The Siren Board

First off I again am sorry for posting so much. I feel I have been cutting back, but what I wanted to ask was in regards to the 5M thunderbolt. Okay so I heard at one point that the C series was rated 130 db @100 feet. (That I believe uses the vertical 4M). Now people also say that the 5M is also MUCH louder. When hearing a model 5 and an STL 10 which were rated 1 DB difference (the STL 10 being 1 db louder than the model 5.) I honestly didn't notice too much of a difference. So even at the 4Ms 127 DB rating something that's louder would probably have to be near 130. My thinking is that the 5M is somewhere between 130 DB @100 at the least and 135 @100 at the most. My 2 questions are: Who here thinks that the 5M is as loud as the P50 (135 @100) and/or what are your thoughts on that whole deal? Thanks guys.

No Thunderbolt ever made can even be close to a P-50.

I would put the 5M at the high 120s, maybe 130.

I thought the 5M was 130. Some people said that they felt it got close to the P50. I didn't know how close to agreement I came on it being that loud... But I can see it being about 130. The 4M only needs 3 more DB to be there anyway... And with 60 (?) more CFM I think the 5M reaches that. But 135 I think is pushing it too far. I haven't heard a P50 in real life (As I never really heard any other siren tests in NE aside from lincolns and we don't have one in the PNW at all.) but from what I hear about them they are pretty insane.

No they are NOWHERE near the P-50. The P-50 has a 3-4 mile 70db range. They put P-50's on 70 foot poles for a reason. Any lower and the sound at ground level would be too much and harmful to people's hearing.

I can tell you from experience that a Thunderbolt and a single tone P-15 are pretty much equal. In fact the P-15 may have a slight edge in terms of range.

The 130db output of the 5M thunderbolt is pure speculation. Yes they are louder than the 4M sirens, but not by much. The biggest thing is the "buzz" that the 5M 1000T sirens have that makes them seem so much louder.

And yes, Federal rated the C series 1000 at 130db during the final years of production. But this was at a time when everybody was inflating their db ratings trying to beat the other guy.

End of story.

holler wrote:No they are NOWHERE near the P-50. The P-50 has a 3-4 mile 70db range. They put P-50's on 70 foot poles for a reason. Any lower and the sound at ground level would be too much and harmful to people's hearing.

I can tell you from experience that a Thunderbolt and a single tone P-15 are pretty much equal. In fact the P-15 may have a slight edge in terms of range.

The 130db output of the 5M thunderbolt is pure speculation. Yes they are louder than the 4M sirens, but not by much. The biggest thing is the "buzz" that the 5M 1000T sirens have that makes them seem so much louder.

And yes, Federal rated the C series 1000 at 130db during the final years of production. But this was at a time when everybody was inflating their db ratings trying to beat the other guy.

End of story.

They still inflate the ratings. I don't think that the 2001-130 is louder than the 508.

I don't think a C-series even gets to 125. Just from videos I've seen, you almost have to listen for it at a distance an A series would sound clear as day.

Ok. I have to ask. What in the flip is a 5M Thunderbolt?
You guys are going on like this is some long running controversy.
I've never heard of it before now.

The same blower your 1003 has on it. The blower in between the mega blower and the smaller 4M.

Well, at least one person is going on about it.

I have only gone on about it because I just want to know. My thunderbolt had a 5M and comparing videos that you, Ian and a couple of other people took standing at the same distance, the thunderbolt is louder than the 2001-130. That or the sound just carries further. I honestly wish they wouldn't have lied about the ratings because it makes a hard time for people with OCD... Okay I know I asked this before but I know someone has one... Someone on here and I don't care who but could someone with a db reader please stand 100 feet from a 5M thunderbolt and tell us the result? CDV777-1 It's the early A2 blower. The A1 is the 6M, the early A2 is the 5M and the late A2 is the 4M. The reason why I am trying to find out is because you have people out there who are like "The hurricane and T128 are better and louder and the thunderbolts are quiet and only carry further." So that's my pudding in the pie... I guess we wont know the exact number until someone tests it.

It's not a controversy. The early A2 (5M) Thunderbolts are louder, but not by a ton. Maybe 2dB louder at 100'. I've had a dB meter at a 5M blowerbolt, but it's hard to get accurate comparisons unless you are in line with the horn. They do read louder than other Thunderbolts I've recorded.

dilloncarpenter wrote:I don't think a C-series even gets to 125. Just from videos I've seen, you almost have to listen for it at a distance an A series would sound clear as day.

They seem the same as the A2s with 4M blowers to me. I like having a town with just about everything.