ford-dealer
Member
I thought I would take a few moments to discuss the "Unlikely Hero" that became of a small company in Connecticut.
Most of you younger guys, don't really appreciate the significance of what Whelen Engineering has actually accomplished, and just how unlikely it was to have happened.
"That Damn AMP connector!" How many times have you wondered... "Why in the HELL does Whelen use these confounded "Pins and Connectors! Why do the have to make it so hard? ANSWER: Because they aren't looking at it like Federal Signal and Code3PSE, and others. Did you know that a WHelen Edge Lightbar can withstand a "Lighting Bolt" Strike and survive? Indded it can. Do you want to know why? Sure you do... it is because:
Your Whelen Lightbar/Beacon is made in the same way that Aircraft Airframes are made. Have you ever noticed that there is NO grounding point on ANY Whelen product Frame/Base etc? Airplanes are designed to FLY... not crash! A plane that has its electronics open to interference by lightning/friction from clouds etc.. would make them unstable or worse, not worthy of flight. We have all seen planes struck by lightning right? Yet they still are air worthy. This is due to the fact that the electronics/avionics are "Isolated from the "AirFrame" or Skin/Structure of the aircraft. The plane simply acts as a shield to the outside electrical interference.
Now... you say... "What on God's Green Earth does THAT have to do with ANYTHING? Fair Question. But the answer is more simple than maybe many of you are aware of. Simply put, it is the fact that George Whelen, designed the Rot-A-Beam series beacons, (Still In Use Today) for AIRCRAFT. His beacons/Recognition Lamps/Landing and Taxi-Way Lights are still the most utilized equipment in the aircraft business. Did you know that?
G. Whelen first pioneered with "Strobe Lights" to eliminate the "Moving Components" of the aircraft beacons. Note: Planes to this day, still use strobes for recognition lamps.
It was then, that Whelen saw the success of companies like Federal Signal, Dietz and others in the "Emergency Vehicle Lighting" business. His idea? If I can put one on a plane.... why not a fire truck? Or a Police Car or an Ambulance for that matter?
Thus, the beginning of what you see today. But.... it really doesn't stop there....
Consider this: Most of us, look back on the Whelen, 5000,6000,8000 series strobe light(s) and think they look pretty weak in intensity. (Fair Enough). However, those products were VERY HIGH PRICED compared to other (More Effective) lights on the market. Think (Beacon Rays, Visibars, Twinsonics, Aero-Dynics, Code3 XLs etc...etc... The early Whelen stuff is RARE. This is simply not because they were the greatest products by comparison. But Whelen was LEARNING.... and LEARN they did!
In 1984, Whelen looked at their product "Weaknesses". (Brightness, Structural Integtity etc... and their solution? Another simple answer. The "I Beam". The "I-Beam is the strongest structural component. All skyscrapers are built with "I-Beams". This simple solution, also created the use of Directional Strobe Reflectors versus the 360* Fresnel lenses. This was the birth of the "9000 Edge Bar(s). Are you seeing something? Simple is often better that just doing something different.
The 9000 Edge bar, became VERY popular. Low profile, Durable, Very Bright and effective. The Edge 9000 was a "Game CHanger" in the industry. The little company from Connecticut, that was too small, privately owned and operated, was able to outrun the "War Admiral" that Federal Signal was at the time. If you look at historical lighting, and be honest, Federal Signal's last great bar was the Aero-Dynic. It was followed by the "Jet Series" and for the "Cheapskates", the Streethawk. The Vector/Vision products were good, but never really took over the market.
Code3PSE on the other hand, did take advantage of the "Lower Price" marketing at the time by graduating from the XL series, to the EVER popular LP6000 series lightbars. The LP Series and its big brother the MX7000 were Whelen's biggest competition. The LP6000 offered some pretty neat options/configurations for the price. The Edge 9000 was still more expensive. But ground was being made up, and made up fast. The advent of Whelen's "Value Bar" 9304/9004 series, which offered 4 Corner Strobes, inboard flashers, alley lights and takedown lights, allowed Whelen to get into the face of the price competition. And this they did with ferocity.
The 9000 Series started it all for that little company. And to this day, you are hard pressed to find a 9000 that doesn't work! Sure, the lenses may need replacing, or a halogen bulb...etc... but think about just how durable those bars REALLY are!
