The Siren Board

Hello,
I have been wondering do you guys like whelen sirens? Personally I like whelens particularly 2800 series and 4004/Vortex series sirens especially when they are on 460hz

I never heard one personally. (I really want to though) but from research 2810/2910's and 4004/Vortex's can cover almost as much sound as a T-128.

Siranator3001 wrote:Hello,
I have been wondering do you guys like whelen sirens? Personally I like whelens particularly 2800 series and 4004/Vortex series sirens especially when they are on 460hz

For some reason, I feel that some are good, and some are bad. Whelens, like any electronic siren, can have blown drivers. When I was up in Coldwater for their Vortex, I was very unimpressed. The volume was insanely low, probably from blown drivers. When I ran underneath the siren, it still sounded like an ambience. Also, the later ESC-2020 controllers seem to clip really badly. But man do the ESC-2020/2030 tones carry!

Dclarkct the whelen man taught me a lot about them. The white drivers used to blow all the time and the "orange" ones were beast. (Iirc they were actually the second generation of red.) I like them. Seaside or has many of them. Sweet sirens. The modulators we have out here I personally think cant hold a candle to them. (Not trying to be unprofessional. Just my opinion.)

I live in an area full of whelen 2800's on 460HZ the ambulance is really eerie. Especially when there's dark storm clouds around .

There used to be multiple Whelen sirens across Wisconsin, perhaps more in the past than present. The usual gimmick was that they had voice function or could perform signals impossible with an electro-mechanical siren.
The WPS-3016 appears to have been most popular but I have seen the modular 2700 or 2800 series sirens turn up in a couple cities.
There are a handful of newer Whelens as well. Cuba City, WI has a small Hornet while Marshfield, Wisconsin had a Vortex that was replaced with a 2001-130 back in 2009. There are modular 2900 series sirens in Stanley, WI and Lancaster, WI. Belmont, WI also has a smaller modular siren - I think it is a 2800 series but it might be an OmniAlert.
While the Whelens appear to have served well, they are held back from the typically short lifespan all electronic sirens suffer from. I don't think Whelen's sirens are terrible although they're in the same league as most electronic sirens: versatile but disposable.

Attached are a couple pictures.

My favorite is the WS 3016. Ever since I heard the one in Bedford Park, I have fallen in love with the ESC-864 analog controller. While most younger users do not like them, as they likely replace older units, I think that all Whelen sirens are great. They are built well and protect their area.

Chicagosiren-hunters wrote:My favorite is the WS 3016. Ever since I heard the one in Bedford Park, I have fallen in love with the ESC-864 analog controller. While most younger users do not like them, as they likely replace older units, I think that all Whelen sirens are great. They are built well and protect their area.

Yeah.. I'm one of those younger users(I won't specify my exact age), I really like Whelen sirens too! I mean, it is sad when it replace a nice older siren, but it isn't Whelens fault, it isn't a reason to hate them. I probably respect Whelen sirens ALOT because I have always lived around them.

The two WPS 2805's at Affiliated Foods are a little under 2 miles away from me, and i can hear them fairly clear though my wall. So potency isn't an issue, but i'm still not really sold on the idea of electronic sirens. They aren't as reliable, the price/performance ratio doesn't seem to be too good, they are much more complicated than most mechanical sirens(due to all of the equipment needed to generate the tones and the amps), and most are ugly and far larger/heavier(not that any EMA would care, just my opinion). Whelen is definitely the best option for electronic IMO. Not a fan of Modulators.

I live around several 4004's here. They put out a nice coverage of sound.