CHP deck lights - correct flash pattern

[Mars Light]

What is the correct flash pattern for the red/amber rear deck lights for a CHP cop car?

I only found some videos with all 3 lights (red/amber and blue) and the amber/blue alternate.



Flashs only the amber and the red is steady burn (as the front facing light)?

Or both alternate?

 

[801]

Amber and blue were on the same switch and alternated.  Rear red was on a seperate switch and could steady burn or flash to the rear.  Forward red spotlight (driver's side) was controlled by the switch on the handle and was only steady burn.  The passenger side white spotlight was controlled by a switch on the dash.  Sorry I don't have pictures of the switch panel, but they probably could be found on the 'net.

 

[Mars Light]

Thank you very much!!!

Do you know what flasher relay they used?

 

[JennyCop]

Rear flash patterns were not a set pattern, I have seen many variations in use by CHP while i was growing up. I guess It all depended on the person installing the equipment for that unit on that particular day.

I have seen to the rear on CHP cars:

Red steady, with Amber/ Blue alternate flash.

Red steady with Amber/ Blue flash together

Red flash altenating with Amber/Blue flashing together

Red/Amber flash together  alternating with Blue flashing.

Red/Blue flashing together alternating with Amber.

Red/Amber/Blue flashing together.

Red/Amber alternating and  Blue flashing random.

Just pick the pattern you like!

 

[southpaw]

amen.

 

[JohnMarcson]

 

[Mars Light]

Thanks for all replys. But what is if only red and amber is installed.


Red and amber flash?


Red steady and amber flash?

 

[JohnMarcson]

Thanks for all replys. But what is if only red and amber is installed.


Red and amber flash?


Red steady and amber flash?

More info on the controls

http://www.wb6nvh.com/CHP/CHP2.htm

http://www.wb6nvh.com/CHP/CHP3a.htm

 

[southpaw]

For what it is worth....  --deck lighting... if red and amber only, two settings...  amber only flash, and both red/amber flash.

another source..  http://www.specialservicemustang.net/CHP.htm

 

[JennyCop]

Thanks for all replys. But what is if only red and amber is installed.


Red and amber flash?


Red steady and amber flash?

Yes!

 

[southpaw]

The vehicle the Mars is questioning about for these lights is a '73 if I remember correctly..  So a blue light was not even in the mix, (at least as CA is concerned..)  Certainly no CHP cars had rear blue deck lights back then in '73.....

 

[JennyCop]

....a '73 what Polara? I saw one for sale over the pond on another forum.

 

[southpaw]

Plymouth Satellite 

 

[Mars Light]

Yes the plan is to mount both lights in the rear deck of my 73 Satellite 4door.


Not as a CHP car (they only used 73 Coronets, never Sats).

 

[southpaw]

Here is a lot of good info re flashers...

http://elightbars.org/forums/forum/91-all-about-switches-flashers-electronics/

 

[TDC]

Like John Marcson's video above, I assumed either Amber or Red were on, but not both.

Because they are traffic signals.

When you approach a flashing amber signal on the highway, you may pass but only with caution.

When you approach a flashing red signal you must stop, and only pass when it is safe.

Maybe just, "Caution," and, "Danger," signals would be better analogies.

AND, most importantly, when you approach a steady red signal you must stop until you are told to proceed by an officer, or you don't see it anymore ... like a signal turning green, or an emergency vehicle passing you ... or the officer turns off the steady red after citing you.

The lights are just mimicking traffic signals.

 

[JohnMarcson]

Like John Marcson's video above, I assumed either Amber or Red were on, but not both.

Because they are traffic signals.

When you approach a flashing amber signal on the highway, you may pass but only with caution.

When you approach a flashing red signal you must stop, and only pass when it is safe.

Maybe just, "Caution," and, "Danger," signals would be better analogies.

AND, most importantly, when you approach a steady red signal you must stop until you are told to proceed by an officer, or you don't see it anymore ... like a signal turning green, or an emergency vehicle passing you ... or the officer turns off the steady red after citing you.

