Is ELB not as active anymore?

[FDlou961]

I used to come here in the past then because of new kiddos and family, took a break. Now I came back because my job has allowed me to outfit my vehicle, but out of touch with the newer whelen and dodge products. Posted a couple posts, but no one chiming up to assist in info. Whats the deal yall?

 

[JohnMarcson]

I used to come here in the past then because of new kiddos and family, took a break. Now I came back because my job has allowed me to outfit my vehicle, but out of touch with the newer whelen and dodge products. Posted a couple posts, but no one chiming up to assist in info. Whats the deal yall?

Forums have kind of died out in general. Younger generations use other social media. We are planning to consolidate the site to make it more of a database that can be searched and added to vs. social media. Some consolidation may help a bit with channeling the lower traffic. I used to participate in a variety of online message boards and most are either gone or basically just archives. I work with a guy who is into this hobby and he complains that he has to use facebook "like an old person" which is funny since this site lost a lot of users to facebook. So even the sites that replaced this one are getting "old".

 

[FDlou961]

That genuinely sucks John. But guess its the newer generation, and newer technology to mold into…
With all the work you and the other admins/mods have put into this forum, and the amount of equipment ive bought/sold thru ELB, ELB will always have that special place in my heart and soul.

 

[JohnMarcson]

That genuinely sucks John. But guess its the newer generation, and newer technology to mold into…
With all the work you and the other admins/mods have put into this forum, and the amount of equipment ive bought/sold thru ELB, ELB will always have that special place in my heart and soul.

It still contains a decent archive of searchable info and most serious tech questions get answered. It's the "newest thing" sorts of threads that aren't a thing anymore. It's a shame, but times change; such is the nature of technology.

 

[dmathieu]

I've made a lot of friends, had a lot of fun here, and we've all worked hard to add information, especially in the vintage areas for me.
Thank you to all of you who have run the show!

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Facebook is an unsearchable dumpster fire. And its because of FB and scummers that I now watermark my images. My stuff seems to get to places long before I ever get there.. lol

 

[JohnMarcson]

Here are the changes that are being made to address the traffic change.

Site News - Downsizing

As previously discussed in What Matters Thread the site is downsizing to be more in line with the current usage. The existing posts will remain active so they can be searched as a major function of the site is an archive of info. Basically the site will be returning to its roots, with a few...

elightbars.org

 

[JohnMarcson]

Facebook is an unsearchable dumpster fire. And its because of FB and scummers that I now watermark my images. My stuff seems to get to places long before I ever get there.. lol

Facebook seems to be scams, mom groups, old people* replying to bots, bots replying to bots, AI altered/created photos, old people replying to the AI photos, memes from 2009, and minions. No thanks.

* I realize I'm "old people" to some users, but I mean >70 y/o

 

[Mars Light]

Just 2 pence from my view from outside the USA. For us German collectors was and is ELB an important point to get information about all the different lights and details about it. Or to buy parts or complete lightbars and beacons. FB is also a point to get stuff or background details. However, most ELB users are also in the well-known groups on FB. And yes, FB is not as "familiar / matey" and scam-proof as ELB.
I think it's good that ELB always adapts to the situation and minimizes the groups to the essentials.

 

[Tango7]

I've gotten decent information on FB, but there's no functional search capability like there is here, and the scammer/spammer ratio is exponentially higher.

 

[JohnMarcson]

I've gotten decent information on FB, but there's no functional search capability like there is here, and the scammer/spammer ratio is exponentially higher.

I'm honestly curious what people will go to after Facebook. The younger people at work seem to tolerate Facebook as a necessary evil for classifieds, but don't use it heavily/socially. They use Instagram and TikTok for "leisure", and neither really supports a classified ad system. It's interesting to me that the "next thing" after web forums is already "for old people".

 

[Sparky_911]

Old guy here...I miss the days of the old school auto/rv trader (paper and digital). Toss up an ad for a fee, run 30days or til it sells. It was rare to have any scammers willing to pay to run ads. Albeit this market isn't selling thousand dollar and up products.

Forums ebb and flow naturally. Glad the owners and mods here are able to adapt with the flow and keep things going as long as they have.

 

[Jennifer Rose Towing]

Old guy here...I miss the days of the old school auto/rv trader (paper and digital).

I still have one from 20 years ago that I listed a vehicle for sale. They were nice but typically local and just one small photo. The wide array of products and knowledge is the big draw of this site. Here it is more quality then quantity. I definitely use marketplace and some groups on facebook. The sites can definitely coexist and have their uniqueness. FB seems to be the grounds for those that clown around here and get booted. The number of people interested in lighting (installs, collecting) and more in depth information has likely decreased in the last decade too.

 

[JohnMarcson]

I still have one from 20 years ago that I listed a vehicle for sale. They were nice but typically local and just one small photo. The wide array of products and knowledge is the big draw of this site. Here it is more quality then quantity. I definitely use marketplace and some groups on facebook. The sites can definitely coexist and have their uniqueness. FB seems to be the grounds for those that clown around here and get booted. The number of people interested in lighting (installs, collecting) and more in depth information has likely decreased in the last decade too.

One thing I have noticed is that emergency equipment has become more "retail" in nature. By that I mean a lot of local volunteers just pay the local distributor $1200 to install a full system that they keep until they sell their car.

• LEDs have leveled the field enough that frequent upgrades don't seem as necessary
• BluePrint, Core, Pathfinder, etc are becoming more accessible and easier to edit
  • People either don't touch it or feel confident making changes themselves
• Vehicles have become increasingly expensive, plastic, and complex.
• Departments are becoming part-time or staffed and are restricting POV response.
• Used equipment seems to be "used up" and not cheap enough to justify not buying new.
• Lights have become electronics and therefore disposable.

There are other factors, but it seems like DIY light projects are less common. There are still plenty of people doing light projects, but it isn't like it was in the halogen and strobe era.


The world changes, and that's not a bad thing... It just means that people offering services have to keep up.

 

[W2CK]

Hi,

I am new around here, but old when it comes to lightbars. I used to work on such as a sideline to working on radio systems with the volunteer fire, rescue and ambulance services from 1977 thru 1993. Everything from 6v single beacons to strobes.

But then a transfer from NY to NC for work pretty much put an end to that.

So, to cut to the chase, I began looking for something to put on my older (1997) Ford F350 truck which I use mostly for radio system work in the field. Sometimes I have to pull off to the side of the road to perform some measurements and felt I really need more than the stock 4-way flashers. So, I had the idea of putting an amber lightbar on top.

But, what? The entire industry changed since I last paid any real attention beginning in 1994.....

It wasn't hard to find this resource. There's a lot to read up on and I eventually went with what I know and am working on a Federal Signal Aerodynic model 25. I just can't get into the LEDs and I didn't like strobes back in the day. Plus, the 97 F350 is the style Ford began with in 1980, so a model 25 will fit right in.

So, I can't really comment on how much or little discussion is happening right now, but there has been quite a bit of content to read, that's for sure.

Stan