ryanbytes Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 I rode on 6766 eastbound on Montrose earlier tonight and noticed a black box in the luggage rack. I took up almost the whole rack space and it had a conduit that led to the ceiling. Anyone have ideas on what this could be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 By luggage rack, do you mean the wheel well by any chance? I've also been noticing some vehicles with black boxes on the right wheel well, with conduit running to the ceiling. I saw at least one vehicle out of Chicago with this, and may have seen (from a distance) the same thing on a 77th bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 I rode on 6766 eastbound on Montrose earlier tonight and noticed a black box in the luggage rack. I took up almost the whole rack space and it had a conduit that led to the ceiling. Anyone have ideas on what this could be? I rode 6777 a short time back, and it had this same black box. My guess is that it might have something to do with the kneeling function of the bus(since when the bus lowers and raises you hear a hissing noise, thus would explain the air tube that is connected to it), but why it goes to the top is anyone's guess. :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmadisonwi Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Don't know for sure, but it's highly unlikely that it has anything to do with kneeling functions. That's all underneath the bus. There wouldn't be anything on the inside of the vehicle. It might be equipment associated with bus tracker (just a guess). Don't ask me the status of implementing it on the rest of the system. I'm not involved in that project and don't know where it is at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanbytes Posted November 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 I rode 6777 and as mentioned it had a box over the wheel well. I call it the luggage rack because it's great for shopping bags. I looked at the CleverDevices display to find out how far ahead of the schedule we were and I saw what looked like a picture of an antenna crossed out with an X. My guess is that the Novas are being upgraded for realtime camera access. If the cameras are being used by a supervisor or police the X on the display goes away and the driver knows the bus is being watched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 My guess is that the Novas are being upgraded for realtime camera access. If the cameras are being used by a supervisor or police the X on the display goes away and the driver knows the bus is being watched. Several New Flyers out of Archer have had the realtime camera viewing capability as part of the pilot program for some time now. There is no visible equipment inside the bus, with the only sign of such capability being a couple of antennas on the roof of the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Several New Flyers out of Archer have had the realtime camera viewing capability as part of the pilot program for some time now. There is no visible equipment inside the bus, with the only sign of such capability being a couple of antennas on the roof of the vehicle. I'm not for sure but I think I remember seeing a few Flyers from Kedzie during the summer that sported that antenna on the top of the bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 I'm not for sure but I think I remember seeing a few Flyers from Kedzie during the summer that sported that antenna on the top of the bus. I do remember catching on #11 a while back bus #5687. What I noticed that was odd on this bus was something that was secured to the passenger window. It looked almost like a camera facing into the bus, or maybe facing outside, I don't really know. But what confuses me is if this is the 'camera' that some of you are mentioning that are on some 1000-series New Flyers and 6400-series NOVAs, then why would the CTA put this technology on the soon-to-be retired Flxibles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanbytes Posted November 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Was the camera on the windshield facing in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 Was the camera on the windshield facing in? Not 100% sure, ryanbytes. But it was a camera on the windshield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanbytes Posted November 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 I think I saw that on a Nova on Fullerton. It was maybe a quarter of the way down the windshield. I don't know how it was attached though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 I spoke to an operator of a NOVA with the "Black Box" with air tube on the right wheelwell. His response to me... 'It's top secret.' I didn't inquire anymore after that, but it makes you wonder if.... a. he was just rude, not wanting to tell me what it was. b. he just didn't know. c. the box is, indeed 'top secret'. Although why would something 'top secret' be on a Transit bus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 c. the box is, indeed 'top secret'. Although why would something 'top secret' be on a Transit bus?Homeland security. Boo! (I'm not saying that's the case here.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I spoke to an operator of a NOVA with the "Black Box" with air tube on the right wheelwell. His response to me... 'It's top secret.' I didn't inquire anymore after that, but it makes you wonder if.... a. he was just rude, not wanting to tell me what it was. b. he just didn't know. c. the box is, indeed 'top secret'. Although why would something 'top secret' be on a Transit bus? I am likely to think letter a. He was just pulling your chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buslover88 Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I saw the black tube (or whatever it is) mentioned, but the black box was on the window near the driver's area on #6699 this morning on #76 Diversey. It looked like a GPS device (as in Bustracker). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 These black boxes aren't on just the wheelwells of the 6400's and 1000's. They are also being put on the 5800's. I spotted one on #5855 a few days ago. I asked the driver about it. He said they didn't tell him what that box is. Maybe somebody with Garage connections on chicagobus.org can find out about this 'mysterious' box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 I'm going to guess that these boxes are related to Bus Tracker. However, given their size I'm a bit curious as to what equipment is inside them. As far as I'm aware, most of the technology to enable Bus Tracker was already put in place with the announcement system installation, with the only main missing component being the wireless modem to transmit the location data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 If it had to do with Bustracker, one would think that all of the buses on 20 would have it. Since, as Kevin notes, the only thing Bustracker needed on top of the existing GPS equipment was the wireless equipment (which is cell phone based--see the Press Release, saying that a contract was given to Sprint-Nextel), I doubt that it is it. Also, GPS and wireless wouldn't need an air tube. Furthermore, the initial sighting reported at the top of this thread was of a Forest Glen bus, but the Bustracker upgrade is supposed to be at North Park first. There is also a real time camera project, but the cameras are already in place, and the missing link was again the radio connection, which, according to that Press Release, is the Mobile Security Network, supported by the same cell phone technology. The DriveCam is a third project and is described in this Press Release. I also note that Pace has had real time GPS through its IBS system for several years, and has installed DriveCam on some of its buses. You don't see large black boxes with air tubes on its wheel wells, just either the driver's locker to the left or a schedule rack on the right (on the 2600s, at least). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanbytes Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 I emailed the CTA looking for an answer. I'm not hopeful but maybe if a few more of us ask they'll start care and find the information we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zol87 Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I was on the #29 leaving Navy Pier one day and the box was popped open with the security camera recorder exposed. I let the driver know and she told me that the lock was busted. Anyway I feel good that there are cameras on the buses these days with the high amount of crime on the CTA. I would feel safer if the trains had them as well. Too many crazy people out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I was on the #29 leaving Navy Pier one day and the box was popped open with the security camera recorder exposed. I let the driver know and she told me that the lock was busted. Anyway I feel good that there are cameras on the buses these days with the high amount of crime on the CTA. I would feel safer if the trains had them as well. Too many crazy people out there. The box with camera equipment is located on the left wheel well. These new boxes have been showing up on the right wheel well. (To answer your concern about cameras on trains, the next order of cars will have cameras but there are no plans to install cameras on existing cars.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanbytes Posted November 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Word from a driver is the box is for more cameras with at least one facing out of the windshield. I'm still going with my guess that it's for the remote viewing stuff too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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