The Wikipedia article explains it pretty well. They are very common on rotating signs too.
One theory I have had was that the rotating siratones were supposed to be the next big thing back in the 80's. They had battery backup at a time when it was unheard of on a mechanical siren. After the success of the battery powered mechanical siren, which are much simpler, the need died down. Were the EOWS sirens even able to do voice? I can't imagine a 612 being able to do clear voice with slip rings.
Re: Why was the Siratone series discontinued
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 7:53 pm
by TboltTX1
Brendan Ahern wrote:Were the EOWS sirens even able to do voice? I can't imagine a 612 being able to do clear voice with slip rings.
They can actually do voice pretty well when they decide to function properly.
TboltTX1 wrote:This siren has my curiosity though. Is this just an MCP programmed with a custom tone?
Actually, this is a 612 with an UltraVoice controller.
Re: Why was the Siratone series discontinued
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:00 pm
by uncommonsense
ENec wrote:
TboltTX1 wrote:This siren has my curiosity though. Is this just an MCP programmed with a custom tone?
Actually, this is a 612 with an UltraVoice controller.
Its an MCP. TBolt is right. Note the timbre of the windup, too. Watertown put their 612s in during the early 2000s. They're some of the last to roll off the line. The UV didn't come around until 2004.
And all Federal electronics could do voice. Of course, they didn't rotate (or in the case of Watertown's, aren't supposed to rotate) during their voice announcements. The earlier controllers, just like Whelen's early controllers, don't do digital voice.
Re: Why was the Siratone series discontinued
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:43 pm
by Mysterious T-Bolt 111
Brendan Ahern wrote:Were the EOWS sirens even able to do voice?
uncommonsense wrote:Of course, they didn't rotate (or in the case of Watertown's, aren't supposed to rotate) during their voice announcements. The earlier controllers, just like Whelen's early controllers, don't do digital voice.
Yes. Here is another example of voice on the common 612 with a EOWS*C/B (SiraTone) Control: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRrvADgXLEU
The voice actually sounds good a bit to me, though this one also rotates but uses the live voice function.
On a related note, my theory behind the common pitch fluctuation that we hear on most of them could likely be because of the use of collector ring-based rotator, unless that is true.
Re: Why was the Siratone series discontinued
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:52 pm
by ENec
uncommonsense wrote:Its an MCP. TBolt is right. Note the timbre of the windup, too. Watertown put their 612s in during the early 2000s. They're some of the last to roll off the line. The UV didn't come around until 2004.
Skip to 1:03 in this video, you can clearly see that it is an UltraVoice controller.
/\ I may also add that in the video TBolt linked of the titled video "6 Speaker Tornado Siren" at the 0:05 mark, there is definitely a semi-noticable NEMA 3R enclosure for the batteries and a 4X for the control module just behind the pole, which UVs have and are denoted by.
Re: Why was the Siratone series discontinued
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 11:03 pm
by DJ2226
I've heard there are capacitor driven tone generators in these. Could they be going bad from age causing pitch issues?