

Mash, this light is "regulated" so-to-speak. The automatic feed system maintains the optimum gap which controls the size of the arc which somewhat controls the amount of light produced? 

I forgot to mention, it is focusable, too. The big wheel in one of the pics rolls the feed mechanism in and out of the focal point of the mirror so it goes from spot to flood. I never knew that until a few weeks ago.


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## EV_007

Does it come with a titanium pocket clip? :twothumbs


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## TITAN1833

can you do a comparison with say,ur, ah, hmm..the sun.nice pics BTW and awesome light..we want beam shots,just turn it on tonight and everyone will see them live.:twothumbs


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## LuxLuthor

Look at the price they have on the Dominator, as compared to your great deal! I didn't realize it started with that same light. 

It was very interesting to look at that site that has the history of your light, and all the war time pictures of them blazing away. I can imagine what a pilot must have felt like with that thing burning his underbelly.


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## PhillyRube

Pictures at Ft. MacArthur? Fits in quite well with the time period.......


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## 270winchester

Flymo said:


> To light up with that kind of stuff, I need a license from the government (and I don't get it, I know that for sure).
> My neighbours are happy.



that's a joke, right?


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## enLIGHTenment

BVH said:


> The only man-made brighter device "MAY" be one of these 60" C.A.'s that's been retrofitted with a 25KW Metal Halide light system.



In terms of sustained candlepower/lux, possibly, but not in terms of lumens. Very good cored carbon arc lights can manage a luminous efficacy of around 40lm/w. From a 11.7KW (78V * 120A) input, total bulb lumens will be around 468,000lm. In contrast, Osram rates their dirt common 6kw HMI bulbs at 500,000 lumens. Their 17KW HMI bulbs are specified for 1.7 million lumens.


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## GreySave

BVH:

Consider taking those to any WWII reunions that might still be occurring. Some air shows might even be willing to purchase your services or at least use them as a static display, and many veterans still show up there to see those few warbirds that are still flying. 

I am sure the veterans who worked with those lights or who used them to find their targets would love to see them once again. They are a rapidly dying breed to whom we owe so much. I have had the good fortune to meet a number of WWII veterans at air shows or war bird fly-ins. The displays often evoke strong memories, and I have found that they are often very willing to discuss their memories at that time. Sadly, many of them are taking their remarkable stories and experiences with them as they pass. I am not trying to glorify the horrors of war here. I have simply learned that these veterans often have so much to share and there is so much that they have really never told others that is fascinating and a valuable history lesson.


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## BVH

GreySave, that is something I will certainly look into. There are quite a few events/airshows around me. Chino airport has a fantastic show with flying P-38's, p-51 Mustangs, B 25's, the prototype flying wing, Corsairs and real Zero's and more. They all fly. At the end, there are about 125 warbirds in the sky at one time, in multiple formations doing a couple of flyovers. It is hard for most of us younger persons to imagine what 125 warbirds look and sound like in the sky at one time. I donated to the Planes of Fame Museum and as a result, got a 25 minute ride in a P51 a few years ago. A once-in-a-lifetime thrill.


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## LuxLuthor

GreySave said:


> BVH:
> 
> Consider taking those to any WWII reunions that might still be occurring. Some air shows might even be willing to purchase your services or at least use them as a static display, and many veterans still show up there to see those few warbirds that are still flying.
> 
> I am sure the veterans who worked with those lights or who used them to find their targets would love to see them once again. They are a rapidly dying breed to whom we owe so much. I have had the good fortune to meet a number of WWII veterans at air shows or war bird fly-ins. The displays often evoke strong memories, and I have found that they are often very willing to discuss their memories at that time. Sadly, many of them are taking their remarkable stories and experiences with them as they pass. I am not trying to glorify the horrors of war here. I have simply learned that these veterans often have so much to share and there is so much that they have really never told others that is fascinating and a valuable history lesson.



Very well said. Big thanks for reminding us! :thumbsup:


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## martonic

Very interesting. I was intoxicated by these as a child and my dad, also a WWII vet, whose stories are sadly aging, told me they are "Kleeg" lights (sp.? he did not spell it for me). Is this the same thing. 

Congrats again on acquiring this piece of history that seems too soon to be forgotten.


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## LuxLuthor

Here you can get one of these for only $50,000 minus the trailer/ps generator....lol!!

You would think for that price they could get some higher quality pictures of it in action.


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## Canuke

Amorphous said:


> BVH,
> 
> Awesome CA light. :twothumbs
> 
> Btw, the cabon rod contained Cerium, (cerium fluoride, cerium borate, and cerium oxide)



I'm not saying anything about whether it's cerium in the rods or not, but whoever was talking to BVH was saying "cesium" ("seizium"). And if the one-letter difference wasn't confusing enough, they are only three protons away from each other on the periodic table (Ce cerium atomic number = 58, Cs cesium = 55).


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## mtbkndad

LuxLuthor said:


> Here you can get one of these for only $50,000 minus the trailer/ps generator....lol!!
> 
> You would think for that price they could get some higher quality pictures of it in action.



BVH and I have talked for some time about our mutual interest in these lights.
Does anybody know how much the parts for the retrofit in the link LuxLuthor posted in the quoted section would actually cost. I am wondering if $50,000 isn't a bit of gouging too.

I hope to get one of these searchlights one day and is seems the paypack time for a retrofit vs the carbon rods does not make it real worth it.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


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## BVH

With just a very quick search, I found a 12 KW HMI lamp costing about $3,000. The retrofitted Carbon Arc's on Ebay are probably 18 or 25 KW and I would guess the lamp alone might be near $10,000. (The 25KV Xenon lamp for the military AN/TVS3 was $10,000) My understanding is that HMI lamps are HID but the running pressures inside the lamp are somewhere around 9 PSI as opposed to 500 to 1,000 PSI with the big Xenons. Add a ballast and all the other stuff you'd need to mount the light in the can, I can see where it might go for $50K.


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## mtbkndad

BVH said:


> With just a very quick search, I found a 12 KW HMI lamp costing about $3,000. The retrofitted Carbon Arc's on Ebay are probably 18 or 25 KW and I would guess the lamp alone might be near $10,000.



9,000 psi :thinking: I would not want to be around one of those when it blows
Do you know what the rated lives of those bulbs are?

Carbon arc's seem less expensive to run all of the time  .

I look forward to seeing your beauty.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


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## tebore

WOW.

You know what's funny I think this light has one of the best, if not the best price to lumens ratio of any light on this forum. It's less than a $1 a lumen. 

Good old carbon arcs. 

What else can you power with the power pack?


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## TeflonBubba

Holy crap! that's serious. 

BVH, I feel better about my own affliction now - phew. :nana:


----------



## BVH

Affliction? Affliction???? - What affliction fliction, fliction, fliction, fliction....

Delivery day finally!!

What was I thinking in the first photo???












That's the sellers truck, not mine. I'm tracking the whereabouts of mine every couple of hours on Union Pacific's website. From order to "built" was 20 days. I managed to get the railroad car number, hense the ability to track it. Hoping to take delivery on or about Sept 2 or 3.

TeflonBubba and everyone else, sure, go ahead and use me to convince your better halves that your don't have "it" as bad as you could. So they should be understanding and happy that you don't and not bother you about your purchases any more.

Now in return, I accept PayPal donations!



(Just kidding!)


----------



## LuxLuthor

I would have been thinking....good thing it is not raining....or that they had the good sense to not face the reflector into a bug magnet. Seriously, that looks beautiful.

Good thing Andreas did not see these when he went on his $30,000 buying spree a couple years back.


----------



## mtbkndad

That is truly beautiful, I can't wait to see it in person.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## souptree

It's an honor to share darkness with you. :bow:


----------



## EvilLithiumMan

Well, I just have to ask: "What is your second favorite EDC?"


----------



## BVH

My "2nd favorite" true EDC is without a doubt, my Drako. However, my AN/VSS-3a with it's TVODRD tripod is not far behind.


----------



## Mad1

Am I missing something here?  Where on earth are the beamshots. 

Stop teasing us already. :laughing:


----------



## BVH

After my little episode with the local PD helicopter and Air Traffic Control at BUR, I'm a little reluctant to light it off in the back yard. I don't have a truck to haul the trailer yet so I can't take it anywhere. Long story short....It will be a while before i get beam shots.


