The Siren Board

Over the past year I've accumulated a few photos of the sirens in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The siren system has quite a history - Beaver Dam's first civil defense siren was a Mobil Directo, installed 1963 on the city hall and fire department. Between 1976 and 1981, five SD-10s were added to the growing city to fill in where the Mobil Directo might not be heard. All went well until 2009 when one of the SD-10s blew its top and no longer worked. A batch of 2001-130s were ordered to replace every old siren. Most of these 2001-130s went up by 2011 however one SD-10 was left in place.

While I don't have photos of every siren in Beaver Dam, here's what I have so far:

City Hall 2001-130
This replaced a classic Mobil Directo in 2011. On a wind-free day the 2001-130 can be heard easily but most of the time I find it only covers the downtown block - it fails to get its sound through the hills. Curie Street SD-10
This SD-10 was left in place while most of its brethren were replaced or turned off. Every week it can easily be heard through the hills thanks to its low, droning dual tone sound. It will eventually be replaced but it is a treat to hear it go off during tests in the meantime. Burnett Street SD-10
To my surprise, this SD-10 was still in place. It is located on the corner of a small park. I believe it was decommissioned once the new 2001-130 went up. Some of the control wires were cut however I don't believe the siren was entirely mothballed. I did record it years ago and it sounded pretty good back then. It is somewhat rusted out thanks to paint peeling and giving way to the elements. Unusually, it has a Whelen electric box and the timer badges were painted over.
I did a brief tour video of this siren, mostly to test out the new camera - since it isn't going off, I'll post it here.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALX_mWHqbg8 Burnett Street 2001-130
Further down the road is the new 2001-130. It is located closer to the park, possibly to accommodate the SD-10 being left in place. Some of the old sirens were left in place until the new ones were ensured, while others were cleared out immediately because the new siren went up in the same spot. It wasn't the most well thought-out siren upgrade. The 2001-130s make the same sound we're all familiar with: high pitched squeal. Careful inspection reveals a small spot of dirt next to the hornlet array and box. "Legacy Photo"
And here is an old photo of the classic Mobil Directo, taken back in 2011. Easily one of the best sirens I've ever seen and heard. It was first mentioned on the old WisconsinSirens website however it was mis-labeled as an Allertor.
I first saw this siren back in 2009 when I recorded it - back then no one had a clue what the Mobil Directos sounded like, so it was a real treat to find out it used a 10-12 blade fan and drum like the early Allertors. It was so impressive I went out to record it again in 2010, now going off for a longer test signal. The 2010 video can still be found on my WISirenVideos Youtube account. The last time I saw this siren was in March 2011, just a few days before its removal. All looked fine so it was a total shock to learn it was replaced.

Man, you never cease to amaze me with these amazing posts! Well done!

Whats with the Whelen cabinet on the pole for the SD-10?

jp_24 wrote:Whats with the Whelen cabinet on the pole for the SD-10?

Probably because they use a Whelen encoder, so it does better with the DTMF command.

That is correct, the Whelen boxes are only for the controls - there was never an actual Whelen siren anywhere in Dodge County, Wisconsin.
Other sirens in Dodge county use the Whelen box, including an STL-10 in the town of Hustiford.

Sirens are controlled by Dodge County EMA but each town and city maintains ownership of sirens. This is also why there are no county-wide upgrades or systems. While all sirens test at 12:30 PM on Saturdays, some towns maintain a noon whistle throughout the week. Beaver Dam's old Mobil Directo was used for noon whistles before the SD-10s popped up.

If I were you I'd grab an activation video of that remaining SD10.

I love SD-10's

Nice post J A Olson. And nice story. I'am really intrigued on your town or city history of Civil Defense sirens and other sirens. Hope you'll find more information on your city or town's siren purchases and replacements. in the least 50 years or even 60 years. And I'am going to start researching on my previous city I lived in witch is Naperville Illinois.