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Snowpix ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

I'm just your average Canadian wolf. I'm a siren enthusiast and railfan as my main hobbies. I run the Civil Defense Sirens Wiki, and am working on restoring a few vintage sirens (such as a FS&S Model L and a rare Sterling Siren MOD. F) as well as a 1970s Safetran mechanical crossing bell.

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US soldiers demonstrating captured German body armor, WW1, 1918
  • Top of the image says "body armor test" so the holes are from the tests and not combat. Your edit is most likely correct.

  • The US is Politically to the Right of [Other] Democracies
  • I would think that's North Korea, but that's kinda a given.

  • Biden calls his decision to step aside from 2024 race a matter of defending democracy
  • If he did, he'd be doing something about it like protesting or getting involved with local government (which involve going outside, the horrors) instead of trying to act superior to a bunch of strangers on the Internet. Doing the latter takes absolutely no effort, so that's the lane he chooses.

  • Trump campaign files FEC complaint trying to block Biden funds transferring to Harris
  • Hypocrisy has never been an obstacle for Republicans.

  • What is something people you encounter at your job say that makes you want to scream? (Job, person & quote)
  • "Are you guys still serving breakfast?"

    It ended 5 hours ago! It's 3 in the afternoon and breakfast hours are clearly posted on the sign. What do you think??

  • Ohio GOP Senator Says 'Civil War' Needed If Trump Loses.
  • I'd like to see those bloated trailer-trash fucks try.

  • What song have you listened to a lot recently?
  • Here's to Life by Streetlight Manifesto. A song that alludes to several famous individuals who took their own life, and how while they are great inspirations for the singer, they will never follow in their footsteps through suicide. A lot of songs on that album (Everything Goes Numb) are about overcoming thoughts of suicide and broken relationships.

    "And it makes me sick when I think of it, all my heroes could not live with this, and I hope you rest in piece because with us you never did. And K.D.C., you were much too young and you changed my life, but I draw the line at suicide! Here's to liiiiiiiiiiiiiife!"

  • At the end of the day, they're a lot similar than they'd like to admit
  • Don't worry, they're still going and just as exhausting as ever. Only reason I keep them unblocked is so I can read the replies destroying whatever bad-faith arguments they make because it's entertaining.

  • you can set your watch to it
  • Haven't seen any Linkerbaan posts about her yet. We'll see.

  • you can set your watch to it
  • Fuck defeatism. Now is the time to rally behind whoever is up against Trump, Harris included. Throwing your hands in the air and giving up is exactly how you fuck everyone over.

  • Donald Trump's chances of winning election slump after RNC speech
  • Right, I forgot the distinction. I've gotta play Tale of Two Wastelands again.

  • Double Standard
  • and Toronto.

  • Never believe the hype.
  • You need to take a few steps back and look inwards. You are wishing death on another human being. Not because they did anything particularly heinous, you just got upset at them. Is this something you regularly do, or are you just having a bad day? Either way, that's not okay and you need to find a better outlet for your anger than wishing death upon random strangers on the internet.

  • In appreciation of the Super Mario Bros Movie (1993)
  • Haskins once mentioned a conversation he had with his son after the movie bombed. His son asked him why he decided to be in the movie, to which he responded "So I could buy you new shoes." His son's response? "Dad, I don't need shoes that badly."

  • the party of "unity and democratic values"
  • To be fair, it is kinda funny how blank Joe's expression is on the wrap. He just looks like he's wondering how the hell he got there. The not-so-funny part is that I'm sure there are Republicans who genuinely want this to happen... as if their shitty pickup truck would make it that far.

  • I don't find therapy all that useful.
  • Grasping to control, so you better hold on

  • Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    Penetrator-10 outdoor warning siren

    This ad dates to the early-mid 1980s. The siren advertised is the Penetrator-10 (P-10 for short) which is a 10-horsepower electric outdoor warning siren built by Alerting Communicators of America (ACA). ACA was the siren division of Biersach & Niedermeyer (BNCO), a company previously shown in the Mobil Directo ads. The P-10 boasted a rating of 125 decibels at 100 ft, with a double-sided 10 horsepower motor driving both the chopper (which makes the noise) and the chain-drive rotation mechanism underneath the siren using a gearbox. The siren used weather-resistant fibreglass for the projector and motor housing, which was something ACA was famous for as other companies used steel. It could also be single or dual-tone depending on what was needed.

    The P-10 was released in 1980, replacing the Allertor 125 which was the same siren at its core, but used a similar projector to the Mobil Directo. This projector was found to suffer from water building up in the horn and freezing, which would jam up the chopper and burn out the motor. The P-10 didn't have this issue, which is why it replaced the Allertor. The P-10 was also sold alongside the 15HP Penetrator-15, and the monstrous 135 decibel Penetrator-50, which holds the record as the loudest electric siren ever built.

    After ACA's bankruptcy and reformation into the American Signal Corporation in 1994, the P-10 was discontinued in favour of the P-15, which would be renamed to the RM-127 until it too was discontinued in 2002. The P-50 would be sold until 2007 under the name T-135AC. American Signal Corporation still exists today, selling the Tempest, E-Class, and i-Force lines of sirens.

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    BNCO Mobil-Directo air raid siren

    This ad was released roughly around 1948, advertising the Mobil Directo air raid siren. I've posted an ad for this siren previously, which only featured the Mobil Directo's gas engine-driven BN52 model. This ad introduced a new variant of the Mobil-Directo, driven by a 10HP electric motor instead of the 25HP Wisconsin aircooled engine. This new electric model proved extremely successful, as engines require significantly more maintenance and are far less practical for siren use than a motor.

