8/8 Port Sterling M-10? Rarity? Date of manufacture?
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 2:15 am
So I live in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia where we have a Sterling M-10 for routine 911 calls (three 20-second cycles for fire, 30 seconds alert for EMS) in addition to weather warnings (3 minutes attack).
The siren is mounted very high up on a 4-story elevator shaft where its stators are impossible to view, but since 8/16 port Sterlings seem to be relatively common, I always thought this one was also 8/16, based on its prominent approx. 432hz tone and the gruff nature of its sound. However, it was suggested to me that this siren may actually be 8/8 port. At first I was skeptical because I hadn't heard of an 8/8 port Sterling before, but now I think it may be true. I listened more closely and couldn't discern much of a high tone. I listened to and compared some dual-rotor 8/16 and 8/8 Sentry sirens such as the 10V2T and 10V1T, and the Sterling definitely sounds to me more like the 8/8 Sentrys than the 8/16 ones. What are your all's thoughts on this? Is there any documentation of Sterling making 8/8 port M-10s?
Another thing I'm wondering about is its date of installation. This article claims it was installed in 1921, which seems very early to me, but I'm not all that familiar with Sterling's history. What can you all tell me?
EDIT: I just found some sources online saying the M models began in the 1910s. So looks like 1921 is not an unplausible date, but geez that's old! I suppose being in continuous use has really kept it in shape.
Thanks
Here's a recording of the siren from a window in my house. Please ignore the ugly weathersealing, haha.
The siren is mounted very high up on a 4-story elevator shaft where its stators are impossible to view, but since 8/16 port Sterlings seem to be relatively common, I always thought this one was also 8/16, based on its prominent approx. 432hz tone and the gruff nature of its sound. However, it was suggested to me that this siren may actually be 8/8 port. At first I was skeptical because I hadn't heard of an 8/8 port Sterling before, but now I think it may be true. I listened more closely and couldn't discern much of a high tone. I listened to and compared some dual-rotor 8/16 and 8/8 Sentry sirens such as the 10V2T and 10V1T, and the Sterling definitely sounds to me more like the 8/8 Sentrys than the 8/16 ones. What are your all's thoughts on this? Is there any documentation of Sterling making 8/8 port M-10s?
Another thing I'm wondering about is its date of installation. This article claims it was installed in 1921, which seems very early to me, but I'm not all that familiar with Sterling's history. What can you all tell me?
EDIT: I just found some sources online saying the M models began in the 1910s. So looks like 1921 is not an unplausible date, but geez that's old! I suppose being in continuous use has really kept it in shape.
Thanks
Here's a recording of the siren from a window in my house. Please ignore the ugly weathersealing, haha.
