Charmaine wrote: > *Ken, Stecktronics has to test and * > *demonstrate their products for that* > *hard earned **"USCG Approved" Stamp* > *of Approval.* > ** > *No worries, but thanks anyway.*
I will respond 'on list' here, but will suggest that it might be good to take it 'off list' from this point on. Actually, it is independent labs that do the testing, not the manufactures. I note that the lights I saw sold there are not certified either. But regarding certification, I will say that some led lights that ARE certified do NOT have equal beam patterns to some un-certified models, for example the "certified" anchor light shown in one of the links I sent to the list has obvious 'nulls' or dark stripes. Most led anchor lights emit the smallest beam they can get certified, that is 30 degrees vertical spread (for an anchor light), my (and others,like Perko's) anchor lights have at least a 140 degree vertical spread, does it make a difference? Sure it does, you will still see mine if it is mounted at the top of the mast when you are closer or if the boat is at a 'rolly' anchorage, and it will light up the surroundings far better if used lower. And even with the much larger vertical beam spread, because I use state of the art advanced leds and not Chinese or Korean clones or cheaper but now mostly obsolete "lamp type" leds (these led types look kinda like miniature light bulbs) as many still do, my lights (as well as other mfg that use newer models leds)are as bright or brighter than many "certified" models (I have pictures that demonstrate this) and yet mine still use much less power than others that are as bright, due to the superior method I use to supply power to the led array. The advanced leds I use (and now many other bigger mfg also) cost more but are much more efficient and longer lived than the cheaper older types. I will add that pulsing leds on and off quickly can actually save a lot of power by making them look brighter and does NOT shorten the lifetime of the leds (as some would claim) as long as you stay within the leds mfg specs for doing this. Sometimes the leds used by some manufactures do not even have the proper vertical beam spread for navigation lights, for a sailboat it is supposed to be at least 60 degrees vertical beam spread for most navigation lights, mine are all 140 degrees vertical beam spread. Another issue is with led insert or retro fit lights that are designed by folks who do not know the issues involved, such as the lights being offered that use bare leds with no optics or shielding to prevent colors from mixing (and no, just putting them into a fixture with colored lenses will not prevent that nor will simply using white light leds behind filters, to see why go to the tech pages at www.firststarled and you will find pictures that demonstrates the problem) which results in confusing and so dangerous light patterns being emitted. I have been sailing for over 30 years, and know the issues well. All my lights are made so that there are sharp well defined color sectors. I design and build mine to do what they are supposed to do, and to do it better and last longer. I have been doing it longer than anyone else, and I can say lights I made ten years ago are still working fine today. No one else can say that. -Ken _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
