Was in the coach tonight, listening to some music. Played with the controls on the roof mounted search light. At first it was very slow and had a limited range of motion. Let it rest to cool. not to burn out the motors. The more i worked it, the better it got.
Like they say, if you don't use it, you will lose it.
I owned the coach 3 years before I realized the searchlight worked :headwall: Found out when we got back from Branson. Haven't had a chance to try it at night to see what it looks like, but the wife ran it through it's paces up, down, side-side. Was amazed that it still worked at 22 yrs old. (Hard to find a 22 yr old that wants to work)
Larry
I vaguely remember the roof spotlights were two speeds on the swing? Maybe?
Here's what the spotlight looks like inside. Not much to it.
jor
Our 97 did not have one so I added a HID aftermarket one
Here is the link.
https://www.larsonelectronics.com/p-1986-hid-golight-stryker-30001-35-watts-3000-lumen-wireless-remote-control-white-spot-beam.aspx
Turning it backwards made the wind noise from it go away.
Remote is fun
I posted a spotlight "Tune Up" thread a while back - contains a bit more info, if anyone is curious how they work:
RAY-LINE Roof-Mounted Spotlight, Repair of (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=24934)
After 30 years mine might need the wasp nests cleaned out and some new grease also.
Those spot lights are great !! Can't use them though unless you're out in the desert or some place with a lot of space. In close they blind every thing around. Have a great day ---- Fritz
Driving at night in remote forest areas with straight roads I used to point the roof spotlight a few hundred yards ahead of our coach along the roads edge. Stopped people from bolting onto the highway in front of us and froze the deer versus have them jump out onto the highway
Very handy safety feature in adverse conditions that can happen despite prudent planning. I think mine is a really bright aircraft landing light.
I had one on my last RV, not the current 295. I miss having it. I too used it as Bob in th country. It was very handy when pulling in at night or for reading some road signs.
If your coach doesn't have a factory spotlight, or if the OEM light is broken and deemed not repairable, then there are some (possibly) good deals to be had at the GOLIGHT factory outlet store. They list several of their more popular "clearance/reconditioned" models at a very nice discount. For instance, the HID model mentioned by Bob (Reply #5 above) is available for about $200 below the "new" online price.
Since most of the models now utilize wireless remote controls, installation should be fairly simple, especially when replacing a existing light.
I have not ordered one of these reconditioned lights, so I don't know what kind of shape they are in. They come with a 1-year factory warrantee, and GOLIGHT customer support gets good reviews online. Seems like a pretty safe bet to me!
Clearance/Reconditioned Archives - GOLIGHT (https://golight.com/product-category/clearance-reconditioned/)
Talked myself into buying a refurb spotlight (see post above) to replace my OEM light. I picked the white Model 20004 (LED + hand-held remote) because I'm pretty sure the mounting bracket will cover the holes where the old light now sits. I'll report back here on condition and performance after it arrives and I get it mounted.
Golight / RadioRay LED - GOLIGHTGOLIGHT (http://golight.com/golight-led/)
My spotlight leaked. The water proofing on it isn't very good. I used a lot of polyurethane caulk on it and now I doubt I'll even be able to disassemble it without breaking it ;) No leaks though
Got my "reconditioned" spotlight from GOLIGHT (see Reply #13). It arrived in the factory box in perfect condition. Cosmetically, it is without flaw. I can see zero evidence that this light was ever even unpacked, much less used. I think it would be impossible to distinguish from a new one. Of course, I haven't powered it up yet, so how it works remains to be seen (literally).
When you pick it up, the squat case is surprisingly heavy. Since the outside housing is plastic, the weight must be from the innards. The LED lens assembly is surrounded by a substantial finned black aluminum heatsink which looks very impressive. I doubt overheating will ever be a problem.
Golight/RadioRay LED Retrofit - GOLIGHT (http://golight.com/shop/golightradioray-led-retrofit/)
I'm waiting for decent weather (warm temps + light winds) to get up on the roof and do the installation. Stand by for my next riveting report.
Nice Chuck, can't wait. Couldn't tell from the pictures, but I assume that it pivots as well as swivels?
