David, are you sure all your streetlights in your area are 120 volts??? Someone who used to work under streetlights and the company under it from your area says they are actually 240 volts.........can you prove its 120 volts? Who told you they are 120 volts??? From the pics of opened streetlights...some looks like they were multivoltage ballasts.....
I know state owned lighting in the Boston area is 277/480 volt. One of the guys I work with used to work for the MASS DOT and did state lighting maintenance. I know of 240 volt lighting in Northampton mass, as well as Lenox mass as you can see the 3 wires exiting the arm and tying into each hot phase and neutral.
I was told by Joe Maurath that Mass Electric custom ordered their photocells gray instead of the standard blue. My OV10 came from Mass Electric (now National Grid) territory and had a gray multi tap PC. The same thing with that Boston Wheeler you took a pic of that he now owns.
As an electrician for Northeast utilities in Massachusetts, I can 100% tell you not all streetlighting is 120 volts. Alot of the old mercury lighting was 240 volts at the time. My M-250R1 was originally 277 volts and was on a reugular residential street in springfield mass. Most new HPS lights now on regular utility poles are 120 volts but I have seen new installs in UNITIL territory which serves fitchburg still installed as 240 volts along with Hampton beach, NH which is also served by UNITIL. National Grid here in the western part of massachusetts, still has alot of 240 volt lighting in service.
Maryland state highway lighting under SHA...I was told are mostly 240 volts...and I swear I have noticed some are in 3 phase becayse sometimes ill see alternating or every 3rd streetlight out and at the same time the light sign every 2nd light on the sign was out as in "on, off, on, off" LOL
So David, most of the streetlights where I live under BGE are 120 volts, but I was told some are 208 volts and others are 277 volts.....I was told in my area, if it has older grey or a newer black PC, its 120 volts, but if it has blue PC..its the 208 or up volts....so before assuming.....find out.....ask either Joe or Tony (Antstar85) who's name is Tony...may actually help (it will be helpful for Tony and some members to identify if you I include the arm and powerline pole because we could see type of wires used!
Here probably 98% of streetlighting is 120 volt, we have a few 240 volt areas but they are old and are being replaced, they also tend to be relay systems.
David...the link you showed....looking at the label and it has numbers (12345) on the bottom of the label.....it is a multitap ballast....meaning it has more than 1 wire of voltage...one wire for 120, one for 208 one for 240 and one for 277 volts.....it may have been factory set at 120 volts, but the linemen CAN rewire it to 240 volts....one worker, Joe said your area is mostly 240 volts....Joe is a streetlight expert...(Joe Maurth) and Tony, here works with streetlights in most of Massachustts and an actual lineman/electrican...and worked on ACTUAL streetlights and he says the same thing.......so you may have to see HOW it is wired.....
Why don't you post pictures of the whole arm and part of the poles...it may help is identify the electrical charaterstics...
You could post it here instead of LG...I mean I was the one I, GullWhiz, I, Jason, I Jace was the ONE who convinced you to do the whole arm shots in LG when I was the administrator in that page...now I am not in LG but I am here Plus there seems more be MORE American Streetlight lovers HERE than in LG which has more European streetlight lovers and Fluorescent fixture lovers....This page has more members who's interested in American poles....so it may make more sense having whole pole setup in here instead of LG....how about it?
I believe like Niall's area my area mostly uses 120v streetlighting except for freeway lights which are 347v or 347/600v three phase for the highmast lights.
I agree with posting the arm and pole pics here too, and you might want to consider putting up some scene pics too.
Close up is only good for things that has special details......that needs to be shown......like the NEMA tag that was blue but had the word HPS on it.....remember that one...good example for close up! A broken hidge or a opened streetlight are other good use for close ups!
BTW, this is indeed 240V. The reason the light you saw on the ground was 120V is because it was made after the late 80s. In the late 80s they stopped using 240V fixtures and began using 120V fixtures. Before that, it was all 240V with VERY few exceptions. One of them being the OV-10 integrally balalsted lights, which were 120V. i hope this clears things up.
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Like, look at this one: General Electric M400R2
So David, most of the streetlights where I live under BGE are 120 volts, but I was told some are 208 volts and others are 277 volts.....I was told in my area, if it has older grey or a newer black PC, its 120 volts, but if it has blue PC..its the 208 or up volts....so before assuming.....find out.....ask either Joe or Tony (Antstar85) who's name is Tony...may actually help (it will be helpful for Tony and some members to identify if you I include the arm and powerline pole because we could see type of wires used!
You could post it here instead of LG...I mean I was the one I, GullWhiz, I, Jason, I Jace was the ONE who convinced you to do the whole arm shots in LG when I was the administrator in that page...now I am not in LG but I am here
I agree with posting the arm and pole pics here too, and you might want to consider putting up some scene pics too.
I have proof this light was 240V, since Joe owns it. I saw it with my own eyes here and here i was holding it. I also made a diagram of lights he has here.