The Siren Board

Al lertor, that is really cool!! could you load those tapes? I remember seeing one soundmaster 125 off HWY 55 in Plymouth. Weirdest looking siren-wish I could have heard it go off!! Long gone now.. Same with the SQAURE HORNED HURRICANS!!

Dispatcherman, I don't have any of the old tapes. I have never heard the Soundmaster 125. I drove by the one on Hwy 55 regularly and know it was still in use because it was facing a different direction after each 1st Wednesday of month test. One of the square-horned Hurricanes I used to drive by was right off of 494 (east side of highway between Hwy 7 and 394). The other Hurricane was right off of Excelsior Blvd and Hwy 101. That one I recorded long ago. It sounded just like the round Hurricane as I recall.
Another siren recorded was a Thunderbolt on top of the old Montgomery Wards, off 94 in St. Paul. It was dual-toned, not single-toned like the other Thunderbolts in St. Paul.
There was also a blue Allertor in Bloomington, right across Hwy 169 from Jerry's Foods.

There was also a black Allertor on top of a fire station in Bloomington (Bush Lake Rd & 106th Street). I drove by it many times but didn't even realize it was there until it went off during a tornado warning. It was pretty low mounted and loud. If you google map this location and view it from street level (106th street, facing the fire station), then click the timeline icon and go back to 2007, you can see it.

Thanks for the info!! I also remember that blue allertor in Bloomington!! Where I live in Coon Rapids there used to be a thunderbolt by CRHS. and there was an allertor on Coon Rapids Blvd. by the Rose Garden Restaurant.
Both replaced by 2001's

I grew up in St. Louis Park, sandwiched between an Allertor (right behind Jerry's Market on Vernon in Edina) and a Thunderbolt 1000 (right across Excelsior Blvd from Miracle Mile, next to a water tower that has since been torn down). The Thunderbolt was replaced by a Thunderbeam in the late 80s, then a round-back 2001 in the 90s.

I wish the newer sirens were dual-toned. I'd feel a lot better about the state of the siren union (SOTSU). Of the newer sirens, I like the American Signal mechanical sirens the best, probably because they are lower pitched and don't sound like fire engine sirens.

I agree about the dual toned sirens. There are dual toned model 3's and since the 2001 appears to use a model 3 chopper it would not be much of a stretch to make it happen. I also like asc 8 port sirens. The cool thing on test day is to drive over between Coon Rapids roundback 2001 and Andover's T128 and get the "8-12" port ambience!!

dispatcherman wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 24, 2020 3:13 am

I agree about the dual toned sirens. There are dual toned model 3's and since the 2001 appears to use a model 3 chopper it would not be much of a stretch to make it happen. I also like asc 8 port sirens. The cool thing on test day is to drive over between Coon Rapids roundback 2001 and Andover's T128 and get the "8-12" port ambience!!

If 2001's even use the chopper from an older siren, it would most likely be a Model 7 chopper. I really don't think the chopper is the exact size as a Model 3,5, or 7. Federal most likely kept their infamous chopper design while sizing it to properly run with the 6.5hp motor that they make. Also note that a Model 3 chopper is only 12 inches wide.