quiet sirens

[RyanZ71]

The Sheriff's Department here (Douglas County, Colorado) has always had fairly modern equipment installed on its vehicles. With 1 exception. The sirens. These things are quiet. I mean super quiet. I can't believe how they cheap out on one of the most important pieces of equipment for an emergency vehicle. I tend to drive with my windows open or cracked, save for when it is below 40. Today it was a nice beautiful 64 degrees. I was at a stoplight and could hear a distant siren growing stronger. I couldn't see anything in my mirrors or out my window, but there was a siren. About 20 seconds later I see up ahead a motorcycle go zooming across the intersection. Ok, I figured.. I was able to hear that with my windows down, no big deal. But no.. a few seconds later a very very faint siren could be heard and I saw the Charger zooming thru the intersection as well. Only it was so weak a sound, there was no way in heck anyone immediately in front of them could have heard it. The siren from the motorcycle was louder than the one in the patrol car! And it has been that way since they started using the Chargers and I believe the same to be with the new Exploders as well! What gives!? What does it take to put on a good LOUD electronic siren and proper speaker, so that someone can hear it!? Sheesh at least put a high wattage rumbler or something like that on if you are going to use a cheap ass quiet siren! It is state law here that emergency vehicles have to run lights and siren, yet I have to wonder if it could be considered illegal if these people are running a siren that no one can hear.

Venting done.

 

[paff2]

Is it the siren that's quiet or the installer putting the speaker in a stupid place?

 

[HCSO249]

our '07 charger's were that way. very hard to hear them coming. had the speakers been mounted on a push bumper out front it would've made huge difference

 

[RyanZ71]

Today there was a newer exploder that went by lights and siren. Wasn't much louder. I don't believe these speakers are externally mounted.

 

[dcb]

I know they are not common, but could they be using a 58W siren? I've seen a lot of strange things.

I was once assigned a car with a TS100 mounted in the engine compartment - facing backwards. Took me forever to convince the boss to let me remount it. (Same car also had a 2nd set of white flashing takedowns, facing rear.)

 

[NPS Ranger]

That's for when you're supposed to backup the primary unit.

 

[HCSO249]

WOW dcb....thats all I can say is WOW....but ive met administrators like that too so I can relate but WOW

 

[RyanZ71]

Thanks for the laugh, guys. In all seriousness though, I know that the installer for a good chunk of their equipment frequents this forum and they are a good top notch outfit. I would have no issues at all taking my vehicles to them, in fact I know I will someday. They have been a great source of input already on some ideas I had back when I was involved in volunteer. I realize though that they can only install what the customer dictates too. It's just a hunch, but I am betting that the motorcycle had a 100 watt speaker- but is it common for 100 watt speakers to be used on vehicles as well? What do you folks consider adequate siren output? I also realize much of it has to do with the control head/switch.

 

[CHIEFOPS]

100 watts is more than adequate, speaker design and placement are key. The standard Charger speaker mounting point blocks most of the speaker output and today's compact speakers do not put out as much sound as yesteryear's bell and cone speakers.

 

[bmd224]

I've heard the same thing from our local ambulance company. They have great ambulances with full Whelen M9s all around (except the ridiculous checkerboard & pinwheel patterns), and they have really nice 200-watt Carson Magforce sirens with dial tone.

But....they put their speakers behind the grill (why mount a siren 'covertly' & hidden on a fully sized MARKED ambulance?!?!?) so they're hard to hear. Why, I have no clue; but it is shenanigans.

If agencies would mount the sirens on the grill or bumper, & use the plain ole classic all black siren speaker with Atlas Driver & rectangular bell, they would move traffic like no other. These thin speakers sold for the past decade just don't direct the noise the way those cheap rectangular bells do!

 

[CHIEFOPS]

Today's compact speakers don't produce the noise bell and cone speakers do