FDNY PA300 - Finally got one

pdk9

Member
May 26, 2010
3,834
New York & Florida
Yes, I’ve seen some of the Seagrave spares now have the EQ2B. I believe that 4 Truck in midtown went back to the PA300 on their Ferrara RM ladder, though. I wish FDNY would get away from putting old TIR6s everywhere.

Besides the manual winding down, was there any other difference on the FDNY PA300 compared to the traditional one?
 
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Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
Silver face-PA300 style wail and manual, a very similar Yelp to the older style but "flipped" sounding. It's very subtle, I could be wrong. And Hi-Lo is disabled.

To say it more succinctly, the NY option has a specific set of tones from the very wide range of sounds the PA300 came with over the years, and no hi lo.
 
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Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,290
Canada
FDNY must have bought those sirens back in the late 1980s - early 1990s. The early black face PA300s have a slow rising wail tone.
 
Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
I’m not sure how fleet purchasing works for these things. The “NY” PA300s were certainly around in the early 90’s, but I wouldn’t know if the FDNY just bought a ton back in the day (and continues to use them), if FS was just supplying them every time a new rig was built for the FDNY, or some other process. Maybe CHIEFOPS would have an idea.

I’ve never seen a non-NY black face PA300 that sounded like this, just a silver face model that I also own. Granted, my only way to have seen them would be this website or YouTube.
 
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CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
I’m not sure how fleet purchasing works for these things. The “NY” PA300s were certainly around in the early 90’s, but I wouldn’t know if the FDNY just bought a ton back in the day (and continues to use them), if FS was just supplying them every time a new rig was built for the FDNY, or some other process. Maybe CHIEFOPS would have an idea.

I’ve never seen a non-NY black face PA300 that sounded like this, just a silver face model that I also own. Granted, my only way to have seen them would be this website or YouTube.
Presumably this model was an FDNY spec, and the apparatus builder supplied/installed them as part of the bid. I think they were coming off the PA200 or Motorola Systems 90, I'm not aware they're still in use, but I don't get to many emergencies anymore.
 
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Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
Interesting. To your last point, I’ve definitely heard them in use on spares, as recently as this morning in Brooklyn. I think they’re just in use in the spares and by houses that added them back to newer rigs.
 
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Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
Where I live, the city FD had a battalion chief car and a couple of engines that had early black face PA300s with the slow rising wail tone. There is one reserve engine still in service that has one.

Looks like one finally popped up on YouTube earlier this year. It is the black model but the tones sound identical to the silver face model I have. Slightly different Yelp from the FDNY model.

 

lotsofbars

Member
Jul 20, 2010
1,999
NYC, New York
It's getting uncommon to hear these in NYC as much, the eq2b is even starting to creep into spare fleet.
It's funny; I was driving back to base this morning and there was a large response of FDNY on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. They were ALL spare trucks and they ALL had PA300's. I was surprised, because some of them were on the newer end of old trucks. It was cool to hear the iconic PA300 in the wild again, but I still prefer the eQ2B.
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,290
Canada
Looks like one finally popped up on YouTube earlier this year. It is the black model but the tones sound identical to the silver face model I have. Slightly different Yelp from the FDNY model.


Why can't people keep their cotton pickin' fingers off the manual button when demonstrating the wail and yelp tones? :mad:

That particular PA300 sounds like it has worn out capacitors. The wail and yelp tones sound lower pitched than normal.
 
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CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
It's funny; I was driving back to base this morning and there was a large response of FDNY on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. They were ALL spare trucks and they ALL had PA300's. I was surprised, because some of them were on the newer end of old trucks. It was cool to hear the iconic PA300 in the wild again, but I still prefer the eQ2B.


If it was around 12pm they were probably heading to the building collapse in Harlem
 
Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
It's funny; I was driving back to base this morning and there was a large response of FDNY on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. They were ALL spare trucks and they ALL had PA300's. I was surprised, because some of them were on the newer end of old trucks. It was cool to hear the iconic PA300 in the wild again, but I still prefer the eQ2B.
That’s neat, bonus if they weren’t only using the manual tone. For months all I heard in my neighborhood was the PA300 but it looks like everyone got their front line rigs back now. It felt like the 90’s for a while there.

Why can't people keep their cotton pickin' fingers off the manual button when demonstrating the wail and yelp tones? :mad:

Yea I don’t get that, I guess people just see a button and can’t lay off haha
 

lotsofbars

Member
Jul 20, 2010
1,999
NYC, New York
If it was around 12pm they were probably heading to the building collapse in Harlem
They were all headed eastbound, I think there was an MVA somewhere.
That’s neat, bonus if they weren’t only using the manual tone. For months all I heard in my neighborhood was the PA300 but it looks like everyone got their front line rigs back now. It felt like the 90’s for a while there.
They were only using manual, but it DID feel like the 90's. A lot of the trucks in my neighborhood are also using spares and they all seem to have the PA300 as well. I didn't know I missed them until they were gone.
 
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Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
I'm fairly certain the manual function is operated by foot switch

Pretty sure you’re right and that the eq2b is operated in the same way.

Seemed like over the years they used wail and yelp on the PA300 a lot less. Maybe a noise pollution thing. I remember hearing it frequently as a kid, and there are even response videos and ride alongs on YouTube with the FDNY running wail and yelp a lot in the 90’s. Now it’s rare, the only time I’ve heard the other modes in person in the last year was when I saw a MERV in Brooklyn.
 
Dec 13, 2016
29
NY
I never got any messages from you , but please please please, if you find another one for sale , please send me the link and or if you decide to sell yours please give me first notice , $$$ thanks pal.
 
Dec 13, 2016
29
NY
Interesting, so perhaps this PA300 labeled NY opt. Is from NYPD and not the FDNY. I noticed it also had a green light come on when the gain switch is turned on. In other videos I seen a red light come on as the backlight.
 
Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
Pretty confident this is a FDNY model. There’s an “Old NYPD Electronic Siren” thread on here that has some clips of the NYPD PA300, it’s quite different.
 
Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
Yea, there could be multiple NY specs who knows, or someone could have ordered something unusual directly from Federal Signal. I trust the ear test most of all, I know the units I heard my whole life sounded like mine. But it’s a huge city with thousands of fleet vehicles...
 
Dec 13, 2016
29
NY
I’ll send you a vid and you tell me what you think, I think the tones are the same, just with the HI Lo enabled. You tell me what you think when you hear it.
 

CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
I couldn't tell you for certain, the panel lamp filter could be a replacement.
The NYPD version had a manual & horn ring instant peak and hold without coast down, pretty sure the FDNY was the standard manual coast up and coast down, and a distinct slow coast up & short coast down Wail cycle.
 
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