----------



## nightstalker101

BVH said:


> After my little episode with the local PD helicopter and Air Traffic Control at BUR, I'm a little reluctant to light it off in the back yard. I don't have a truck to haul the trailer yet so I can't take it anywhere. Long story short....It will be a while before i get beam shots.


 
What kind of "episode" are you refering to?


----------



## BVH

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/167126&page=2

Post 43


----------



## LuxLuthor

Offer the involved police group a spotlight for their next fundraising. That will build enough good will that you won't have a problem, and they will know you personally.


----------



## Flummo

Just out of curiousity... Could you please start the clock when you fire it up, so we'll know exactly how long time it takes before Batman comes wondering what villain they need help catching this time? 

Love the searchlight, just a bit too big to fit in my pocket!


----------



## Bushman5

WOW! thats a beauty! classic ww2 army green, built tough . Very nice! 

cna i humbly make a request for a beamshot on a HORIZONTAL plane? (ie in the desert somwhere, targeting a vehicle or building on the ground? (at your convenience of course!) 

:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs


----------



## BVH

Yes, someday I'll get to doing a flat distance test. I've wanted to do it for a while. Doing a lot of cleaning and tune up work to the genset and then to the light. I'm one of those persons that doesn't want to use my equipment if it isnt clean and polished and I've got one heck of a lot of that to do! Chasing a couple of coolant leaks and one oil leak and trying to amass spare, critical parts before I can't get them anymore. Despite all this, it's a fully functioning unit that I could rent out at any time.


----------



## Bushman5

BVH said:


> Yes, someday I'll get to doing a flat distance test. I've wanted to do it for a while. Doing a lot of cleaning and tune up work to the genset and then to the light. *I'm one of those persons that doesn't want to use my equipment if it isnt clean and polished and I've got one heck of a lot of that to do! Chasing a couple of coolant leaks and one oil leak and trying to amass spare, critical parts before I can't get them anymore. *Despite all this, it's a fully functioning unit that I could rent out at any time.



your like me! :wave: :thumbsup:


----------



## BVH

They run better when they're clean and polished - that's a cold, hard fact!


----------



## LuxLuthor

BVH said:


> They run better when they're clean and polished - that's a cold, hard fact!



Then you better get a cover for the whole setup, or every road trip will be bug heaven. BTW, I wonder what effect on components of bug flying into light? Some areas/seasons have big bug problems with lights.


----------



## BVH

The paint will be so slippery, the bugs will just glance right off it. Lux, you said you might be interested in the 1.84 acres I have in Florida, right?


----------



## LuxLuthor

BVH said:


> The paint will be so slippery, the bugs will just glance right off it. Lux, you said you might be interested in the 1.84 acres I have in Florida, right?



Are the alligators extra?


----------



## Crenshaw

Im new here, this is my first post!

either way, to quote unreal tournament

" GODLIKE"

Crenshaw


----------



## Dr.K

:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs
HOLY ____!


----------



## Nitro

BVH said:


> Yes, someday I'll get to doing a flat distance test. I've wanted to do it for a while. Doing a lot of cleaning and tune up work to the genset and then to the light. I'm one of those persons that doesn't want to use my equipment if it isnt clean and polished and I've got one heck of a lot of that to do! Chasing a couple of coolant leaks and one oil leak and trying to amass spare, critical parts before I can't get them anymore. Despite all this, it's a fully functioning unit that I could rent out at any time.


----------



## BVH

Generator is in the garage, light is in front of the garage and have had my new truck for about 3 weeks now and the trailer is out at an airport storage lot. Just got the load leveling hitch but haven't put it together or mounted it on the trailer or set it up. Never used one before so I'll need to get some help first time. Needless to say, It will take some time to do all the above so I can reload the units onto the trailer so I can take it somewhere. I hope you have lots and lots of popcorn!!


----------



## Nitro

BVH said:


> Generator is in the garage, light is in front of the garage and have had my new truck for about 3 weeks now and the trailer is out at an airport storage lot. Just got the load leveling hitch but haven't put it together or mounted it on the trailer or set it up. Never used one before so I'll need to get some help first time. Needless to say, It will take some time to do all the above so I can reload the units onto the trailer so I can take it somewhere. I hope you have lots and lots of popcorn!!


----------



## BVH

Ahhhh...that's more like it.


----------



## Nitro

BVH said:


> Ahhhh...that's more like it.


----------



## LuxLuthor

BVH said:


> Generator is in the garage, light is in front of the garage and have had my new truck for about 3 weeks now and the trailer is out at an airport storage lot. Just got the load leveling hitch but haven't put it together or mounted it on the trailer or set it up. Never used one before so I'll need to get some help first time. Needless to say, It will take some time to do all the above so I can reload the units onto the trailer so I can take it somewhere. I hope you have lots and lots of popcorn!!



Quit whining. You know you love every minute of getting your baby up online! :twothumbs


----------



## 65535

I have had experience with a load sharing hitch that spreads the weight on the hitch through the entire truck rather than the back of it, if thats what you have they are pretty easy make sure that the load arms are parallel to the ground and that the main trailer fork is parallel too. If you can help it don't try to engage the arms with load in the trailer and the support leg up, it's like trying to lift a ton into position.

They work pretty well but if you truck isn't up to the weight then it still may not be enough the trick is to have a large enough truck in the first place, that truck the seller has is a good bet.


----------



## BVH

OK, Lux. I stopped my whining! I dropped the trailer off at the shop last Friday to have all the mods done. We'll jointly set it up correctly when I pick it up.

I've got my first gig on Saturday night, Oct 27 at a night club in Reseda. Bob will train me before then so I'll be by myself on my first night out. I'm a bit nervous but what the heck. Gotta start somewhere. And wouldn't you know it? The location is very nearly under the approach path to BUR. Bob worked it last weekend and he says all I have to do is watch out for planes on approach and stop the rotation in the correct direction when I observe an incoming flight. Reminds me of my tank light vrs LAPD helicopter episode. Sounds like I'm whining again.

The beam can be seen from about 25 to 35 miles on a good night so all you "locals" keep an eye out!


----------



## Nitro

BVH said:


> OK, Lux. I stopped my whining! I dropped the trailer off at the shop last Friday to have all the mods done. We'll jointly set it up correctly when I pick it up.
> 
> I've got my first gig on Saturday night, Oct 27 at a night club in Reseda. Bob will train me before then so I'll be by myself on my first night out. I'm a bit nervous but what the heck. Gotta start somewhere. And wouldn't you know it? The location is very nearly under the approach path to BUR. Bob worked it last weekend and he says all I have to do is watch out for planes on approach and stop the rotation in the correct direction when I observe an incoming flight. Reminds me of my tank light vrs LAPD helicopter episode. Sounds like I'm whining again.
> 
> The beam can be seen from about 25 to 35 miles on a good night so all you "locals" keep an eye out!


 
Don't forget Beamshots!


----------



## DM51

SUPERB! But I bet sooner or later someone will ask whether you have thought of upgrading it with a Q5 bin Cree, lol.


----------



## BVH

Well maybe I should upgrade the "recarboning" lamp inside the drum to a Cree or three? (it's a work light)

I lit her off last night for the first time. It was my training class with "Bob"
Went very well and to boot, made me come face to face with one of my big concerns - aircraft (as you will remember with my tank light) I was about 9 miles from and directly under the ILS approach runway to BUR. Procedure- see approaching plane, when within about 2 miles of my light, stop rotation and point beam 90 degrees -perpendicular to plane path of travel. When plane overhead, resume rotation. No big deal. An LAPD helo also circled for a bit then left. Note to self - Try to stand back from light so I'm not breathing carbon/Cerium fumes ejected by the exhaust fan all night.

Sorry, no beam shots. Too busy training. First Gig is on the 27th. If I'm not too flustered under pressure, I'll try to get some.


----------



## Codeman

Woo-hoo!


----------



## BVH

Wow! I now have 11 nights of work this month! That's almost unheard of in this dying business. I'm gonna be one tired person!


----------



## windstrings

BVH said:


> Wow! I now have 12 nights of work this month! That's almost unheard of in this dying business. I'm gonna be one tired person!



