Sirens with mechanical tone
- Thread starter #1texan
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Jarred J.
Lifetime VIP Donor
Im having deja vu in this topic....
Almost every manufacutter has their own version of a mech q. Most versions sound ok. Some sound like dying cows....
Changing sirens for response to sound more "Q" is dangerous and could be a copyright or tm infringement and is frowned upon by this forums administratively personnel....
But if it's for display purposes then party on.
Almost every manufacutter has their own version of a mech q. Most versions sound ok. Some sound like dying cows....
Changing sirens for response to sound more "Q" is dangerous and could be a copyright or tm infringement and is frowned upon by this forums administratively personnel....
But if it's for display purposes then party on.
whatevah
Member
If you modify a siren, it loses the certification and reliability (why we all use quality lights and sirens, not ebay or alibaba specials). There's only a copyright or trademark issue if it's marketed and sold after that.
Jarred J.
Lifetime VIP Donor
Thanks for the feedback, as far as changing tones I understand the liability behind that but in the "what if" world, could you pull the tone chip (not sure if that is the right terminology) out of one siren and put them in another therefore combining different manufacturers tones in 1 siren?
I have absolutely no intention of doing this to any siren that would be used in an emergency application.
I have absolutely no intention of doing this to any siren that would be used in an emergency application.
Skulldigger
Member
pdk9
Member
Honestly, I don't like any of them except for the Whelen alpha Q's (before the lawsuit). IF u can get one of those here, that'd be your best bet IMO
rettoded
Member
If we are going with what is currently available, then for me hands down has to be the Carson Mechanical tone. Can't stand Whelen's dying cow "Mechanical" tone, and the EQ2B also does not sound right.
I also agree with pdk9 that the Whelen Alpha Q's were the best sounding mechanical tone. It is unfortunate that the lawsuit came about and the best sounding mechanical tone was lost.
All time I would also have to include Federal Signal PA-5. While not labeled as a mechanical tone, the wail and manual tones mimic a mechanical siren extremely well. The yelp tone also sounds very close to a present day EQ2B yelp tone:
If I recall correctly this video, and several others (check out all the Scientific Prototypes videos!), were originally uploaded by an elightbars member. Again if I remember correctly, this particular PA-5 was rescued from a dumpster from a local police department.
Unfortunately I cannot remember which member this is, or if they even are still part of the boards.
Still have to give credit for an awesome series of videos!
I also agree with pdk9 that the Whelen Alpha Q's were the best sounding mechanical tone. It is unfortunate that the lawsuit came about and the best sounding mechanical tone was lost.
All time I would also have to include Federal Signal PA-5. While not labeled as a mechanical tone, the wail and manual tones mimic a mechanical siren extremely well. The yelp tone also sounds very close to a present day EQ2B yelp tone:
If I recall correctly this video, and several others (check out all the Scientific Prototypes videos!), were originally uploaded by an elightbars member. Again if I remember correctly, this particular PA-5 was rescued from a dumpster from a local police department.
Unfortunately I cannot remember which member this is, or if they even are still part of the boards.
Still have to give credit for an awesome series of videos!
WhelenNDealin
Member
Just wanted to bump this thread. The Japanese have sirens called the Clarion Model AA-228F and AA-600A. The AA-228F only does mechanical tones and the 600A does mechanical and a weird simulated mechanical that sounds like it's from a video game. The 600A also controls their roof lights (rotary) They have a 4 second wail and an 8 second wail, plus a manual. Has a nice wind-down too, IMO. They use it on their police vehicles and their ambulances use it the same way a Piercer's used here. Sometimes, the ambulances will use an actual mechanical siren for the same purpose. I've attached a few YouTube links of them:
Model AA-228F:
Model AA-600A:
In action:
Their ambulances normally use a couple of cutsey sounding hi-lows (it's Japan, so go figure), complete with a polite computerised female voice saying: "The ambulance is approaching from the left/centre/right, please move" or "The ambulance is approaching the intersection, please clear the way". Mind you their ambulances never seem to drive faster than 20mph either and nobody moves for them. My better half, being from there, said that Piercers and air horns would be seen as being impolite. I don't think that politeness matters in many situations. It's one bizarre country, even taking into account cultural differences. Going there is like being on some sort of hallucinogen and being on another planet at the same time.
Fire engines use a simulated mechanical tone plus a simulated bell ring. Each type of emergency vehicle has a distinct siren and all cities and prefectures equip their vehicles with the same warning equipment. Everything's standardized, right down to a vehicle's markings. The only differences are those that identify the city/prefecture. Other than that, every vehicle looks and sounds identical. Tokyo's police vehicles are the only big exceptions that I can think of. They just have the Tokyo Metropolitan Police crest on them and "police" written in English. Otherwise, they're the same as any other city.
About the police vehicles' lightbars. They're elevated so that they're visible above all of the people, of which there are more than you can imagine. They're also always on. There's a news story about some Japanese tourists inadvertently causing a high-speed chase because they didn't realize that they were being pulled over. They thought that a police vehicle's lighting is always on over here. The chase ended very nicely. The deputies/officers treated the terrified tourists with a ton of compassion.
Model AA-228F:
Model AA-600A:
In action:
Their ambulances normally use a couple of cutsey sounding hi-lows (it's Japan, so go figure), complete with a polite computerised female voice saying: "The ambulance is approaching from the left/centre/right, please move" or "The ambulance is approaching the intersection, please clear the way". Mind you their ambulances never seem to drive faster than 20mph either and nobody moves for them. My better half, being from there, said that Piercers and air horns would be seen as being impolite. I don't think that politeness matters in many situations. It's one bizarre country, even taking into account cultural differences. Going there is like being on some sort of hallucinogen and being on another planet at the same time.
Fire engines use a simulated mechanical tone plus a simulated bell ring. Each type of emergency vehicle has a distinct siren and all cities and prefectures equip their vehicles with the same warning equipment. Everything's standardized, right down to a vehicle's markings. The only differences are those that identify the city/prefecture. Other than that, every vehicle looks and sounds identical. Tokyo's police vehicles are the only big exceptions that I can think of. They just have the Tokyo Metropolitan Police crest on them and "police" written in English. Otherwise, they're the same as any other city.
About the police vehicles' lightbars. They're elevated so that they're visible above all of the people, of which there are more than you can imagine. They're also always on. There's a news story about some Japanese tourists inadvertently causing a high-speed chase because they didn't realize that they were being pulled over. They thought that a police vehicle's lighting is always on over here. The chase ended very nicely. The deputies/officers treated the terrified tourists with a ton of compassion.
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