European Lights/Sirens

[philyumpshus]

If you've been in the Off Topic section, you'll know that I'm spending some time in Austria. I've been going to the firehouse and noticed a company advertising Martinshorns for sale (new ones). I want to find the price of new Martinshorns over here and see if I can mail them back. I'd like to find some Euro-blue Edge lenses, too.


Does anyone have any interest in buying something overseas? I could ship them back for you.

 

[gman021]

How much are we talkin here?

 

[philyumpshus]

How much are we talkin here?

That's one thing that I'll have to work out. I know you can get the Martinshorns in the US but I thought some people might want some Hella lightbars or something, too.

 

[gman021]

Can I get a link to where to buy them in the US? I kno some volunteers that would love to be heard with one of these things goin

 

[philyumpshus]

I actually don't know where to get them but I know someone imports them. LACoFD used some on their squads. That's why I wanted to buy some over here.

 

[gman021]

Well let me know how much one of them will be

 

[philyumpshus]

They had a magazine at the station similar to something like FireRescue magazine and I saw the ad for the horns in it. When I go back I will try to find it and give them a call.

 

[philyumpshus]

Just found some new ones online: 1,218.80 Euros=$1,675. I will try to find other places or some used ones; hopefully that site is just the European Galls prices.


EDIT: I don't know what prices are for European warning equipment, but these guys want $490 for a freakin' Dynamax siren speaker... $718 for a BP100!


$8,936 for a 5-pod Vision SL! I need to find a new market for lights!

 

[nerdly_dood]

The police in Norway almost exclusively used a CIE blue Whelen Edge 9000 until very recently when they switched to newer LEDs.


They were mostly just a normal 8-strobe Edge 9000, with takedowns, alley lights and rear work lights, and sometimes a front and rear "POLITI" signs in the center. (Don't know if those had a light in them at night.)


Whelen lightbars are also common in Denmark and the Netherlands, but those sometimes had weird stuff going on like a basic 4-strobe design with takedowns and a center LED message board...

 

[jtf027]

I tried to find a US supplier as well, and had no luck......

 

[ERIC6913]

i have a set of those martin horns i know for a fact that most all warning equipment in Europe is way over priced. you wont wanna pay nearly half of what they are asking. Ebay and this site, www.feuerwehr.de/markt have been my best friend. Most people wont ship to the USA though. I have family and light collector friends there. If you are considering buying anything at retail pricing you might as well forget it. I ship equipment to germany all the time, because even with shipping its still way cheaper. I do have a German lightbar and light/siren collection as well, just never posted it here as i thought no one would be interested.

 

[ERIC6913]

just check out the prices here at this distriubtor, www.rauwers.de. They are selling a Federal Signal halogen highlighter for 300.00 dollars. what a deal! These prices have just been the norm for many years. Just imagine how much our hobby would cost over there!

 

[chiefolson]

I can't believe the Chinese haven't put a Martinshorn knock off on the market yet...

 

[Newberry13]

I do have a German lightbar and light/siren collection as well, just never posted it here as i thought no one would be interested.

I would love to see it! I want to get some lightbars, but I do have a few beacons.

 

[philyumpshus]

i have a set of those martin horns i know for a fact that most all warning equipment in Europe is way over priced. you wont wanna pay nearly half of what they are asking. Ebay and this site, www.feuerwehr.de/markt have been my best friend. Most people wont ship to the USA though. I have family and light collector friends there. If you are considering buying anything at retail pricing you might as well forget it. I ship equipment to germany all the time, because even with shipping its still way cheaper. I do have a German lightbar and light/siren collection as well, just never posted it here as i thought no one would be interested.

I browsed this site and found a nice 4-horn setup for 400 Euros and I know where they are; I will actually be visiting that city multiple times. The only problem is that they're 24V.

 

[Sebi]

If you´re looking for german or generally european lights and sirens you can start a wanted thread in the forum www.sondersignalanlagen.com. I´m sure you´ll find someone who can help.


Here´s the thread Peter (the side founder) started some weeks ago:


http://www.elightbars.org/forums/showthread.php?10363-quot-Hello!-quot-from-the-german-lightbar-forum!&highlight=german+forum

 

[philyumpshus]

Thanks, I will get in contact with him.

 

[spexie]

just check out the prices here at this distriubtor, www.rauwers.de. They are selling a Federal Signal halogen highlighter for 300.00 dollars. what a deal! These prices have just been the norm for many years. Just imagine how much our hobby would cost over there!