    The new model, known as the Mobil Directo BN44E, saw widespread use across the United States and Canada. Rated at 126 dB @ 100ft for 10/12-port dual tone models to nearly 128 dB for 8-port single tone models, the BN44E was louder than most other sirens during the time of its production. The engine-driven BN52 would see sales dry up quickly after the BN44E's release, being discontinued in 1953. The BN44E would be sold until 1967, when BNCO was forced to stop making sirens due to stiff competition from Federal Sign & Signal.

    BNCO would create a new division, known as Alerting Communicators of America (ACA) who would redesign the Mobil Directo into the Allertor 125, which saw the steel projector replaced with a fiberglass projector, and the dual belt-driven pulleys on the rotation drive replaced by a single chain-drive rotation mechanism under the siren. The Allertor 125 would be sold until 1981, when it was replaced by the Penetrator-10 which replaced the large projector with a simplified horn.

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    Lincoln Electric Motors

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    Sterling Model "M" electric siren

    The Model M was an early electric siren first developed in 1920 by the Inter-State Machine Products Company, who would later rebrand to the Sterling Siren Fire Alarm Company based out of Rochester, NY. The Model M was perhaps the most popular and widespread fire siren sold in North America, with units being sold across the US and Canada in great numbers. It is said that nearly every volunteer fire department in the eastern US had a Sterling Model M, or Sterling's other sirens such as the Model 5VX or Little Giant.

    Unlike earlier electric sirens such as the Denver sirens I talked about in a previous post, the Model M was designed from the ground up to be weatherproof. Reliability in an emergency is everything, and its designer, Merton C. Armstrong, knew this. The choppers are covered with rounded "sounders" which also direct sound downwards, the motor is protected by a cover, and the air intakes on each side had protective wire mesh to keep debris out. By 1928, the siren would be improved with metal louvres on the intakes to further protect it. The Model M used motors between 3-10 horsepower, could be single or dual headed, and were rated to roughly 115 decibels @ 100 ft.

    The Model M as previously mentioned saw incredible success. As shown by a friend of mine who made a map of every known Sterling siren, these sirens found their way everywhere. Unfortunately, by the late 1970s, competition became too great as Sterling's 50 year old design became obsolete. Sterling went out of business in 1972, but its designs were bought by a new company known as Sentry Siren who produced the Model M until 1986.

    Sentry Siren is still in business today, and many of its sirens are directly based on the Model M's chopper design which is a testament to how good the Model M was. Many Model Ms remain in service today, including several units which are roughly 100 years old. Van Alstyne, TX's Model M is speculated to be the oldest surviving Model M, and is currently still in service.

    Video of an early single tone Model M in Van Alstyne, TX, presumably the oldest known Model M

    Video of a later dual tone Model M with louvred intakes in Columbus Grove, OH

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    Federal Thunderbolt 1000 air raid siren

    The Thunderbolt was one of the more unique designs for an outdoor warning siren. Instead of using a large chopper (the part that makes the noise in mechanical sirens) the Thunderbolt uses a small chopper through which pressurized air is fed from a Roots blower at the base of the siren. Because the feed of air is constant from the blower, the siren would not lose volume as it raised and lowered in pitch, unlike conventional sirens. Despite having a chopper diameter of only a few inches across, the Thunderbolt was more powerful than most sirens of its era at ~127 decibels @ 100 feet. The only siren that could beat it in 1952 was the Chrysler Air Raid Siren, which was powered by a Hemi V8 engine.

    Thunderbolts were produced by Federal Enterprises (later Federal Sign & Signal and then Federal Signal Corporation) from 1952 to 1990. Federal's main competition, Alerting Communicators of America, famously created their own Roots-blown siren called the Hurricane 130 to compete with the Thunderbolt with questionable results. The design, while high-performing, was also maintenance intensive as the rotation mechanism and blower had belts that needed to be replaced on occasion. It would be succeeded by Federal's 2001 siren, which is sold today as the 2001-130.

    Video of a Thunderbolt 1000

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    William Box Denver Quadruplex electric siren

    The "Denver Quadruplex" was a very early example of an electric siren, first invented and sold in 1914. The company who built these, the Denver CO-bssed William A. Box Iron Works Company , is generally credited for inventing the first practical electric outdoor warning siren, the Denver Type A, a few years earlier. Surprisingly, several of these remain in service today despite being 90-110 years old. These were originally meant for use in mines, but later found popular use as fire sirens. While manufacturered by William A. Box, the sirens were typically sold through vendors such as Hendrie & Bolthoff.

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    Peterbilt 451 truck ad

    A friend of mine posted this to a Discord server I'm in and thought it was interesting. It's for the Peterbilt 451, a very unique and short-lived truck design that appears to have only been sold to a few companies and is now extinct. It appears to have combined a box truck with a semi truck.

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    Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. @sh.itjust.works ArxCyberwolf @lemmy.ca

    BNCO Mobil Directo Air Raid Siren

    This is a 1952 ad for the engine-driven BN52 model Mobil Directo air raid siren, which used a 25HP Wisconsin air-cooled engine to drive both the chopper (the noisemaker) and two belt-driven pulleys to spin the siren around. Later BN44E models would switch the engine to an electric motor. It was one of the first rotational sirens, and would later redeveloped into the "Allertor" and "Penetrator" electric sirens.

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