The Siren Board

1. Would it be possible to run a mechanical siren from a Whelen Controller?
2. How do ESC-2030s get tones down to 517Hz?
3. Can tone Hz be changed on controllers?
4. Does anyone know of a Whelen that isn't a 2000R/400R that has collector rings?
5. On this map(http://www.michigancivildefense.com/sit ... 1982sm.jpg), which municipalities in michigan would these be? One looks like Isabella Co, One looks like Clare Co, and it almost looks like...Wexford Co?

Phone Goat wrote: ↑

Fri May 04, 2018 2:53 pm

1. Would it be possible to run a mechanical siren from a Whelen Controller?
2. How do ESC-2030s get tones down to 517Hz?
3. Can tone Hz be changed on controllers?
4. Does anyone know of a Whelen that isn't a 2000R/400R that has collector rings?
5. On this map(http://www.michigancivildefense.com/sit ... 1982sm.jpg), which municipalities in michigan would these be? One looks like Isabella Co, One looks like Clare Co, and it almost looks like...Wexford Co?

1. Depends on what you're wanting to know. Stepper motors would produce the tones and I'm sure any other DC driven motor will also do that. That's the only logical thing I could get out of it.
2. Down to? Trying to figure that out. Thought 2000 series panels were digital so a computer would burn whatever sound was required onto that chip.
3. On the analogue ESC-864 there's that jumper that you can short to generate two tones, so technically you can. I know on a SiraTone you can by turning the pots that govern the Johnson Counters, however Federal said that was only a fine tuning tool only to be done by the factory.
4. I have a very good feeling that was the only one.

1. not really
2. random variation.
3. not recently.
4. no.

1) No. Tone generators and amplifiers will not run a mechanical siren. Could you interface the radio from an electronic siren controller to the mechanical controls? Sure. But that seems pretty insane to buy a full electronic controller for only one function. It would be like buying an iPhone only to check the weather.

2) You don't. The ESC-2020 had a glitch that caused it to drift downward after a SiTest (I think it was Nick Metts who figured this out with his 2020 powered 4004 but I apologize if I am misascribing credit). This is why all documentation for 2020 powered sirens rate them at sounding at 465 hz but they ended up sounding at 435 hz. There were plenty of 2020 based 560hz Whelens. The glitch was corrected in later revisions. For what its worth, you can tell a 2020 and 2030 powered unit apart by listening to the wind down. The 2020 powered siren will not have a smooth wind down (its sort of stepwise; listen to a 435 hz 2020 wind down to hear what I mean) whereas a 2030 siren will wind down smoothly.

3) I don't see why not (a former Whelen engineer who posted on here said they could do anything) but Whelen's documentation on their newer programming software leads me to believe that'd be a factory option. Their software documentation doesn't leave any instructions for tone customization as opposed to, say, the later Federal controllers, which Logan Shelts proved are easily customizable in software.

4) No, and even the Rich Fountain, MO siren seems to be an anomaly. The 2000Rs (the 400R was essentially just the name for the Vortex before Whelen used the Vortex name) in St. Louis oscillated like any other Whelen.

5) That's a drawing, not a map. Not at all specific. General I'm sure, but not specific.

well, actually, you could run a mechanical siren off the rotator contactor. only alert though.

Whelen makes a mechanical siren controller.

post a link! i want to learn about this