How increase brightness navigation light

[blubaju]

Corroded contacts, corroded wire ends, to thin wires are usually the reason for dim lights, as long as the correct bulb is inside.

Yes, there are led bulbs to exchange, but illegal. Better buy Led navigation lights, less energy consumption

[kas_1611]

Originally Posted by Montanan

A follow up note.

To those who are not red/green colorblind, review the image below to get a sense of what it is like to be such; now imagine driving or navigating with that impaired vision. Now imagine that the oncoming helmsperson or driver is colorblind. Yeah, kind of intimidating and confounding. Don't presume that they can differentiate your navigation lights, or the traffic lights, or at least presume such at your own risk. Also recognize such limitation as to differentiating by color the lines on your vessel.

You will be glad to know my determination of red or green is fine. I can safely see the red stop light compared to the green go light and here in the UK we use Blue and Brown for our mains electrical wiring (or red and black in pre 1990's wiring).

Oddly I can play snooker with the red balls on the green baize but I struggle with holly berries on the leaves. I fail every single Ishihara test, even the ones you should see if Red/Green, but I passed the British Airways Pilot Colour Determination Lamp test.

But if there was any blurring of the colours from my navigation lamp due to using an LED I would notice it as it would be a blurry greyish colour and I definitely see a very clear delineation between the Red and Green sectors

[billgewater]

Originally Posted by BillKny

LED navigation lights are a great idea, and really helpful. BUT>>>>>

Although many people do it, it is a bad idea to put LEDs into fixtures designed for incandescent bulbs for several reasons.

LED's have very narrow light output frequency bands. If you put a "red" LED behind a red filter lens, unless the output of the LED EXACTLY matches the color of the lens much of the light will be filtered out.

Even "white" LEDs have a series of output bands that are quite narrow that our eyes average out to looking "white". Again, unless the frequency bands match the lens color exactly, they will not give the brightness you need.

Putting an LED bulb in a fixture that is not hermetically sealed will reduce the LED's life expectancy dramatically because it WILL get wet and corrode.

LED bulbs have MUCH higher likelihood of troublesome interference with VHF radio reception compared to properly designed fixtures.

For all these reasons, to keep the USCG approval of the lighting fixture, it must be used with the bulb that it was originally tested with.

The performance of your navigation lights is really important. Having fixtures that have actually been tested to meet the requirements AS USED is just smart. Either stick to the bulb the fixture was designed for, or replace the fixture with one designed from the beginning to use an LED.

I installed a new masthead light with supplied LED festoon bulbs. When on, the TV just stops working. I suppose theoretically that one should not be sailing while watching the TV. Life can be demanding. However, the RF interference can really be a problem.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Pete7

I kept a filament bulb at the masthead though as early LEDs had colour problems when fitted in filament lights.
Pete

Surely, the mashead light (white) is one light where you don't have "colour problems" going from incandescent to LED?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by billgewater

I installed a new masthead light with supplied LED festoon bulbs. When on, the TV just stops working. I suppose theoretically that one should not be sailing while watching the TV. Life can be demanding. However, the RF interference can really be a problem.

"One should not be sailing" with the masthead light on!

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by StuM

Surely, the mashead light (white) is one light where you don't have "colour problems" going from incandescent to LED?

Don’t mean to speak for Pete7 but he probably means a masthead tricolour. Mine is a double-decker with the tricolour below and an all-round white (anchor light) above in the same fitting (two bulbs).

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by arch007

I have aqua signal 25 navigation lights.

They have led bulbs.

Can anyone suggest new led bulbs to increase brightness.

Think they are really dim.

They actually ship with Xenon festoon bulbs, from memory 35watt, and have offset, pins to ensure the filament is correctly positioned.
If you have LED bulbs they have been retrofitted and are no doubt dimmer, but more economic.

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by StuM

"One should not be sailing" with the masthead light on!

To correct any misapprehension, many people have a combined tricolour/white alternate masthead lighton a sailboat.

I've had one for 44 year, on 3 boats, and it has never been deemed non-standard.
The sailing tricolour had a 35 watt bulbe (in the Aquasignal 40) the white all-round is 20 watt.
Standard rail mounted lights are totally inadequate crossing the Casquettes shipping lanes.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

When I replaced mine, I went for the Hella NaviLED Pro lights for side and stern lights. They're very bright and they're sealed units, so they should last a long time. Masthead is a Signal Mate 3nm unit that can run as a 225* masthead as well as a 360* anchor light (and it makes a very bright anchor light).

I replaced my Aqua Signal with Hella NaviLED Pro several years ago. What a difference.....quality sealed units at a very reasonable price.

