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So... What's the verdict? Are piercer, T3, or priority tones allowed? I even have a rig that runs euro tone haha.
13 CCR § 1021
Cal. Admin. Code tit. 13, § 1021
Barclays Official California Code of Regulations Currentness
Title 13. Motor Vehicles (Refs & Annos)
Division 2. Department of the California Highway Patrol
Chapter 4. Special Equipment
Article 8. Sirens
§ 1021. Definitions.
(a) A "siren" is an audible warning device that produces the readily recognizable warning sound identified with emergency vehicles. An audible device, such as a vehicle theft alarm, that produces a sound with one or more of the following characteristics is not a siren:
(1) an unvarying sound.
(2) a varying sound that cycles at a rate faster than 400 cycles per minute.
(3) a discontinuous sound that repeats at rates lower than 90 cycles per minute or higher than 400 cycles per minute.
(4) a sound frequency (and any second harmonics) lower than 100 Hz or higher than 5,000 Hz.
(b) An "authorized emergency vehicle siren" is a device that meets the requirements of this article.
(c) An "electromechanical siren" consists of a stator and rotor driven by an electric motor.
(d) An "electronic siren" consists of an oscillator, amplifier, and speaker.
(e) A "mechanical siren" consists of a stator and rotor driven by a mechanical connection to a moving part of the vehicle or engine.
(f) "Manual" means a siren control that allows the operator to produce a wailing sound by alternately applying and releasing a momentary contact switch.
(g) "Wail" is a siren sound producing a slow, continuous automatic cycling of increasing and decreasing frequencies and sound levels.
(h) "Yelp" is a siren sound producing a rapid, continuous automatic cycling of increasing and decreasing frequencies and sound levels.
(i) "Hi-Lo" means a nonsiren sound alternating between a fixed high and a fixed low frequency.
(j) "ANS" means a standard adopted by the American National Standards Institute, Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018.
(k) "SAE" means a standard or recommended practice of the Society of Automotive Engineers, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096.
Note: Authority cited: Section 26103, Vehicle Code. Reference: Sections 26103, 26104 and 27002, Vehicle Code.
13 CCR § 1021, 13 CA ADC § 1021
This database is current through 5/28/10 Register 2010, No. 22
13 CA ADC § 1021
whelen, federal signal, and sound off all have different names for the siren tones. CA legal tones, as mentoned above, may be anything between 90 and 400 cycles per minute and between 100hz and 5,000hz. refer to the owners manual at to which are OK. i know on my ambulance wail, yelp and t3 are legal its a fed-sig. however in the "dual" mode only wail is, yelp and t3 cycle faster than 400 when in dual.
keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).
this next part is not aimed at anyone in particular. just what i have to say on any thread about a siren.
"and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more. Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."
whelen, federal signal, and sound off all have different names for the siren tones. CA legal tones, as mentoned above, may be anything between 90 and 400 cycles per minute and between 100hz and 5,000hz. refer to the owners manual at to which are OK. i know on my ambulance wail, yelp and t3 are legal its a fed-sig. however in the "dual" mode only wail is, yelp and t3 cycle faster than 400 when in dual.
keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).
this next part is not aimed at anyone in particular. just what i have to say on any thread about a siren.
"and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more. Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."
Rob, I agree with everything you said. time and a place for everything.
It's inconsiderate to deafen your co-responders with the siren.
Wouldn't that depend upon how much you like them?
I guess.
I don't care if you don't like me, if you come into a scene I'm working on sirens blazing you will hear about it from me, and most everyone else that I work with.
keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).
Personally, I had good, if limited, success with just using yelp to get cars to yield on straight aways and letting the siren sit on wail at intersections. Of course I also plan ahead and generally didn't get stuck behind other cars."and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more.
Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."
Wouldn't that depend upon how much you like them?
Inconsiderate is inconsiderate. The question is, "Do I give a damn that I'm being inconsiderate?" Often that answer is "No."
Whether I care about being considerate about everyone of my partners is a different question than whether I care about being considerate about the general public. The former was being asked, not the latter.Not exactly doing much good for your or your department's relationships with co-responding agencies though...
God I cannot stand it when people use the electronic airhorn as a siren itself either. No one has any idea what's coming when you just keep hitting the button a million times a minute."and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more. Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."