Problems with HOWLER on NON whelen Siren

RecElect

Member
Jan 26, 2011
331
Loveland, Colorado
SO,


Just got a howler system installed and I am having problems. I will call whelen in the morning, but I wanted to see if anyone else had issues like this.


Install is on a 2013 Chevy Silverado.


Siren is a Rontan IS3000 Intelligent siren


Speakers are Rontan CS11 -100w (11ohm) - running 2 of them.


Siren works great and is extremly loud, can run it all day.


Installed howler, using the speaker + and Speaker - of the rontan output to the howler input, then 4 wires from the howler output to the howler speakers, (speaker 1, speaker 1 common, speaker 2, speaker 2 common - commons are ultrasonically welded together inside the distribution center).


Activate the howler, and it does great, UNTILL I switch siren tones, then the siren shuts down and gives me a fault of " Short Circuit in the Siren output


or temperature overload." It ONLY happens when I switch tones, AND ONLY when i have the howler activated. if the howler is not activated, I can run the siren all day.


Anyone else experienced these types of issues? any solutions?


Just so you know too, We have plenty of power to the the unit, (1/O) main wire to fuse block, fuse block to howler. 1/0 Ground direct to frame. Harness is all ultrasoniclly welded together. Holwer speakers are PHASED correctly with the regular speakers...


Could it be a deffective Howler?? Like I said it works good, untill I switch tones.


Thanks!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

cajunblitz

Member
May 20, 2010
1,217
Saint Martin Parish LA
WIRED HDH said:
SO,

Just got a howler system installed and I am having problems. I will call whelen in the morning, but I wanted to see if anyone else had issues like this.


Install is on a 2013 Chevy Silverado.


Siren is a Rontan IS3000 Intelligent siren


Speakers are Rontan CS11 -100w (11ohm) - running 2 of them.


Siren works great and is extremly loud, can run it all day.


Installed howler, using the speaker + and Speaker - of the same wires that are going to the regular speakers.


Activate the howler, and it does great, UNTILL I switch siren tones, then the siren shuts down and gives me a fault of " Short Circuit in the Siren output


or temperature overload." It ONLY happens when I switch tones, AND ONLY when i have the howler activated. if the howler is not activated, I can run the siren all day.


Anyone else experienced these types of issues? any solutions?


Just so you know too, We have plenty of power to the the unit, (1/O) main wire to fuse block, fuse block to howler. 1/0 Ground direct to frame. Harness is all ultrasoniclly welded together. Holwer speakers are PHASED correctly with the regular speakers...


Could it be a deffective Howler?? Like I said it works good, untill I switch tones.


Thanks!

Don't think the Howler is the issue.....I'm thinking the Rontan doesn't like the impedance or "load" the input leads of the Howler places on it at certain output frequencies. We have seen this with 2nd generation Rumblers on Unitrol Omega sirens, where the load would cause the siren to drop out at certain frequencies of the multiple tones.


I'd test it on a non-Rontan siren and see what goes.
 

RecElect

Member
Jan 26, 2011
331
Loveland, Colorado
cajunblitz said:
Don't think the Howler is the issue.....I'm thinking the Rontan doesn't like the impedance or "load" the input leads of the Howler places on it at certain output frequencies. We have seen this with 2nd generation Rumblers on Unitrol Omega sirens, where the load would cause the siren to drop out at certain frequencies of the multiple tones.

I'd test it on a non-Rontan siren and see what goes.



I would say you are about right. I adjusted the howler to be 1/2 the primary tone instead of 1/4, and that seemed to work. Not sure I am crazy with the higher tone, but it is still pretty damn loud.


I am guessing that the Rontan siren has a lower output frequency then a whelen and that causes the overload. If I remember correctly, the unitrols had a pretty low wail tone as well...


Still seems odd that it would run it untill i changed tones...


At anyrate, as is well as of now. I will have to work with it alittle more to feel totally comfortable that it is not going to shut down the siren after prolonged use...
 

carguy411

Member
Oct 25, 2011
372
ny
You said you were using the same wires as the speakers to the howler .the siren speaker and howler speaker should have their own set if speaker wires from their own amps. The only wire tied into the siren speaker wire should be going to howler amp . If u have them all running on same pair wire that's ur problem
 

RecElect

Member
Jan 26, 2011
331
Loveland, Colorado
carguy411 said:
You said you were using the same wires as the speakers to the howler .the siren speaker and howler speaker should have their own set if speaker wires from their own amps. The only wire tied into the siren speaker wire should be going to howler amp . If u have them all running on same pair wire that's ur problem



Let me clarify, the speaker leads I used for the 2 100 watt speakers are also going to the howler siren amp input. I then have 6 speaker wires leaving the distribution center, 2 that go to the 100 watters from the rontan controller, and 4 (2 pair) going to each howler speaker from the howler amp. I am not using the same speaker wires.
 

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