Ft. Benning Has Modulators!

[DJ2226]

So after some thought I got into the Google Mapengine and played around a bit. I started to put together a map of the system and came to a halt when I browsed over this area of the base. A Whelen WPS-2909 is smack-dab in the center of the area, but to the two sides about 1500 feet from the siren was what appeared to be two ADT PA arrays. I mapped them as that and carried on till it hit me, those things looked too round to be arrays of that nature. I went back and closely analyzed the installations and could see the two boxes on the pole. Couldn't be a Whelen or ADT, since they use one box, or a 2001, since those are tower mounted *have two 2001s that close together would be insane anyway IMO*. Confused as hell I look at the pics of the Modulator 6048 I recorded in Lee County and started comparing the features. I went ahead and made the assumption that they were either ADTs or really small Mods, but I needed proof. Me= :crazy: So I asked my grandfather if he could take me out that way to Kelly Hill after school and he said yeah. Turns out they were Mod 2008s.


UV Controller.


Interesting thing is that all three sirens can be seen from one spot. Here's a very blurry pic of the Whelen and Mod... dat zoom...

Here's the other one in that pic.

This is the 2909 as the meat to the sandwich.

I also seen this water tower. Has Atlas speakers attatched to it. My grandfather said that throught the base in the 70s they played two songs (can't recall the name) at night. I think they used a speaker system like this to do that as well as function as a PA system prior to the ADT installations. I think that there were 10 all together.

So my assumption is that the base decided some time in the late 80s to put up a system of battery powered sirens and went with 2001-DCs. After a while they would want a PA system to use for whichever reason and bought and installed the ADT PAs. My guess is that in 2008, according to historical view in Google Earth, they wanted to give Kelly Hill siren coverage and also a piece of the PA system. Instead of getting 2001-SRNBs or -130s (which ever was out at the time) and PA systems, they went with Mods. I don't know what posed them to get two 2008s when a 5020 or 6024 could have done a better job, but i digress. Fast forward to 2011, the initial Whelen system went up via McCord Communications, but because the old system was decommissioned they once again are without coverage. In July of 2013 the base got a grant that brought the number of Whelen installs to 18, and they added the 2909, probably runs on an ESC-2030, here in the middle of the area. That being said, this is the first time I've ever seen a UV powered siren as part of a decommissioned system. Like the 2001s and ADT PAs it's still hooked up to the grid and the disconnect is in the on position, so they could be using them as a backup system. Kelly Hill might still test them independently of the other system, but until I record the 2909 I won't know. I took this next one of one of the 2001s coming out of the back gate. I took one of this siren before the construction started.

Link to the map:https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit? ... basjVJsu-g
I'm starting to lose hope in finding any more info on these old sirens and PAs. I can't seem to find anyone on the base that knows what they're talking about when it comes to the PD and FD.

[Tyler]

oOo... I really like that 2001 install. It probably wasn't cheep though.