hi-lo airhorns

[SCP01]

What were the notes/intervals?

Thinking about it perhaps triple tone was an unfortunate term as in actuality there were only two tones with the lower one being repeated either side of the higher. Daa dee daa [pause] daa dee daa [pause] daa dee daa ...cycle continues. If I still have them I'll dig them out, the last time I remember seeing them was before we packed everything away during a move some years ago.

I've also heard continental two tones that sound an extended twin tone then two rapid twin tone cycles followed by the extended twin tones [pause] then the same cycle again (daaaa deeee, daa dee daa dee, daaaa deeee [pause] daaaa deeee, daa dee daa dee, daaaa deeee ....cycle continues. Does that make sense?

[Robert Gift]

I've also heard continental two tones that sound an extended twin tone then two rapid twin tone cycles followed by the extended twin tones [pause] then the same cycle again (daaaa deeee, daa dee daa dee, daaaa deeee [pause] daaaa deeee, daa dee daa dee, daaaa deeee ....cycle continues. Does that make sense?

Yes.
Your descriptions are wonderful and clear.
I can hear the horns in my mind.

You remind me of an interesting phenomena.
As a 4 year old, when I watched a railroad crossing signal operate, (o)T(o)
(two red lights alternately flash @ one second each), I would 'hear' "Meee-mool-Meee-mool..."
The left lamp, a little brighter, I perceived as "Meeee"
The right lamp, aimed a little right, not as bright, was "Mool"!

Of course, there is no actual sound heard.
I named RXR crossing signals "Me-mool lights" -the term of which is now known worldwide!

Even today, seeing a flashing yellow light at night,
I perceive a white noise: "ahhhhhhhh" when it illuminates.
ahhhhhhhhh.......................ahhhhhhhhhhhh....................ahhhhhhhhhh
Have you ever noticed such an affect?
I wonder if optic nerve signals alsomehow stimulate the aural areas of the brain?

[Daniel]

Yeah- whenever I see blue and red wigwags flashing in my rear view mirror, my mind goes "oh,s**t!, oh s**t!, oh s**t!".

Portamento is closer to wail. Wail is detected better in background noise and music than any other sound.

American influence is everywhere. Unfortunate for tradition, but wail is a superior siren.

Are any hi-lo air horns as loud as an electronic siren?

By portamento, I mean a glide down to the low note, then a glide up to the high note, at the same interval as most German sirens. The glide takes a fraction of a second.

Wail is only as good as the drivers who hear it. German drivers are significantly more alert to what is going on around them than most Americans are.

If you have ever heard Berlin's fire trucks with full four-horn Martinshorns blaring, there easily as loud as a 2QB or any electronic. Back then, some trucks were still painted in the old emergency color of dark blue. In my school, the older fire alarm stations were also dark blue.

[Robert Gift]

Though I am not a musician, only an organist, I knowhat portamento is.
I especially like them in olives.

Surprised thathose Martinshorns are louder than a Q siren.

One thing I'd like abouthem over a Q is thathey can be instantly silenced.
Also, if they use less electrical power for the same loudness than a Q, that is nice.

Interesting that darkblue is Deutchemergency color.

[Daniel]

Dark blue has been replaced in most places by fluorescent orange or plain old fire engine red. All the warning lights, though, are still blue.

[Jim_Ferer]

Here's from the Martin-Horn site. This looks like their largest model:

[Robert Gift]

Thank you both for the photos.
(Daniel, I voted you an applaud and your score went from 11 to 12.
Tried to applaud Jim, but notice said, "Too soon from last Karma vote.")

Is the flourescent orange better than red because it is more visible in the dark?

Nice looking set of horns.
Wouldn'they be.tter on the left side of the roof?

Greathat it does not require a reservoir.
Anyone know how much such a set costs?
(Their time signature is wrong; should be 5/4)

Why the pause? To allow hearing another emergency vehicle?

Th.is anothereason I keep our siren silent as much as possible.

Doing so allowed me to hear a responding Denver Fire truck approaching the same intersection. Seeing me on his left, he applied his brakes.
Immediately I switched off all my lightso he'd continue.
I switched on the lights, turned left and fell in behind him, silent.
Was nice having him clear traffic until he turned left and I was on my own.

[Daniel]

Thanks, Robert. You're the Gift that keeps on giving!

German weather is much like western Oregon -- grey and rainy. Those orange vehicles are very hard to miss in those conditions. Similarly, Oregon has experimented with fluorescent yellow "diamond" warning signs instead of the usual flat gold, and they work nicely. They are now using a fluorescent gold color closer to the original which is just as good.

[Robert Gift]

Isn'thathe same description for VD?!

Would be nice to see the difference in signs.

Littleton, CO FD had lime green trucks.
Now getting away from that.

I thought flourescent red or orange would be.tter than green.

[Jim_Ferer]

No, there was a study in the '70s that the dayglo green trucks were the most visible. I'm wearing a reflective vest of the same dayglo green with reflective striping -- drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike are idiots. Excuse me, homicidal idiots.

The lime green trucks were unpopular with firemen, who as we all know are intensely conservative about a lot of things. They didn't care that the only less visible color than red at night is black. Better reflective materials to stripe trucks with have made a big difference.