LIGHTBARS!!!

[mike scantlin]

ok. i lied. i have a full size led lightbar with purple, green, amber, neon green, and white. i also have strobe tubes in every light casing. i also tied 2 flashlights to a rope and swing them around when i need the extra warning power.


who ever started this thread is a dumb@ss.

 

[Patrick Martin]

I suddenly want a chaser helmet with an amber on top. I wonder if they have those. They should. The female chasers(or female met students) would melt if they saw you in that! Time to google.

This one has a light and a siren!
View attachment 735

Or this one if you prefer a blue strobe.
View attachment 736

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

LOL at the bottom picture. That looks comfy.

Speaking of headlights. I swear there is an epidemic of idiots that use their brights and don't dim them this year. I passed someone coming home after the last "chase", only to have them drive about a block or so behind me with their brights on. I was like, I swear they have their brights on. Finally I got pissed and slowed to 50, hoping they'd pass me so I could return the favor. Instead they turn them off. I speed up again and am about the same distance ahead of them(not far) and they turn them back on. There were two semis I didn't want to pass in the rain ahead of me so I just slowed down again, and they got the point. I mean they were making the interior of my car look like daylight.

It just seems 10 times worse this year than normal. Driving home in very heavy rain just makes it worse. Then more do it and it's already hard enough to see. I'm a big supporter of brighting their ass back. One car I gave a warning flash way off, then a second better one about half way to them. They still didn't dim them so I layed it on as I drove by. I don't do it unless I know they are brights, as sometimes it is questionable. Other times it's just obvious they are indeed their brights. Man that crap pisses me off. And I really do not have bad feelings about brighting these people back. If they run into me, oh well, at least their brights will be off then.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I'm seeing two channels of thought on this thread that aren't 'meeting'. There is the side that is critical of the 'attention getting' aspect of lights, yet I am not aware of anyone whos motive for having lights is specifially that. If that IS the case for anyone, then yes, I could understand being against that. There are practical and well-justified applications for responsible and reasonable use of lights. It is rare for those applications to arise in chasing tornadoes, but they do happen. I see a modest set of lights as a little-used but important part of a chase vehicle. They are like carrying a box of flares, a first-aid kit, a tow strap and a couple cans of Fix-a-Flat. You won't use them all the time, but sometimes they come in handy. Attention getting? I'm not sure what triggered that blanket accusation. Maybe I missed something.

Speaking of headlights. I swear there is an epidemic of idiots that use their brights and don't dim them this year.

What works for me is moving my rear view mirror around so that their own light reflects back to them. Most of the time they get the point!

 

[mike scantlin]

there are 2 different kinds of "attention getting" here.

1. HEY LOOK AT ME! IM STORM CHASING! PLEASE THINK I'M IMPORTANT!

2. I'M HERE. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION AND DON'T RUN OVER ME.

the first is obviously stupid.

some people don't think the second one is reasonable. I don't give half a sh*t.

 

[David Drummond]

Since I am the one that said that Dan, it wasn't a blanket accusation. You of all people should know how I feel about the lights.

I made that sarcastic comment, because I have been told many times, and overheard others talking on their radios on chase day making comments about me like that. It's stupid. That's why I am making fun of it.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

I just take the Christmas lights out of the attic and wrap them around my car several times. I of course, turn them on right when I leave the front door to go on a chase because I need everyone to know I'm chasing tornadoes and they need to gtf out of my way.

If I have to leave in a hurry and don't have a time to do the wrap, I'll just get the flashlight out of my trunk and flash that at drivers as they approach to make sure they know I'm there, and would rather they not be able to see anything but my light, and they pink outline of my light when they blink.

I mean, I find that if I don't have all the lights, people are a lot less likely to have time to slow down when I'm tripoding video in the middle of the road.

 

[Jay McCoy]

I chose green and white because it is legal. White is brighter and much more visible during the day. Its not a strobe bar. It's an arrowstick.

In texas green is reserved for Emergency management (incident command) and any kind of alternating or flashing white is illegal unless you are authorized (LE, Fire, emt etc...).

I have seen a few radio stations use some neon green bars on their mobile vans but only in parking lots at broadcasts so you may beable to scoot by with green depending on the officer and if he is in a good mood or not. I would suggest just changing the filters to yellow. that way your safe in most states. For sure the white is illegal. I have seen a few chasers using headlight wig-wags also. Those are also illegal in Texas.

I dont have issue with chasers using the bars for safety like when pulled over or in extremely low visibility to avoid being run into from behind. But some chasers run them from the time the 1st tower goes up until they are heading home like a beacon. I think thats a bit overboard and it shows your just out for attention. I have a lightbar but cant really use it since it is red/blue. I have though of adding a yellow arrowstick to the back. I can use it for both AES and for chasing.

 

[Dan Robinson]

David, I wasn't referring to your comments, you and I are pretty much in agreement on the lights issue. I was rather referring to the general argument against lights that we often hear. Seems that the common beef with lights on here is that they are primarily fun/vanity 'attention getters' when I don't know of anyone who uses them for that purpose. We always hear that as being the main objection from the anti-light position.

 

[Forrest lambert]

the way i see it, having alot of lights is overdoing it. everyone should only have one light (i have 1 amber revolving light) so when your pulled over off the road people know your there and what you are doing! then if not a light then wear a skywarn vest thats reflective so people can see you at night...thats just how i see it

 

[Darin Brunin]

 

[Robert Rohloff]

Lighting study

There has been alot of discussion in the LE area on lighting on units and unmarked units. A study came out a couple of months back. It indicated that units should not have any white lights on the back since they blind drivers and could cause a collision. Red has been known for years to draw in drunk drivers. The safest color for the rear is amber. Also the study stated corner strobes are ineffective. A amber arrow stick is a good bet.
David let me know what portable nuke system you use for lighting....LOL

Whelen makes a nice arrow stick control for their LED's. It allows you to switch for high or dim. Great at night so you do not blind anyone. Mike your green is not common in Oklahoma and should stand out. I would change the white to amber however.

 

[Heidi Farrar]

I kind of like that for the top of my Dakota. I hope it wouldn't be considered to be in any way excessive.

 

[Greg Stumpf]

1. HEY LOOK AT ME! IM STORM CHASING! PLEASE THINK I'M IMPORTANT!

Neiiiiigh! I'm not dead yet.

In this category: chasers running lights when there clearly is no reason to...just driving down the road outside the danger area of the storm (no precip, no wind, no darkness, no debris, etc.).

The most extreme "attention grabber" I've seen was a chaser with one of these on the roof of the car. GMAFB!

2. I'M HERE. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION AND DON'T RUN OVER ME.

This is a legitimate use for them - provided there really is a danger that which the running lights would alleviate.

I would think another useful light would be a spotlight, to help illuminate road blockages, or accident or storm victims at night, etc.

Nevertheless, I continue to chase using my cloaking device.

 

[Shane Adams]

I haven't yet figured out my lightbar situation, but for the siren I'm just gonna stick my head out the window and yell.