Ok my truck doesnt have it but Im wondering what the light is on the hood on the drivers side? Atleast i think its a light?
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Ok my truck doesnt have it but Im wondering what the light is on the hood on the drivers side? Atleast i think its a light?
It's a blackout light which, I believe, were used to mark the vehicles while traveling in the dark. I've never been quite sure why the hood one was needed in addition to the others. I think some people call it a map light, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rakes67
The blackout headlight on the hood is used when the trucks were in convoys under blackout conditions during war. They soldiers wore infrared goggles that allowed them to see this dim light much brighter than the naked eye sees it...same thing with the cat eyes in the turn signal housings...
If you look at pictures of the blackout light you'll notice the have little hoods on them -- that's to keep the light from being obvious to enemy aircraft.
I don't think you actually need night vision goggles (infrared or otherwise) to use these -- just let your eyes adjust to the dark and a much smaller light than normal will do wonders for you... it's a lot like driving with just your parking lights on in a regular car. If you're only on dirt roads (or no roads at all) with limited speed, you don't need to see that far ahead, *especially* if you're just following the truck ahead of you. All you need to be able to see is anything major in the trail and follow the little lights ahead of you...Quote:
Originally Posted by brute4c
I didn't think the purpose was to illuminate your path at all, but simply to mark the vehicles in the dark.Quote:
Originally Posted by syzygy
I still wonder why they needed the hood blackout light when you already had them at all 4 corners.
The purpose of the b/o lights is described in the -10 tm. (operators) the b/o driving light has that hood and unique shaped slot for the light to shine so that is exactly directed. If you turn it on at night an then have some one walk up to the truck you will see how it lights up just a horizontal band, and how you would be able to see a person(or other veh)close in front but such that anyone just a short distance away couldnt. The others lights, b/o marker lights, are actually distance guides. In the rear lights you will notice 4 shaped slots in each light(only 2 in the fronts), if you are a specific distance(actuall distances are given in the -10 tm)from the truck in front, you can clearly see each of those 4 slots, as you get further away a certian amount you will only detect 2 slots of light instead of 4, then when even further you will only see 1 point of light from each lamp, this way you can know the distance you are following at in the dark, based on how many points of light you see. finally the b/o stop light, the one by iteslf, is just that a stop light, since the b/o markers dont get brighter as do regular tail-brake lights. You can see for yourself at night by walking away from your truck an notice how the points of light change w/ distance.
I got the info I posted from members who posted it in the past...ones who were in service and used the trucks in convoys.
This text from government publications at tpub.comQuote:
Originally Posted by chicklin
Blackout lighting is a requirement for certain combat operations. The purposes of blackout lighting are as follows: To provide the vehicle operator with sufficient light to operate the vehicle in total darkness To provide minimum lighting to show vehicle position to a leading or trailing vehicle when illumination must be restricted to a level not visible to a distant enemy
http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...s/14273_78.htm
The hood-mounted light could allow a leading vehicle to see another following closely. Just a guess.
All I can find in the -10 manual on the blackout lights is:
Blackout Lights
The blackout lighting system is controlled by the light switch and furnishes diffused low-intensity light. The system is composed of the following components.
• Blackout headlight located on the left front fender has sealed beam-type lamp unit.
• Marker lights mounted adjacent to the service drive headlights. Three lamps in light housing are used for blackout marker, service parking, and signal lights.
• Tail and stoplights mounted at rear of vehicle. Service of the blackout lights is limited to replacement of burned out lamp units. Refer to Lamp Bulb Trade Numbers below, for the proper replacement lamps.
Unless you have one that has more info than that...
This could be the text George is referring to. From the same link as above.
The three types of blackout lighting are as follows: The BLACKOUT DRIVING LIGHT (fig. 2-65) is designed to provide a white light of 25 to 50 candlepower at a distance of 10 feet directly in front of the light. The light is shielded so that the Figure 2-65.—Blackout driving light. 2-48 top of the low beam is directed not less than 2 degrees below the horizon. The beam distribution on a level road at 100 feet from the light is 30 feet wide.
The BLACKOUT STOP/TAILLIGHT and MARKER LIGHT (fig. 2-66) are designed to be visible at a horizontal distance of 800 feet and not visible beyond 1,200 feet. The lights also must be invisible from the air above 400 feet with the vehicle on upgrades and downgrades of 20 percent. The horizontal beam cutoff for the lights is 60 degrees right and left of the beams center line at 100 feet.
The COMPOSITE LIGHT (fig. 2-67) is currently the standard light unit that is used on the rear of tactical military vehicles. The composite light combines service stop, tail, and turn signals with blackout stop and taillighting.
This documents what George said about the lights being distance guides to the vehicle ahead.
In a close column movement, vehicles are spread approximately 25 meters apart during daylight conditions. At night, vehicles are spaced so that the driver can see two lights in the blackout marker of the vehicle ahead. Close column is normally used for movements during darkness, under blackout driving conditions. This method of movement takes maximum advantage of the traffic capacity of the route used, but provides very little dispersion of vehicles.
http://www.tpub.com/content/armychem...m3300b0043.htm
This text supports what brute4c is saying about inferred goggles.Quote:
Originally Posted by brute4c
In an open column movement, the distance between vehicles is increased to provide greater dispersion and varies from 50 to 100 meters, or greater if the situation requires. Open column movement is normally used during daylight conditions. This method may also be used at night using infrared lights or blackout lights, or when passive night vision equipment is available.
This is also used when a moderate volume of traffic must enter the column.
Last paragraph:
http://www.tpub.com/content/armychem...m3300b0043.htm
Continued here:
http://www.tpub.com/content/armychem...m3300b0044.htm
I need to get off of this subject and get a life.
I think that to use infra-red goggles you need an infra-red light source, If u see 'white' light w/ infra-red its overpowering, appears as a really bright area w/o definition?
Thats so funny, the information I quoted isnt in the -10 tm, but I know I have read this in some tm (perhaps a military drivers manual?) Oh well try it yourself at night, start at the truck an work your way back, you will see how your perception of the lights change w distance.
That is correct. I have a night vision scope and it has an infrared illuminator on it. When you activate it, it gives off no visible light, but when viewed through the scope it is as if you switched on a flashlight, illuminating a wide swath in front of you. If you are looking through the scope at night and happen to train on a visible light source, it will overwhelm the scope and just turn the screen white.Quote:
Originally Posted by george walker
I have seen infrared lights for MV's in the past on e-bay. They look very much like a compsite light with a purple colored lens. They are intended for use with infrared night vision goggles and the like. They too give no visible light when switched on, but will light up a path in front of the truck when viewed with NVG's.
Another interesting thing with an infrared scope is that its possible to see the infrared light emitted from a television remote control in a dark room. You can't see that with the naked eye.
The blackout headlamp is for the driver of the vehicle to see in front of him/her, not for other vehicles to see. The four corner markers are the ones used by other vehicles.
--Bushytails