"Discreet" vs. "obvious" sirens - which do you prefer?

[HudsonRiverSirens]

The modulator looks like some antenna or something on a transmission tower.Not very discreet when sitting on a trailer but not very noticeable when in use somewhere. There is a WPS-2903 near North Rockland High School and I never noticed it until I looked on a map and realized there was a siren there. I ran up to it today no pictures sadly. It was partially buried in the trees so you could only see it from a certain angle. I can only imagine if the siren went off during a game. Either there would be a lot of excitement or a lot of panic.
Congratulations on the modulator and for your 200th post.

If you're talking about the Whelen next to North Rockland High in Thiells, NY, I've seen that siren before and it's a 4cell. You might be talking about a completely different high school anyways LOL. But the interesting thing is that, when I first got to that school for a meet it was quite far in the distance and it was one of the first things I noticed from the parking spot. Super interesting

Yeah, you have the right school. I just never saw it because I didn't know what to look for. I've only known what that siren even is for about 4 months now and I have been going there for years. I also miscounted the cells.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2171559 ... 384!8i8192 Super interesting to know. Have you heard it sound?

[clarksburg_1000t]

If you're talking about the Whelen next to North Rockland High in Thiells, NY, I've seen that siren before and it's a 4cell. You might be talking about a completely different high school anyways LOL. But the interesting thing is that, when I first got to that school for a meet it was quite far in the distance and it was one of the first things I noticed from the parking spot. Super interesting

Yeah, you have the right school. I just never saw it because I didn't know what to look for. I've only known what that siren even is for about 4 months now and I have been going there for years. I also miscounted the cells.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2171559 ... 384!8i8192 Super interesting to know. Have you heard it sound?

I have not heard it sound yet. I will probably be editing the original post to put the right model number.

[WoodJ99]

I like Discreet sirens because I like to surprise people by saying, "See that air vent on top of that firehouse? That's a siren!"

I like doing that too. Very funny to see their reactions.

Imagine going to japan though, "That A/C unit plays music."

I've had those music sirens in mind, and that was EXACTLY my first thought when I first watched a video of them. Musical HVAC units!

[WoodJ99]

I would say that I like discreet sirens more. Discreet sirens give off small-town vibes which you don't really get with obvious sirens. For example, I own a discreet siren ( Federal Model 5) from an old fire station in Uptown New York. Sometimes identifying discreet sirens can also be challenging which I think is fun.

I do agree with you on that, in terms of discreet sirens giving off more of a small-town vibe. I wonder why that is? Maybe because most modern sirens are much more obvious and not discreet? And you're right - they can also be more challenging to identify.

[ArxCyberwolf]

I think discreet sirens have that "small town vibe" because they're more commonly found in small towns as the town's only siren, since they don't need a larger, more powerful siren that would have a more obvious siren-like design. Model 2s and Model 5s in particular are super common in small towns.