Note: this article describes the regulations in force in Poland. Requirements in other countries may differ – check your local rules.
A magnetic warning beacon is a warning lamp that you place on the vehicle roof without drilling and plug into the cigarette lighter socket. It is ideal where a warning light is needed only from time to time: when driving a tractor with wide implements, towing, working on or near the road, or when an immobilised vehicle creates a hazard.
Amber beacon – when and who may use it
Under Article 54 of the Polish Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym), yellow (amber) flashing signals should be emitted by:
- a vehicle carrying out cleaning, repair or upgrading work on the road,
- a vehicle which, due to its design, load or behaviour on the road, may pose a risk to road safety.
The provision does not limit this to specific services – what matters is the situation on the road. In practice, amber beacons are used by:
- road and municipal service vehicles during roadworks,
- recovery vehicles,
- abnormal (oversize) vehicles,
- tractors with implements wider than 2.55 m, as well as agricultural and construction machinery,
- any vehicle, including a passenger car, that after a breakdown is stopped in a place dangerous for other road users.
Without such a reason, switching on a beacon on the road is not allowed – a tractor pulling an ordinary trailer should not use one. Blue and red flashing lights are reserved for emergency vehicles.
We write more about the regulations in the post Warning lamps for tractors and machines – types, colours, regulations.
What to look for when choosing
Operating mode: flashing or rotating
A flashing lamp (F) pulses its light, a rotating lamp (R) imitates a revolving beam of light. Models from the HOR 84 series have 4 selectable flash modes.
Number of LEDs
Compact beacons from the HOR 110 series have 24 LEDs, the larger ones from the HOR 84 series – 48 LEDs.
Power supply and cable
All our magnetic beacons work on 12 V and 24 V systems. They have a 4 m coiled cable with a cigarette lighter plug, so you connect them without modifying the wiring.
Surface for the magnet
The magnet only holds on steel. Place the beacon on a flat, steel part of the roof or bonnet. It will not hold on an aluminium or plastic roof – in that case a bolt-on or pole-mounted model from the Warning lamps category is a better choice.
Type approval
For driving on public roads, the lamp should be type-approved – you will find this information in the technical data of each lamp.
Magnetic beacons in the Zemot range
- LDO 2664/F (HOR 110 B) – 24 LEDs, flashing mode 2.1 Hz, Ø171 mm, IP68
- LDO 2664/R (HOR 110 B) – 24 LEDs, rotating mode 2.1 Hz, Ø171 mm, IP68
- LDO 2667 (HOR 110 A) – beacon with 24 LEDs, flashing mode 2.1 Hz, height 123 mm, IP68
- LDO 2275 (HOR 84) – 48 LEDs, 4 flash modes changed with a switch, 2.5 Hz, IP68
- LDO 2278 (HOR 84) – 48 LEDs, 4 flash modes, wireless remote control, IP68
Lamps from the HOR 84 series can be linked with the SLO 2269 synchroniser, which ensures simultaneous flashing. You will find all models in the Amber warning lamps category at zemot.com.pl.