[Montanan]

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) published an alert detailing the effect of Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) caused by some LED products, and the potential for electronic communication interference. Simple testing can identify whether there's a problem, but the situation can be avoided if owners choose products that are certified to international standards.

All active electronic devices, including LED products, create some degree of EMI. The danger comes when this interference occurs in the frequency range between 156 MHz and 165 MHz, used by marine VHF and AIS systems. This can potentially compromise communication, with major operational consequences posing a serious safety risk.

But, if owners use LED products specifically designed to eliminate EMI, they can avoid potential problems. There are dozens of national and international standards addressing EMI; a partial list is at bit.ly/2QkmtY7. However, most are not designed for, and don't take into account, the unique environment of marine applications. For this reason, regional and international regulatory authorities have created specific maritime navigation and radio communications equipment standards for LED lighting used on boats.

For safety, boat owners should look to ensure both exterior and interior LED lamps meet maritime EMI standards. If they don't, upgrading to quality models that do can be an easy retrofit process, with the added benefits of enhanced durability, brighter light and long life such products afford.

USCG MARINE SAFETY ALERT:

August 15, 2018 Safety Alert 13-18
Washington, DC

Let us enlighten you about LED lighting!
Potential interference of VHF-FM Radio and AIS Reception.


https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/D...-16-091109-630

The U.S. Coast Guard has received reports from crews, ship owners, inspectors and other mariners regarding poor reception on VHF frequencies used for radiotelephone, digital selective calling (DSC) and automatic identification systems (AIS) when in the vicinity of light emitting diode (LED) lighting on-board ships (e.g., navigation lights, searchlights and floodlights, interior and exterior lights, adornment).

Radio frequency interference caused by these LED
lamps were found to create potential safety hazards.
For example, the maritime rescue coordination center
in one port was unable to contact a ship involved in a
traffic separation scheme incident by VHF radio. That
ship also experienced very poor AIS reception. Other
ships in different ports have experienced degradation
of the VHF receivers, including AIS, caused by their
LED navigation lights. LED lighting installed near
VHF antennas has also shown to compound the
reception.

Strong radio interference from LED sources may not
be immediately evident to maritime radio users.
Nonetheless, it may be possible to test for the
presence of LED interference by using the following
procedures:
1. Turn off LED light(s).
2. Tune the VHF radio to a quiet channel (e.g. Ch. 13).
3. Adjust the VHF radio’s squelch control until the radio outputs audio noise.
4. Re-adjust the VHF radio’s squelch control until the audio noise is quiet, only slightly above the noise threshold.
5. Turn on the LED light(s).
• If the radio now outputs audio noise, then the LED lights have raised the
noise floor. (Noise floor is generally the amount of interfering signals / static
received beyond the specific signal or channel being monitored.)
6. If the radio does not output audio noise, then the LED lights have not raised the noise floor.
If the noise floor is found to have been raised, then it is likely that both shipboard VHF marine radio and AIS reception are being degraded by LED lighting.
In order to determine the full impact of this interference, the Coast Guard requests those experiencing this problem to report their experiences to Coast Guard Navigation Center 1. Select “Maritime Telecommunications” on the subject drop down list, then briefly describe the make and model of LED lighting and radios effected, distance from lighting to antennas and radios effected, and any other information that may help understand the scope of the problem.
This Safety Alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or international safety, operational, or material requirement. Developed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Spectrum Management and Telecommunications Policy Division. Distributed by the Office of
Investigations and Analysis. Questions may be sent to HQS-PF-fldr-CGF-INV@uscg.mil.

1 https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=contactUs

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by arch007

I have aqua signal 25 navigation lights.

They have led bulbs.

Can anyone suggest new led bulbs to increase brightness.

Think they are really dim.

just a note... I changed to a brighter light... LED... and the drawback is that I now have radio interference... light static. I reinstalled the original bulbs and the noise went away. I tried the led again and tried the interference came back on FM and AM channels. No led for me on the boat... unless there is a solution.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by seabreez

just a note... I changed to a brighter light... LED... and the drawback is that I now have radio interference... light static. I reinstalled the original bulbs and the noise went away. I tried the led again and tried the interference came back on FM and AM channels. No led for me on the boat... unless there is a solution.

Yes, the solution is to buy LED globes with drivers that do not create interference.

They are not hard to find.

Otherwise, as others have suggested, decent quality LED fittings are the way to go. The Hella Pro series emit no interference in any frequency that I can detect.

[scherzoja]

Montanan,

Thank you for the apple images, that is very enlightening to those of us who did not inherit that gene combination that leads to red/green color blindness. It was interesting to see that color perception comparison.


GILow, what can one look for to identify a LED driver that will not create interference? Is there a specification they have to meet or some characteristic of the driver to look for?

