Another Federal Beacon question

gpd132

Member
May 24, 2010
56
Gulfport, MS
Could someone explain the different types of federal beacons? I got a model 17 but I see models 173, 174, 175, 176 etc.


It seems that some beacons have more lights than others and some beacons have tall skirts. I can't seem to match model numbers to characteristics of each model from pics i've seen.


Thanks,


Mike...
 

ryan

Member
May 20, 2010
2,996
Massillon, Ohio
Mike,


Model 17 (the first one produced) has 2 sealed beam bulbs mouned to a tube like bulb holder, rotates 360'.


model 173 three sealed beams, rotates 360'.


model 174 super beacon ray 4 bulbs all turn on at same time, light oscilates 95' and then back the other way.


may also contain a cruise light from hawaii pd.


model 175 (hill light) 4 bulbs, 1 mounted at 45' upwards, 1 mounted at 15' downward, othe 2 bulbs face out as normal, switching is 2x2.


model 175H nypd special 1 bulb mounted up at 15' one bulb down at 15' other two are normal, 2x2 switching.


model 176 4 bulbs, rotates 360' all bulbs usualy light at same time.
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,290
Canada
Earlier model 17s had smaller domes with slanted sides. I believe the smaller domes were phased out in the late 1960s :?: . The larger, more straight sided dome was introduced when the model 175 came out.
 

stansdds

Member
May 25, 2010
3,533
U.S.A., Virginia
Actually, it was early model 17 and 173's that had the smaller dome. The small dome Beacon Rays ended in 1968, which is also when Federal changed the serial numbers to a "2R" prefix. 174's made for Hawaii also contained a cruise light. Finding an original 174 with the cruise light is extremely rare.
 

NPS Ranger

Member
May 21, 2010
1,988
Penn's Woods
Also note that even though they each have 4 bulbs, the 175 and 176 rotate at different speeds. 175 is about 40 RPM or 80 FPM from the horizontal beams, 176 is 25 RPM or 100-105 FPM.
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,967
Messages
449,813
Members
19,104
Latest member
airflores

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.