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Thread: Navigation Lights

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  1. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    San Rafael, CA
    Posts
    3,621

    navlights

    Patrick, Thanks for the science on LED versus Black Body Incandescent!

    Now that I got that straight, went back to the Marinebeam site (link, a couple posts (#132) up from here)
    and reread the description for their bi-color and P/S side nav lights.
    They do indeed have red and green emitting diodes INSIDE....but the plastic (looks like plastic) covers are also colored red and green.

    And now that we are aware that the Achilles heel of LED is that it doesn't emit full spectrum light,
    we can assume that a couple mm of transparent colored plastic can alter the intensity and color of LED behind it....
    In Marinebeam's case, it must be OK. They aren't dummies, Right?
    Plastic being plastic, it is going to get etched by UV and elements... and is going to fog and further break-up the light. imco


    Went through my stock and discovered I already have a set of 3 AquaSignal Series 33 LED navlights.
    (2.75"L.x2"W.x1.75"H.) Made in Germany.

    They do look more like knobs off a kitchen stove
    than those smart bronze Deco teardrops Jerry shows in his fotos above!
    (A338 came to me with some kind of pot metal side lights and no stern light.*)

    Each AquaSignal Series 33 LED draws .18amp/2.2W and the literature says they are "USCG certified for 1 and 2 nm."
    Marked with noticeable Euro CE on the cases.
    Tidy matt white plastic snap-on housing, designed so that the housing cover surrounds the LED like it is an eyeball
    ... the single exposed emitter protected with a miniature CLEAR GLASS LENS.
    Innovative design seems to solve the problems caused by encasing emitters inside plastic housing.

    There is a disclaimer, that the lights are 'tested to be below approved IEC threshold values,
    but make sure there is sufficient distance between lights and radio antennas and equipment.'


    In contrast, Marinebeam navlight hype makes it sound like their lights cause absolutely NO VHF interference....AND exceed the 2NM limit.
    The same enthusiastic hype boosts their colored plastic lens housing into an desirable aesthetic.

    Both navlight sets have vented housings....therefor let water & ambient salt moisture in. What is "waterproof" are the potted emitters - not sure about that or metal connections hidden inside. Wire cable, no mention - for either product - whether connection wire is marine-grade tinned....(it isn't, imco)

    .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .......................................
    *Reineck retros (no doubt equal quality to their incredible bronze blocks) are $180 PER EACH.
    .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .......................................
    AQUASIGNAL SERIES 33
    For some reason known only to Defender, they do not list the stern light of this matched set....altho the diagram they use to show dimensions is of the stern light housing. All three have the same footprint. Their price is $45 per each. They can be found cheaper. Sold in a bulletproof hang-up blisterpac, they probably are available everywhere. Haven't scoured forums for reviews.

    Because they stand proud almost two inches, a cross cabin dodger will have to be cut out to expose sidelights. Think that'll work quite well, given height and regular shape of the fixture. Imco, they can, because they are straight sided, snag lines coming to the cockpit along the cabin sides.

    I have not yet used any of these navigation lights....
    Last edited by ebb; 08-12-2014 at 09:30 AM.

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