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Blasty
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Found a neat horn today!

Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:54 am

I found this horn in an antique shop today, and was surprised to see such a familiar company name on it. I'm wondering what it may have been used for. I would guess some industrial environment like a factory or mill, from the thick cast enclosure.

I also noticed the interesting serial number. How does Federal's numbering system work? Does A1A mean this is the first model 55 horn ever made? :lol: (unlikely)

Tomorrow I'll connect a power cord to it and see what it sounds like. I'm sure I could use it for an effective burglar alarm or doorbell. :mrgreen:

Note, it's not really pink. It's gray with yellow areas, but I'm bad at taking pictures.

Image
Image
Last edited by Blasty on Sat Jun 18, 2016 5:21 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Daniel
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:01 am

Nice find! That is a resonating horn. Instead of a 60 Hz. buzz, you'll hear a higher, louder pitch around 325 Hz. These are commonly used as the "buzzer" in larger basketball courts and in loud, industrial areas. These are generally the loudest type of electric horn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sm8cyLeBrE
Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.

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Blasty
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:40 am

Thanks for the information and video link. I'm glad to see I found something worthwhile! When I test this tomorrow, I'll try to get it on video if the camera I have works well enough.

Still curious about that serial number. I noticed Dan Drega's horn tag is stamped in the more traditional manner, and has a long number with no letters in it.

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Thu Sep 16, 2010 6:42 am

Basketball horn :lol: I snagged a 12volt version of this horn off of ebay found it by mistake.A $60 steal. Mine is a model 56 slightly higher note than the 55. Federal still makes these and they are ridiculously expensive. Right around $500. I am planning on fitting it into my little Cavalier. :twisted: I'll upload some pics of it tomorrow. They also make a bent angle trumpet version as well. You may have to pull the back cover off and adjust the contacts if it does'nt sound.
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3t22
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:53 am

Blasty wrote:Thanks for the information and video link. I'm glad to see I found something worthwhile! When I test this tomorrow, I'll try to get it on video if the camera I have works well enough.

Still curious about that serial number. I noticed Dan Drega's horn tag is stamped in the more traditional manner, and has a long number with no letters in it.

I know on older Vibratone 350s they stamped A-1 on the tags and B-1 on the current version, but have a full serial number. Best guess this could be a 1st generation horn. The yellow flecks you see, probably mainly on the projector is brass. Get ready when you fire it off, it fairly loud. It's rated according to Federal at 105db @ 10ft. Mine will rattle windows, and create a good echo off a nearby building. I haven't dared test it in my current apartment because of this, although I've been very tempted a few times, especially when my downstairs neighbor blasted her stereo at 7am one morning :lol: .
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kx250rider
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:13 pm

Nice find! I wouldn't mind finding one of those. I have a Benjamin 110-v horn, which I don't know much about. It sounds like straight 60 cycles.

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Yes, that's a real 500-lb Federal SD-10 I'm holding (braggart!)

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Daniel
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:17 pm

Benjamin horns, Vibratones, and most other vibrating horns use a vibrating electromagnet connected to a diaphragm. The projector horn only channels the sound. A resonating horn works the same way, but the horn and its narrow orifice is tuned to produce a harmonic, much like tightening the lips can raise the note of a trumpet.

If you remove the horn on a Benjamin horn, it will sound the same. If you unscrew a resonating horn's trumpet, you will get a mechanical buzzing sound that is not nearly as loud as when it is attached.

When I lived in Salem, I had a Federal Model 55 resonating horn on my back porch, which overlooked an arm of the Willamette River about 500 feet away. When the riverboat went by every evening, I would blast it and they would return the salute on their steam whistle.

By the way, the curled-horn version is primarily used in Naval installations to conserve space, but has the same sound as the straight horn version.
Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.

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Blasty
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 7:58 pm

I made a quick video on my crappy camera. This horn doesn't sound like Dan's, so if anyone can give me tips on how it might be adjusted, I'd appreciate it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVu1BQtMNIk

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Blasty
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Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:30 pm

I decided to open it up, and I found the contact adjustment screw. I turned it in small steps through its full range, and nothing makes it sound right.

Standing in front of the horn about 10 feet away, I mostly hear 60Hz buzz. It should also be deafening at that distance, and it's not very loud.

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Blasty
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Fri Sep 17, 2010 1:13 am

I made another video showing what I've tried, in case that sheds any light on the problem. Not shown, I also ran the screw through its full range with the horn on to see if there was a sweet spot. No luck with that, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIwwHaqbRek

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