So the next time you look at a Whelen lightbar, consider this, it could PASS the FAA requirements for use on aircraft. This could come in handy to some of you that might take a patrol unit airborn at some point! :thumbsup:
Most of you younger guys, don't really appreciate the significance of what Whelen Engineering has actually accomplished, and just how unlikely it was to have happened.
"That Damn AMP connector!" How many times have you wondered... "Why in the HELL does Whelen use these confounded "Pins and Connectors! Why do the have to make it so hard? ANSWER: Because they aren't looking at it like Federal Signal and Code3PSE, and others. Did you know that a WHelen Edge Lightbar can withstand a "Lighting Bolt" Strike and survive? Indded it can. Do you want to know why? Sure you do... it is because:
Your Whelen Lightbar/Beacon is made in the same way that Aircraft Airframes are made. Have you ever noticed that there is NO grounding point on ANY Whelen product Frame/Base etc? Airplanes are designed to FLY... not crash! A plane that has its electronics open to interference by lightning/friction from clouds etc.. would make them unstable or worse, not worthy of flight. We have all seen planes struck by lightning right? Yet they still are air worthy. This is due to the fact that the electronics/avionics are "Isolated from the "AirFrame" or Skin/Structure of the aircraft. The plane simply acts as a shield to the outside electrical interference.
Now... you say... "What on God's Green Earth does THAT have to do with ANYTHING? Fair Question. But the answer is more simple than maybe many of you are aware of. Simply put, it is the fact that George Whelen, designed the Rot-A-Beam series beacons, (Still In Use Today) for AIRCRAFT. His beacons/Recognition Lamps/Landing and Taxi-Way Lights are still the most utilized equipment in the aircraft business. Did you know that?
G. Whelen first pioneered with "Strobe Lights" to eliminate the "Moving Components" of the aircraft beacons. Note: Planes to this day, still use strobes for recognition lamps.
It was then, that Whelen saw the success of companies like Federal Signal, Dietz and others in the "Emergency Vehicle Lighting" business. His idea? If I can put one on a plane.... why not a fire truck? Or a Police Car or an Ambulance for that matter?
Thus, the beginning of what you see today. But.... it really doesn't stop there....
Consider this: Most of us, look back on the Whelen, 5000,6000,8000 series strobe light(s) and think they look pretty weak in intensity. (Fair Enough). However, those products were VERY HIGH PRICED compared to other (More Effective) lights on the market. Think (Beacon Rays, Visibars, Twinsonics, Aero-Dynics, Code3 XLs etc...etc... The early Whelen stuff is RARE. This is simply not because they were the greatest products by comparison. But Whelen was LEARNING.... and LEARN they did!
In 1984, Whelen looked at their product "Weaknesses". (Brightness, Structural Integtity etc... and their solution? Another simple answer. The "I Beam". The "I-Beam is the strongest structural component. All skyscrapers are built with "I-Beams". This simple solution, also created the use of Directional Strobe Reflectors versus the 360* Fresnel lenses. This was the birth of the "9000 Edge Bar(s). Are you seeing something? Simple is often better that just doing something different.
The 9000 Edge bar, became VERY popular. Low profile, Durable, Very Bright and effective. The Edge 9000 was a "Game CHanger" in the industry. The little company from Connecticut, that was too small, privately owned and operated, was able to outrun the "War Admiral" that Federal Signal was at the time. If you look at historical lighting, and be honest, Federal Signal's last great bar was the Aero-Dynic. It was followed by the "Jet Series" and for the "Cheapskates", the Streethawk. The Vector/Vision products were good, but never really took over the market.
Code3PSE on the other hand, did take advantage of the "Lower Price" marketing at the time by graduating from the XL series, to the EVER popular LP6000 series lightbars. The LP Series and its big brother the MX7000 were Whelen's biggest competition. The LP6000 offered some pretty neat options/configurations for the price. The Edge 9000 was still more expensive. But ground was being made up, and made up fast. The advent of Whelen's "Value Bar" 9304/9004 series, which offered 4 Corner Strobes, inboard flashers, alley lights and takedown lights, allowed Whelen to get into the face of the price competition. And this they did with ferocity.
The 9000 Series started it all for that little company. And to this day, you are hard pressed to find a 9000 that doesn't work! Sure, the lenses may need replacing, or a halogen bulb...etc... but think about just how durable those bars REALLY are!
So the next time you look at a Whelen lightbar, consider this, it could PASS the FAA requirements for use on aircraft. This could come in handy to some of you that might take a patrol unit airborn at some point! :thumbsup:
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