ARCHIVED: Mystery Sirens (2008-3/2021)

[SoundMaster 391]

It appears to be a product from the E. D. Bullard Company of San Francisco, California. Their large sirens tended to use conical chopper assemblies which makes them quite distinctive. The only apparent reason for this was to project sound downward. Alongside the vertical siren was a larger horizontal dual-head model using similar conical choppers.
Bullard's sirens were mainly installed in California and surrounding states - it appears they never went nationwide with the siren sales. During WWII, production from factories was dictated by the War Production Board. E. D. Bullard Company proceeded to make several sirens for military and naval use. Some of these were installed in Hawaii in the wake of Pearl Harbor.
Sales of Bullard sirens dwindled in the postwar economy amid the rise of Federal Electric and other competitors.

Thanks for the information SuperBanshee. Very helpful!

[SoundMaster 391]

It appears to be a product from the E. D. Bullard Company of San Francisco, California. Their large sirens tended to use conical chopper assemblies which makes them quite distinctive. The only apparent reason for this was to project sound downward. Alongside the vertical siren was a larger horizontal dual-head model using similar conical choppers.
Bullard's sirens were mainly installed in California and surrounding states - it appears they never went nationwide with the siren sales. During WWII, production from factories was dictated by the War Production Board. E. D. Bullard Company proceeded to make several sirens for military and naval use. Some of these were installed in Hawaii in the wake of Pearl Harbor.
Sales of Bullard sirens dwindled in the postwar economy amid the rise of Federal Electric and other competitors.

Thanks for the information SuperBanshee. You never cease to amaze me.

[SuperBanshee]

Weren't these sirens actually called "Hedberg" Sirens?

No - the Hedberg Mfg. Company of San Jose, California was another small siren company that cashed in on wartime hysteria to produce new air raid sirens. Their large sirens were single head horizontal rigs, effectively big versions of the small vehicle sirens.
https://airraidsirens.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5406

Hedberg1942.png (208.04 KiB) Viewed 4960 times

[Daniel]

There is a Bullard siren turned sideways at the Summit City fire station north of Redding, California. Most had twelve ports but the original versions were dual-headed horizontal sirens with six ports. There was a photo of a dual-head, dual-tone Bullard around somewhere, as well as photos of their factory in San Francisco elsewhere on this site.

[murrfarms]

There is a Bullard siren turned sideways at the Summit City fire station north of Redding, California. Most had twelve ports but the original versions were dual-headed horizontal sirens with six ports. There was a photo of a dual-head, dual-tone Bullard around somewhere, as well as photos of their factory in San Francisco elsewhere on this site.

Given the location of where these photos were taken and the overall design of the siren's chopper, I would assume this is also a Bullard design. Seems like it was their attempt to compete with the old Chrysler "Victory Sirens" on a smaller scale, though I question whether their estimated range was even possible unless the siren is larger than it appears to be in the photos.


(click the photos for larger resolution)

[Chicagosiren-hunters]

There is one question that I still have, do conical rotors increase sound output, or why did they choose this design?

[Synther]

Here is another picture I found of a smaller Bullard siren:




and the google maps link:


(http://tinyurl.com/j5ttj6a)

Why doesn't the Google Maps embed function work!?

[jakes_tornado]

I have some poopoo cell phone pics to upload of a mystery siren within a few miles of my house. It looks like a stack of dinner plates, maybe 10 of them. It is the only siren of this type I have ever seen, seen pictures of, or heard of.

I will upload them shortly, and hopefully take some better ones soon.



EDIT: And I don't know if there is anyone still around from the old days on this board. I have been a part of this, and previous incarnations of the warningsirens/airraidsirens.com board for 10 years now, but haven't been active in quite a while. Who is still here?

Federal Signal Modulator perhaps?

Nope. I think I would recognize a modulator. I have the picture now.



I definitely remember you, Dave. I used to talk to you when I was like 12. I totally forget what my moniker was at the time, but its Marcus from Altoona, if you recall.

And also, I own/operate a recording studio now, so I have the means to make high quality siren recordings. But, as we both know, "test days" are few and far between in Pennsylvania. I'd definitely be down to drive an hour or two to catch something significant, or a dual tone Thunderbolt, since I have never heard a Tbolt in person. I have never even heard a siren with a minor third dual tone. Dang. I need to get on that.

Does anyone know of any test days/times within an hour or so of Blair county, PA?

That siren looks like it could be an ASC IForce of some sort.

[jtrespeces]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRGt1AEOMow[/youtube]

Anyone here know which siren is this? It was apparently recorded in between Prince George's County, MD & Washington, D.C. I don't think it is a mechanical siren, since it abruptly cuts off at the end, and I am referencing the Various sirens in Maryland map to find it, but I can't find ay nearby modulators next to PG County or Washington DC

[SoundMaster 391]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRGt1AEOMow

Anyone here know which siren is this? It was apparently recorded in between Prince George's County, MD & Washington, D.C. I don't think it is a mechanical siren, since it abruptly cuts off at the end, and I am referencing the Various sirens in Maryland map to find it, but I can't find ay nearby modulators next to PG County or Washington DC

That is one hell of a creepy siren. But anyways at first I thought it was some kind of electronic Federal Signal siren with UltraVoice controls. But the wind up and wind down sound pretty odd.