Huh?.... but I thought you were a male Jiggalo Stripper?


----------



## BVH

Well...I do an unveiling of sorts.....I strip the cover off my light and generator. Does that count?


----------



## windstrings

Must be a really good show... I'll buy a set of tickets!


----------



## BVH

First Gig is on the 19th now and hope to do some day shots and beam shots. I'll be using the 1940's manufactured National Carbon rods so I'll have the best beam possible. I noticed some flickering when training with more modern National carbon rods made in India. Bob says they are inferior to the originals.


----------



## windstrings

OK.. now you got me... I think a big plane just went over my head. :green:


----------



## lctorana

:bump:


----------



## KeyGrip

lctorana said:


> :bump:



Yes. I'm worried BVH may have accidentally vaporized himself during a gig.


----------



## HIDSGT

HOLY MOLY!


----------



## BVH

Nope! Still here. Have been kinda lazy about getting some beamshots. I had one night where a piece of the positive rod broke off and it caused a slight melting of the heat shield. This happens when the arc and resulting flame get too close to the shield. It was a fluke. The other Bob says he's never seen that happen. Since then, I've been like a mother hen hovering over the light every minute it's operating to be sure it wasn't something else mechanical that caused the slight melting. I've got 7 hours on it now since then with no issues. My next gig is Dec 6 and I will really try to get some shots. I am not a camera buff so any ideas on how long the exposures should be would be helpful. This will be at a church in a fairly big city so ambient light should be plentiful. I was thinking 3 seconds or so?


----------



## DM51

BVH said:


> ... any ideas on how long the exposures should be would be helpful. This will be at a church in a fairly big city so ambient light should be plentiful. I was thinking 3 seconds or so?


Lol, if you point that thing at a church for as long as 3 seconds, it will melt the lead on the roof.


----------



## LuxLuthor

LOL! I would never have thought of a church using a spotlight for attention grabber....but it makes sense as a celestial connection! :thumbsup:


----------



## BVH

Neither would I. They do a multi-night live-actor/actress nativiety scene and want to draw in a large gathering. It works according to them.


----------



## Codeman

I see the Light!

Sorry..couldn't help myself....


----------



## BVH

Now Codeman, I resisted that temptation but it took every ounce of strength I had to do it. :nana:


----------



## drew2001

BVH, This is so cool.

I have just now finished reading every post all one hundred and eight posts so far on this thread... 

Wow I am truly impressed and enamoured with your rare purchase and subsquent attention to detail ... this is super special, i also clicked/followed links along the thread for info and enlightenment. 

So glad to see another of the very few of the WW2 era C.A. left in existance being put back into service and looking forward to the stories you'll have following your upcoming gigs with it. I have very fond memories of asking my Dad if we could go find the source of the whirling light beams, back in the 60s as a curious child. 

My father would drive us kids our family to the 'end of the rainbow' just to capture the beam and be amazed. I seem to remember these marvels putting out big shows in little places like Casper Wyoming, and Portlands' neighbour Beaverton Oregon many years ago, actually finding them in front of car lots mostly. Arriving and getting out of the car, we would quickly walk towards the massive machine, immediately backtracking a few steps a bit overcome but marveling at the sounds and smells. 

The engine running at a fast idle, the loud hissing of the rods burning. We discovered the dragons head. It was a scifi mixture of a huge rotating belching massive light from a huge metal can perched about whirlying around. Some slowly turning round in tight arcs looking from a distance like it was tracking back and forth into the otherwise darkened night sky and some spinning around with a lower aimed circular path of light. All of them puffed out an acrid smell from the burning carbon rods and snorted out smoky bluish colored fumes from the mechanical one eyed curious dragon like creature. Yup, I'd say it left a permanent impact. 

I just want to say thank you for sharing the progress. I imagine alot of us reading, are living vicarously through this brightmagic in your charge now.

THANKS !


----------



## Codeman

BVH said:


> Now Codeman, I resisted that temptation but it took every ounce of strength I had to do it. :nana:



:laughing:


----------



## BVH

Thank you Drew for a great post of your memories. I enjoyed reading it.


----------



## drew2001

Yes your project sure did bring back fond memories, age distorted as they may be but still fun to share. 

I'm thinking another scary fact as an adult now. It does sound rather dangerous due to potential health issues with exposure to the amounts of Ozone and poisonous CO gases coming from large amounts of ionized air over the course of a few hours in one spot. While CO2 also a byproduct falls into a form of pollution potential 'carbons' catagory. As an operator, What personal precautions have you planned or discovered about protection and exposure risks to the dangerous gasses? 

Shy of wearing a mask breathing from a fresh air tank? I'd think that close up operating inspections would require a very well ventilated attempt. I'm just thinking it's burn rate must saturate an area pretty good for many feet around the lamp and or at least produce a cloud like foul area out around the end location of the fan exausted fumes.


----------



## KevinL

BVH said:


> Nope! Still here. Have been kinda lazy about getting some beamshots. I had one night where a piece of the positive rod broke off and it caused a slight melting of the heat shield. This happens when the arc and resulting flame get too close to the shield. It was a fluke. The other Bob says he's never seen that happen. Since then, I've been like a mother hen hovering over the light every minute it's operating to be sure it wasn't something else mechanical that caused the slight melting. I've got 7 hours on it now since then with no issues. My next gig is Dec 6 and I will really try to get some shots. I am not a camera buff so any ideas on how long the exposures should be would be helpful. This will be at a church in a fairly big city so ambient light should be plentiful. I was thinking 3 seconds or so?



Congrats on the unbelievable spotlight. You've reached the pinnacle 

For single beamshots, I'd recommend starting with an automatic mode. (despite the fact I'm a photog and fiddle with all the controls, it's not as hard as we make it seem sometimes . Start with "P" mode, and look at the LCD. If it is too bright, adjust the Exposure Compensation (EC) setting to -1. Too dark, +1. Let the camera do some of the hard work 

And don't char-grill whatever you are pointing that spotlight at!!


----------



## Nitro

BVH said:


> Nope! Still here. Have been kinda lazy about getting some beamshots. I had one night where a piece of the positive rod broke off and it caused a slight melting of the heat shield. This happens when the arc and resulting flame get too close to the shield. It was a fluke. The other Bob says he's never seen that happen. Since then, I've been like a mother hen hovering over the light every minute it's operating to be sure it wasn't something else mechanical that caused the slight melting. I've got 7 hours on it now since then with no issues. My next gig is Dec 6 and I will really try to get some shots. I am not a camera buff so any ideas on how long the exposures should be would be helpful. This will be at a church in a fairly big city so ambient light should be plentiful. I was thinking 3 seconds or so?


 
BVH,

I used 8" f/5.0 ISO100 AWB for my beamshots. I just kept adjusting the shutter speed until I came up with what looked the most realistic to my eye. Then I made sure I used the same settings on all shots for comparison purposes.

However, your light may be overexposed using those settings. I would try four shots. 8", 4", 2" and 1" @ f/5.0, and see how they turn out. The problem with using "P" is, you may not get consistent exposures. They will depend on how you frame the shot.

Good luck. I'm looking forward to seeing them.


----------



## quatra2008

Oh my god... you are the man


----------



## BVH

I plan on bringing this light to the Dec 15 So Cal get together in Griffith Park.


----------



## orbital

+

Ummm, you Win!!!


----------



## Tempora

What would you see when you look directly the beam?:candle:


----------



## DM51

You would very briefly see a red color as the back of your eyeballs flash-fried. Then nothing.


----------



## kabkbak7321

What ever you do see you will be seeing it for quite some time!:duck:


----------



## ambientmind

i cant believe this light! any beamshots yet?


----------



## Flashanator

i think his still getting this beast all setup. 


BVH, Will you be doing close range (say, 50, 100, 300, 1000 meter beamshots)?

Then long range (like 6km -10km)?

Jezz I just cant wait to see beamshots of this insane light.


----------



## adamlau

Amazing...I want one...


----------



## BVH

I was really hoping to go to the So Cal get-together this Saturday so Mr. Ted Bear could take some excellent beamshots. I'm just not a good camera person and would flub it up. Maybe I can sweet-talk him into coming out to one of my jobs and taking some when I have something in the valley close to him. I've actually worked 13 nights since end of Sept. I hear he lurks around here so maybe he'll see this.


