rear mounting on a pickup?

[Jim_Ferer]

It's the Declaration of Independence, and the pursuit of happiness doesn't include doing just anything you feel like doing.

But that's way too deep for the current discussion. You can't have a siren on a motor vehicle unless you've got an emergency vehicle. If you've got a siren on your truck and use it, you'll get busted, and constitutional arguments won't get you anywhere. You may disagree with it completely as an infringement on all you basic rights, but you're completely swimming upstream on this one. No court will go along with you.

[SirenMadness]

Even if he is granted the use of an emergency vehicle, limits exist to the type of warning device. A Sterling would definitely not make the check.

[birdy]

Using a sterling as a horn? What?

I'm sure there are mini-sirens you can wire up if you're hell-bent on having one go off everytime some idiot on a cellphone nearly t-bones you at an intersection, but I'd question the legality of even that.

We're talking about a full-blown air raid siren here. Where in your mind is that appropriate, or even practical?

It's always hilarious to me when people whip out the constitution as a defense to commiting acts of stupidity. Certainly I'd love to install a T-bolt on my roof and use it as an alarm clock every day, but the line between fantasy and reality is a pretty bold one in that situation.

[SirenMadness]

You can use a siren as a horn by using dampers; that would not hurt if the siren is not so loud and if it only gets "honked" in a short blast.

[pyramid head]

well, is it possible that i could find a non populated area and do what ever? i think a place such as the desert or a mountainous area would be fine. but yeah, i see what i want wont work.

[Jim_Ferer]

Taking your siren out into the boonies is completely different. I'd guess the best way is to put it on a trailer instead of tying up your pickup.

One horsepower is supposed to be about 746 watts, according to unit converters, but I'm sure I'm missing something. I can't believe that if I had a five horsepower engine I could get 5 x 746 watts out of it. There's got to be inefficiencies and so on in the conversion of horsepower to watts. I wish somebody who actually knows about these relationships would jump in and explain these relationships, because I know I don't understand them.

But to get an idea, if the Sterling has a 10 horse motor you need about 7,500 watts (probably more) which is a good sized generator. the differences between US and Brit motors in terms of voltage, etc., are going to be a problem too.

I hear next to lakes and so on are great places to try out a siren.

[Robert Gift]

It takes too long for an air raid siren, or any mechanical siren, to rev up to be quick enough as a warning to avoid a T-bone by some bonehead on his cell phone.

That is where you want a railroad locomotive horn!!

If 10 hp, I'd expect the siren to be three-phase.
That will complicate everything to the point of ruining the idea.

Maybe you could drive around and sound it in a tornado warning.
I don't think anyone would object during an actual warning when other sirens are sounding.
But in that case, I'd be out tornado chasing with my camcorder.

Remember what all that weight will do to your gas mileage.
(I'm so cheap I remove our Streethawk lightbar when returning to Denver on I-70 or I-25 after runs to Vail, Ft. Collins or Colorado Springs.)

[pyramid head]

well, i guess i do have plenty of time to think about all this. i get my permit next month, so i guess i can just get a air horn or something.

[Robert Gift]

well, i guess i do have plenty of time to think about all this. i get my permit next month, so i guess i can just get a air horn or something.

If it is bad, why not just purchase a new vehicle horn?
Why get something obnoxious and expensive and fuel wasting (= more air pollution) when standard approved horns are sufficient?

[Trey]

Just ask the NRC for a small nuclear reactor and set a T-135 in your truck and take a trip to the country.

No, if you want a vehicle horn, just get a new one or put in a train horn, or even a small vehicle siren such as one of those 12VDC Universal Security Instrument sirens off eBay.