The Siren Board

This topic is about the worst sounding sirens you have ever heard.

Welcome to this new forum! Now, living in Hamilton County, I have mostly heard T-128s. But the worst one I've heard is the Excel T-128. It has a lower pitch, and it also wavers. It's also not very good looking, as it is so old I've starting seeing patches of rust on it! But even so, it sounds good to some degree.

Great question!

Just to be clear, let’s not make this a worst sirens thread. But I get what you’re trying to ask. Aside from just hearing the rotator from a T-128 and no chopper, I’d say I’ve experienced three less than subpar sounding tests.

First would have to be when Grand Prairie, TX had just installed their new fleet of ASC T-128s/T-135s. The T-135 I watched wound up very slowly and peaked at about half pitch, and turned off after 10 seconds. I think the solar panels were a dud. I was utterly disappointed. The only other disappointing siren test that actually included the siren sounding would be Forest Hill’s Whelen. It wound up for a fraction of a second before dying. That was back when gas was cheap, so no big loss.

Third one I can think of would be the now replaced WPS-4008 off of Virginia and Carlisle in McKinney, TX. There must’ve been a bag of popcorn in there. It was stuffy, popping like crazy and definitely not loud.

I know some other Texas enthusiasts with way worse experiences than me!

My most worst siren I had ever heard is a Lion King siren in Australia.

Heidlersburg, PA's 2T22B... the brushes were so bad on it that it sounded like it was running on 50HZ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJCQHYwUIdA&t=206s Here's my video.

I remeber watching a video of a 2001 (SRN I think) that had batteries so dead it barley even ran.

If you're asking me what's the worst siren I heard in real life, it's definitely one of the T-121's in Hartford, WI. Last time I heard it go off in person before dying, it wound up very slowly and was nowhere near the right pitch. I wonder how it is now...

Worst siren I've heard is one of Sarnia's ATIs. The solar panel is shot on it and they didn't add battery backup, so during one test it made a half-hearted attempt to wind up, then just made a couple of "boop" sounds before dying completely. It hasn't worked since. I'd call it in, but I have no clue who I'd have to talk to about fixing it. Funnily enough the siren isn't even 10 years old yet, already dead.

I feel bad for the people who used to live near Nashville's old ATI system.

Thunderbolt 1000T at the national guard in Moberly. Good thing I recorded it when I did as the last time I went (a few days ago) it was removed.