----------



## Flashanator

That would be so good, I could really use a beautiful beamshot for my desktop background which is 2560x1600 :naughty: So if you do take beamshots & post them, please post Hq versions


----------



## Bluedeviltorque

I just found this thread. 

WOW!

Beam shots will be something to marvel at for sure. I couldn't imagine what it would look like pointed at a ground based object and not just in to the sky.

Mike


----------



## JetskiMark

BVH said:


> I was really hoping to go to the So Cal get-together this Saturday so Mr. Ted Bear could take some excellent beamshots. I'm just not a good camera person and would flub it up. Maybe I can sweet-talk him into coming out to one of my jobs and taking some when I have something in the valley close to him. I've actually worked 13 nights since end of Sept. I hear he lurks around here so maybe he'll see this.



Please post in this thread whenever you are going to have a job in the vicinity. I would really like to see it in operation and I could take some decent beamshots at the same time. Maybe you could bring your Locator to your next job too.

Regards,
Mark


----------



## BVH

Mark, will do. IF, and it's a big IF, it's not raining or projected to rain tomorrow night, I would have a job in Brentwood for a charity event. Rumor has it, it might be filmed by The Learning Channel. I have a feeling it will rain and, this being a hobby, I don't want to work in the rain. :nana:

There's nothing more on the calendar but that's the way it's been lately. The jobs crop up a day or two ahead at best.

I can bring a locator. (if you'll bring your Blitz!) In general, don't be offended when it appears that I'm not "all there" with "guests" to my jobs. I have to keep at least one eye and ear out for the CA. If there's a problem with the rod feed mechanism, a $150, difficult to find heat shield can melt in site of 15 - 20 seconds. It's part of the "fun"! After all, these veterans are 65 years old.


----------



## BVH

Myself and the other Bob are going to be working this event with our lights at Fort McAuthur in El Segundo. Click on the orange "Air Raid" graphic in the center of the page.

http://www.ftmac.org/


----------



## djmt99

_*EDIT:* Well isn't that a coincidence. I stumbled upon this thread last night, wrote back today (for quite a while, as you can see!), and Bob replied into it just a bit ago. I guess you can disregard my first 3 sentences below! _

What ever happened to this thread? It kind of died at the end of '07. I figured I'd kick-start it again. ;-) By the time I was done reading this entire thread, it was Sunday afternoon! Let me start off my by first saying hi to the OP, Bob. I, too, am a 60" carbon-arc operator, as well as the various smaller sized carbon-arcs and xenons (24", 36"), hailing from Massachusetts.

I've been a CPF member since 2005. I posted a little bit here and there, but I often get so consumed with work and other side-projects that I lose track. In fact, there was another thread about a 60" searchlight that was for sale on eBay. I answered a few questions about the lights along with a little self-intro. I even mentioned something about getting some beam shots out, but never got around to it (surprise surprise). I've got some decent promo shots (with suitable beamshots, of course) on the the company website. I won't clutter this post with them. ;-) Speaking of company websites, is yours down? I can't seem to log on to http://www.sierrasearchlights.com/. 




BVH said:


> There are very, very few of these originally configured, 2 separate unit lights around. The vast majority of the lights and generators have been cut off their 4-wheel dollies and permanently placed onto trailers. It makes for a smaller, easier to maneuver and cheaper to maintain unit.


Not only that, but the searchlight "dolly" (which is just axles welded to the frame of the light base) has no suspension, what so ever. Of course, serious highway driving, or ANY driving for that matter, will take it's toll on every single mechanism on the unit. The generator does have a suspension. Both units had an independent steering axle, which could prove pretty tricky when backing up. I actually mounted a hitch on the FRONT of some of the trucks so that the trailers could be driven IN TO the warehouse. We've got 5 lights and generators still on 4 wheels, 2 of which have never been run. The rest have been permanently mounted on dual-axle trailers.



BVH said:


> I actually plan to hire out for events, although according to most in the know, it is a dying business.


That's rather unfortunate that the business is dying out in CA. Here in the northeast, we're out almost every weekend with both types of lights.



BVH said:


> Most businesses are ignorant of the power of these lights and are renting the Sky Trackers ... The NASTY things don’t have a third of the power and visibility of the genuine 60” Carbon Arc!


Isn't that so true? Back in the 70's, SkyTracker actually used to tell the operators to pull up next to a carbon-arc and just start running the lights, to show the "enhanced" rotation pattern. It worked for a little bit, but we still get calls that DEMAND the carbon-arc and not the "little lights". I prefer to run the carbon-arcs, and, if not specified, I'll make it a point to run that instead of a xenon.



BVH said:


> One thing that few people know about these lights (I, for one) is that they were/are remotely controllable via a tripod with head-piece setup that was located a hundred or so feet from the light via cables. ... Unfortunately, there is only one light known to exist in the world that works with this system. So unless I get really lucky and find a long-buried remote, I’ll only be able to fix her up to a “9”.


I haven't really done much with our DEC units (which, if I had to guess, is 3- 1 of which is still crated!), but I'm pretty confident that our lights would be operational with it. We have a few that have been "streamlined", but those came from competitors that we had to buy it because they didn't make it in the area. All of our original lights still have most of the original parts, including the dynomotors, which prove very beneficial for a tv or laptop in the cab. Of course, we have DC heaters to run direct off the generator.



BVH said:


> Lucky for me, I stumbled upon “Bob”


Bob M is a great guy. We were in pretty constant contact when he purchased his. I am very proud of how far he came with it. 



BVH said:


> The automated rod feeding system is, to me, way ahead of its time. ... Many of the operators are still burning original National Carbon rods made back during the war, still in their sawdust-filled metal cans.


I think I said the same thing once I was old enough to actually begin to understand the operating mechanism of the lights. I'd just stand there and stare at the workings of the mech box, being amazed at how it was so component-simple, but operation-sophisticated.

We also run Nationals. We have the whole second floor balcony of the warehouse stocked with crates of them that have been accumulated over the years. We actually had a source approach us that had just unearthed a few hundred cans a few years ago. Not knowing what to do with them, they handed them over to us. Great find.



BVH said:


> It’s a little scarey knowing she’s almost 70 years old and that parts, while not impossible to find, are not easy to come by. Believe it or not, there are still parts wrapped in their original cosmaline’d containers available, for a price.


It was fun growing up, learning about what that "stuff" was that all of our parts were wrapped in. It's not a pleasant smell, either! ;-) Some of our original lights that have never been run have bits and pieces wrapped in cosmo. 



BVH said:


> There are even 3 brand new, never used light and gensets built by Sperry available for purchase.


I remember talking to a gentleman in Detroit that had some for sale, but I thought he had some GE's too. Interesting. I know I'd never part with ours. 



BVH said:


> Sperry could not keep up with demand during the war so they licensed G.E. to help them


Now this is one interesting fact that I was not aware of. I know that GE and Sperry made lights, competitively, but didn't realize they "worked together". Where did this information come from?




ddaadd said:


> I recall the searchlights cost tens of thousands ( apx $60k ? ) of dollars when purchased new by the military.


I have an advertisement hanging in my office that must date back to the mid-50's, early 60's at the latest. It was for the sale of the lights AFTER the war, however it states that the searchlight itself cost the government over $29k and the power plant cost over $7k, totaling somewhere near $36.5k. The ad goes on to promote the sale of the light, post war, for $1595.00. That minimal price included the light, power plant, operating and maintenance manuals, and 1 CASE of carbons (which would equal to about 450 sets). That's quite the price difference from mfr'ing costs to post-war sales, eh? 




BVH said:


> Saw a 1960-something ford HD truck (not a pickup) with a light and genset on the back. I think it was 30-35K.


We have an antique showpiece with 2 carbon-arcs with generators mounted on a 35' 1963 Ford F700 cab & chassis. We've got another dual-light truck set-up, but it's on a more modern cab & chassis. We also have a single light on a truck. The rest are trailer-mounted.




LuxLuthor said:


> Here in CT ... someone had one of these major promotional lights that was about your size, or a little bigger with its diesel generator piping away ... I talked to the guy running it for about 30 mins, doing my best to ignore the hard up salesmen trying to get their monthly bonus ... The owner really loved his light, and was thrilled that I saw it and drove all that way because of it ... As I stood there with him, I think there were more people who came because of the light and wanting to see it than the car sales.


