Sterling model M

[CinWx]

What was the point in having two of the same port count? like 16/16 and 8/8? Does anybody have a recording of a Sterling? ~please do not direct me to youtube!

Here's a recording on a dual tone (8/16) M10 from The Siren Archive

http://www.jmarcoz.com/sirens/mtroyal_nj.wma

Does anyone know how to distinguish an M5 from an M10? I figured the M5 might have a longer wind up. Physically, they look identical.

[pyramid head]

Thanks for the sound clip!

[500AT]

Was there a low tone model of the Sterling "M" ever made? I know the regular ones have a very stupidly high tone to them. What is the port ratio on M's?

In my area, the old Irish Hills Fire Dept., had a Sterling M10 that was custom built with with 8/8 rotors. They decided to go with this configuration, since the area they served was very hilly, and the sound carried much better over given the geographical terrain. Conversely, Canton Township had a Sterling M10, with a 16/16 for fire alerting. This was done, since the other Sterling M10s had the standard 8/16 port ratio, which were used for Civil Defense/Severe Weather alerting.

The fire station Sterling with the 16/16 ratio, sounded very creepy when it went off for its 2-4 minute fire cycle. Sadly, that siren went to scrap a decade after the 1003 Thunderbolts were installed. Had I of known the fire chief back then, he said I could had the siren for free.

[Robert Gift]

Unless the wire covering is coming off, just leave it. If you have to remove the wires, put them in something for the hazwaste. I can't tell you how to tell asbestos insulation; I usually know it when I see it, but there's no way to describe it. The two wires on the right in the photo have asbestos insulation.

If you are concerned about asbestos, can you spray or coat the wires with some kind of plastic sealant?

[Daniel]

The problem with Sterling's 8/16 dual tone is that it does not sound much like a dual tone compared with other sirens. Many people have a hard time distinguishing between the octave interval and the overtones of a single-tone siren, whereas with a non-octave siren like a 2T22 or an SD-10, it is much easier to hear the difference. If a community was using a single tone siren for one thing and a dual tone for another, using a Sterling/Sentry octave siren for the dual tone is not recommended.

[Robert Gift]

Yes.
I always wondered why 8/16?
Would it not sound as one tone, just as a 8', 4' and 2' organ stops blend creating a single bright tone?
When I first saw and heard a pipe organ, I wondered how the pipes produced such wonderful "shiny" sounds.
Later I learned of mixture ranks.
Within a year later, I was tuning a Cymbal V. (Should be illegal!)

[pyramid head]

I noticed vent looking things on some of the Sterlings, as well as the "wings" off of the air intakes. were these things factory options?

[SirenMadness]

I don't really have a hard time distinguishing the two tones!

Though the tones sound similar, one carries farther, while the other one is more noticeable.

[Daniel]

I don't really have a hard time distinguishing the two tones!

Though the tones sound similar, one carries farther, while the other one is more noticeable.

I think that this is Sentry's philosophy -- the low tone for distance and the high tone for penetration. I've never heard a dual-tone Sentry or Sterling in person, but from several miles away, a dual-headed 8-port Darley is more audible than a dual-headed 16-port Sterling of comparable size. However, the overtones or resultant pitches from sirens with minor 3rd, perfect 4th, or perfect 5th intervals give an equally-broad pitch range for distance and penetration. Also, these are more recognizable by outsiders as a warning signal, particularly the minor 3rd (2T22).

[pyramid head]

I have a re-newed interest in Sterling's, so my question is about the intake cones. I have noticed "wings" and vent looking thing's off of the intake cones on different M's, and I was wondering if these were a factory option, and if they had a purpose.