Dallas TX area sirens

[CycloneFan125]

So later on this year or early next year I plan on taking a daytrip to Dallas from either Milwaukee or Chicago. I'm also an aviation enthusiast so I was wanting to fly on some MD-80's on American Airlines before they all retire. Prices right now look pretty reasonable, and are nonstop flights on MD-80's. And since I'm also a siren enthusiast (duh) I figured I should do this daytrip on a 1st Wednesday. I plan to get 3 sirens at least when I'm there since I know some go at 12:00, some test at 1:00, and some test at 2:00. I have a few questions on the sirens in the Dallas area.

- Are any of the Whelen 4008's in Plano still active?
- Are any of the P-50's in Grand Prairie still active?
- Is the P-50 in DeSoto still active and does it do attack for monthly tests?
- Doesn't the University of Texas at Arlington test at 12:30 and don't they have DSA's?
- What sirens does Grapevine have and when do they test?
- What's the nearest place from Arlington that tests at 12:00 besides the City of Dallas?
- Are there any places in the Dallas area that do both alert and attack for each test?
- Are there any places in the Dallas area that'll test at 11:00 AM or 3:00 PM on the 1st Wednesday?

[TboltTX1]

All of the remaining 4008s in Plano are still active. However, they are being replaced three per year with 2910s so get your pictures and recordings while you can.

I am currently unsure about the Grand Prairie P-50s. From what I can tell from satellite imagery, they have survived the recent replacement of the rest of the system with T-128s. They may still be active since there is nothing up to replace them yet, but I have not personally gone to a test since all the P-15s and Allertonic were replaced to know for sure.

The DeSoto P-50 appears to still be active but I am unsure what signal they test.

UT Arlington does test at 12:30 and they do have FS DSAs.

Grapevine currently has a mixture of FS 2001s, Eclipse 8s, and Modulators. All of the sirens from the old system of T-112s, Thunderbeams, and STH-10s have been removed.

The towns I know that test at noon besides Dallas are The Colony, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and Richardson. I'm sure there are others on here who can chime in on any other towns in the metroplex that test at noon.

The only town in the metroplex I know of that still tests both signals is Highland Village. Someone else may know of another town in the metroplex that does as well, but I think everyone else around here tests either Steady or Wail.

The earliest test time I know of in the DFW metroplex on the 1st Wednesday is 12:00 P.M. and the latest is 2:00 P.M. Although, one time I went to record a P-15 in Lancaster and they ended up postponing the test until 3:00, they are supposed to test at 2:00 though.

[Bryan]

Let me know when you come in to town. I can get you an upclose look at Fort Worth's system if you want.

[Travis]

To add/echo Jeff:

12:00- Garland also tests at Noon, despite other information you might hear. They have the LED's on their units...nobody has recorded these to my knowledge.I believe Denton goes at this time as well. (128s)
13:00-Lewisville (R4s, 29XXs) Flower Mound (128's) Ft. Worth (weekly, R3/4) Highland Village (2001 multi gens, STH-10 ALERT+ATTACK) Grapevine like never tests, but is supposed to at this time. Wylie (P10/15s both 1/2T, 128s ALERT+ATTACK) Princeton (121s) Azle (larger Sentry 2T sirens) Lake Worth (RM-130s, R3/4s)
14:00 Rockwall (AL8000s, P50, P10/15s, 128s ALERTx2) Grand Prarie (Various ACA/ASC P50/128/P15 ATTACK) DeSoto/Cedar Hill/Duncanville (activated from one central area...various Federal and ASC sirens)

First Tuesday many East Texas towns at 10:00 or 11:00
First Saturday: Sachse (2001s, 128s) McKinney (28/9XXs, 4008s BEST POSSIBLE PROTECTION)

What are you interested in seeing. I can point you in the right direction if you want a more specific model. We have boring things like 2001's, and more interesting things like rotating Alertronics, P-50's etc.

I wasn't aware that DeSoto had a P-50.

