ACA hurricane

[thunderbolt1003kid]

when did the ACA hurricane siren come out of production and when did the allertor come out of production

[Archon]

The allertor Last made in 1979 The Penetrator P-10-P-15 came out in 1980
The allertor was stopped because the design was prone to Icing up.
The last Hurricane made in 1983 In 1984 The P-50 came out

[thunderbolt1003kid]

why did ACA stop making those two sirens

[The Big Labowski]

low sales. the tbolt was much more economical than the hurricane.

[Trey]

low sales. the tbolt was much more economical than the hurricane.

That wouldn't be the case for the Allertor I wouldn't think. I mean I see lots of them installed, just like T-bolts. I was thinking maintenence as well (oiling the gears ect..)

[thunderbolt1003kid]

i think that ASC should bring back some of their old sirens but modify them

[Gil]

The Hurricane was High Maintenance like the Thunderbolt. The Allertor was too. That is the main reason for discontinuation.

[Jim_Ferer]

I heard from a post on the old board that Federal sued ACA for patent infringement over the Hurricane. I don't know any of the details, but it's easy to see how the Hurricane, like the Thunderbolt, was more complicated and expensive than the alternatives. Remember that the people who buy sirens for communities aren't siren hobbyists. The things that make Thunderbolts and Hurricanes favorites of ours mean nothing to them. They look at purchase price and total cost of ownership, in other words things like maintenance.

[cdvtripleseven]

The Hurricane was High Maintenance like the Thunderbolt. The Allertor was too. That is the main reason for discontinuation.

What is the definition of "high maintenance?" This has been posted on the board many times.
The Thunderbolt had 3 or 4 checks that the manual said to do once a year.
Check blower oil and belt, check rotator oil and belt and oil the blower air relief valve. Of course most Thuderbolt owners let them go with no service done to them until they quit.
I guess if you compare once a year maintenance to no maintenance then that's high maintenance.
How often do electronic sirens need their batteries replaced? Didn't someone on the board say once that it's every 5 years? If that's the case I would bet that after the numbers were added up the costs of doing once a year checks on a T-bolt compared to replacing all the batteries in an electronic siren every 5 years wouldn't be that much different. Also electronic sirens aren't "maintenance free." There's always stuff going wrong with machinery whatever it is. If Thunderbolts were made today they would be more reliable anyway because of newer sealants, gaskets etc.

I don't know any of the details, but it's easy to see how the Hurricane, like the Thunderbolt, was more complicated and expensive than the alternatives.

That's really what it boils down to. They cost more to make and installing them is more of a pain with the blower etc. Of course they can't be battery backed up and they don't "talk" either.

[thunderbolt1003kid]

our thunderbolt 1003 sirens were installed in 1984 and i dont think they have done anything matinece on them but they still sound great but they only get tested once a year which stinks and we dont have alot of tornado warnings i think they will last a long time