The Future of Sirens

[dilloncarpenter]

I think at least the single tone P-15 should be brought back. I've heard the one in Bethany from MILES away, over 2 Allertors and a few Whelens. And there's a video on YouTube of one being heard from 7 miles. Plus, the design seems pretty efficient, now only if there was a way to find a 10 or 15 hp DC motor...

[Sirenguy02]

I agree with @sirenmadness post. Sirens continue popping up all over the state of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, AL has added 15 2001-130's since they've been in production, I recently found 2 in more populated parts of town. I dont think sirens are a dying breed but they may be endangered.

Yea, I've seen 2001s popping up in Shelby as well.

[cmoore]

I think it will come to the point where these companies will do something they think is effective [ie hi-pitched sirens and reverse 911] and over time realize that it is not as effective. I think the future of sirens is great and there may be a reproduction of low/dual-toned sirens coming back one day!

[thunderbolt1003]

Sirens won't be going anywhere anytime in the near future, I believe they're going to stay for decades to come. The question is, what will the sirens be like in the future?

In my personal opinion, I don't think mechanical sirens will be manufactured the way they were in the old days. If anything, electronic sirens will emulate the sounds of the old mechanical ones.

[t-bolt82]

I agree with thunderbolt1003 as far as what sounds they'll make. I also doubt them bringing back the old mechanical sirens, simply because of the cost of repairing/maintaining them. However, if they could do an electronic style Thunderbolt that is built with better material that wont rust as badly and still make a similar enough sound - that'd be great. Or, why not a 2001-style that has the option of different pitch-levels and if you want dual or single tone? Was the 500 AT electric like a 2001? Because that sounded great.

I doubt sirens are going away ever. Even with new technology, they still have a purpose - immediate warning via LOUD sound that people recognise as "TAKE COVER!"

[SirenMadness]

I also doubt them bringing back the old mechanical sirens, simply because of the cost of repairing/maintaining them.

I agree on the old mechanical sirens, but I don't think mechanical sirens these days will be going anywhere anytime soon; they're more robust than speaker sirens and are less prone to failure. If voice is not a necessity, I'd go with mechanical for sure. Not to mention the batteries these days, which can make a mechanical siren run for way over fifteen minutes.

Or, why not a 2001-style that has the option of different pitch-levels and if you want dual or single tone?

As dull as it may sound, companies - especially now - are going for the use of as few parts for as many different products as possible, to save cost. Hence why the 2001-130 is really no different than the SRN-B in its internal components and why there will never be a low 2001. I wouldn't mind hearing a dual-tone 2001 myself, though.

[acoustics101]

Ever since the cold war era, sirens have been the prime warning signal for use during tornados or national threats. The main problem with the current sirens are that they are not intended to be audible from indoors or from a moving vehicle at a distance. The loudest siren made today, American Signal's T-135 has a 70 dB radius of around 11,000 feet. Most sirens, such as Federal's 2001 has a 70 dB radius of only 6200 feet.

During tests in 1982 at the Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport, my toroidal whistle prototype achieved an 85 dB radius of 1 mile and a 70 db radius of 13,200 feet (2.5 miles). At 75 dB it was audible from the interior of a moving vehicle at 2 miles! A friend of mine heard the tests from his home in Delhi, OH, nearly 5 miles from the test site. This became US Patent 4429656. You'll see the test on the video link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbhxzW21ejc

I was since awarded US Patent 4686928 on an inverted horn loaded toroidal whistle which is a full 10 dB louder than the prototype and promises a 70 dB radius of 4 miles (the 60 dB radius of my prototype)! One of these units could replace three of the American signal T-135 sirens or 9 of the Federal 2001 sirens!

The lower two links are to the patents themselves. I feel my inventions could not only provide the much needed improvement in coverage, but save in the high cost of replacing the currently ineffective warning sirens. http://www.delphion.com/details?&pn=US04686928__ (Dynawhistle)
http://www.delphion.com/details?pn10=US04429656 (Ultrawhistle)

I would like for a manufacturer (hopefully from my home state of Kentucky) to build one of my Dynawhistles and test it in actual cities. I believe it would soon catch on, as unlike a siren of equal output, it would not sound unbearable to those within the first few hundred feet and would likewise be audible in areas and situations where no current siren would.