Whelen 4004 or Vortex

[Federal Signal fan]

I'd say it's a Vortex R.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKZAxqMQLRk
Mainly the cost is differenced.

[md5]

Don't get me wrong, however I personally believe that the fin on the back of those older whelen's are for when the motor fails and it then is wind controlled via the fin. Seems most logical, no?

[jkvernon]

Because the older Whelen Vortexes used a belt driven rotor, the fin was added to ease tension on the belt.

[FedTB]

I read here on the board a few years ago that the difference between a 4003 and a 4004 was that the 4004 had voice capabilities but the 4003 did not. Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure.

[murrfarms]

I read here on the board a few years ago that the difference between a 4003 and a 4004 was that the 4004 had voice capabilities but the 4003 did not. Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure.

No, all the 4000 series have voice capabilities, regardless of the specific model number. It's the Vortexes that don't have the voice capability. The only difference between a 4003 and a 4004 is that the 4004 has 4 drivers, whereas the 4003 has only 3 drivers. There is also a 4002, which, like the name says, only has 2 drivers.

[NFRANGA]

I read here on the board a few years ago that the difference between a 4003 and a 4004 was that the 4004 had voice capabilities but the 4003 did not. Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure.

Mr. Thunderbolt1003 is correct. The number designates the number of speaker/drivers installed in the siren. So if my town has a Vortex R-3 installed, that means that Vortex in particular uses 3 speaker/drivers to produce sound.

The only major difference between a 4000 and a vortex is that the 4000 had voice capabilities. Now that is a expensive addition, and many towns don't use voice abilities. Apparently Licking County's EMA said that it's cumbersome, and many communities didn't like it.