It is indeed a very expensive hobby. I live in the Netherlands and the only way to get lights and sirens is on forums like this, ebay and other dutch or german collectors.


Rauwers is the german reseller for Fedsig VAMA - the Spanish branch of Fedsig USA. but explaining why everything is so f**** expensive, is very simple, VAMA buys from FedSig USA, then VAMA "transform" everything to EU regulations. then they sell it to Rauwers or other sellers, such as TM-CS, the dutch reseller for Fedsig VAMA


and there is HONAC the Dutch importer for Whelen.


i will show you an example that will make you feel sick.


http://link.marktplaats.nl/408979798


if the link doesn't work. it is a amber whelen avenger, price: 224,70 euro's - about 310 USD


that is why i'm collecting mostly US lights, and importing them by myself. thanks to this forum i saved a lot of money.


if there is anything i can do for you, if you find sellers unwilling to ship outside the EU, i am willing to help since i am from Holland.


wow, this was actually my first public message since the new board.....

 

[ERIC6913]

well...i am always looking for european contacts as i always need VAMA replacement parts and lights. i just picked up and received a Sputnik LED Vista from Spain. I will post once i have it restored.

 

[kitesurfer1404]

That's why we need good contacts in the US to get lights shipped from the US to Europe.


New EU-lights and sirens are overpriced. Even the US-lights that meet ECE-R65 regulatories are sold for high prices. Whelen Edge 9M for example starts at 1000€ (1400$) with only 4 corner strobes...


For collectors there are two ways: get the stuff from the US directly or buy from other collectors in Europe.


If you know what you are looking for, let us know at www.sondersignalanlagen.com


Collectible EU-lights might be no problem. If you want to buy new stuff like Martinhorns or Hella RTK lightbars we surely find a dealer who shipps to the US.

 

[nerdly_dood]

New EU-lights and sirens are overpriced. Even the US-lights that meet ECE-R65 regulatories are sold for high prices. Whelen Edge 9M for example starts at 1000€ (1400$) with only 4 corner strobes...

Whelen lists the same basic lightbar on their US website at $1,164. But if you buy it through a different dealer, like sirennet.com for example, it'll be much cheaper: sirennet.com lists the same basic 4-strobe version at $684.60.

 

[kitesurfer1404]

The problem is the missing competition. There are just a little number of shops that sell US-lights here in Germany for example.


And the missing ECE-R65 approval of many lights, too.


sirennet.com is well known to collectors and they sell and ship to Europe, too. But there is a lot more local input for better prices needed until the prices will drop. Most outfitters don't buy from the US.


OT: Can someone please ask sirennet to accept paypal for international sales, too? Would be great for us collectors, by the way. They ship by USPS, already to Europe. But you only can by with credit card, which is something a lot of people over here don't have and international fees are horrible sometimes. Paypal would be it.

 

[spexie]

The problem is the missing competition. There are just a little number of shops that sell US-lights here in Germany for example.
And the missing ECE-R65 approval of many lights, too.

same way in Holland. there are a lot of webshops where you can buy overpriced chinese crap. but it will never get the ECE-R65 approval.


Here in Holland you are not allowed to drive lights and/or siren on your private vehicle. So there is no need for ECE-r65 approved lights for less money. big organisations buy a lot so they will get their discount by the amount of bars they buy.

OT: Can someone please ask sirennet to accept paypal for international sales, too? Would be great for us collectors, by the way. They ship by USPS, already to Europe. But you only can by with credit card, which is something a lot of people over here don't have and international fees are horrible sometimes. Paypal would be it.

yeah that would be great. I've seen a lot of stuff that i would like to buy. but since i only use pay pall.

 

[r1ms12]

The problem is the missing competition. There are just a little number of shops that sell US-lights here in Germany for example.
And the missing ECE-R65 approval of many lights, too.

I love the fact that they insist on a cumbersome approval process only to put on a single rotating beacon on the roof...

 

[RJ*]

I love the fact that they insist on a cumbersome approval process only to put on a single rotating beacon on the roof...

Now why would the amount of lighting make any difference to an approval system? That's like saying if you have a small clinic with only one doctor, you don't have to worry about things like medical school...

 

[ERIC6913]

hello all,


i am in germany right now! i got my eyes open and tools handy, lol..........

 

[nerdly_dood]

hello all,

i am in germany right now! i got my eyes open and tools handy, lol..........

I hope they're metric tools.

