The plug-and-play capability of the SmartSiren Platinum is also a cost-saver that will help agencies keep their patrol cars on the street, according to Gergets. “I know agencies that sometimes take days to replace a lightbar,” he says. “With the plug-and-play capability of the SmartSiren Platinum, they can do it in hours.”
SoundOff Signal
About four years ago SoundOff Signal launched its ETL5000 LED lightbar. It was a very solid product, but it wasn’t exactly priced to move. “It was a little bit on the high end,” admits Bob Van Ee, the company’s national sales manager.
So with its new Pinnacle line of exterior and interior lightbars, SoundOff Signal had two goals: produce a high-quality product and sell it at a competitive price. “The Pinnacle has a lot of the same features of the ETL5000 as far as light output, generation three LEDs, ease of installation, and a five-year warranty at a much more economical price,” Van Ee says.
The Pinnacle also boasts some innovative features that were not available in the ETL5000. “You can now split the arrow function,” Van Ee says. “You can have amber and red and blue lights on the back of the bar.” Van Ee says the combination gives users much more visibility when stopped or when using right-left arrows to direct traffic. He adds that the feature is proving to be very popular with SoundOff Signal’s customers.
Another innovation in the Pinnacle series lightbars is what SoundOff Signal calls Fusion Technology. The ETL5000 used total internal reflector optics (TIR). The Pinnacle lightbars are all LED systems that use both linear and TIR optics. Van Ee says Fusion Technology makes it easier for motorists to see the emergency vehicle at an angle. “Fusion Technology spreads the light better and makes it more visible at off angles. It gives you better diffusion of light,” he says.
The interior Pinnacle lightbar was designed to make it easier for officers to see out of cars that use it. “The biggest complaint about interior lightbars is that they hang down,” Van Ee says. “So the driver has to crane her or his neck up underneath the bar to see traffic lights. We made the Pinnacle interior lightbar much thinner and not as deep and that makes it easier for the user to see traffic signals.”
Whelen Engineering
Whelen Engineering‘s WeCan electronic control module (ECM) communicates all lightbar functions via a two-conductor 20-gauge cable. In addition, the WeCan ECM has a USB input that allows the user to connect a PC or laptop and program the lightbar.
Combining a Whelen Liberty lightbar and the WeCan ECM produces
an extremely versatile emergency vehicle lighting system. The Liberty is a low-profile lightbar with extended corner modules for expanded visibility at critical 90-degree angles. Users can build their Liberty lightbars in a variety of configurations. Options include brake/tail/turn lights and traffic advisors. The WeCan ECM enables the Liberty’s Duo Technology, which allows users to combine warning and traffic advisory capability in a single lighthead.
Whelen sales rep Craig Symanski says the Duo Technology is also very energy efficient. It’s also cost-efficient over the lifetime of the lightbar. “The LEDs allow you to reduce the down time of the vehicle and the cost associated with replacing modules,” he says.
