missionaryman

it would probably be about the same as buying the better bulb from the USA and absorbing postage because we generally get ripped off on everything in Australia. I will look to see if I can get them locally which is a better option for everyone depending on cost.

if this is the lamp you fellas are looking for: then I can get them for you from my people in the US, we use them in maglites to convert a 3D maglite into a 3600 lumen beast. - like this one lighting up the whole gazebo: they only cost about $7 but postage is stupid unless you buy a few, if we can tally up an order for a few then the postage will divvy out to be a lot less per bulb. these bulbs have a 50hr life on them and produce 3600 lumens @ 12 volts, most 100w produce about 2800 lumens and have a 2000hr life so they are being overdriven slightly. They will be noticeably brighter and not use the battery up any faster but you better get a few of them because they do go quickly at 50hrs.

QUOTE=wil5os,Apr 2 2006, 09:22 PM] how r u going on the thing? how far away r u to a working model to show us.....im interested. Sorry - I was awaiting parts to arrive, I have the new model ready - it's 1/2 the size with the same output and run time - built from a 2C maglite it now fits in your pocket. I've added some photos.

Hi Mick - if I were you I would be using a good quality sealed lead acid battery instead of a century car battery for this purpose. If that battery you're using ever spills or explodes (I had one explode and splash me in the face with battery acid when the terminals short circuited accidentally) and the acid gets you in the back you will finish your hunt before you've even noticed that you're burnt. It's a slow burning acid that is used alot of the time and you don't even know it's burning you. Car batteries are not safe outside of a car battery bracket in my opinion. You can get 28AH SLA batteries that will do a great job.

Here are some photos that I took in my back yard - still haven't had a chance to go to Penrith and use a proper camera. The range on these is only at 14m and I have picked a dark brown fence so that you don't get reflection. You can see how white the beam is especially when compared to the eveready dolphin. It's also whiter than the 5w Luxeon LED. It is the only photo that you can't really see the lights on in the neighbour's homes in the background because it's so bright the camera didn't pick them up. I will soon post some proper pics shwing the range and comparing to a powerful 12v Coleman lantern.

sorry for the no-show on the photos but I am sharing my digital slr with some one else who I will see on Tuesday night, they live in glenmore park so I'll get better pics there then I would have in wentworthville anyways. In the meantime I'll give you a brief run down on specs: Host: 3D cell body aluminium torch (M@glite) Battery pack: 9 x High current/High cpacity AA in a custom made cassette Run time: 40mins per charge Battery life: up to 1000 cycles Charge time: in a 10 bay slow charger 8-12hrs, in an energizer ultra fast about 3.5hrs or with an RC toy type charger straight into the battery cassette 1 - 8hrs Output: 1000lumens (about the same as the high beams on my Magna) Colour temp: 3400Kelvin (whiter than most halogen spotties) Weight: 900g I have in the works the same light engine powered by 3 x C cell lithium protected batteries for 60mins run time in half the size & weight, I'm waiting on the regulator to be made so the batteries don't safety cut out on initial cold start.

ok I will post some pics and details tonight - because I've moved house I don't have my pc with all the photos preloaded so I need to wait for dark and take some more. I'll do comparison pics with the Coleman and maybe a dolphin just for the sake of showing the difference.

So it looks like everyone is generally using faily bulky & heavy lights. The reason I ask is that I have recently got into modifying m@glites and I can get about the same amount of light out of a 3D (about 30cm long) as I do from my Coleman million plus but brighter and whiter with a run time of about 40 minutes. I'm waiting on new batteries to be tested that will allow the same light to be packaged into a 3C which will fit in your pocket and run for an hour. These lights are well built with lots of custom machined parts and fully rechargeable, all replacement parts are available. In the USA people mount these to their guns in place of carrying a big spotlight around and they carry a spare battery cartride in their pockets. Is this something people on the AusHunt forums would be interested in? If so I can post photos of the torches with beamshots and offer mine for evaluation testing by someone in the Sydney area then if it seems like it's one of those "how did I ever hunt without it" items I can look at making some up locally for sale on these forums.

thanks for the rsponses - Rono don't you find that it's too cumbersome to carry the whole light & separate battery? what type of light is it? Wharf - that's a huge reflector I didn't think you could mount something so big onto a gun, what type of battery does that use?

Hi everyone, This is my first post here and I am curious about illumination and wondered if you could help me... What is the most popular type of illumination people use when hunting? Do you mount a torch to your guns or is that too cumbersome/intrusive/underpowered? Do you hold a spotlight or get someone else to hold it for you? Do you need to be able to roam freely or do you stay with the vehicle and use cigarette lighter type or mounted spotties? What would be the ideal illumination for most people's needs?