Larry
Correct. 370° Rotation x 135° Tilt. Here's the specs:
http://golight.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Golight-RadioRay-LED-Spec-Sheet.pdf
Thanks Chuck. Mine was still working when she went into storage, so I expect it to be okay, but you never know when something will quit. I will keep this reference. Keep us informed.
Larry
The hid light i mentioned is really bright. You can read a book in its beam at a mile away.
Had a couple nice days - got the new spotlight installed. Pretty simple job. Cut the wire harness near the switch mounted above the driver seat, Taped my new power cord to the cut end of harness. Removed three bolts holding old light and lifted it up, pulling the new power cord through the roof hole as the old harness cable pulled out. Cleaned up the old caulking, and set the new mounting gasket in place for a trial fit. Turns out 2 of the old light's mounting holes lined up with the new gasket, so I only had to drill 2 new holes. The new light covers the "shadow" from the old light completely. Connected the power cord, screwed the new light down, put a bead of clear silicone around the base.
Inside, I already had both a BAT (always hot) and a IGN (hot with key on) power source in the upper cabinets (above windshield) from previous projects. Simply connected the power cord to BAT source, and the new light was operational.
I really like the GoLight. It is extremely bright, and has a very nice clearly defined round beam pattern. The hand-held remote is very cool, and works perfectly. Fun to stand outside the coach and direct the light. I took a few photos trying to compare the old light to the new one.
My camera doesn't do well at conveying the impressive performance of the light, but here is what I got:
1. First 2 photos show old and new spots on the driveway about 20' in front of coach (looking through windshield from driver seat).
2. Next 2 photos show front of coach with my DRL lights on and old and new spotlights on. LED is noticeably whiter light.
3. Next photo shows the beam pattern on the side of our next door neighbor's house.
4. Last two photos show a storage barn across the street from our house during the day, and same barn illuminated by spotlight at night.
(Barn is about 100 yards in front of coach)
Some shots of light mounted on roof. I like the appearance - similar to the old one, but more modern and high tech looking IMO.
That's an awesome advantage I think, to have a remote control spotlight that the copilot can operate based on verbal commands when your very busy negotiating a tight course or adverse conditions. Nuff said maybe. Very versatile to say the least.
Very nice. May not wait for the old one to go the way of the dodo.
That looks great. Love the remote control function. The original has a fistful of wires.
jor
The remote has 2 speeds: fast (rabbit) for quick pointing, and slow (turtle) for precise aiming. Both are very effective.
I really like that the new light will swivel a full 180 degrees (+ 5 extra) in both directions from straight ahead. When traveling in daytime I will keep it pointed backward to avoid bug splats on lens. Also, I think Bob mentioned in a earlier post that pointing the light rearward reduces wind noise, so there's always that...
The light will also point almost straight up, so I could probably use it to signal the space shuttle as it flies by! b^.^d
My '81 has a amber strobe light on top of the center storage pod, probably so the coach could be found from the air in '81 now the space station could find it if it wasn't under a cover.
One more entry before this thread fades away into the Forum archives.
When I initially ordered my LED GoLight I noticed they offered (in the "accessories" section) a snap-on lens adapter that converts the spot beam into a flood beam. Just for fun, I decided to try one - received it yesterday. It is a very high quality piece of optical grade plastic - almost 1/4 inch thick. Tried it out last night. It snaps on over the LED lens assembly and fits very securely. It works as advertised. The high-intensity round spot beam is converted into a rectangular flood beam that lights up a wide swath. For instance, when our coach is parked in our driveway, it is about 100' out to the street. The flood beam lights up that entire area from coach to street, plus off a little to both sides of our 12' wide driveway. I could easily drive at night using only the roof light - it is that bright.
Having this snap-on lens adapter will make the spotlight much more versatile. IMHO, If you buy the light, get the adapter.
LED Flood Lens - GOLIGHT (https://golight.com/shop/led-flood-lens/)
Great find, mod. So is the interior switch assembly now up for grabs? Mine works, but somebody else might need it.
Have to think about that. Might come up with some other use for the old spotlight...
Perhaps set up for backing up into camping site?
Considered that, but there are easier ways (and better products) to "augment" the stock backup lights (which are pretty weak). We already have the OEM docking lights, which are very useful. Plus I have a "work light" mounted on my ladder, with a switch in the engine compartment.
What did you do to your coach today VI (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=30072.msg291555#msg291555)