The Siren Board

First, let me start off saying that I know WAY too much about Evanston's thunderbolts (Evanston is north of Chicago in illinois). Fun fact, so far the only thunderbolts I have heard were Evanston's. But I have a few questions about them. Recently, I recorded one of their thunderbolt 1000's at fire station 3, and as it was going off, I ran up to the blower, and I just could not identify it. All of evanston's thunderbolts were installed in 1954 or 1955, so they should all have 6m blowers (and I know darn well what a 6m sounds like), and it did NOT sound like a 6m should. It also did not have the pulsating sound that 6m thunderbolts make. Can you help me identify this one? It can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgThT0voGr8&list=PLU7NjFjcn64TriBYzpuVEi63pwZyDsPuY&index=6

Recording from 30 feet away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcziIjMExY&list=PLU7NjFjcn64TriBYzpuVEi63pwZyDsPuY&index=5

Also, 2 videos of the 1000T that they have (this one was originally a thunderbolt 1000, but the chopper was switched out): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcziIjMExY&list=PLU7NjFjcn64TriBYzpuVEi63pwZyDsPuY&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_bt3FTAuvA&list=PLU7NjFjcn64TriBYzpuVEi63pwZyDsPuY&index=7

Please note that these videos are mine.

P.S: If you have any sort of audio, video, or other information that could be useful about Evanston's thunderbolts, I will gladly accept it, because I plan on returning to catch a few more. Thanks!

I'm not a blower expert, but given that the cover does not have any vents on the rear, and the pitch it makes, I'm fairly sure that it is an A2 5M; fairly uncommon because of its short run.

Honestly from the video it kinda sounds like it could’ve been modified to a 4M... but maybe it’s just my phone speakers because you said it was *bleep*ing loud. If it’s super loud it’s most likely a 5M. There has been speculation and here’s and there’s but I can tell you as can a few other people on here, the 5Ms (especially in the singletone configuration but also the dual tone too...) are loud as all get out.

I recorded one in Lincoln Nebraska. It was high up on a building and I was far back from it. It STILL shook the ground when it pointed at me. There was a 2001-130 near it. The thunderbolt was a hair louder to me. Now could this be because I am a thunderbolt fan? Sure! So I asked around. I won’t mention names but the people I’ve asked (2 of them have heard the siren I recorded) have also said that that thunderbolt in particular is a hair louder than the 2001-130. And the third guy I asked said that while the 2001-130 still does pack a punch (and it does! Don’t get me wrong), the 5M configuration of the thunderbolt still seemed, again, a hair louder. It’s not the loudest siren ever made and the 4M had better practicality (otherwise they wouldn’t have used it as long as they did) but the 5 definitely made it the loudest. It impresses many siren enthusiasts when they first hear one.

In either case that’s still an awesome video!

EDIT: that 1000T video sounds like a 5M but again phone speakers...

coastalsyrolover wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 04, 2019 5:33 am

Honestly from the video it kinda sounds like it could’ve been modified to a 4M... but maybe it’s just my phone speakers because you said it was *bleep*ing loud. If it’s super loud it’s most likely a 5M. There has been speculation and here’s and there’s but I can tell you as can a few other people on here, the 5Ms (especially in the singletone configuration but also the dual tone too...) are loud as all get out.

I recorded one in Lincoln Nebraska. It was high up on a building and I was far back from it. It STILL shook the ground when it pointed at me. There was a 2001-130 near it. The thunderbolt was a hair louder to me. Now could this be because I am a thunderbolt fan? Sure! So I asked around. I won’t mention names but the people I’ve asked (2 of them have heard the siren I recorded) have also said that that thunderbolt in particular is a hair louder than the 2001-130. And the third guy I asked said that while the 2001-130 still does pack a punch (and it does! Don’t get me wrong), the 5M configuration of the thunderbolt still seemed, again, a hair louder. It’s not the loudest siren ever made and the 4M had better practicality (otherwise they wouldn’t have used it as long as they did) but the 5 definitely made it the loudest. It impresses many siren enthusiasts when they first hear one.

