Mike G in SC Posted December 29, 2010 Share #51 Posted December 29, 2010 I PM'ed with Sleeperhawk about his lamps. Sounds good. Then I called Greenboat, they have pulled them from their listing. Then called Marinebeam, the manufacturer. Talked to a good tech there, maybe the honcho. Marinebeam has pulled them from sales & production (and got Greenboat to return theirs and pull the listing). He said they have a bad chipset from their supplier and are having problems. They would rather pull the product than sell and get complaints. He said give them about 30 days. He said also, they got a burst of sales lately (motorcycle folks who caught on). He also said they are designed for marine spreaders and certain movement,,, not so much for MC. But they would like to get into our market. He has some 12v available but is still reluctant to sell. So in about a month he should be back into new production and selling to Greenboat again. (Greenboat was $39 Marinebeam was $50 each.) So, I will get some but,, will wait. If you want to know more, call Marinebeam Thanks George, Mike G in SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txrider Posted December 29, 2010 Share #52 Posted December 29, 2010 read my previous post.. I hope you hadn't yet purchased them.. the company went "ass-clown" all of a sudden, much to my disappointment.. shame.. i did find another source for similar lights but they are more expensive.. I would hope those lights actually work... I appreciate the heads up. No, I hadn't ordered them, but only because of what Mike G stated with them being pulled. They are "out of stock" on the website. Thanks guys. I'll definitely wait now...Time to do some more research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share #53 Posted December 29, 2010 I PM'ed with Sleeperhawk about his lamps. Sounds good. Then I called Greenboat, they have pulled them from their listing. Then called Marinebeam, the manufacturer. Talked to a good tech there, maybe the honcho. Marinebeam has pulled them from sales & production (and got Greenboat to return theirs and pull the listing). He said they have a bad chipset from their supplier and are having problems. They would rather pull the product than sell and get complaints. He said give them about 30 days. He said also, they got a burst of sales lately (motorcycle folks who caught on). He also said they are designed for marine spreaders and certain movement,,, not so much for MC. But they would like to get into our market. He has some 12v available but is still reluctant to sell. So in about a month he should be back into new production and selling to Greenboat again. (Greenboat was $39 Marinebeam was $50 each.) So, I will get some but,, will wait. If you want to know more, call Marinebeam Thanks George, Mike G in SC That's a shame to hear, Greenboat was eager to sell them to us for a MC application, saying they would be great... Quick to sell, impossible to talk to again after the sale.. I'd sooner talk to MarineBeam and cut out the weak link which was Greenboat.. they simply don't deserve any respect from purchasers what so ever. In today's economy, you live and die by customer service. They are slow to react to this nugget of savvy business practice and shall slide to the wayside because of it. yeah, THAT annoyed about their shoddy service and products. While chatting with MarineBeam, did you guys bring up the EMF interference on the radios? Once that issue is resolved, then those lights would be the top notch product motorcycle enthusiasts have been looking for.. Cheers M8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G in SC Posted December 30, 2010 Share #54 Posted December 30, 2010 Seaking, The tech at Marinebeam was pretty open and honest about the issue. Yes, he was concerned about customer service. I'm not sure on the name but I think they are small enough that if you call you may get him or just ask for the tech who know most about the bulbs. It was probably Jeff. Call him, nice guy. By Phone: 888-368-5215 8AM - 5PM EST By email: jeff@marinebeam.com Read their "about" page: http://store.marinebeam.com/info.html Mike G in SC Also, they do sell a little black box that can defeat the chip issue, perhaps it can defeat the radio issue(?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share #55 Posted December 30, 2010 (edited) Thanks Mike, It had been since Oct / Nov that myself and another chap have attempted to deal with the incompetence over there and basically gave up through sheer exhaustion and disappointment that they would be as such. If your buddy is sincere about their customer service, please pass on my email address as nothing *I* seem to send seems to reach the right people.. Perhaps the janitorial staff intercepts the mail and has a lark at flushing various responses. We email various people, spoke on the phone with a couple (included a lady who sounded like she was on drugs, (no joke).. I've spent enough time and wasted enough money on them.. Shame, it looked so promising from the beginning.. the EMF issue aside, it's just the sheer incompetence of QA and Customer Service that ruined it for them.. Thanks all the same (but I'm not "bitter" Cheers M8 PS: I went and read the info on their info link you provided, I'm a little surprised that they would have the balls to print that and then totally scoff off two separate customers like they recently did.. and noticed afterwards that THESE guys are not the ones who ballsed up my lights order with shoddy QA and Customer Service, it was greenboat.. Just to clarify to everyone, my beef isn't with MarineBeam... Cheers Edited December 30, 2010 by Seaking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G