replacement for q beam

jaybo

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Aug 14, 2018
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So I perform monthly wildlife surveys on airports as part of my job. For nighttime surveys I have been using a q beam maxmillion III for this for a while, and although it works, the cord is too short, and I have had trouble with it screwing up the cigarrette socket where it plugs into the company vehicle. It also wants to come out of the socket frequently. As you might imagine trying to hold the q beam out of the window, drive the airport perimeter, and keep the plug in the socket becomes a bit of a juggling act for one person.

Can you guys recommend another light, either cordless or with a longer cord that maybe wouldn't have these problems? We tried using a rechargeable q beam for a while (at least I think that is what it was) but it wasn't nearly as bright and the charge didn't last long. The spotlight surveys don't typically last more than 1.5 hours.

I'd like to be able to see wildlife at 100 yards or more with the light.

Thanks for any help you can provide.
 

Timothybil

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Have you looked into just getting an extension for the power cord? They are out there.

Edit: If you do be sensitive to the wire gauge. You are adding additional resistance to the circuit, and at 12v that can have measurable results. I personally would look for 14 ga or better.

Streamlight makes the Waypoint. the 4C version also has a power cord for 12v use.
 
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bykfixer

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Dust in the Wind
I like the waypoint too. 4C capable for portability or a (6' iirc) cord.

I have the yellow 250 lumen 'light bulb' version and it does pretty good. So I'm sure by now they have done something way brighter.
 

BVH

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Lightforce Blitz 240SL. Great for long distance with plenty of up-close light. A little pricey but well worth the money. Very light-weight also.
 

jaybo

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Aug 14, 2018
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Thanks for the responses! I had ordered a 12v extension cord prior to my latest survey at the end of last week, same day as my first posting. I was concerned that the wire gauge would be a problem, but it actually seemed to work fine. I may still look into the recommended ones though. It would be nice to have something cordless. Not sure why the q beam seems to kill the dash 12v socket but using the extension in the console socket worked for this trip. The q beam has killed 2 of the dash sockets so far. One burned out, then had it replaced and the new one burned out about 2 months later. Read somewhere that when the plug is not tight in the socket it may be arcing across the gap somewhat and generating heat or something along those lines. Also read that maybe the dash socket shares the circuit w/ other items (radio?) and that it may not have true 12v or something while the console may be on a circuit by itself.

Anyway it worked this trip.
 

tradbeau

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Aug 28, 2018
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I've been doing wildlife surveys for years myself. Any halogen based spotlight that is bright enough for doing survey work will pull a lot of amps and therefore heat up the socket in your vehicle. I added separate sockets with more durable components to my truck and it helped with the burnout issue. I also added self resetting fuse breakers. All can be purchased at Advanced Auto.

On another note, I'd really like to see some quality Cree LED corded spotlights come out that don't cost a fortune. With the right cone shape, you could have a very nice focused beam with the right LED bulb. Unfortunately, everyone is seems to be focusing on cordless spotlights and flashlights in that space. I'm going to experiment with using the Fat Max by Stanley and the NoCry rechargeable spotlights this year. One benefit is that these can be plugged into a 12v source to run them if the battery gets low.

I was also hoping to find LED H3 bulbs that would work in my existing spotlights, but I'm not getting warm fuzzies about their performance as they tend not to create a focused beam.......
 
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