Info on the Federal Signal 28-H
- Thread starter LLS
- Start date
Henry455
Member
That the 16 port version of the Mdl 28. twice the pitch of a standard 28. Although less common then the 28 I would not call them extremely rare. They show up on Ebay from time to time. As far as cleaning up, just old time elbow grease. I usually use paint stripper on the front grill (it is brass) and sand the motor and stator after removing the rear brush cover and mount. After sanding with 220-320 grit sand paper, I shoot it with a light coat of primer and then a "hammertone" gray enamel. Most aerosol paint brands have a gray hammertone paint. I have enclosed a picture of a NOS Federal model O with the correct finish and a 28H I had a while back. As far as value, cleaned-up and painted $175.00-225.00 would be my guess.
Henry455 said:
Nice job on both of those, Tim. I have a nice 28H that I've had for over 10 years that was restored by John Dorgan. I paid $125 for it; but that's only because John misquoted the price to me. I later noticed that he had them priced at $175, so I got a good deal there.
Wailer said:
I know that you detest the high pitch sirens, but the 28H has always been one of my favorites. When I was a kid (actually I still am at 67), Midland's southside police unit had a 28H underhood. Twice while at a friend's house on the southside, that police unit escorted the ambulance from the small town of Iraan, TX to the Midland ER. That shriek was ear-splitting, and is one of the few underhood sirens I ever heard that could be heard at a distance. The other is the B&M S8B Siro-Drift!
Skip Goulet said:
I agree, the 28H is the perfect car siren while the 28 is a truck siren. I can't explain it.
CHIEFOPS said:
While there are a lot of 28s that went on police cars over the years, by far there were more that went on the hearse/ambulance combinations that were built by the thousands..especially from the '50s to the early '70s. For many years the 28s sold for $75. They were relatively inexpensive; were very loud regardless where you put them (underhood or behind the grille) and last forever. When Federal discontinued them in 1978 they were going for just under $200; but I see them for that much or more on Ebay.
Black Hoe
Member
CHIEFOPS said:
Personally, I love the sound of the Federal 28 with a Pulsator nose with the working flapper! (Model P-280)
CHIEFOPS said:
I almost missed what you said about a truck siren. I'm not sure why, but FDNY ran 28 sirens on some of their apparatus years ago. I had a book about American-LaFrance firetrucks which showed a big FDNY aerial with a 28 down on the left bumper of the truck. Amazing. I wonder why they weren't running Qs.
Dissension
Member
My speculation has been it's related to the city's noise ordinances, which are the same reason FDNY uses 58-watt speakers.
NPS Ranger
Member
Dissension said:
Correct, RAND Corporation quality of life study for NYC done in the late 1960's, from then on no more windup sirens due to incessant noise pollution.
Yes, I know most car-chassis ambulance/hearses had 28s, and FDNY apparatus used 28s well into the late 80s. Maybe that's why I identify the 28 as a truck siren. I like them even better than the Q.
In my opinion, the 28H is a car siren, it just sounds to me like it should be on a car.
In my opinion, the 28H is a car siren, it just sounds to me like it should be on a car.
CHIEFOPS said:
You would've liked a couple of unusual applications of the 28s that I've seen over the years. From 1963 to 1966 I worked out of a '58 Chevy wagon ambulance which was our backup unit. Our first out rig was a '59 Pontiac wagon that had a roof-mounted Q along with twin red single-faced Carpenter lights and a 17 beacon to the rear. The Chevy had been first out before I went to work at the funeral home (Rix F.H. in Odessa). Paul Rix preferred to keep his ambulances very plain-jane and detested using the siren himself. Riding with Paul on an emergency run was an experience all to itself! The Chevy had a 6-volt 28 mounted in the front center of the roof, flanked by a pair of red single-faced lollipop lights and a pair of small red-sealed beam lights on the bumper. No beacon! While the Chevy was my favorite car to drive, I dreaded having to run "hot" in it since you had to just get on and off the siren since it was 6-volts. I made a run on an MVA with Paul driving one day. For the whole run from the funeral home to the scene, he ran red lights only and never rolled the siren over a single time. He stopped at all the red lights and looked to make sure no one was coming and then went on through. That was an experience!
Another unusual application was a '62 Ford station wagon ambulance that belonged to a private co. in Big Spring, TX. It had a single red Dietz 211 beacon on top and a red spotlight on the driver's side. It also had a Federal C4B under the hood along with a 28H. The only time I got to hear the twin sirens at all was when the owner showed me how they were hooked up: twin solenoids powered by a single foot switch. The car had a high output alternator and twin batteries to power all of that.
NPS Ranger
Member
CHIEFOPS said:
So what you're saying is that you like high-pitched sirens for small vehicles and low-pitched sirens for big vehicles.
I don't like high-pitched sirens for any vehicle, big or small. Loud high-pitched noises will cause permanent hearing loss.
NPS Ranger said:
Good driving, sure. But in responding to an MVA, he should've been running both lights and siren pluswatching where he was going. And as it turned out, it was our competition's ambulance involved in the wreck we were responding to. Fortunatley their guys weren't hurt and we just transported their patient. I've never "busted" an intersection w/o slowing down and coming to a complete stop if necessary. At one of Lubbock's busiest intersections, 50th and Indiana, we were coming in from the race track and at the intersection I was going against a red light. The ambulance that I was driving belonged to a friend who had just started his own service and was helping us out. He had a Q, a doubletone siren and an electronic along with mega-lights on a lwb '61 Pontiac ambulance. At the intersection I had come to a complete stop until I saw that all approaching traffic had stopped. I started to ease into the intersection when this little old lady who never saw or heard the ambulance came right thru the intersection and almost caught my front bumper. But there was a cop sitting right there. I glanced at him and he smiled back and then on went his overheads. I coul just hear the old lady saying,"What ambulance?"!
Last edited by a moderator:
Wailer said:
I can't explain it, it just seems right to me, regular-pitched mechanical sirens match trucks, high-pitched mechanical sirens match cars. I've heard just about all of them, including Federal's volunteer line, the only mechanical sirens that sound appropriate on cars are the 28H and the Screaming Eagle.
CHIEFOPS said:
The only Eagles I've seen are on the newer ambulances in Odessa. I was skeptical at first, but they seem to do a good job; and OFD just swears by the little critters. The only down side is I can't see anyone paying over $4000 each to put them on an ambulance when they could've had a Q or Super Chief for much less!
There's a decent red 28H that just showed up on Ebay. I thought at first that it was the siren on this thread, but the guy's in SC. He's proud of it, too, he has a reserve on it.