2014 - The Google Earth Siren Hunt

[turtlbrdr]

Hey guy, Merry Christmas

It's a day late, but I wanted to get this all to you guys.

Ever since I got into sirens earlier this year I've had a project that I've been working on. In Google Earth I've been finding the locations of sirens using a combination of streetview (henceforth refered to as "coverage")and satellite footage.

Many of these sirens I've found on my own, through the combination of techniques that I've been honing. Others are found from watching videos on youtube, while not present on some of the sirens I began with, I also included the links to these videos in the marker (as long as the publisher allows embedding). Some are from sirens that you guys have highlighted at one time or another. Finally, some are found from county's self-published siren maps.

So here it is, my Christmas gift to you guys, the first release of my siren hunt map I have found over 620 sirens and documented them.

It's in kmz format, loadable in Google earth. I've tried uploading to maps, but due to the way I sort the sirens (state>county>siren) Maps will only pick up 10 counties. If anyone knows a way around this, let me know. Even though it might be futile, as once I hit 2000 sirens, google maps won't accept any more as well.

This is just the first release of the map, periodically I will update it with a newer version

However, I could also need some help with identifying some of these sirens too. I've marked way more that I want to admit with an unknown siren tag. Sometimes the streetview is old (2007/2008 coverage), sometimes it's not even there at all. Unfortunately, I can tell you a lot of sirens look alike from the sky.

Then there are the cases when I just need an exact model. I've filled in where I can but if you look some of the tags are as such and because:

• FS Thunderbolt 1000(T): It is impossible to tell any difference visually between the 1000 and the 1000T. I would have to hear them in order to tell the difference.
• FS Model 5/7: No way to visually identify between the two, as far as I know
• FS xT22: The only way to tell the difference is by locating the solenoid boxes, which may be facing away from the camera. Moreover, however, the FS 2T22's and 3T22's are very popular in rural towns, many of which have old 2007/8 coverage on maybe one road in the whole town; so this makes identifying them frustrating.
• FS Modulator: Many of these ones, if not marked with an exact model, are hidden behind trees or they are on top of buildings.
• ASC T-1XX & T-128: Earlier on I used the T-1XX tag, but moved it to T-128. Not many places will have a 135. Otherwise, there is no good visual way to tell the difference.
• Sentry 15/20v2T: No visual way to tell the difference
• Whelen Vortex & 4K series: They use the same frame molds. The only way to tell the difference is by a nob on the side of the rotator. It is often not positioned in a way that makes it easy to tell the difference, even if you have good coverage. Furthermore, it is impossible to tell the difference between any models inside the series because there is no way to discern how many drivers are installed.
• Anything else: Feel free to check my work, if you know of siren that has been replaced, moved, removed, or that I've labeled incorrectly; let me know

If you own the videos I have linked and you don't want them linked, let me know I will remove them.

Updates:

• 12/26/14 First map released. 622 Sirens!
• 1/11/15 1000 Sirens! Edition*
  • *Actually contains 1031 sirens
• 1/24/15 383 more sirens
• 6/1/15 3004 sirens!

[4J25]

Nice, feel free to borrow any locations from my map. I've done this for AGES, since, like, 2009 or 2010, and I'm pretty good at figuring out what a siren is, even from aerial view. Any specific ones you want me to look at?

[turtlbrdr]

Anything marked "unknown siren" or anything bearing the tags in the list on my first post. Most the unknowns are going to be among a pool of sirens that were from an era where everything was a model X with a different skirt (I have no experience with the older models, darleys and sterlings and such, and I have no comparison library pictures of those as well) , but there are a few that are ones I just can't identify from sat view well enough.

The others, as listed in my post are all the ones without an exact model number. These ones would be tricky for the reasons I've highlighted above. But if you do know better ways to tell the differences between any of these mentioned models, do let me know.

While I appreciate your map, I would like to make my own for the time being. I have several other system's maps loaded in google earth, but that is mainly to reference ones that haven't been found yet. And when I do start on those areas, they will only be for reference.

[turtlbrdr]

Just letting you guys know, version 2 is out now. As I call it the 1000 Sirens Edition. At this point I have cataloged 1031 sirens, and counting probably tomorrow. The full changelog is included in the siren map zip file, in case anyone wants to know exactly what I have changed.

