So, I got my first siren today at an antiques show in Burlington, KY. It's a Federal Sign and Signal vehicle siren. It looks to me like a Q siren. Anyways, I don't have any idea what way to supply the power and I sort of need help on what to use to restore it. Here it is:
Christian Bricking, living in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area.
Owner of a WPS-2804, Model L, and B9.
Certified Skywarn spotter since April 5, 2016.
That lug with the cut off wire SHOULD be the positive. If that's the only place on a siren for a wire, then the metal base is your negative (ground). That's how my Federal WG is.
That's a 6v Federal model 28 siren. It's probably positive ground being that it's 6v, but it's just as possible it's negative ground. It's in rough shape, and i highly doubt it will run in the condition that it is in currently. Good luck restoring it.
That doesn't look anything like a Q. It's a 28 (it even says so on the ID tag), and it definitely needs some fixing up. Congrats on getting your first siren.
What happened when Napoleon went to Mt. Olive? Popeye got pissed.
That's a Model 28 and those are bloody loud! They are not coaster sirens (no clutch or brake) and draw less current than a Q. If it is a 12 volt siren - some are 6 volts - you can connect it to a car battery with jumper cables and the engine running.