Thanks for the feedback guys, Wailer, thanks for the technical info, 72copriv that Buick is SWEET!
Once upon a time, I had a NOS "Interceptor" mounted in my POV (back in '85). The thing was spotless, the guy I bought it from (one of the FF/EMT's from town) had bought it and never used it. It was combined in a sale to me along with a Motorola Micor 2-way. When I upgraded cars/equipment in '90 to a Syntor-X with Systems 90 siren package, I foolishly gave the PA20A away to someone. Of course, back then, I wasn't a collector and never dreamed I'd have any use or want for an "old siren". Foolish youth.
Yeah, I've definately been "bitten by the bug". But I'm not complaining! Alot of this stuff was still in use in the first cruisers I drove for my current department back in the early 80's. When I came on board in '83, there were two cruisers; an '80 Ford LTD "S" and an '81 LTD "S" (we now have 6 cruisers.... 5 Chargers and an Expedition. My how times have changed! Of course when I came aboard, it was a chief, two sergeants and me full-time and about 16 reserves. Now we have a chief, lieutenant, two sergeants and six patrolmen - and about a half dozen reserves)
The '80 had a single-channel Motorola Motrac, FS "Director" (the OLD school with "Alert" tone), Whelen PCC switch box with six illuminated switches and I can't even remember the model Regency crystal scanner (it was so old). On the roof was a Whelen 3302 setup (two series 1200 strobes on either end of a cross-bar) with a short-skirted FS BeaconRay 175 "Hill Light" (glass dome) in the middle. No takedowns (just a driver side pillar-mounted Unity 6" spotlight w/aircraft landing light bulb), one driver side alley light (basically a standard Cibie driving light bolted to the cross-bar - there had been one on the passenger side, but a branch tore it off and they never replaced it).
The '81 was the more "modern" equipped car (I say that in jest). It had a single-channel Motorola Mocom, FS "Interceptor" (again, early model with "Alert" tone), the same Whelen PCC switchbox as the '80 and a Regency ACTR-106 crystal scanner. Had the same Whelen 3302 setup, but with a Dietz 211 "Hill Light" instead. Again, no takedowns, same spotlight, but at least BOTH Cibie alley lights were intact.
Man, I thought those cruisers and equipment was so much junk compared to all the "cool stuff" the surrounding towns had (like AeroDynic lightbars and programmable scanners!!). I had better equipment in my POV! Now? I'd love to have all that vintage equipment (including the cars... except by the time we were done with them, they weren't fit to be taxis). All of the equipment had been recycled from car-to-car from the early 70's (the radios were bought in the late 60's) onward until 1984 (although the Motrac and Mocoms stayed in service until 1989). The lights were donated to the FD, the BeaconRay and two of the four Whelen 1200 strobes are still in service. The Dietz, and crossbars were junked eventually, along with the sirens. What a waste. These days, I appreciate the "old school" equipment (but won't argue the advances in technology has improved things for public safety personnel).