Enjoy your rides on the Super 80. We are getting rid of them very quickly and they will all be gone by fall of next year. The Ex-TWA ones tend to be much ghetto/rattier than the legacy AA ones, but they are all worth the ride. I think we only have 80-something left in the fleet. You might consider connecting through Chicago on at least one leg of your journey. We are beginning to right-size the fleet, and your market is prime for the 319 and CR9. Obviously the best place to be on a MadDog is in the 25ish row range. Nothing more wonderful than a JT8D screaming in your ears.

[CycloneFan125]

To add/echo Jeff:

12:00- Garland also tests at Noon, despite other information you might hear. They have the LED's on their units...nobody has recorded these to my knowledge.I believe Denton goes at this time as well. (128s)
13:00-Lewisville (R4s, 29XXs) Flower Mound (128's) Ft. Worth (weekly, R3/4) Highland Village (2001 multi gens, STH-10 ALERT+ATTACK) Grapevine like never tests, but is supposed to at this time. Wylie (P10/15s both 1/2T, 128s ALERT+ATTACK) Princeton (121s) Azle (larger Sentry 2T sirens) Lake Worth (RM-130s, R3/4s)
14:00 Rockwall (AL8000s, P50, P10/15s, 128s ALERTx2) Grand Prarie (Various ACA/ASC P50/128/P15 ATTACK) DeSoto/Cedar Hill/Duncanville (activated from one central area...various Federal and ASC sirens)

First Tuesday many East Texas towns at 10:00 or 11:00
First Saturday: Sachse (2001s, 128s) McKinney (28/9XXs, 4008s BEST POSSIBLE PROTECTION)

What are you interested in seeing. I can point you in the right direction if you want a more specific model. We have boring things like 2001's, and more interesting things like rotating Alertronics, P-50's etc.

I wasn't aware that DeSoto had a P-50.

Enjoy your rides on the Super 80. We are getting rid of them very quickly and they will all be gone by fall of next year. The Ex-TWA ones tend to be much ghetto/rattier than the legacy AA ones, but they are all worth the ride. I think we only have 80-something left in the fleet. You might consider connecting through Chicago on at least one leg of your journey. We are beginning to right-size the fleet, and your market is prime for the 319 and CR9. Obviously the best place to be on a MadDog is in the 25ish row range. Nothing more wonderful than a JT8D screaming in your ears.

MKE-DFW currently has 4 flights per day. 3 are on MD-80's and the 4th is on a CR9. However in the fall the schedule shows only 2 MD-80's and 2 CR9's. And I already plan on trying to get a window seat around the row 25ish range.

And if possible I may come a day early (the 1st Tuesday) to explore Dallas a little longer however I'll probably miss those east Texas towns as you mentioned. And I'm more interested in going to the rare and interesting stuff. I am trying to make one of the 3 sirens to see a P-50 as those are my favorites. And I really do want to see a 4008 as there is none near me. I cannot stay until the 1st Saturday for McKinney obviously as this is a one or two day trip. I did think about doing that but I don't wanna pay more money for extra nights in hotels. Haha.

[Stevan Z]

Sorry to go off topic but I'm also A airplane enthusiast. Sad the MD-80s are retiring since they are my favorite plane of all time. By when are they to be completely retired?

[CycloneFan125]

Sorry to go off topic but I'm also A airplane enthusiast. Sad the MD-80s are retiring since they are my favorite plane of all time. By when are they to be completely retired?

Sometime in 2017. There's still about 90 in the fleet but from what I understand, at least 3 or 4 is being retired per month on average.

[siren fan]

Mesquite has a system of FS 2001's that they test in alert the first Wednesday of the month at noon.
Sunnyvale has a system of Whelen 4004's that they test in alert or best possible protection sometimes. They are also tested the first Wednesday of the month at noon.
DFW Metroplex probably has the best diversity of sirens of any major populated area in the United States.

[DJ2226]

In regards to Plano, here's a map of their system along with McKinney and Frisco. McKinney also has a couple of 4004s, and Frisco has Whelen 4004s and omnis and ATI's that kind of mimic the Whelen system in wail; those are slowly being phased out for 2910s as they ultimately die a slow and painful death...
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit? ... 3Qx5CjsNu0

[bigtuna7O]

Ennis, TX (about 35 minutes south of Dallas) has about 6 Thunderbolts that are tested the first Wednesday of the month at noon; that's the next place I'm gunna hit!