Weird NYPD ESU Truck

okc_f150

Member
Oct 3, 2013
318
Oklahoma City
That's pretty sweet! I'm loving the combo of LED, strobe and rotator. Its odd to see such old tech on a newer looking truck, but it works!
 

ff168577

Member
May 22, 2010
766
Levittown, Pa
It looks like this was a post 9-11 truck as it is a 2002. It used to be MALT (Mobile Auxilliary Light Truck) 4, and ESU 4 was a 2002 Mack. I assume the original 4 truck was due to be replaced and MALT 4 got moved over to 4 truck because it might not have been used as much. I'm just speculating. But I absolutely love the lighting. Especially the front grill.
 
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CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
It looks like this was a post 9-11 truck as it is a 2002. It used to be MALT (Mobile Auxilliary Light Truck) 4, and ESU 4 was a 2002 Mack. I assume the original 4 truck was due to be replaced and MALT 4 got moved over to 4 truck because it might not have been used as much. I'm just speculating. But I absolutely love the lighting. Especially the front grill.

It's not 'Truck 4', Truck 4 is a ginormous model year 2014 or 15 Saulsbury heavy duty walk-in rescue truck RMP number 5704, this is a smaller support vehicle that's assigned to Squad 4 whose designated role isn't specified with any markings.
 
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pdk9

Member
May 26, 2010
3,834
New York & Florida
Love the truck. I'm wondering if it's a remounted chassis....it looked like an older saulsbury body (with original LED and steobe lighting on the sides) mounted a newer international chassis. Saulsbury has been out of business for a while (E-One bought them out a while ago) but that international chassis definitely doesn't look more than several years old.

I also dig the single FedSig halogen pods there, combined with strobes for intersection. I like that much better than the 3 smaller FedSig intersection lightheads on the newer E-One custom chassis trucks
 
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dg0223

Member
Feb 20, 2011
703
USA/Texas
It would look good if all of the halogen rotating stuff was replaced with the Vision SLR and single SLR pods where the rotators are on the bumper. I don't even know if they make single pod SLR stuff, but it would look good.
 

CrownVic97

Member
May 21, 2010
3,350
Hazen, ND
It would look good if all of the halogen rotating stuff was replaced with the Vision SLR and single SLR pods where the rotators are on the bumper. I don't even know if they make single pod SLR stuff, but it would look good.

Federal Signal does make single pods or beacons with SLR tech! Check it out ;-)

6128_1_lg.jpg


federalsignalivpslr.jpg
 
Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
I wish I could give you a better answer, but googling did not yield much. I vaguely recall reading something that said something was modified to cause both the wail and yelp to be "flipped" vs. the contemporary (at the time) standard black face PA300's, making it sound reminiscent of the silver face models. You can hear a very subtle difference between the FDNY yelp and silver face yelp.

Also, the FDNY spec siren did not have hi lo. The label is there but there's no hi lo.
 

cw702

Member
Oct 11, 2014
17
New York
Does any siren gurus have any info on this one? I've never heard of it but I got my hands on one. I've looked it up and I cant find anything on it.
 

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shues

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
10,276
NW Indiana
I was under the impression that the MSB indicated a 200-watt PA300, and that the MSC indicated a 100-watt PA300.
 

nhfirefighter

Member
May 21, 2010
309
USA-New Hampshire
There's been a lot of discussion about the NYPD spec PA300 on this thread: https://elightbars.org/forums/threads/old-nypd-electronic-sirens.27373/

Information about these things is pretty sparse, this very well might be PA300 that the NYPD was said to use in 1990, after the Mark VII and before the Smart Siren came on the 1991 Caprices. Apparently that model had peak and hold manual.

I happened to just pick one of these up and also reached out to FS for an install manual on it. Attached is the addendum for these specific units. It seems there are some changes to the horn ring circuitry which I haven't tested yet. The horn/manual switch works a bit different. The manual is peak and hold versus wind down. The horn emits a very strange almost "tone" like sound instead of a horn sound. Not sure if that is an issue with the siren I picked up or they are all like this. I searched the web and see Port Authority specd the same sirens for a vehicle bid they did back in 2015.
 

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Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
Ha that’s very interesting. So it looks like you can also set it up for yelp when you press the horn in the manual position. Would love to see/hear a clip of your unit if it’s feasible.

Port Authority has some unusual vehicles, including airport and tunnel fire trucks This one comes to mind and could very well be a PA300

 

FCV96

Member
May 8, 2013
149
Queens, NY
I’m not familiar with the MSB, what was that used for? I wish I could find a good clip of the NYPD model, I have no idea what those sounded like.

I think that this is a clip demonstrating the manual yelp from the NYPD PA300's. Start at 1:09 for an awesome shot of a Caprice RMP leaving the 73PCT parking lot, and the actual manual tone starts at around 1:24. It looks like the driver is using the horn ring to activate the tone. You'll have to turn your speakers up - the audio on the clip is fairly low.

 
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CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
IIRC our (NYPD) PA300s did not have manual Yelp, they were instant peak and hold with no coast down, both the horn ring and the paddle switch.
In the video I think the Recorder (passenger officer) has the siren in yelp and using the PA override to manually activate it.
 
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FCV96

Member
May 8, 2013
149
Queens, NY
No, I think the Recorder (passenger officer) has the siren in yelp and using the PA override to manually activate it

Ah, that could be it too. The driver seems to have his left thumb on that horn quite often when it's in view, but maybe that was a comfier driving position.
 

CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
Habit from routine operation.
The Recorder was PO Mike Sutch, there were 2 Sutch brothers, one of them was in my Academy company, it's been so long I forget which but I think it was Mike.
 
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Aug 25, 2016
150
NYC
I think that this is a clip demonstrating the manual yelp from the NYPD PA300's. Start at 1:09 for an awesome shot of a Caprice RMP leaving the 73PCT parking lot, and the actual manual tone starts at around 1:24. It looks like the driver is using the horn ring to activate the tone. You'll have to turn your speakers up - the audio on the clip is fairly low.

Wow, finally some footage appears. Thanks! I think in the last response in that video, you might hear one blip of the peak and hold but I'm not sure.
 

nhfirefighter

Member
May 21, 2010
309
USA-New Hampshire
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Attached is a quick video showing all the tones on the NYPD PA300 I have. I have to wonder if the air horn sound is correct or if there is an issue with the siren. All the other tones seem appropriate. I have horn ring on a momentary button on my PCC8R instead of tying into the actual car horn.

When in manual mode siren on the paddle switch is a wail peak and hold tone. The horn ring does a momentary yelp peak and hold. The horn tone on the siren almost sounds like a peak and hold hi-lo pitch.
 
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CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
View My Video

Attached is a quick video showing all the tones on the NYPD PA300 I have. I have to wonder if the air horn sound is correct or if there is an issue with the siren. All the other tones seem appropriate. I have horn ring on a momentary button on my PCC8R instead of tying into the actual car horn.

When in manual mode siren on the paddle switch is a wail peak and hold tone. The horn ring does a momentary yelp peak and hold. The horn tone on the siren almost sounds like a peak and hold hi-lo pitch.

Your incessant tone switching prevents anyone from assessing the siren.
 

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