Hmmm, I wonder if it was me? What town was it in? I don't recall talking to someone else with a BB, though. Do you happen to remember anything about the light? Color? The company name? I have an idea that, if it wasn't me, it was a very close friend of ours that it located in Berlin. We've had lights from as far north as Houlton, ME (right at the NB border) to as far south as the Tri-state area. We've even lit up the Statue of Liberty from barges with our lights!




BVH said:


> The only man-made brighter device "MAY" be one of these 60" C.A.'s that's been retrofitted with a 25KW Metal Halide light system. They "claim" these are 1,000,000,000 CP but there is, of course debate on this.


I've seen the converted 60" lights, and they are NOTHING to talk about. The beam looks like crap and there's just way too much $$$ involved in the conversion (for power supplies, power source, and of course, the bulb). A company out this way converted their lights. I've seen them running twice, in 10 years. Now, was that worth it?

One thing that I asked myself after hearing about the Dominator, and before actually seeing one in-person, was "Will the arc be in the same/correct place? The answer, as I suspected, is a resilient "No". The arc is not the correct size nor is it concentrated in the correct focal point for the reflector, so instead of a nice pencil point beam, it's a flat line, in the sky. Now, is that the kind of beamshot you want to see?

The only lights that a conversion MAY work properly is in a Sperry or an alumninum GE. Both have deeper barrels. If you look at SkyView's Dominator page, you'll see that they actually extended one of the barrels. Gee, I wonder why? I'm proud to say that none of our carbon-arcs have been converted to any sort of lamp. I'm 110% confident that these are still the most intense advertising searchlight around.




LuxLuthor said:


> I can imagine what a pilot must have felt like with that thing burning his underbelly.


Which is exactly why they implemented the DEC. If you're a pilot, and you're suddenly lit up in the night-sky, the first thing you want to do is kill that light. This is also why they relocated the generator to a distance of about 1 mile away. There's nothing like bullets hitting a generator with a full tank of gasoline.




BVH said:


> The paint will be so slippery, the bugs will just glance right off it.


Bob, do you happen to know if this was the original US Army Olive Drab paint that was clearcoated or is this a new coat of paint? Original US Army equipment never had gloss, to eliminate visible reflections to the enemy.




BVH said:


> I lit her off last night for the first time ... made me come face to face with one of my big concerns - aircraft


I've never had any serious issues with aviation. When working in Boston near Logan (BOS), we have to obtain operation permits, which is pretty much a fancy way of letting ATC know that we'll be operating in the vicinity. During one event, we had the pilot of Air Force II request the light maintain a 180-degree rotation pattern, away from it's stand-by runway.




BVH said:


> I had one night where a piece of the positive rod broke off and it caused a slight melting of the heat shield. This happens when the arc and resulting flame get too close to the shield. It was a fluke. The other Bob says he's never seen that happen. Since then, I've been like a mother hen hovering over the light every minute it's operating to be sure it wasn't something else mechanical that caused the slight melting.


Now that's another interesting point. Along with Bob M, I can attest to have never encountered this. When I have a cracked positive that causes a bit to flake off, it just burns uneven. We've also run our lights at a full 90-degrees perpendicular to horizontal (which would make it perpendicular, now wouldn't it? haha). That said, I can assure you that the flame does not melt down the brass (or iron, depending on what's in there) nose plate/shield). What I bet happened was that the positive stopped feeding (both rotation and in-feed), either due to burning down the carbon to the end, or, for some reason, the feed system just halted. When the positive isn't feeding, for whatever reason, the negative will ALWAYS feed in (assuming there's enough to feed in!). Over time, the positive will eventually burn down and cause that arc to slowly progress closer to the plate. I'm going to guess that the part of your nose plate that melted was probably halfway between the hole and the top of the shield?




drew2001 said:


> I have very fond memories of asking my Dad if we could go find the source of the whirling light beams, back in the 60s ... we would quickly walk towards the massive machine, immediately backtracking a few steps a bit overcome but marveling at the sounds and smells ... The engine running at a fast idle, the loud hissing of the rods burning. We discovered the dragons head. It was a scifi mixture of a huge rotating belching massive light from a huge metal can perched about whirlying around. Some slowly turning round in tight arcs looking from a distance like it was tracking back and forth into the otherwise darkened night sky and some spinning around with a lower aimed circular path of light. All of them puffed out an acrid smell from the burning carbon rods and snorted out smoky bluish colored fumes from the mechanical one eyed curious dragon like creature. Yup, I'd say it left a permanent impact.


Goodness gracious. I can't even begin to wonder what that poor light had gone through. This is definitely not a normal operating condition of the lights. The generator spins at ~1200rpm, and if well-maintained, operates very efficiently with very little noise and/or smells. Same with the light... in fact, if you're smelling fumes from the light, chances are the exhaust blower isn't working properly, because that's designed to vent out ABOVE the light, making it's way into the atmosphere. The lights were painted green, so that makes them energy efficient, right? ;-)




BVH said:


> In general, don't be offended when it appears that I'm not "all there" with "guests" to my jobs. I have to keep at least one eye and ear out for the CA. If there's a problem with the rod feed mechanism, a $150, difficult to find heat shield can melt in site of 15 - 20 seconds.


Not sure about your nose plate/heat shield sources, but SkyView has these readily available for $75/ea. But I do hear you about "in case of..." situations. Every single one of our rigs has an entirely brand new burner assembly on-board (with both negative and positive heads), in the event of a catastrophe. In operating the light for over 30 years, we've never had to replace anything on-site... in fact, in the same amount of time, we've properly maintained the units so well, that we've never had a single breakdown that cost us the job. Once you get the light in the perfect operating condition, you'll be able to walk away from it. We've used the 3' carbon rods on some lights and let it run for 4 hours, unattended. That's how confident we are with our units. You'll be able to do it, too.

You mentioned something about TLC possibly filming at a job? I'm sure you're aware, but Bob M's light, along with several others (probably yours, before you purchased) were featured in a History Channel special, called "Mail Call", which focused on the Great LA Air Raid. Man, that was a spectacular episode. If you didn't see it, I definitely recommend watching it. They showed an entire demonstration of the working DEC.

I think that about wraps it up from my end. I hope to try to hit CPF a little more frequently now, as I'm a little disappointed that I miss this thread as it was progressing. I wish you much success with your new business-related hobby, and hope that I can be of assistance.


----------



## BVH

WOW! What a GREAT post! PM'd you.


----------



## BVH

thread I answered a few questions about the lights along with a little self-intro. I even mentioned something about getting some beam shots out, but never got around to it (surprise surprise). I've got some decent promo shots (with suitable beamshots, of course) on the the company website. I won't clutter this post with them. ;-) Speaking of company websites, is yours down? I can't seem to log on to http://www.sierrasearchlights.com/. 

I'm not advertising so I stopped paying for the site hosting. Still have the Domain, though. I'm helping Bob by sort of being his second light and doing his overflow work. That's my choice. I don't want this to be a full-time job, It's a hobby,


I haven't really done much with our DEC units (which, if I had to guess, is 3- 1 of which is still crated!), but I'm pretty confident that our lights would be operational with it. We have a few that have been "streamlined", but those came from competitors that we had to buy it because they didn't make it in the area. All of our original lights still have most of the original parts, including the dynomotors, which prove very beneficial for a tv or laptop in the cab. Of course, we have DC heaters to run direct off the generator.

Any chance you might part with one of them? I would also need some of the other components. As I mentioned, I'd like this to be a retirement project and it would be fun to make my light fully functional.


Bob M is a great guy. We were in pretty constant contact when he purchased his. I am very proud of how far he came with it.

Agree 100% 



We also run Nationals. We have the whole second floor balcony of the warehouse stocked with crates of them that have been accumulated over the years. We actually had a source approach us that had just unearthed a few hundred cans a few years ago. Not knowing what to do with them, they handed them over to us. Great find.

Holy Moley! Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Do you sell parts or is everything you have strictly for your operation?


Now this is one interesting fact that I was not aware of. I know that GE and Sperry made lights, competitively, but didn't realize they "worked together". Where did this information come from?