In either case that’s still an awesome video!

EDIT: that 1000T video sounds like a 5M but again phone speakers...

That's some awesome extrapolation from potato quality speakers.

Jake_7367 wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 04, 2019 8:55 am

coastalsyrolover wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 04, 2019 5:33 am

Honestly from the video it kinda sounds like it could’ve been modified to a 4M... but maybe it’s just my phone speakers because you said it was *bleep*ing loud. If it’s super loud it’s most likely a 5M. There has been speculation and here’s and there’s but I can tell you as can a few other people on here, the 5Ms (especially in the singletone configuration but also the dual tone too...) are loud as all get out.

I recorded one in Lincoln Nebraska. It was high up on a building and I was far back from it. It STILL shook the ground when it pointed at me. There was a 2001-130 near it. The thunderbolt was a hair louder to me. Now could this be because I am a thunderbolt fan? Sure! So I asked around. I won’t mention names but the people I’ve asked (2 of them have heard the siren I recorded) have also said that that thunderbolt in particular is a hair louder than the 2001-130. And the third guy I asked said that while the 2001-130 still does pack a punch (and it does! Don’t get me wrong), the 5M configuration of the thunderbolt still seemed, again, a hair louder. It’s not the loudest siren ever made and the 4M had better practicality (otherwise they wouldn’t have used it as long as they did) but the 5 definitely made it the loudest. It impresses many siren enthusiasts when they first hear one.

In either case that’s still an awesome video!

EDIT: that 1000T video sounds like a 5M but again phone speakers...

That's some awesome extrapolation from potato quality speakers.

Indeed. But at least I tried to answer the question as best as I could *shrug

If it didn’t have any vents on the cover but siding sound like a 6M then it most likely is a 5M. Do you happen to remember what the. Blower itself sounded like?

coastalsyrolover wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 04, 2019 5:33 am

Honestly from the video it kinda sounds like it could’ve been modified to a 4M... but maybe it’s just my phone speakers because you said it was *bleep*ing loud. If it’s super loud it’s most likely a 5M. There has been speculation and here’s and there’s but I can tell you as can a few other people on here, the 5Ms (especially in the singletone configuration but also the dual tone too...) are loud as all get out.

I recorded one in Lincoln Nebraska. It was high up on a building and I was far back from it. It STILL shook the ground when it pointed at me. There was a 2001-130 near it. The thunderbolt was a hair louder to me. Now could this be because I am a thunderbolt fan? Sure! So I asked around. I won’t mention names but the people I’ve asked (2 of them have heard the siren I recorded) have also said that that thunderbolt in particular is a hair louder than the 2001-130. And the third guy I asked said that while the 2001-130 still does pack a punch (and it does! Don’t get me wrong), the 5M configuration of the thunderbolt still seemed, again, a hair louder. It’s not the loudest siren ever made and the 4M had better practicality (otherwise they wouldn’t have used it as long as they did) but the 5 definitely made it the loudest. It impresses many siren enthusiasts when they first hear one.

In either case that’s still an awesome video!

EDIT: that 1000T video sounds like a 5M but again phone speakers...

Yeah this one was WAY louder than the 1000T that I saw, and it was pretty impressive how loud it was, so yep, I think we can confirm that it's a 5m unit. Also, the 1000T is a 100% 6m unit, you can tell by listening to the wind-up. most, if not all 6m 1000T units sound like that in the wind-up

Greenfield1003 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 07, 2019 1:28 am

If it didn’t have any vents on the cover but siding sound like a 6M then it most likely is a 5M. Do you happen to remember what the. Blower itself sounded like?

Yes I do, it is in one of the video links that I put in the original post.

Ray'sWorldYT wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 28, 2019 3:17 pm

Greenfield1003 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 07, 2019 1:28 am

If it didn’t have any vents on the cover but siding sound like a 6M then it most likely is a 5M. Do you happen to remember what the. Blower itself sounded like?

Yes I do, it is in one of the video links that I put in the original post.

That's definitely a 5M