Horn Effectiveness: Why can't those !@#$ hear my horn?

[John - K5AWO]

My truck has the stock horn which seems to almost be loud enough to hear in my cab, but apparently has no discernable effect at getting any attention to other drivers. :-{}



After being cut off short enough to take the paint off my fenders about six too many times this week, I am ready to make some BIG noises out there.



I grew up in the locomotive world (dad worked for Rock Island 30 yrs) and those beautiful air horns were a melody to my ears.



What experiences have those of you who have installed LOUD horns had with being heard and "Respected!"



It just galls me to be pulling my trailer loaded to the top with sand and gravel and then some jerk rice driver turns in front of you with a cell growing out of their ear and 25 mph slower than the lane I am in. :-{} :-{} :-{} Not to mention those 128 dB+ boom boom stereos that make my belly hurt when they drive by.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

truck horns

"03" not any better, :{ they sound like real sissy horns.

 

[Joe G.]

Air or loud after market horn. I put a six volt Chevy horn on mine. It causes wet seats when I blow it.

 

[24V-DSL]

My Grovers, which I use judiciously... could cause road rage... have actually saved me from a couple of sure collisions. Sadly, one of those was a blue hair backing out in an enclosed parking garage, which amplified the sound even more. Felt bad I scared her spitless, but had no choice.

 

[Guest]

I think the TRAIN horn would kick ***, smokes like a freight train might as well horn like one too.

 

[Joe G.]

I think a train horn requires more air than is practical for a pickup.

 

[cumminspwr01]

Actually grover sells a kit for supplying air to the train horns. I put a bigger air tank on from work but used there pump and valve and it works just fine

 

[bmoeller]

You want loud, try a set of these- #ad




I'd like to get a set of them. They'll get some attention.



www.iowa80.com

 

[Ram Medic]

I work on an Ambulance for a living. Lights, sirens, wails, yelps, air horn, people still don't see or hear us. You had better just learn to drive on the defensive side. Keep your truck safe no one else will.

 

[John - K5AWO]

Originally posted by Ram Medic

I work on an Ambulance for a living. Lights, sirens, wails, yelps, air horn, people still don't see or hear us. You had better just learn to drive on the defensive side. Keep your truck safe no one else will.

Sad but true. I work for Phoenix Fire Department taking care of their dispatch computers/radios in the trucks and fire houses.



I have ridden with them on many a trip, and yes!, those cell phones obliterate everything else in the world. Including 40 ton fire trucks.



Just last week, one of our big pumpers got hit in the right front door so hard, it knocked the cab off the chassis. Put four of our guys in the hospital. 3 minor, 1 immediate. Needless to say the vehicle that hit the fire truck was flattened pretty good.



And that after all the noise it can make, and rolling thru the intersections at only 15 mph... Go figure. I really think that the embiciles were behind the door when the thinking matter was handed out.



On horns though, I am looking at a set of 5 horns that recreate the original Rock Island Lines locomotive horn. A beautiful, melodic tone, not to mention in excess of 128 dB.

 

[bmoeller]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ram Medic

I work on an Ambulance for a living. Lights, sirens, wails, yelps, air horn, people still don't see or hear us. You had better just learn to drive on the defensive side. Keep your truck safe no one else will.

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Originally posted by John - K5AWO

Sad but true.

Going down the interstate in a big truck, I have had times when a cop was coming up fast behind and pass me. With the lights flashing, siren on, with my window down and radio off, I still didn't hear him 'til he was about 5' from my door. Too much wind/road noise.

 

[tbrudder]

Originally posted by bmoeller

Going down the interstate in a big truck, I have had times when a cop was coming up fast behind and pass me. With the lights flashing, siren on, with my window down and radio off, I still didn't hear him 'til he was about 5' from my door. Too much wind/road noise.

All too true. I was with a volunteer rescue squad for four years while I was in college, and I lived in one of the stations for about a year. Police cruisers, ambulances, and squads (F-450 chassis)--no one can hear them. You've got a siren putting out the sound through a couple 100W loudspeakers. On the interstate, it's like you said--can't hear them until they're already gone.



Fire trucks have it a little better. Nothing clears traffic like a couple of stutter-tone air horns at ear-level. They're about the only thing that can penetrate todays car insulation. A Q-siren helps, too--those little round sirens you see on a fire truck are actually electro-mechanical, and start spinning when you push a button, start to wind down when you let it go, and are loud.



Like Ram Medic said, even that's not always good enough. Many departments anymore are changing their policy that even if you've got the lights and siren, you stop at the red light, make sure no one's coming, and creep through, checking each lane individually.



Nothing opens your eyes to the horrible state of todays drivers' skills like driving Code 3 traffic. There are very few excuses for hitting a 30' red fire truck with dozens of flashing lights and a 130 dB siren and air horns. Or not noticing one is following you, trying to get around, for five miles before you check your mirror and see it...



Brought back a few memories there. No wonder some of our guys got in trouble for screaming obscenities over the PA...



--Ty

 

[John - K5AWO]

Originally posted by tbrudder

Many departments anymore are changing their policy that even if you've got the lights and siren, you stop at the red light, make sure no one's coming, and creep through, checking each lane individually.



--Ty

Ty, for the year 2002, our fire department experienced something like 6 Rescues involved in 961/962 situations. We had approximately 4 or 5 big pumpers and a couple of huge ladder trucks involved in intersection wrecks.



The safety review board dropped our intersection speed down to 15 mph for green lights and dead stop, check the lanes like you said for red lights.



Up side is less intersection collisions. downside is our time on scene increased from approx 3 min, 30 seconds to 5 min 10 seconds.



We have a big ladder that was assigned to station 9. It was only about six months old and cost $750k. It is now called Ladder 6.



Can you guess why?? Hint: It made nationwide television news last fall.

 

[Joe G.]

One thing to remember is that having good heaing is NOT a requirement for a driver's license. There are plenty of people on the road who are deaf or have hearing problems. Some of us who have bad hearing can't hear high pitched sounds. In my case a siren is too high pitched for me to hear. It does overdrive my heaing aid which causes it to shut down. So if it does shut down I start looking for an emergency vehicle. I do get surprised by them sometimes. So if you blow your horn at someone and they don't react they may be deaf instead of stupid.

 

[nitrox2595]

I just got a grover 1510 stuttrtone horn on mine. HOLY **#T!! if you want to be heard get one of these. The best part is the horn itself is only $98. 00!!!! anyone wants one PM me

 

[rbattelle]

Anyone ever mount a marine horn on their truck? I love that low tone.

 

[John - K5AWO]

now you are reminding me of the song "Harbor Lights".

 

[MMiller]

Best setup I have seen is one of those sets of train horns from I-80 truckstop. They were mounted right behind the front left tire of an extended hood pete. Kinda between the fender and fuel tank. They pointed right at the passenger side of vehicle passing it. Can you imagine the attention getting ability of that horn with a 1/2" air hose going to it!! They are load when hidden behind the sleeper, or the front bumper, but blatently placed out in the open!! Yea it was great!



Michael

 

[Matt400]

Originally posted by Joe G.

Air or loud after market horn. I put a six volt Chevy horn on mine. It causes wet seats when I blow it.

Whats so special about that one? Is it from a particular model?

 

[Joe G.]

I think any six volt horn would be extremely loud on 12 volts. I know that the Chevy one is.