Federal Signal Smart Siren PA300-CN
- Thread starter hoj1192
- Start date
MPD 818
Member
Wailer is correct. I was talking to our Fed Sig rep the other day about this siren. It is kind of a mutant between a PA300, Smart Siren, and Smart Siren Platinum. I am not really sure the point of the design. If I want a PA 300 I will get a PA 300. If I want a SS I will get a SS or an SS200, if I want a Platinum I will get a Platinum. I would like to get one to install just to play with, but still not really sure of the thought process behind this siren unit.
badge22
Member
Well, it would be nice if it actually sounded like a PA 300 and if it does, thanks Federal for making me work with the crappy wail and yelp of the Smart Siren for all these years. I thought it was supposed to replace the Smart Siren. I don't see the basic Smart Sirens in the current price book. My real question is, can it work with any equipment or does it have to work with the Convergence Network?
The Platinum looks nice, but way too expensive.
The Platinum looks nice, but way too expensive.
twodogs603
Member
And a $1000 price tag. What ever happened to the old days of just a simple siren box and switch controller. They are making these things so technical it seems like the only ones benefiting are the manufacturers who are making big profits off this stuff. Dont get me wrong, I like the Smart Siren and CenCom units, but it just seems like an ongoing war between the manufacturers showing who can come out with the next greatest thing.
MPD 818
Member
badge22 said:
Yes it can control other equipment if you purchase the model with the aux relay box.
badge22
Member
MPD 818
Member
twodogs603 said:
I agree 100%. The technology enables peoples lighting equipment to do some pretty cool things, sometimes though I miss the days of a siren box and a single toggle switch marked "On/Off"
theolog
Member
Not a fan of the 300's tones. Never have been. It's my least favorite siren. The PA200, on the other hand...makes me 
Quentin
Member
Quentin
Member
The deal with this siren is this.... When the SS Platinum was released, they regular SS was discontinued. The price difference between a regular SS and the SS Platinum was pretty steep. That left those of us who used the regular SS in a bind. The siren module is actually a branch off of the PA-300 remote siren, with the addition of convergence network jacks. The Platinum control head will actually control convergence lightbars without any brain at all, so the combination of the PA-300 brain, and the Platinum control head, gives users the ability to have siren tones when using the control head to control the lightbar, at a price point much lower than the full Platinum siren...
Clear as mud? Good...
I still prefer Smartsiren tones over the new PA-300 any day. Now the old school PA-300s that had a deeper slower yelp, and took 15 minutes to wind down on manual, thats a different story!!
Clear as mud? Good...
I still prefer Smartsiren tones over the new PA-300 any day. Now the old school PA-300s that had a deeper slower yelp, and took 15 minutes to wind down on manual, thats a different story!!
acs680 said:And just in case you do not know there is a difference...
Older PA-300
New PA-300 (same tones in the PA300-CN) :-( High pitched toy tone...
The first siren is slightly lower in pitch, but they are both newer PA300s. The newer PA300s have a fast rising wail tone.
The old PA300s (c. 1983-1990) have a slow rising wail tone (silver face and very early black face versions).
Wailer said:
I guess its what you define as older... The silver faced models and few black face models had crappy tones as well. Yes they had a lower rising wail, but a fast ending cost and faster yelp. The prime tones were the black face models produced though the 90s with PA300 in white. The newer ones all have PA300 in red, or in red with "PA300 Series". These all have fast ending cost, and high pitched crappy yelp.
Sigma Safety
Member
MPD 818 said:
There is only 1 model available and it comes with the aux output box - the box isn't something you have to buy separately. Note that outputs 3 & 4 can be programmed to flash, so you can hook up two steady-burn light groups to those 2 outputs and it'll alternate them for you if you want (4 or 5 different speeds, simple wig wag patterns).
The PA300-CN gives you;
- signalmaster functionality (if you have a -CN version of a FedSig signalmaster)
- remote control head (fit the control head in places you can't fit a full PA300)
- remotely-mounted relay box
- PA300 siren tones
- light switching (the PA300 can't do that at all) with slide switch
- programmable outputs (can assign outputs based on slide switch, and/or control outputs manually)
- EDIT: The PA300 CN is compatible with the 4 switch positions on the new Ford UI and Sedan interceptor steering wheels
It's a pretty good price when you consider that it'll do most of the functions of the SSP but at a significantly lower price than the SSP.
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MPD 818
Member
acs680 said:
The regular SS is not discontinued. I am sure Federal has plans of phasing it out with the Platinum, but they are still available.
Eh... Actually it is discontinued. They are still available yes, as we just outfitted 11 cars with them. It is however no longer in the price list, and most likely not being produced any longer. When they run out and the PA300-CN is in stock, goodbye SS2000...
acs680 said:
Not discontinue for sure. And not planned to be in the foreseeable future. In the 2011 price guide they left out the Omega products, but they're still around. At one point in 2010 they said they were going away because of a sourced part not being available, but that was sourced elsewhere. FYI the PA300-CN is already shipping.
SireLite
Member
SFD516
Member
Sigma Safety
Member
SFD516 said:
We have one here that will be going into a Tahoe in a few weeks. The Tahoe isn't here yet, but if I can get any pics and vids of it when it's installed, I will.
twodogs603
Member