The lights are just mimicking traffic signals.

This is the best analogy for the setup I've heard in a while.  Nicely put TDC.

Another way to put it, the amber or down position would be better named "no red".  Meaning no matter what each light does, or how blue gets involved, the "amber" switch position will have rear amber and no red.  The up or red position varies a bit more.  In a red blue system it would usually alternate the red/blue and turn off the amber.  There is some evidence to say any combo would be ok as long as red is present.  Early cars had a switch with a down position marked amber and an up marked red.  The center was off.  The down did the rear amber only.  The up did the front red and rear red, and generally turned off the amber.  If you do that setup you just put all your red on the up position and just the amber on the down position and call it a day.  The choice is what the rear red does, flash or steady.

For earlier cars with no blue, here's more info.

From http://www.wb6nvh.com/CHP/CHP2.htm

Until approximately 1977, the CHP controlled the emergency lighting via a row of toggle switches mounted on a metal plate installed where the broadcast radio would normally be. The plate included a pilot lamp.  The switches in that plate, from 1960-77, were 1) "Radio inside-outside," 2) "Siren-Horn" for the mechanical siren to horn-ring connection, and 3) the on/off switch for the rear yellow/red rear deck lamps (center "Off.")  This plate, at least in the Dodge vehicles, also had some warning language about turning off the air conditioner above a certain high speed!

[Broken External Image]:http://www.wb6nvh.com/CHP/Dodge69SW.jpg

 

[Mars Light]

Thanks for the many information.

I found 2 Dietz 510 and now need some correct selaed beams.

 

[Duster]

I know this is dated, but it came up on a search for CHP lighting. Here is a more accurate description for the last generation of these lights:

The last version of these lights (late 80's-early 90's) before going to the new system with Vectors and FS Signalmaster equipment operated as follows:

- They were controlled by a custom-built Federal Signal CC1 controller.

- On standard patrol vehicles (Caprice, Crown Vics, etc), the Amber and Blue flashed simultaneously when the "Rear " switch was set to "Amber". When the switch was set to "Red", the Red and Blue flashed simultaneously. The third light in each of these settings were dark. Never in official use were these lights supposed to all be flashing at the same time (in that setup--I can't speak to older generations of the system)

- On the Mustangs (and only the Mustangs...I could never get an official explanation why), the switches did the same thing, but the lights flashed alternately rather than simultaneously.

THAT is how they were supposed to work at designed and wired. The CC1 had circuitry built in that allowed the lights to work interchangeably. I've had one apart (I have 2 or 3 in a box somewhere), but could never figure out how they did it.

Two Federal Signal CC1's.

The REAR switch works as described above.

The FRONT switch first (middle) notch activated the front steady red. The second added the wigwag headlights.

SIREN switch: First powered the siren (MANUAL) and used the horn ring to activate. Second click turned on WAIL, and used horn ring to switch to YELP.

Fourth switch turned on the passenger white spotlight.

Black switch turned on RADIO Rebroadcast.

The top one was for slicktops. The bottom one was used on the cars with the Jetsonic lightbars. They had the addition of a momentary push switch and blue pilot light above the switch panel. That button would activate the 'front-light cutoff' feature of the Jetsonics.

These were in use in 1986 when I first started working with the CHP (not for them, allied agency). They remained in service until they went to the GE RANGR radio/control system, at which time they went to Vector light bars and Signalmaster-based interior lights...I think in the early 90's, give or take a year.

The system design had a purpose, and CHP officers were taught a specific way to use them. The AMBER was a caution light, used for traffic stops and general warning. The RED was a stop light, and used for traffic breaks or when closing a road. Technically if the RED/BLUE combo was flashing, you were supposed to stop or use EXTREME caution passing, only after being directed by an officer to do so (similar to the wording in the California Vehicle Code regarding the use of AMBER and RED as flashing warning signals. However, most CA motorists didn't understand the difference, so I don't know how often it worked as designed.