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Josh_S
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Real Name: Josh S
YouTube Username: WI Fox Valley Lifts and Alarms
Location: Oak Creek, WI

ACA Alertronic Gets New Life (w/Tests)

Mon May 31, 2021 3:20 pm



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfD1WrzJMzc
Hey all, I recently involved myself in a little project. Camp in Northern Wisconsin needed some additional sirens with battery backup to extend coverage. The southern portion of the camp only had 6 burglar alarms in a circle... The northern portion has a 9 port Screamer. After months of planning, coordinating, and some last minute hiccups I finally managed to complete the project. I came across a group of Alertronics AR-1600 that had been abandoned in place after being replaced by a new Tempest system. After some initial testing (included in the video) I was able to coordinate not only acquisition but removal as well of two of the units. Definitely a great gesture by the city as a donation to the camp. One 1600 will serve as a backup and is in storage if the primary unit fails. In addition I was able to acquire a 2804 (which I cut down to a 2802) to replace the burglar alarm contraption. The spare two cells serve as a replacement if needed.

When I got the Alertronic home I realized that the hole in the mounting plate was perfect for birds to get in and nest, and in the process managed to chew through most of the speaker grounds and some of the speaker outputs. The entire collector ring assembly was removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. The wires inside were spliced as needed. I also cleaned and greased the rotator components and resealed the head.

The controls were digital, this unit was a crossover from the ACA-ASC transition. The head still has the ACA logo but the controls are digital (the spare 1600 is a yellow analog unit from 1988, and more than likely one of the first if not the first 1600 produced). With the digital controller I finally got to test the dual tone capabilities of new ASC digital boards and low and behold, it worked! So now I was set to install a digital dual Alertronic, one of only two dual tone units in the state.

This last weekend I finally was able to get these two sirens installed, with the help of some epic siren buds. Unfortunately the company that was supposed to mount the Alertronic to the pole backed out last minute, so the camp installed the only backup pole they had. This meant the siren is exactly 11’9” off the ground. This will work for driver replacements however, and the siren is on a higher elevation than most of the camp anyways. After installing the head and tying into the controller/IP activation system we did our commissioning tests, and boy is that thing mean! My apologies for this long winded post, but I’m honestly blown away by this thing and it’s been a truly epic experience that will lead into SirenCon 2021. Enjoy the video!
Proud owner of a ATI HPSS16R, a Whelen Hornet, and an ASC T-128ACDC

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HudsonRiverSirens
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Re: ACA Alertronic Gets New Life (w/Tests)

Mon May 31, 2021 3:31 pm

Dang, that's really cool. Must be awesome to help install a system.
Sirens may not be sexy, but they sure work.

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