Federal Signal or American Signal( which one do you better )

[Daniel]

Why doesn't anyone even consider Sentry?

I've been wondering this too. For single tone sirens, these are my favorite. I have never been a fan of rotating sirens for the simple facts that they blur the distinction between an alert and an attack signal, and that the sound is not at a constant volume. All the best sirens from Federal and American are no longer made, but Sentry has the widest range of mechanical sirens and is rarely mentioned on this board. Is it a matter of cost, perhaps? Are they more expensive, or somehow inferior? From my experience they seem to last forever, particularly the old Sterlings, which are essentially horizontal versions of their current models. As far as the sound goes, their single-tone sirens sound a pitch half an octave below comparable Federal sirens, giving them a greater effective range. Although I don't care for their octave interval (the 5th on the 40V2T isn't bad), dual tone sirens are getting harder to come by in America and Sentry continues to offer several models, as well as air horn setups and battery-powered sirens.

[Jim_Ferer]

Alarm Repair,

Try Central Armature Works in Washington, D.C. They're a big area electrical apparatus contractor that took care of the huge system of Thunderbolts for many years, all through the Cold War. The system was taken down around 1993 or so, so there's likely still people around who worked on them. They might even be willing to put you in touch with a retiree or two who keeps a liking for the old sirens. (And if you find some, invite them to join here)

D.C. had almost 500 sirens in D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. They were all Thunderbolts until they ceased production; after that, new units were Allertors.

http://www.centralarmatureworks.com/

Read their website and you'll see there's no way to have a company better suited to the task.

[Mister_Penetrator]

For me, there is a little bit of something that I like out of:

I. Federal Signal:
A. Thunderbolt
B. 500

II. American Signal Company:
A. T-135
B. T-128
C. ACA Allertor
D. ACA Hurricane

III. Whelen:
A. WPS 4000 series
B. 3016
C. Hornet
D. Vortex
But if I had to choose, it would either be ASC or Whelen. They both have their pros and cons over eachother

[AlarmRepair]

I hate to break it but Whelen is not even a siren .. It's an amplified speaker.. a siren is an airaphone which is what a rotor and stator are comprised of.

[kswx29]

I would have to say Federal Signal...I love almost all of their sirens...heres my Fav siren list.
1. xt22
2. 500AT
3. Thunderbolt
4. SD-10
5. Thunderbeam

American Signal, the only sirens i like from them is the Hurricane

I am starting to like Whelen more and more everyday...altho they would be number 2 or 3 in my List of Fav Siren companys.

[Gil]

Alarm Repair,

Try Central Armature Works in Washington, D.C. They're a big area electrical apparatus contractor that took care of the huge system of Thunderbolts for many years, all through the Cold War. The system was taken down around 1993 or so, so there's likely still people around who worked on them. They might even be willing to put you in touch with a retiree or two who keeps a liking for the old sirens. (And if you find some, invite them to join here)

D.C. had almost 500 sirens in D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. They were all Thunderbolts until they ceased production; after that, new units were Allertors.

http://www.centralarmatureworks.com/

Read their website and you'll see there's no way to have a company better suited to the task.

Do they still have Allertors (or any sirens, at that)? I've been to D.C.
2 times (June 2003 and June 2004) and never saw a single siren either
time.

[Jim_Ferer]

No. They all came down sometime after I moved away in 1988. I heard 1993, but I'm not certain. None of them were left on poles or buildings to rot that I can see; every siren that I knew of was removed, gone.

[ronatello]

If referring to current production, American Signal wins hands down (esp. in the tone dept.) IMHO.
All of the tempest series sirens get my vote.

[Whelen Rules]

I hate to break it but Whelen is not even a siren .. It's an amplified speaker.. a siren is an airaphone which is what a rotor and stator are comprised of.

Even though it uses amplifiers and drivers it is still producing a siren tone which is broadcasted out of the speaker drivers(could get more technical but thats just to make a long explanation short). So it is a siren just an Electronic siren

[hobbeekid]

As far as hearing a 2T22 5 miles away.... Sure, you can hear an SD10 8 miles away in the great distance if the elements permit it.. late at night with no wind on a damp evening..sure, sound will travel... High noon on a windy summer sunny day, forget it...you won't hear a siren 1/4 mile away....

I'm thinking late at night, on a very cold night. About 30 to 40 degrees
or so.I think the colder it is the further sound would travel. I've always thought about experimenting with one minute blasts under these conditions.Unfortunately I live in a very populated area & I think people out here would possibly panic.........