I think I got this from Bob M



I've seen the converted 60" lights, and they are NOTHING to talk about. The beam looks like crap and there's just way too much $$$ involved in the conversion (for power supplies, power source, and of course, the bulb). A company out this way converted their lights. I've seen them running twice, in 10 years. Now, was that worth it?


One thing that I asked myself after hearing about the Dominator, and before actually seeing one in-person, was "Will the arc be in the same/correct place? The answer, as I suspected, is a resilient "No". The arc is not the correct size nor is it concentrated in the correct focal point for the reflector, so instead of a nice pencil point beam, it's a flat line, in the sky. Now, is that the kind of beamshot you want to see?

The only lights that a conversion MAY work properly is in a Sperry or an alumninum GE. Both have deeper barrels. If you look at SkyView's Dominator page, you'll see that they actually extended one of the barrels. Gee, I wonder why? I'm proud to say that none of our carbon-arcs have been converted to any sort of lamp. I'm 110% confident that these are still the most intense advertising searchlight around.

I'm glad you posted this. I "SO" want the CA's to be the brightest "out there"


Bob, do you happen to know if this was the original US Army Olive Drab paint that was clearcoated or is this a new coat of paint? Original US Army equipment never had gloss, to eliminate visible reflections to the enemy.

No, mine is a late 90's repaint by Jim Mulligan in AZ. I really like them glossy - even though it's not original.


Now that's another interesting point. Along with Bob M, I can attest to have never encountered this. When I have a cracked positive that causes a bit to flake off, it just burns uneven. We've also run our lights at a full 90-degrees perpendicular to horizontal (which would make it perpendicular, now wouldn't it? haha). That said, I can assure you that the flame does not melt down the brass (or iron, depending on what's in there) nose plate/shield). What I bet happened was that the positive stopped feeding (both rotation and in-feed), either due to burning down the carbon to the end, or, for some reason, the feed system just halted. When the positive isn't feeding, for whatever reason, the negative will ALWAYS feed in (assuming there's enough to feed in!). Over time, the positive will eventually burn down and cause that arc to slowly progress closer to the plate. I'm going to guess that the part of your nose plate that melted was probably halfway between the hole and the top of the shield?

When this happened, it was the nose of the shield right where the rod protrudes through. Nothing happened higher up on the shield. I found a piece of the + rod in the drum about 3/8" to 7/16" long. 



Not sure about your nose plate/heat shield sources, but SkyView has these readily available for $75/ea. But I do hear you about "in case of..." situations. Every single one of our rigs has an entirely brand new burner assembly on-board (with both negative and positive heads), in the event of a catastrophe. In operating the light for over 30 years, we've never had to replace anything on-site... in fact, in the same amount of time, we've properly maintained the units so well, that we've never had a single breakdown that cost us the job. Once you get the light in the perfect operating condition, you'll be able to walk away from it. We've used the 3' carbon rods on some lights and let it run for 4 hours, unattended. That's how confident we are with our units. You'll be able to do it, too.

I bought a complete burner ***'y - or rather, got "taken" for one by a "Met" in Indiana. He came through with the control box but flaked on the burner. Live and learn - $1,500 worth!

You mentioned something about TLC possibly filming at a job? I'm sure you're aware, but Bob M's light, along with several others (probably yours, before you purchased) were featured in a History Channel special, called "Mail Call", which focused on the Great LA Air Raid. Man, that was a spectacular episode. If you didn't see it, I definitely recommend watching it. They showed an entire demonstration of the working DEC.

Yes, mine was in the show, more in the background. Bob gave me a video of it! Nice to see my light on TV!

I think that about wraps it up from my end. I hope to try to hit CPF a little more frequently now, as I'm a little disappointed that I miss this thread as it was progressing. I wish you much success with your new business-related hobby, and hope that I can be of assistance.[/QUOTE]

It will be great having another CA on CPF!! I had knee surgery in Jan and will have my other one done in March so I decided to not do any work after Dec., 07. I'll hopefully be back in business come Sept/Oct.


----------



## djmt99

BVH said:


> WOW! What a GREAT post! PM'd you.


Thanks! Message received and I will definitely be in contact.



BVH said:


> I'm not advertising so I stopped paying for the site hosting. That's my choice. I don't want this to be a full-time job, It's a hobby,


Understood. I don't think it's possible to make the light business a 100% fulltime job. I don't know about the west coat, but here, we LOVE the non daylight savings time here during the fall and winter.



BVH said:


> Any chance you might part with one of them? I would also need some of the other components.


Right now they are buried amongst the rest of the non-essential parts. I've been meaning to get to one to try out, but I just don't seem to have the time. I need to verify that I have at least 1 working unit before I could think about selling off the others, in the event that I need a part or two.



BVH said:


> Do you sell parts or is everything you have strictly for your operation?


I'm not sure how my dad did it, but it definitely was a 'right place, right time' thing. The parts are strictly for the operation. We've had many requests for parts, but we just can't sell them. If someone else needs them, then chances are, somewhere along the line, we'll need them!



BVH said:


> I "SO" want the CA's to be the brightest "out there"


I'm no scientist, nor do I conducted technical results, but I know what my eyes see. I usually don't exaggerate or fabricate details, especially when I'm biased, but I'm 110% confident that a "10" carbon-arc will kick the pants seat of any modified 60". We don't operate any "junk" lights, all of our mirrors are fully-plated and in mint condition, and we operate at the full power of the rods (150A). I've seen our very own lights, running in Boston, which is 50 miles east of here, from home. Now that's something to brag about carbon-arcs.



BVH said:


> No, mine is a late 90's repaint by Jim Mulligan in AZ. I really like them glossy - even though it's not original.


I remember following Jim's restoration. That was about the same time as Bob M's, maybe a little after. I like the repainted lights glossy, as well. It gives it a little more class. Our originals are still flat green.



BVH said:


> When this happened, it was the nose of the shield right where the rod protrudes through ... I found a piece of the + rod in the drum about 3/8" to 7/16" long.


I understand what you're saying now. I was under the impression that a bit of the rod flaked off. Yeah, if you lost a whole length of the rod, for whatever reason, that's going to cause your arc to burn closer to the nose, which would also explain the mini-meltdown at the shield. If you haven't already, get yourself a 5/8" reamer with at least a 24" extension, and keep that, and a portable drill in your toolbox. That way, in the event of a drip mid-job, you can ream it out and still use the light. For some reason, brass liquefies when it's hot, but hardens up when it's cold. :thinking: 



BVH said:


> I ... got "taken" for one by a "Met" in Indiana. He came through with the control box but flaked on the burner.


I'm not familiar with "Met". We'll have to discuss this later.



BVH said:


> Yes, mine was in the show, more in the background. Bob gave me a video of it! Nice to see my light on TV!


I actually meant to record the initial airing, but missed it. I have a version that was available on the internet, but it's not of the highest quality. I hope they re-air it sometime in my lifetime so that I can get a DVR quality version. It's amazing how picky we are now with technology! 



BVH said:


> It will be great having another CA on CPF!! I had knee surgery in Jan and will have my other one done in March so I decided to not do any work after Dec., 07. I'll hopefully be back in business come Sept/Oct.


Yeah, right now I've got a shelf-full of store-bought LED flashlights that were just calling my name, about 4 or 5 mags (unmodified, except for the drop in LED replacement), and 1 rechargeable mag (also unmodified). I'd like to pick up some beefy ones with some output. I'm thinking that if I stick around here more often, I'll end up with something. I'm a clean slate right now, so whatever someone tells me is the best, I'll probably get. I'm open for options! ;-)

As for your surgery, I hope you have a speedy recovery. We need your feet back on the ground and your eyes back to the sky.

One more thing that I was thinking about... In this entire thread, I don't believe the sound locators were mentioned. This was a crucial piece of the searchlight operation. The locators were pretty much HUGE public address speakers, reversed! They were on a turntable that rotated in the same direction and alignment of the light. The light would rotate, even though extinguished, along with the locator, "listening" for enemy aircraft. When something was heard, they would zero in on the aircraft, give coordinates by landline to the other searchlight operators in the batallion, and then *BAM*, light up the bomber from various angles. Once lit, the pilot would >>  and our defensemen would >>  . There's a well-written and well-illustrated explanation of the operation of the searchlights, as well as the locators here at SkyLighters, (an organization of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion) along with a heat detector, which was, in a way, a gutted out 60":  Anyways, scroll down to "THE SOUND LOCATOR".

