Federal 2001-130 ANSI testing ???????

[SIRENMAN]

In 2009 I bid on the siren upgrade in Hamilton County Ohio and part of those bids were to supply independent testing data for your siren according to ANSI standards. ANSI Standards S12.14 lays out the standards of testing, which is to measure 100' from a siren and record the sound. Federal does their testing in their chamber at 10' away and calculate the sound output. I turned in the independent test for the T-128 and Federal turned in a test for the 2001SRNB dated in November 2002. The bid was thrown out for a reason not beknown to me, but it was rebid and low and behold the testing requirement was not included in the bids this time.

Therefore I have concluded that Federal never tested their 2001-130 and just said it put out the 130db. just for the hell of it and to keep up with ASC. I can find no testing data or anything to prove me wrong. If any of you know one way or another please let me know.

Here is their test:

[500 AT fan]

Dane county claims their 2001-130 in Mt. Horeb, WI is 127dB at 100 ft.

[jkvernon]

I don't have a developed background in acoustics or with Federal Signal, as some on this board may, but I honestly cannot see how raising the intake housing for the 2001-130 does anything to increase the volume, and by 2 full decibels from the 2001SRNB's MAX recorded output level. It doesn't do anything more to improve or better direct airflow.

I agree with you Clayt. I would assume some Chicago-style under the table business with Federal.

I would also think that free-field testing would be superior for acoustic testing than anechoic chamber for outdoor warning systems seeing as how it's the environment in which the system is going to be used.

[Nelso90]

I call shenanigans. My 1000 can beat the piss out of our 2001 down the street. I'm pushing maybe 125Db tops.

[Travis]

I call shenanigans. My 1000 can beat the piss out of our 2001 down the street. I'm pushing maybe 125Db tops.

Indeed. I feel that the companies all BS to some degree. They get away with it because of the countless variables that affect sound, and the way it travels. You might note that the Sentry 40V2T has magically jumped up in output as well. [From 127-130dB.] They haven't seemed to have changed its design at all, except for maybe now they paint their sirens white. When it comes down to it, a city really can't sue over that and win. There are just too many variables that the manufacturers can hide behind.

I will not, however, discount the fact that tone pitch/frequency greatly affects the sound coverage of a siren. When I lived at home with my parents, we were equidistant from both a 2001 and a T-128. On clear days with little wind, you could easily hear the T-128 through its entire cycle. You could not, however, hear the 2001. Same goes with some electronics. Omi Whelens of the same rated output as Modulators seem to carry much further than their FS counterparts.

Basically, I feel they all BS at least +/- 3 or so dB. It's competition.

[MattDean1003]

I stand firm believing that they should all be field tested at 100'. I honestly wonder how loud my set of P5 horns are. I've heard them from several miles away numerous times. How does one take a 10' recording and get a 100' reading out of it? I'm sure there are some equations, but why not just do a field test and see what the outcome is?

It's like another mystery I have yet to solve. A few years ago, the T-121 siren from ASC was presented without any horns. Which, in turn, is now called the T-112. The T-121 now has horns. My question is: Why was the 112 called the 121 back before they added horns and changed the name to the hornless 121 to the 112? How was it 121 at 100ft?

[500 AT fan]

According to old ASC website archives from around 2000, the T-121 was always horned. The T-112 was released a few years after it.
It should be noted, ACA (and ASC) always did outdoor testing, so I'd generally think their decibel ratings were more accurate than the companies that tested inside a chamber.

Where did you see the T-112 labeled as the T-121?

[MattDean1003]

Up until about 2004 or 2005, maybe even later, the T-121 was called a T-112. There were even pictures of it on ASC's site labled T-121 which had no horns. Maybe sooner than 2004 or 2005, I don't know. But I distinctly remember.

[holler]

Didn't Federal get slammed about falsifying the output of the early 2001's?

The best though is the Thunderbeam, which was supposed to kick out 124 db.

[500 AT fan]

I'm looking at the Wayback Archives right now. So far, it shows the T-121 as we've always known it, with exponential horns. Archives dating from 2000-2004.

The best though is the Thunderbeam, which was supposed to kick out 124 db.

128dB, if you're going by the early 1980's catalogue (which is up to the brim with bad decibel ratings).