More ATIs going up

[va_nuke_pe]

First of all, the ATI HPSS will sound at 550 Hz. to all you T-bolt lovers, that is the same fequency a 1000A typically sounds at. Second, most of the sirens will be fixed horn arrays that will act as omni-directional sirens after about 400 feet. An array of about 150 omni-directional sirens within about 350 square miles or so will make all of the sound ADDITIVE, CONSTANT and not dropping in and out of background noise. They have to have the system in operation by January 30, 2007 - which means they will have to do a system test by that time.

I tell you what folks - you want to hear something LOUD, go to Buchanan, Verplanck or the southern part of Peekskill (all in Westchester County and near the plant) during that test. Take a sound meter with you if you want. It should sound LOUD and PROUD.

Third of all, compliments of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 651(b) and the ensuing NRC order, they have to be able to run the system on battery back-up. Given that the local governments also want outdoor voice capability (although they may not use it), then that removes electro-mechanical sirens as an option. Electronics also have the advantage of using less electrical power for a given sound output - hence less battery current draw and they can run on batteries longer. And, given that the local governments want voice capability, a directional horn array is the best way to give clear, INTELLIGIBLE voice in a 150 device array. That eliminates the hamburger stacks - Whelen 2900 and Federal Modulator. The hamburger stacks work fine as a point source for voice instructions - but they will not do the job in a big array with the speakers all going at the same time. Do not confuse the capability of a single device with the overall capability of an entire system.

So, quit complaining about ATI devices - they were picked for good reasons. If there is something that works better for the money and for the system requirements, I am not aware of it.

Bottom line - it isn't your money that is paying for them; it isn't your problem to fix them if something goes wrong; and knowing individual siren design (which many of you folks know quite well) is not the same as knowing the design constraints on a large outdoor mass notification system.

[Whelen Rules]

Is the pitch adjustable on ATIs? I would say they have 2 different tone generators one for the high pitch can't be heard sirens and one for the 550 hz siren tone, I know that the wil tone on ATIs is low.

[va_nuke_pe]

The ATI HPSS can have the alerting tone adjusted. It has increasing sound pressure level (dBC) as you decrease from 800 Hz to 550 Hz. Then if you drop adjust the alerting frequency lower, SPL will drop off again. That's what the test data says, any how.