rwo978 said:
I believe it would connect to wiring going back to the amp, I don't believe the wattage matters, but I haven't read the manual. Honestly, for $400, I'd probably add 2 more 100 watt speakers and another siren for dual tone. Or, for less than $100, split your speakers, buy another amp, and run dual sirens on 1 speaker apiece.
The Howler is just the Whelen version of the FedSig Rumbler. Same thing, different name and manufacturer.
Not to come off like a butt, but the OP is looking for informed opinions from those who have actually used the system or at least heard it.
The Rumbler installs by interrupting and then completing the circuit from "normal" siren amp to speaker. It takes the siren signal and then synthesiszes it and amplifies it before sending it to its two lo-freq speakers. Installation is not really hard, but does require a ground activation trigger, power, ground, and running two additional sets of speaker cables. The Rumbler's amp unit will fit into any console plate that would fit one of the older SMC1-SMC5 SignalMaster controllers.
I have spoken to the engineer who designed the Rumbler, Larry Block. Among things we talked about was dual tone sirens (and why FedSig didn't offer any). Larry told me that dual tone sirens, while noisy, were less effective than a single tone because the two tones often "cancelled" each other out (frequencies and such). I am not a sound engineer, but it does make some sense to me. The Rumbler does not stop your normal siren tone from being emitted in full strength from the normal speakers...it is still there and can be heard. The Rumbler just broadens the frequency range.
The Rumbler is a supplemental siren designed to use lo-frequency tones for penetrating into other motor vehicles where ordinary sirens fail. To that end it works. No siren can overcome idiots and people whose heads are up their...rears. For those who may not know, the system was designed at the request of
law enforcement, specifically the Florida Highway Patrol. The idea was one of many that came about in a project, overseen by Lt. Jim Wells, which evaluated and selected lighting and sirens for their use.
From the study (
http://www.theiacp.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=LV4uUua9uvY%3D&tabid=392 ):
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"Audible Warning Devices-
While we were examining the visual warning signals for improvement we also decided to examine the audible signals to determine if there was any way to improve these signals. We had determined from observation on-duty as a siren listener and off-duty as a signal receiver that sirens did not seem to be as effective today as they used to be. It was determined that modern vehicles are much tighter in construction and have improved seals and insulation that effectively blocks more sound transmission than vehicles of even just 10 years ago. We looked into technologies that could make the siren more effective. The first thing we did was examine the frequency (or pitch) of the current siren. We found that the Society of Automotive Engineers requires wail and yelp sirens to be between 650 Hz at the low end to 2000 Hz at the top end. These tones encompass the upper mid-range of human hearing. I was told casually by one expert in the field that this range was chosen due to it being the range of frequency that is best heard by humans and remains the best heard as hearing diminishes with age. However, this does not make it the best frequency to penetrate a well sealed and insulated motor vehicle. Lower frequency sound penetrates solid objects better than higher frequency sound. You have probably seen this demonstrated with “boom box” cars. You hear the low frequency bass and drums long before the vehicle pulls up next to you, but even when the vehicle is next to you, you can not hear the melody or other parts of the music. It is this phenomenon that we desired to exploit with a new siren.
Another important phenomenon of lower frequency sound is that it is not as directional as higher frequencies. The current siren can be pointed in a specific direction and the siren will be significantly louder in that direction than to the sides or rear. The lower the frequency the sound, the less it will tend to adhere to this directional principle. At some point the sound will be almost as loud in all directions. This has significance when looking at intersections. It is difficult for persons to see the patrol car when you are approaching an intersection because you may be blocked by buildings or other vehicles. The siren may be the only warning they can perceive. However, if the main focus of the siren is straight ahead, we are not providing the optimum warning. Theoretically, the low frequency siren should be even more efficient to the side of the patrol vehicle than it is directly to the front.
We next considered the tone or pattern the siren had. Could we develop a pattern that was more conspicuous and noticeable? We contacted four manufacturers of electronic sirens for their input. It was felt that the current siren is so recognizable that it would be difficult to develop anything that was this easily recognized as an emergency vehicle. Eventually we decided that we should leave a primary siren in the vehicle and utilize the low frequency secondary siren as a supplement.
The manufacturers were required to provide sound level measurements on their low frequency sirens in the interior of the patrol vehicle. Federal Signals siren was just over the allowable 8 hour exposure level in the 4 hour OSHA exposure level. Code 3 and Whelen Engineering’s sirens were within the 8 hour level, but very close to the line. At least within our agency, we cannot envision a scenario where officers are exposed to any siren 4 hours or more per day, let alone several days. This did not seem much of a concern. However, since as a group, the manufacturers were concerned about possible long term hearing loss, even given these ratings, the decision was made that these sirens would be utilized only on a temporary basis. They require a separate button to activate and only remain on for 60-90 seconds. This should be sufficient to approach and cross an intersection. The instruction for the sirens should explain their purpose and proper use."
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I have experienced, as have many here, how ineffective normal sirens are, even at 200 watts. I have been driving and seen an ambulance coming but not heard the siren until it was within 50 yards or less. I have had them pass me when I had my AC at full blast and not heard the siren until they were beside me. The Rumbler was primarily designed for the police market and as such, had to keep a few things in mind: Backwards compatibility, 100/200 speaker systems, available mounting space and so on. The Rumbler and Howler are similar systems, share the same (as far as anyone can tell) speakers, and operate similarly. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are the same and the Howler does have some additional features and differences in wiring. I have installed both and have no real preference, although I feel the Howler *might* be a bit easier to install based on how it can be activated.
Buy one or don't, doesn't matter to me. They are not Kool-Aid, nor are they a panacea. They work for their specific application and I strongly believe they help make me and my co-workers safer on a daily basis. We work in very dense traffic to wide-open rural roads to Interstate to major highways, over 33 square miles of patrol area and 200 miles of roadways. I know that I would rather add $400 to my siren system than add $400 to my lighting system. They simply won't look for you until they hear you.