Thanks

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by chasfgr

To correct any misapprehension, many people have a combined tricolour/white alternate masthead lighton a sailboat.

I've had one for 44 year, on 3 boats, and it has never been deemed non-standard.
The sailing tricolour had a 35 watt bulbe (in the Aquasignal 40) the white all-round is 20 watt.
Standard rail mounted lights are totally inadequate crossing the Casquettes shipping lanes.

A "masthead" light is in Colregs a steaming light. It is on the forward side of the mast at approximately spreader light.

An anchor light in Colregs is termed an "all round" light and is at the top of the mast.

A tricolor light if fitted is never combined with a "masthead" white light but with an "all round" light which is the anchor light.

[kas_1611]

Originally Posted by Montanan

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) published an alert detailing the effect of Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) caused by some LED products, and the potential for electronic communication interference. Simple testing can identify whether there's a problem, but the situation can be avoided if owners choose products that are certified to international standards.

All active electronic devices, including LED products, create some degree of EMI. The danger comes when this interference occurs in the frequency range between 156 MHz and 165 MHz, used by marine VHF and AIS systems. This can potentially compromise communication, with major operational consequences posing a serious safety risk.

But, if owners use LED products specifically designed to eliminate EMI, they can avoid potential problems. There are dozens of national and international standards addressing EMI; a partial list is at bit.ly/2QkmtY7. However, most are not designed for, and don't take into account, the unique environment of marine applications. For this reason, regional and international regulatory authorities have created specific maritime navigation and radio communications equipment standards for LED lighting used on boats.

For safety, boat owners should look to ensure both exterior and interior LED lamps meet maritime EMI standards. If they don't, upgrading to quality models that do can be an easy retrofit process, with the added benefits of enhanced durability, brighter light and long life such products afford.

USCG MARINE SAFETY ALERT:

August 15, 2018 Safety Alert 13-18
Washington, DC

Let us enlighten you about LED lighting!
Potential interference of VHF-FM Radio and AIS Reception.


https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/D...-16-091109-630

The U.S. Coast Guard has received reports from crews, ship owners, inspectors and other mariners regarding poor reception on VHF frequencies used for radiotelephone, digital selective calling (DSC) and automatic identification systems (AIS) when in the vicinity of light emitting diode (LED) lighting on-board ships (e.g., navigation lights, searchlights and floodlights, interior and exterior lights, adornment).

Radio frequency interference caused by these LED
lamps were found to create potential safety hazards.
For example, the maritime rescue coordination center
in one port was unable to contact a ship involved in a
traffic separation scheme incident by VHF radio. That
ship also experienced very poor AIS reception. Other
ships in different ports have experienced degradation
of the VHF receivers, including AIS, caused by their
LED navigation lights. LED lighting installed near
VHF antennas has also shown to compound the
reception.

Strong radio interference from LED sources may not
be immediately evident to maritime radio users.
Nonetheless, it may be possible to test for the
presence of LED interference by using the following
procedures:
1. Turn off LED light(s).
2. Tune the VHF radio to a quiet channel (e.g. Ch. 13).
3. Adjust the VHF radio’s squelch control until the radio outputs audio noise.
4. Re-adjust the VHF radio’s squelch control until the audio noise is quiet, only slightly above the noise threshold.
5. Turn on the LED light(s).
• If the radio now outputs audio noise, then the LED lights have raised the
noise floor. (Noise floor is generally the amount of interfering signals / static
received beyond the specific signal or channel being monitored.)
6. If the radio does not output audio noise, then the LED lights have not raised the noise floor.
If the noise floor is found to have been raised, then it is likely that both shipboard VHF marine radio and AIS reception are being degraded by LED lighting.
In order to determine the full impact of this interference, the Coast Guard requests those experiencing this problem to report their experiences to Coast Guard Navigation Center 1. Select “Maritime Telecommunications” on the subject drop down list, then briefly describe the make and model of LED lighting and radios effected, distance from lighting to antennas and radios effected, and any other information that may help understand the scope of the problem.
This Safety Alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or international safety, operational, or material requirement. Developed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Spectrum Management and Telecommunications Policy Division. Distributed by the Office of
Investigations and Analysis. Questions may be sent to HQS-PF-fldr-CGF-INV@uscg.mil.

1 https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=contactUs

If your LEDs are not properly suppressed then yes this can be a problem. Most, if not all, domestic LEDs and cheaper LEDs will not be properly suppressed for RF interference.

I bought mine from a company called Boatlamps here in the UK who construct properly marinised LED units with full RF suppression and corrosion resistant. They ain't cheap but then "buy cheap pay twice". And they will ship worldwide so well worth looking at for suitable replacement units. You can find them at:

https://boatlamps.co.uk/index.html