I feel I've gotten pretty lucky, about once a week I'll run into a rarer siren. On New Year's I found a Sentry Defender, and in the last couple of days I have found 3 SoundMasters in Wisconsin and a horizontal Sterling in Buston Kansas.

Once again, any help identifying some of the unknowns is always appreciated, either ones I have no clue on, or ones with the non-model specific tags mentioned in the main post.

[Lily D]

I'm pretty sure T-135s have a bigger horn. I hope this helped.

[turtlbrdr]

I'm pretty sure T-135s have a bigger horn. I hope this helped.

Believe it or not the T-135 is actually smaller!

ASC's official specifications found on page 2 of these PDFs for the T-128 and the T-135, respectively:

T-128: http://www.americansignal.com/wp-conten ... Signal.pdf
T-135: http://www.americansignal.com/wp-conten ... Signal.pdf

These list the LxHxW dimensions of both sirens:
T-128: 59.5"x65"x57" (127.6cuft)
T-135: 52"x60"x59" (106.5cuft)

But consider the 135 is about twice as heavy.

Unfortunately it is difficult to quantify any of these numbers in Google earth. I would have to work on the space of inches, and streetview footage is feet (at best), satellite is about a meter.
And there is no way to weigh a siren from low-orbit.

About the only way I could ascertain a real model from these things is to ask someone involved in installing or purchasing them, ask a county director, obtain a map with their model number specified (thank you Dane and Winnebago counties of Wisconsin, and the city of Bloomington, IL), or to climb up on top of the pole and measure the thing itself. And considering the last one is illegal in most jurisdictions, and I rarely have enough luck to have a map, it would take me a lot of phone calls to cover all of the T-128/135's I have already logged.

But luckily T-135's are not that common (that might be the wrong way to say that, I'd like to see more around, just makes it convenient for me), they are usually relegated to rural areas where there monstrous power can be put to good use. They are usually only put up in single digit amounts to the double digits amounts of the T-128's, this is why it's part of my decision to mark them as T-128's until proven otherwise. Chances are they are mostly T-128's and if I have marked some T-135's as such there are probably only enough as such that you could count them on your fingers.

[Mark N]

What I would do is classify the T-128s and T-135s as "T-RTS" for "Tempest-Rotating Siren", because as you have stated, there isn't really a way to tell on Google Earth anyway. Plus there really isn't much of a tone/look/shape difference, as they are practically the same, aside from one being louder.

[Lily D]

I'm pretty sure T-135s have a bigger horn. I hope this helped.

Believe it or not the T-135 is actually smaller!

ASC's official specifications found on page 2 of these PDFs for the T-128 and the T-135, respectively:

T-128: http://www.americansignal.com/wp-conten ... Signal.pdf
T-135: http://www.americansignal.com/wp-conten ... Signal.pdf

These list the LxHxW dimensions of both sirens:
T-128: 59.5"x65"x57" (127.6cuft)
T-135: 52"x60"x59" (106.5cuft)

But consider the 135 is about twice as heavy.

Unfortunately it is difficult to quantify any of these numbers in Google earth. I would have to work on the space of inches, and streetview footage is feet (at best), satellite is about a meter.
And there is no way to weigh a siren from low-orbit.

About the only way I could ascertain a real model from these things is to ask someone involved in installing or purchasing them, ask a county director, obtain a map with their model number specified (thank you Dane and Winnebago counties of Wisconsin, and the city of Bloomington, IL), or to climb up on top of the pole and measure the thing itself. And considering the last one is illegal in most jurisdictions, and I rarely have enough luck to have a map, it would take me a lot of phone calls to cover all of the T-128/135's I have already logged.

But luckily T-135's are not that common (that might be the wrong way to say that, I'd like to see more around, just makes it convenient for me), they are usually relegated to rural areas where there monstrous power can be put to good use. They are usually only put up in single digit amounts to the double digits amounts of the T-128's, this is why it's part of my decision to mark them as T-128's until proven otherwise. Chances are they are mostly T-128's and if I have marked some T-135's as such there are probably only enough as such that you could count them on your fingers.

Okay. I always thought they looked bigger. Thanks for correcting me.