The Siren Board

I saw a video on YouTube of a 2001-130 in Chicago that recently replaced an SRN. Has anyone seen any others that have been replaced? So far I have not, all the sirens I see regularly are the same ones. I’m wondering if they’re upgrading the whole system, or just replacing sirens that are having issues. I forget the system is 25 years old. I remember when they were installed, wow I feel old.

Anyway, just thought I’d share and I’ll be keeping a closer eye out for new sirens.

Yeah, Chicago's system is from the 90s. In fact, I think they're one of the few large cities still operating the Federal Signal MC Controller on their electronic sirens. It's only a matter of time before those 90s electronics start having issues.

This is total speculation, but I tend to believe they're probably going to do one at a time, when the opportunity presents. Say if one siren dies due to equipment failure or dead batteries, they may just go ahead and replace the entire thing. Etc, etc, until the entire system is upgraded. That's what Ardmore, Oklahoma did between 2013 and 2018. Their T-128 upgrade was a 3-step procedure, AFAIK.

They are not upgrading the whole system, as I have confirmed with someone responsible for maintenance. The 2001-130 at the Montessori School was the first one installed, and it replaced a 2001-SRN directly that was struck by lightning. The pole and everything were left the same, only the siren and boxes were replaced. I have pictures. The one in the video mentioned replaced a 2001-SRN directly, which fell over in a windstorm in December 2021. As for the third 2001-130 in Englewood, this is news to me, and I have no idea why it was installed there, as there is a 2001-SRN a few blocks away.

Here is the 2001-130 at the Montessori School.

Stevan Z wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 04, 2022 8:50 pm

They are not upgrading the whole system, as I have confirmed with someone responsible for maintenance.

That was what I was talking about- they're not deliberately upgrading the system. Just replacing sirens as they die. My phrasing may have been a bit odd, but the meaning is the same. I brought up Ardmore because it just reminded me of their siren replacement scheme, which was conducted in three separate purchases over the span of a couple years.

Stevan Z wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 04, 2022 8:50 pm

As for the third 2001-130 in Englewood, this is news to me, and I have no idea why it was installed there, as there is a 2001-SRN a few blocks away.

This isn't completely unheard of. Here in Athens, Georgia, one of the 2001-SRNs was relocated to a new location, but the old pole and whatnot all stayed behind in the original location. Granted, there was no new siren installed, just an old siren relocated. The 2001-130 you mention may have been put there because perhaps the location of the old 2001-SRN may not be optimal anymore (for example if new buildings are constructed around the siren, decreasing the range of the siren).

Either way, the addition of the third 2001-130 makes the confirmation by the maintenance personnel confusing. Normally, you'd never put any siren just a couple blocks apart. The only example I can think of is the Federal Signal 2001-SRN / EOWS 1212 siren combination in Cobb, WI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec7n_Jj6sn8 (To put it in context, the 2001-SRN was supposed to replace the 1212, but since the 1212 still kinda worked when the 2001 was installed, they just left it connected.)

Nice pictures by the way! Are you using a standalone camera or an integrated phone camera? (I assume standalone camera due to the file name format of IMG-XXXX.JPG, but you never know)

But wait a minute. The various YouTube videos documenting the June 13, 2022 tornado warning in Chicago seem to mention that the sirens sounded in excess of 30 minutes, and that a good amount of the 2001s ended up dropping in pitch/generally sounding unhealthy. Could this end up in more sirens replaced?

The sirens ran until the batteries died basically. It appears the system is fine. More damaging to the batteries than anything else. No, they aren’t rated for that, but they would probably be fine as long as it’s not a regular thing. If you think about it, these sirens only have 2 or 3 hours of run time on them total.

BUMP. Street view was updated in September 2022 in the Englewood neighborhood, and there is indeed a new 2001-130 at the police station. This is a brand new install, did not directly replace anything. There is a 2001-SRN standing a few blocks away, so I am guessing Chicago is redesigning their system and placing sirens in better locations, which is much needed, considering the sirens in the 1997 system are 1 to 2 miles away, meaning coverage gaps and pretty much zero overlap.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7539426 ... 384!8i8192

Why not just move the existing siren elsewhere? it seems like a lot less work than to purchase a whole new siren.

HudsonRiverSirens wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 1:33 pm

Why not just move the existing siren elsewhere? it seems like a lot less work than to purchase a whole new siren.

Typically isn't worth it unless they decide to do a rebuild, which ends up being more work in the long run. Unfortunately, sirens don't age quite as well as they used to.