 

[Newberry13]

Let me know if you get find a Bayern Autobahn version of the RTK 4,5, or 6!

 

[gman021]

Im a little confused. So the martinshorn isn't neccessarily a siren, its a horn? Or am I dumbass?


What siren amp can you get that has a tone close to that of the martinshorn, from Europe that is.

 

[Newberry13]

The Martin Horn is a pair of airhorn trumpets powered by a dual outlet compressor that alternates between what trumpet is being fed. It is not an electronic siren, but it is the original siren in Germany. No company as come close to being able to reproduce the tone electronically. For those that know what a true Martin Horn sounds like, Whelen's sounds like $hit. The other electronic sirens used in Germany do not sound close to the real deal. It like listening to a Q2B and a PA 300, there is no comparison!

 

[ERIC6913]

Let me know if you get find a Bayern Autobahn version of the RTK 4,5, or 6!

i have seen them already. i know where to find some, but they start at 500.00 dollars and up plus shipping. I am going to be packing and shipping my Hella RTK and VAMA lightbars that i aquired, while i am here. i have to ship some via extra bagage on my flight home because they are over the normal mail size limit. its gonna cost me 200.00 per lightbar to do that. i will post them when i get back home!

 

[03crownvic]

If you can find them, I would like to get some more of the unique non optic Edge lenses that are used over the LED message boards on European vehicles, especially in the Netherlands. Rene Foppes from one of the old boards got me a set of 4 red ones several years ago and they were great, but I let someone talk me out of them and I've often regretted the decision. I don't know if you fellows can find them in the different countries you are currently in, but keep an eye peeled for some, and if you find them, please let me know. They run around 15" inches in length and I would like to get a set of 4, or even 6 to do an all light bar, and I'll take any color available. Just make sure they are non optic and completely transparent!

 

[kitesurfer1404]

Maybe you can post in the international area at sondersignalanlagen.com


http://www.sondersignalanlagen.com/forumdisplay.php?f=125


You don't need any registration to post there. We have also a "wanted" area. But for that you have to be registered.


I checked shipping with DHL to the US. It says for a parcel up to 120x60x60 cm and 20kg is 65€ (90$). That might work for a RTK 4 or RTK 6.


Prices for RTK 4 droped the last years massively, because the RTK 6 replaced the RTK 4. You can get a RTK 4 for around 50€ incl. "Anhalte-Signal-Geber" (ASG) (saying "STOP POLIZEI" or "BITTE FOLGEN" (please follow).) Some more money brings a better condition.


This is a RTK 4 Autobahn-version:


http://www.sondersignalanlagen.com/showthread.php?t=4157


You can fire up a RTK 4 without any special control-unit. So that's why they are very cheap.


RTK 6 go for 150€+. There are Halogen and Strobe versions. And for some years LED, too. But you need a special control-head. All together prices are maybe 300€ for a good one.


As said: drop us a line, if you need any European stuff. I think there is always someone who shipps to the US or forwards parcels.

 

[ERIC6913]

i tried to register today and it says only accepting new members that belong to police or fire depts. i e-mailed the site just to see what happens.


mfg,


eric bienefeld

 

[kitesurfer1404]

Yes, registration is only by mail at the moment. We had a lot of trolls around there the last months.

 

[ERIC6913]

Yes, registration is only by mail at the moment. We had a lot of trolls around there the last months.

E-mail oder Post?

 

[kitesurfer1404]

E-Mail. Sorry. Just send an E-Mail to support<AT>sondersignalanlagen.com if you want to participate. See http://www.sondersignalanlagen.com/showthread.php?t=14004


Or post in the international area without login/account.

 

[Newberry13]

What I would love to get my hands on is a RTK 4 with the amber rear flashers, and the rotating, pole mounted light, LED matrix display, built in siren, front direction flasher, and the matching controller. I know my wallet found be in agony over the cost though!

 

[kitesurfer1404]

There is no LED-Matrix for the RTK 4. I guess it's the RTK 6 you are talking about. http://www.sondersignalanlagen.com/showthread.php?t=4168

 

[Newberry13]

There is no LED-Matrix for the RTK 4. I guess it's the RTK 6 you are talking about. http://www.sondersignalanlagen.com/showthread.php?t=4168

That's it! I thought the number represented whether it has rotators, strobes, or LEDs. It's the rotator or strobe version that I want. I more of a vintage light collector, so no LEDs in the collection yet! I would still mount that bad boy to my Blazer though! Just imagine the looks I would be getting, responding with those going!