Next time, more fun with emoticons!


----------



## BVH

Finally, some beam shots in comparison to the VSS-1 and VSS-3a tank lights. Thank you Mr Ted Bear and JetSkiMark.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/189036&page=2


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## Flashanator

:thumbsup:


----------



## ez78

Superb! :thumbsup: 

BVH, what is the arc lenght in that 60" ? Are you going to do some shots where you target to some ground objects some day?

I would have driven to the party if there wasn't some 3000 miles of water on the route.


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## JetskiMark

Hello Bob,

It was nice to finally experience your CA in person.

You should take my beam shots and add them to the first post here. You can either link to them on my server or copy them to yours.

Regards,
Mark


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## BVH

Thank you, Mark. Copied them to my Photobucket and linked from there. It makes for a much more complete post now.

ez78, we're hoping to meet at a large farm in Ventura next time where Mr. TB says there is tons of long distance flat area and hills that are a couple miles away IIRC. That location will provide some excellent long distance targeting/horizontal ground shot beamshots.


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## Arkayne

*jaw drop*

Can I hire you for my kids 1st birthday party... in the day. I think you can still see the beams at noon.


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## BVH

Well, San Diego is a wee bit far for my light and I to travel, but if it wasn't, I'd be there for you! Day or night.


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## tvodrd

I got to flip the switch on it last Saturday night. :woodie:  :bow: Bob! A flashlight older than I am and blows away most everything since! 

Larry


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## Gunner12

To answer your question. You have bought what many flashaholics have only dreamed of owning. The ultimate light.

Amazing beamshots!


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## BVH

Just noticed I forgot to answer the arc gap question above. I am not exactly sure of its distance. I initially set the gap at about 5/8" but once ignited, the automatic feed takes over and maintains the designed gap. After i have shut down the light, sometimes when i look at the two rods, they are almost touching - maybe a 1/8" to 3/16" gap. I "think" the running gap is probably between 3/16" and 5/16". The positive rod is 5/8" in diameter, 22" long and its inner core is Cerium, the negative rod is 7/16" in diameter, 12" long and solid carbon.


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## Caligvla

woah, you're cool! seriously cool!


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## e2x2e

Sorry I'm bringing this up again(it's kinda old), but this is the first time I saw this and WOW! I need one!

Can you give us more specs? Such as efficiency in l/g(Lumens per gallon), forward or reverse clicky, aprmx lumen output(what*10^999). Just playing around, but this is seriously cool---or should I say hot!


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## BVH

For fun:

78 Volts x's 150 Amps = 11,700 Watts
11,700 Watts x's 45 Lumens per Watt (est) = 526,500 "BULB" Lumens


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## Crenshaw

haha, this thread is gonna be the stuff of CPF legend...

Crenshaw


----------



## maxa beam

OH MY CRACKERS.

I WANT ONE.


Jeez, that thing is amazing! I could see it easily making it out of the atmosphere.

If you don't mind, I'm using those pictures in my thread (It's in the 100'th largest forum on the interweb. I'm on an enlightening crusade.)


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## tvodrd

Bob is the current Photon King on CPF! :bow: I was priviliged to share the sky with him recently. (Pic stolen from JetskiMark.)






(Edit: Why that pic doesn't doesn't show for me, I haven't a clue!)

_Edit: LOL, fixed for you, Larry._ _Great pic!_

Larrry


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## JetskiMark

It was a treat seeing the 60" CA at the last get-together.

I am glad that I was able to get a few beam shots. Everybody is welcome to copy them to their own server.

tvodrd, click the square yellow "Insert Image" button and paste the photo's URL in the window that pops up.

Regards,
Mark


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## DM51

Larry, I've fixed that pic for you. The 2nd 'img' handle was incomplete. Superb pic by Mark!


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## tvodrd

Thank you DM51! (I need new glasses!)

Larry


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## Turbo DV8

When can I find the clone on DX? Is this brighter than my Romisen?


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## BVH

Gonna be at 607 S. Oxford st. in Korea Town/Los Angeles tonight at a night club. Come on by if you'd like to see a 60". Same location next Friday and Saturday nights. Then on Sept 6, at the classic car show at the Saugus Speedway in Santa Clarita.


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## TITAN1833

BVH said:


> Gonna be at 607 S. Oxford st. in Korea Town/Los Angeles tonight at a night club. Come on by if you'd like to see a 60"


 
[edited]now thats some flashlight :twothumbs:twothumbs


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## tx101

Wonder when its going to appear in the B/S/T section


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## White_Shadow

all i can say is...


wow


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## 4sevens

Theres one up on ebay located in MI
http://cgi.ebay.com/GE-carbon-arc-s...goryZ585QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## White_Shadow

how do these carbon arc lights work?


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## BVH

The simple version is: 150 Amps @ 78 Volts DC thru a 5/8" diameter cerium core positive rod and a 7/16" negative rod, the resulting spark being reflected out by a 60" mirror. Sort of like arc welding.


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## PhotonWrangler

BVH said:


> The simple version is: 150 Amps @ 78 Volts DC thru a 5/8" diameter cerium core positive rod and a 7/16" negative rod, the resulting spark being reflected out by a 60" mirror. Sort of like arc welding.



...and completely obliterating any AM radio reception within a half-mile radius! :huh: I'd sort of like to hear how that sounds, the "voice" of the arc as heard on an am radio.


----------



## 4sevens

Tons of info here on carbon arcs
http://www.geocities.com/bobz299/bmeza6.htm

I need another cool light to bring to the next cpf get-together!!!


----------



## iapyx

Is this your EDC?
Let's do a contest.
Your monster vs my [email protected], k?


----------



## 4sevens

ED*T* for *TOW*


----------



## BVH

"EDT for tow" - There ya go! I like it 4sevens!


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## 4sevens

BVH said:


> "EDT for tow" - There ya go! I like it 4sevens!


I keep eyeing that ebay auction but there is no way I could justify something like this.


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## BVH

I think a person has to commit to renting it out if they're going to own one and that takes up valuable free time as a second job. Retired, no kids, no pets - well I think I can squeeze it in....

If you do become serious, be sure to talk to me before buying. There's lots you should know to look for.


----------



## SafetyBob

I can't believe that anything that beautiful from WWII was number one...made, and number two, still surviving. 

A testament to some very, very committed flashaholics. 

At least this thread has once again given me another idea on what to spend my winning power ball money on. Thank you very much!!

Bob E.


----------



## 4sevens

BVH said:


> I think a person has to commit to renting it out if they're going to own one and that takes up valuable free time as a second job. Retired, no kids, no pets - well I think I can squeeze it in....
> 
> If you do become serious, be sure to talk to me before buying. There's lots you should know to look for.


Thanks for the offer! I'll have to find a way to justify it. If I do, I'll be sure to look you up!


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## jayflash

BVH, thanks for making me aware of this thread from last year. There's Sooo much to see on the CPF and only so much time to peruse. Great detailed photos! 

These units have always fascinated me and I have a small carbon left-over from one of these that was in my area years ago. Truly impressive.

Is the carbon feed system just electro-mechanical or are tube electronics involved? Are electronics used in any part of the whole system? Thanks again.


----------



## BVH

No electronics or tubes in any of the systems. Just electro mechanical. The best rods, unfortunately, are the 1940's rods in the metal cans filled with sawdust from the 40's! The newer India and China rods produce lots of flickering and "flame outs" as i call them - arc dies and is re-struck in about 2 or 3 seconds. I don't think they burn as white, either. Some operators still have lots of cans for sale. I just bought 4 which will hopefully last me a couple seasons. I can send you many rod ends if you'd like .


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## jayflash

Thanks for responding, BVH. We share interests, but different destines.

"Back when I was a boy"...I love to regale my kids with that.  One of my favorite plastic toy army items of the 1950s was a search light unit consisting of several soldiers, trucks, generator unit and, of course, the light trailer. My dad kept me supplied with an angled army light and batteries, which were comparatively expensive then and didn't last long. He'd take me out past bed time to see any local search light advertising in our mostly rural area. Now, those huge and fascinating lights are a rarity here. My parents always had better than average lights and lanterns around. Guess I came by Flashaholism honestly.


