Bizarre Swiss electronic siren tone

[Daniel]

Check these sounds out from the Swiss governmental website. Click on the "TV spots" downloads in the corner of the screen. I've never heard anything quite like this. The Swiss do have a sense of humor.

http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch ... ichen.html

[SirenMadness]

The signals here are the same as those of the German government. Personally, the general alert sounds daunting and goofy at the same time. The electronic flood alert was adopted in the sense of its pitch from the use of three-port mechanical flood alert sirens in the past.

[SirenSteveUK]

Well I think these European siren signals could certainly compete for 'most bizarre' sounding.

First is a link to Denmark's siren system -

http://www.brs.dk/uk/warning/siren.htm

Certainly weird sounding (and unusual in that their siren system claims to be audible indoors despite all the inherent problems of sound insulation - double glazing, etc.).

But first prize I think must go to the Netherland's warning system with its continuously increasing pitch with every wail -

http://www.oostvoorne.org/sirene/sirene.html

Here is a youtube video of the sirens being tested -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aU0OVmeaLM

[SirenMadness]

The system used in Denmark has the same types of signals as those mentioned on the Safety.com site a few years back. What is weird is that both Denmark and Holland use American sirens to some extent!

[kswx29]

On the Denmark's page...the first signal...in Manhattan, KS...the wheelens part of the Tuttle Creek Dam system do that signal when there is a threat that the dam could break (Via earthquake). Heard them on TV...Creppy!

[StonedChipmunk]

That Netherlands system is really messed up. Sirens shouldn't sound like the dog in the picture!

[Daniel]

The Danish siren tone sounds like it was made on a cheap Lowrey organ, while the Dutch tone seems like its trying to imitate a steam siren, which makes sense for a naval-oriented country. At least it lingers on a variety of frequencies to compensate for ambient noise. Altogether, they go into the ATI wastebin of awful siren tones along with the Swiss.