Dietz Beacon questions...

[Shadow-D]

Is there some place I can find the history of the Dietz beacons?


Reason for that general question is this, I recently purchased an old Dietz light and the markings stamped into the ring is Dietz 211 Syracuse NY USA. The brass plate that is on the ring also says Dietz 211 and it has a space / line after it that should be used for adding options, mine is blank.


I always thought the 211 was a "hilltopper", mine looks almost exactly like my 711.


Did someone take a trim ring off a 211 and slap it on a 711?


Thanks


Darrin

 

[dmathieu]

At some point Dietz changed their # system. The old # is 2-11, The newer is 7-11. There was also a guts change. The 7-11 is easier to relamp than the older 2-11. As far as the / , I think you're correct. Thr newer #s just added a # on. I have a NOS 7-61 that is magnetic mount, so the tag reads 7-614. The 4 denoting magnetic mount.


Dan

 

[cmb56]

The patent for this light is filed in 1960 and granted in 1964.


The original model number was 211 and not 2-11.


The version with tilted beams was 211-WW.


In 1970 Dietz changed model numbers on their whole product range.


The 211 become 7-11 or infact 7-110 with chromed brass base and 7-114 with stainless steel base.


The 211-WW become 7-116.


The 7-110 with magnetic base was 7-112 (old number 211-M).


If there is a serial number on the name plate the last digits indicate the manufacturing year. At least the year when the name plate was made. Sometimes it do not correspond to the date of manufacture of the light, but close.


In 1980 the name plate was canceled and the model number was only stamped to the lens ring.


They also change the blue colour from a light blue shade to a SAE blue shade that year.

 

[Shadow-D]

Ok so after reading the above and looking at my dome ring, I'm still confused... Ahh the joys of emergency lighting collecting :lol:


Judging from the SN on the plate, this light was made around 1970 but it still carries the 211 _____ number. If I read the above correctly, the 211 was dropped in 70 and became the 7-11. If I'm correct with this then this should mean the light I have was one of the last 211's made :???:


I'm attaching a picture of the ring... Maybe I'm just reading into this too much (wouldn't be the first time lol)


Thanks


Darrin


100_1350.JPG[/attachment:wv8gay9n]

 

[dmathieu]

Based on what cmb56 said, it looks like you got one of the last 211s. Yours is even stamped into the ring as well as tagged. Never saw both on 1 light. He seems most knowledgable, I'd go by what he says.


Dan

 

[cmb56]

This is the first Dietz light I have seen with both stamped name and a name plate, infact the first 211 that is stamped.


The first digits on the name tag is the month of the manufacture.


The number 15 is on all serial numbers and would not mean anything.


As you said, it would be one of the last 211 made before the light become 7-11.


If you look inside you might see a manufacturing date of the motor.

 

[tnems7]

Ahh Memories!


I purchased a used Dietz 211 in 1970 from a Knoxville TN firefighter who purchased the light new in 1964. I paid $25 for the light and mounted it on the center of a steel gray gutter mount luggage bar I bought at K-Mart for $11. But this provided me a demountable light bar to use in rescue squad activities. To my regret, I sold it to a friend in 1972 when I traded for a car without gutters and had started using a Federal Vitalite and then a Fireball. As I recall, the chrome plating was pretty well pitted, and I wasn't collecting lights then, just depending on them as warning devices.


Our rescue squad ambulance had the Dietz 211 beacon speaker light and the electronic siren had a wail and whoop/warble tone, not yelp. It sounded similar IMO to the GE Powercall tone.


Interesting side note:


The Knoxville Fire Dept. used the Dietz WW series for tankers they stationed in annexed areas from 1964 until 1970. This distinguished the water supply trucks from other appartatus. There was also an inside joke that this helped the tow trucks find the tankers. (Their operators were pretty bad about stripping gears and clutch plates.)


After I began working with the ambulance service in 1970, the crews wuold swap our red Federal 184 domes for the clear Dietz domes and a couple of red sealed beams at the Fire Department garage, since the fire dept. had discontinued using Dietz beacons and new apparatus were speced with Federal 184 lights.


With the history cmb56 provided, I also know now why police agencies shifted more to Federal Beacons after Tennessee passed its blue light laws in 1966. The probably disliked the blue replacement domes on the Dietz lights, and were shifting quickly to Federal Visbars with the CP25 speaker and Federal Intercepter electronic sirens.

 

[stansdds]

The 211 with the speaker base was the model 235.

 

[fyrboy]

From Dietz' March, 1980 Catalog 700:45.jpg[/attachment:1zqd541v]46.jpg[/attachment:1zqd541v]47.jpg[/attachment:1zqd541v]

 

[dmathieu]

This is the first Dietz light I have seen with both stamped name and a name plate, infact the first 211 that is stamped.
The first digits on the name tag is the month of the manufacture.


The number 15 is on all serial numbers and would not mean anything.


As you said, it would be one of the last 211 made before the light become 7-11.


If you look inside you might see a manufacturing date of the motor.

cmb56, go to for sale vint and collectable, Selling my collection by comtech. He has a hill light that is both stamped and tagged. That,s only the 2nd one I've seen or heard of. Go figure :!: :?: Both in the same day.


Dan

 

[stansdds]

My Dietz 211 band is stamped with


Dietz 211


Syracuse, NY, USA


And a brass tag that reads


Dietz 211 WW


S.A.E. - W3-65


Volts 12 Serial 031569


R.E. Dietz Co. Syracuse, NY


My Dietz 711 just has the band stamped with


Dietz - 7-11


SAE W3 80


Made in USA