The Siren Board

SoundMaster 391 wrote: This is just a example of why we put the 13 and up rule on the ARS forum.

I thought that was because of COPPA requirements. :think:
I can also say that the 2001s around here are rather effective. At my house, the main siren you can hear is the 2001-AC two blocks away from me anywhere around the house (inside or outside), but I can hear 1 or 2 more 2001s when I'm standing outside my house, And these other two are probably about a mile away at the very least each!

JMAN12343610 wrote:Since my city has 21 2001's (that # sounds right) of various models, I love them and think they can really sound creepy during a late night severe thunderstorm. I remember when I first discovered the online community of "siren enthusiasts" back around 2008ish, I remember a lot more hate of the "2001 virhs". We've since warmed up to them. Just like how everybody hated Whelen and said Whelen suck. I know a lot of people like Whelen now.

yea the sound of 2001's is really cool in my opinion, and I also have always liked Whelens. Ive never been too crazy about the Omni directional ones (wheldulators or whatever the nickname is) but whelen has made some pretty cool sirens like the 3016 and the vortex

I babysit a couple of systems of 2001s, and the siren heads themselves are fairly reliable they could just use some improvement on the control side.

Performance wise, they aren't exactly earthshaking. Go ahead and hate me for it but they don't have the output of the Thunderbolt, Penetrator, 508, T-128, Vortex, or 16V. Those we installed in Rincon had a hard time keeping up with the Eclipse, which was a very good performer. I think the 2001 is well past it's prime and needs to be retired, since the 508 is a much better performer.

And yes, greasing the head once every three years (like a tbolt) helps things a lot. It's once every three years, not that big of a deal.

Apparently Dane County WI dislikes them too because of pitch.

turtlbrdr wrote:Yesterday, was enlightening.
Yesterday, I met with Dave, assistant Dane County EMA director.
...
So now, with that disclaimer out of the way my big questions for him yesterday:

1. A lot of the sirens going in are FS 508 units. What was the reason for choosing these as the units being put up?
   The main considerations were Cost, Single-Phase power*, battery backup, and pitch
2. As for the 508 versus the 2001, what were the considerations there?
   Pitch. The 508 has a lower pitch that the 2001, and a greater range. Any siren the is receiving an upgrade that doesn't fit the 508's range is instead being replaced with ASC T-128's, FS Eclipse-8's, or FS Equinox's

2001s were the last of the Civil Defense-era sirens, right? I think 2001s are cute; esp. roundback 2001s

floor-a-matic wrote:2001s were the last of the Civil Defense-era sirens, right? I think 2001s are cute; esp. roundback 2001s

No, they signalled the end of the CD era of sirens.

No comment on your second statement...

I wonder why Federal Signal doesn't just discontinue the 2001 and sell the 2001-Equinox? That would be a great ambiance mixed with FS 508's!

It's probably because of the way it sales. Even with the 508 and Equinox having better propagation they are still quieter on paper, and that's what EMAs and the like seem to pick up on rather than the actual range and sound. The 130 may also be cheaper in the same forms as the other two; from a non-siren savvy standpoint it wouldn't make sense to get a more expensive siren if it is quieter. Even if the 130 and Equinox cost the same the main reason why so many agencies would end up taking the 130 over it is more than likely because of the dB rating. Why axe the siren from production if it still sells like crazy? Not to mention that it's the "loudest" siren they've produced. *coughThunderbotl500ATcough*

Synther wrote:Personaly, I don't like the 2001 series siren because of the 750hz pitch. Just seriously? I thought Federal Signal knew that the lower the pitch, the further it carries. It's hard to believe the 2001 series siren can even be heard up to 1 Mile. I'm sorry if this does not apply to you all, but that's just my opinion.

I live 3 miles from one and can hear it faintly.

our 2001's sound ominous during a warning, but lately our ema has been falling behind on maintenance and a majority of them dont work now :/