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## BVH

Putting my baby up for sale!

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2720390#post2720390


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## Stereodude

We'll have to find someone else to regale us with stories of using lights we'll never own now.


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## LuxLuthor

BVH said:


> Putting my baby up for sale!
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2720390#post2720390



I thought you retired to open this as a full time business??? I can't imagine that you would sell this beauty. Did you run into FAA requirements? Anyway, this was the pinnacle that any of us could ever hope to reach in ever increasing lumen output projects.


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## Flashanator

a god among CPF, you will no longer be...


----------



## LuxLuthor

As far as I am concerned, BVH would retain his regal status given the truly |33t photonic devices he has pwned and rehabbed.

Don't know anyone else who has Twin 150 Watt HID Vector "BBurner", Barn Burner, & 350 Watt HID "Locator's"


----------



## BVH

Hey thanks Lux for your support!!

The light was always intended to be just a hobby, never wanted it to be a business. It just happen to come along near my long planned and delayed retirement. I had lots of fun working it. All my life, I've dabbled in a lot of different hobbies, diving, flying, biking, etc. Good or bad, I do them for a while and then get tired of them and want to move on to something else. It is very interesting to me that I am still just as interested in lights today as in the latter part of 04 when I found CPF. This is not normal for me.


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## AA6TZ

Where is its clicky switch? :lolsign:

-Clive


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## DM51

LuxLuthor said:


> As far as I am concerned, BVH would retain his regal status given the truly |33t photonic devices he has pwned and rehabbed.


I entirely agree - he will remain one of the all-time CPF greats for what he has done with just this one fantastic light, let alone all the other things he has done here.


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## BVH

Thank you all for the kind thoughts. OK, that's enough mushy stuff, back on track.


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## windstrings

yea, you need your boots for that mushy stuff!


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## SwatDude

Hey, I was able to enjoy this thread thanks to the "BIG lights" listing. I was just thinking... did you ever play any tricks on your friends, like shining that light at their house in the middle of the night to make them think they were being abducted by aliens??? Can you imagine that light pentrating every crack and window in your house?? Just thought it would be funny.


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## windstrings

I'm sure the poor lady at the end of my block thinks she has escaped abduction many times as I have lit her whole front yard, house, and backyard up like daylight many times!

the other day I hit her with all 3 of my HID's at once!
I'm sure she could have done her makeup in her house if a window shade was open!


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## Mjolnir

If any neighbors complain, just tell them that you are helping the environment (and their electric bill) by sharing light with them.:candle:


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## BVH

I would guess that some type of permanent eye damage might occur if viewed straight-on? If not, then they'd at least get a sun burn.


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## windstrings

Yes, 145 watts of HID pointing at you has to be quite blinding!


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## TedTheLed

what you really need now is a big, big, disco ball...


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## Mjolnir

Alternatively, he could just put some mirrors on the moon.


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## PsychoBunny

Is it true that there are only a half dozen of these WW2 search lights
in existance in the world that are still working?


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## DM51

PsychoBunny said:


> Is it true that there are only a half dozen of these WW2 search lights
> in existance in the world that are still working?


... and it could be all yours for a very reasonable price...


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## BVH

That number could possibly be true for "original configuration" units such as mine. There are probably hundreds that have been cut off their chassis/4-wheel dolly and mounted onto a flatbed trailer for ease of transport, less maintenance.


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## PsychoBunny

DM51 said:


> ... and it could be all yours for a very reasonable price...


 
OH MY!!!!! 

I did not know he was selling it!! :huh:

I am almost tempted to dip into my retirement savings for that one!!! :shakehead

Though, I dont know where I would put it, it would be a great way to
get even with my neighbor for all the noise he likes to make!!!


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## BVH

I just dropped the price to $15K from the original 21K figure! grab it! You'll find a place for it.


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## PsychoBunny

BVH said:


> That number could possibly be true for "original configuration" units such as mine. There are probably hundreds that have been cut off their chassis/4-wheel dolly and mounted onto a flatbed trailer for ease of transport, less maintenance.


 
So is yours still for sale?

How would you transport it to, say, Maryland?

I bet I could charge folks $2.00 to flip the switch!! 

I wonder if there are any laws against having this in my backyard!!??


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## BVH

The best I could do is to meet you half way and you could take it from there. Have a buddy with an Escalade type vehicle or a 3/4 truck and hitch good for 9,000 lbs?


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## BVH

Actually, for $16,000, I'd deliver it and include a full day of hands-on training. Might be fun to take a cross-country drive.

And remember, it can actually make you money if you're interested in renting it and yourself out for 3-hour gigs. Out here, it goes for about $375 per gig and I understand from those owners back east, that they get around $400 to $425 per gig. Expendables cost about $70 to $80 per gig, including fuel, rods and your transport vehicle "use" so your profit is about $300 +, or about $100 per hour!

50 gigs would pay back your investment. 16 a year for 3 years or 25 for two years.


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## windstrings

BVH, I think your driving him more Psycho!


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## Turbo DV8

PsychoBunny said:


> I am almost tempted to dip into my retirement savings for that one!!! :shakehead
> 
> Though, I dont know where I would put it...


 

Simple: EDC


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## PsychoBunny

Turbo DV8 said:


> Simple: EDC


 
Yeah, If your Godzilla!!


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## LightSward

Do you by chance have any photos of the 60" taken in front of the searchlight without the front glass in place?

I was interested in views of the arc area itself, including the mechanical, from various angles. Maybe a view taken through the open side access panel. 

I got some close-up videos, years ago, of a 60" searchlight in Las Vegas. :twothumbs The owner opened up the searchlight and showed me the inner workings. I wish I had a better camera, then, and now. :candle:


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## BVH

Sorry, I never took any inside pics of the workings and I no longer have it.


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## jar3ds

big W0W!


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## get-lit

LightSward said:


> Do you by chance have any photos of the 60" taken in front of the searchlight without the front glass in place?
> 
> I was interested in views of the arc area itself, including the mechanical, from various angles. Maybe a view taken through the open side access panel.
> 
> I got some close-up videos, years ago, of a 60" searchlight in Las Vegas. :twothumbs The owner opened up the searchlight and showed me the inner workings. I wish I had a better camera, then, and now. :candle:


 


Here, I saw one not too long ago and took this picture of the lamp assembly inside...


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## LightSward

get-lit said:


> Here, I saw one not too long ago and took this picture of the lamp assembly inside...




I like the "bright" after burner:devil:


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## LightSward

BVH said:


> Sorry, I never took any inside pics of the workings and I no longer have it.




Did you know of any (instruction) sites that might have decent shots? 

I wish I could have afforded the 60" light. 

:thumbsup:Thanks.


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## BVH

Here's a place to start. Scroll down to the bottom, there's a small pic of the positive and negative rods protruding from their + and - brushes. Gives you an idea of the rod feed mechanism. The arc is approximately 2' to 28" in front of the mirror IIRC.

http://www.geocities.com/mepurina/gotit2.html


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## LightSward

Thanks. That does help a lot.:thumbsup:


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## Rexlion

Gotta get one of these babies to tow behind the camping trailer. Might be a bit hard to take to the campground restroom though...


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## Echo63

get-lit said:


> Here, I saw one not too long ago and took this picture of the lamp assembly inside...



Ooh Jet Engine test Bed, Me likey

i assume the pic was taken from behind a glass panel, in the monitoring room ?
or found using google


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## windstrings

I want one..... I need to roast some wieners!


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## LightSward

That light would sure keep the _night light bug_ population to a minimum.:thumbsup:


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## Kuryakin

There's no cesium, but there is cerium, and a whole host of other rare earth salts to make it brighter, whiter, and better! And that white 'ash' all over the glass inside is pretty much all this stuff. 



Canuke said:


> I'm not saying anything about whether it's cerium in the rods or not, but whoever was talking to BVH was saying "cesium" ("seizium"). And if the one-letter difference wasn't confusing enough, they are only three protons away from each other on the periodic table (Ce cerium atomic number = 58, Cs cesium = 55).


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