in SC Posted December 30, 2010 Share #56 Posted December 30, 2010 Seaking, You had me pretty confused there. Thanks for the PS. (I just spent a minute with Greenboat order taker.) You want to CALL Jeff at Marinebeam to discuss issues. Marinebeam is the manufacturer I think he's a "good guy". Mike G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeperhawk Posted December 30, 2010 Share #57 Posted December 30, 2010 I guess I am one of the lucky ones, so far no issues with the LEDS. The items were packaged well, no loose fittings and the lights are doing the job, lighting up the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahoutzer Posted December 30, 2010 Share #58 Posted December 30, 2010 You didn't mention the radio interference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeperhawk Posted December 30, 2010 Share #59 Posted December 30, 2010 You didn't mention the radio interference. I do not listen to local radio stations, I have Zumo 550 and listen to XM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3FOL Posted December 30, 2010 Share #60 Posted December 30, 2010 That explains it...satellite radio sounds like is not affected by the buzzing issue of installing LED driving lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share #61 Posted December 30, 2010 I do not listen to local radio stations, I have Zumo 550 and listen to XM. I have the Zumo also and the interference affects the AUX on the bike's audio system as well.. so much to the point you can't hear much at all.. yeah it's THAT bad.. I'm going to leave them on for now anyway, lord knows what I went through I might as well use them.. but come the big trip this coming May, I'll be taking them off so I can listen to tunes over my Rinehart pipes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share #62 Posted December 30, 2010 Seaking, You had me pretty confused there. Thanks for the PS. (I just spent a minute with Greenboat order taker.) You want to CALL Jeff at Marinebeam to discuss issues. Marinebeam is the manufacturer I think he's a "good guy". Mike G. hi Mike, are you saying that Jeff at MarineBeam is the supplier to GreenBoat shop, and that HE might be able to resolve the issues we're having with Greenboat? Sorry for the confusion on that previous.. I was rather torqued reading the MarineBeam "info" page, and thinking it was GreenBoat's page.. which would have been utter BS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahoutzer Posted December 30, 2010 Share #63 Posted December 30, 2010 I sent an email to Jeff at MarineBeam, asking whether they are addressing the radio interference from these lights. This is his response: Alan, These lamps are not made for use in motorcycles, but they had a big following. Radio interference is caused by proximity of wiring to the radio wiring most likely, as we don't typically have an issue when used on boats. The lamps are being discontinued entirely because of other manufacturing issues. If you wish a refund, you can send back to me with a copy of the receipt we will refund your purchase price. Regards, Jeff Field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share #64 Posted December 30, 2010 When I did my research about these lights after starting to have problems with Greenboat, we discovered that even the marine industry were having problems with them for the interference with their marine radios and such.. The BMW car enthusiasts found a fix to their cateyes issues but it wouldn't apply to these lights as they would need to be re-designed with certain elements included to the circuitry. GREAT for bikes without radios.. just highly inconvenient to those of us who listen to toons when we ride.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share #65 Posted December 30, 2010 I sent an email to Jeff at MarineBeam, asking whether they are addressing the radio interference from these lights. This is his response: Alan, These lamps are not made for use in motorcycles, but they had a big following. Radio interference is caused by proximity of wiring to the radio wiring most likely, as we don't typically have an issue when used on boats. The lamps are being discontinued entirely because of other manufacturing issues. If you wish a refund, you can send back to me with a copy of the receipt we will refund your purchase price. Regards, Jeff Field Alan, did you purchase your lights from GreenBOAT or "MarineBEAM" ? Sounds like Jeff has a handle on the customer service side of things.. I don't mind so much of people making mistakes, we're human after all... but it's what people do afterward is what sets the professionals from the incompetent numpties. "Cranky mode still on... " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2010 Share #66 Posted December 30, 2010 Im one of those who first posted on these LED lights from Greenboat. 1st set had a bad bulb and Greenboat replaced it with no problems. Only radio interference I get is from one radio station and ill be going to XM radio soon. Im guessing, after reading all of these latest posts that Greenboat just became overwhelmed with this issue. These lights were intended for boats, not bikes, but it looked like a reasonably priced alternative at the time. So far I have had no issues with them, but like Sleeperhawk, I must be one of the lucky ones. We all try new "stuff" on our bikes and sometimes they work and sometimes, well........ There are wire shielding products out there as well but I havent tried any yet. I do have some type of noise suppressor in my desk and ill try and get it mounted soon. I should be splitting the fairing in a few weeks and ill play around with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share #67 Posted December 31, 2010 You are amongst the extreme FEW who doesn't suffer interference from the lights.. Even the maritime community are bashing these lights as they interfere with their marine radios.. which isn't a good thing on a boat.. ! The shielding device you refer to is a "ferrite choke", you usually see them as the round objects encased in plastic at the end of various electronic cables and such. These won't wont work in this case as it would need to included within the light's electronics, inside the sealed beam, not on the outside of the sealed beam. They do work, but not applicable in this case. I located several other manufacturers of LED highway lights and Headlights (hi and low beams) and put forth the same question of interference to them.. and haven't heard back from them yet.. I'll let you know if I do.. Cheers M8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2010 Share #68 Posted December 31, 2010 I have a theory on the interference issue. Those who receive strong radio signals have less of a chance of getting static from the LED lights as opposed to those stations who are broadcasting weaker signals. The one FM station that I get static on shares its reception with an AM frequency. Not saying that this is correct, just an observation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahoutzer Posted December 31, 2010 Share #69 Posted December 31, 2010 Are yu saying that the solution is for us to move to a big city where radio stations are nearby and for us not to ride away from those big cities Nd away from those radio stations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share #70 Posted December 31, 2010 I have a theory on the interference issue. Those who receive strong radio signals have less of a chance of getting static from the LED lights as opposed to those stations who are broadcasting weaker signals. The one FM station that I get static on shares its reception with an AM frequency. Not saying that this is correct, just an observation. Unfortunately, that's not the case.. There are a lot of FM / AM radio stations and their transmitting towers within a few miles from where I live (and I'm one of the higher elevations in the area) and when I have the LED highway lights OFF, the stations are all crystal clear.. Either riding or when the bike is static and engine running or not running, it's a clear signal. As soon as those lights come on "Bzzzzzzzz" it drowns out the signal completely.. doesn't matter which channel, it's such a buzz on the system it drowns out the radio sounds.. And this is with CB, AM FM and AUX.. anything and everything through the speakers will be buzzed out. Yes, even when the audio is faded to the rear speakers.. its the whole system affected. Someone suggested encasing the whole radio in copper mesh (EMF isolation wire cloth) but I hadn't been able to find it in my area. All this for want of a measely 20 cent electronic part included at time of manufacturer. I would hope that in the near future, some bright eyed and intelligent person might actually put together a setup that works for bikes. These are bright.. but suck for radios.. Anyway.. onward and upwards.. time to hunt for another solution.. it was a nice try but too expensive to pursue.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Pad Posted December 31, 2010 Share #71 Posted December 31, 2010 I took my Roadstar driving lights off, and put them on my Venture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1joeranger Posted December 31, 2010 Share #72 Posted December 31, 2010 Like that trailer, brother! Not many I see do I care for but yours looks like it can pack a lot! Yes, I know this has nothing to do with this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2010 Share #73 Posted December 31, 2010 Are yu saying that the solution is for us to move to a big city where radio stations are nearby and for us not to ride away from those big cities Nd away from those radio stations? Hmmm, after living in NYC for 35 years I just cant consider Jacksonville a big city.... It was just a thought though. Nothing scientific to back me up there. Cant expalin why my set works better than other sets. Unless, im an alien hiding in a fat mans body who absorbs ungodly amounts of LED radiation isotopes. I tell ya, its not easy being me...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlyons Posted December 31, 2010 Share #74 Posted December 31, 2010 After Greenboat jerks refusing to answer my emails I emailed Jeff at Marinebeam and he told me he would be happy to refund the money I paid Greenboat for the lights. He said Greenboat was selling them for motorcycles which they should not have been doing because they were not intended nor DOT legal for motorcycles. I am glad there are still honest businesses like Marinebeam out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaking Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share #75 Posted January 1, 2011 After Greenboat jerks refusing to answer my emails I emailed Jeff at Marinebeam and he told me he would be happy to refund the money I paid Greenboat for the lights. He said Greenboat was selling them for motorcycles which they should not have been doing because they were not intended nor DOT legal for motorcycles. I am glad there are still honest businesses like Marinebeam out there. I'll have to give him a call next week then... Question is: Why is he being so keen on this when he's not the one who sold the items? Or is Greenboat a subsidiary of Marinebeam? Thanks for the info.. Happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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