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{{Infobox siren
{{Infobox siren|image=AR-1600.png|company=<div>[[Alerting Communicators of America]]</div>
|image = [[File:Alertronic 6000 Introduction.png|thumb]]
<div>[[American Signal Corporation]]</div>|produced=1983-2011|type=<div>[[Directional]] [[Electronic]]</div>
|company = [[Alerting Communicators of America]] & [[American Signal Corporation]]
<div>[[Rotational]] [[Electronic]]</div>
|produced = 1983-2011
<div>[[Omnidirectional]] [[Electronic]]</div>|output=108-128 dB @ 100 ft|wattage=400-4800 W|voltage=24|current=DC|caption=An ACA Alertronic AR-1600, located in Ogden, IA. Image by Midwest Siren Production.}}The '''Alertronic''' series was a line of fully electronic, voice and tone, directional and omnidirectional sirens produced by [[Alerting Communicators of America]], and later [[American Signal Corporation]] beginning in the early 80s and lasting through the early 2010s.
|type = [[Electronic]]
|output = 105-128
|hertz = Variable
|zap = 400-12000
|succeeded  = [[E-Class]] & [[I-Force]]
|manual=  
|sheet=  
}}
The Alertronic series was a line of fully electronic, voice and tone, directional and omnidirectional sirens produced by Alerting Communicators of America, beginning in the early 80s and lasting through the early 2010s.


=Development and History=
== History ==
[[File:Alertronic4000and6000.png|thumb|left|1985 brochure showcasing the Alertronic 4000 and 6000.]]
[[File:Alertronic4000and6000.png|thumb|left|1985 brochure showcasing the Alertronic 4000 and 6000.|285x285px]]
The Alertronic series was introduced in 1983 as ACA's first fully electronic warning system. The original purpose of these sirens was to give ACA a chance to compete in the market against Whelen's popular 2000/3000 series sirens and Federal Signal's EOWS series sirens. Each and every Alertronic siren ran off of 24VDC and was voice capable. The first two sirens of the family consisted of the Alertronic 5000 directional siren and the Alertronic 4000 omnidirectional siren. The Alertronic 5000 had a very short production run, being discontinued the very next year. In 1985, the Alertronic 6000 directional siren was introduced. Around this time, another additional model was introduced--the Alertronic 7200. Little information is available on either of this sirens. In between 1986 and 1991, the omnidirectional line was modified to include four additional variants--the 1000, 2000, 6000, and 8000. 1992 saw the retiring of the Alertronic 6000 and the introduction of two additional sirens: the directional AR-1600 to replace the 6000, and the omnidirectional Quadren. In 1994, after Hörmann acquired ACA, the AR-1600 became the RE-1600 and the Quadren became the iForce (not to be confused with the current iForce line of sirens). The original Quadren design was retired in 2005 for a more streamlined version. The RE-1600 was discontinued in 2008, and the line was discontinued as a whole in 2011.
The Alertronic series was introduced in 1983 as ACA's first fully electronic warning system. The original purpose of these sirens was to give ACA a chance to compete in the market against [[Whelen Engineering|Whelen]]'s popular WS-[[Whelen WS-2000|2000]]/[[Whelen WS-3000|3000]] and Federal Signal's [[Federal Signal EOWS|EOWS]] series of sirens. The first 2 sirens introduced were the AL-4000, which was a directional electronic siren made up of 4 speaker arrays, and the AL-5000, which was a rotational, high powered electronic siren. While the AL-4000 proved popular, the AL-5000 would be a complete failure and would be discontinued shortly after.  


==Alertronic 5000==
In 1985, the AL-6000R was released, which was a rotational electronic siren that was meant to replace the 5000. It used a design that was very similar to the WS-3000, which nearly led to a lawsuit from Whelen, though the lawsuit was dropped as ACA was deemed to not be a significant enough competitor. The same year, the short-lived omnidirectional AL-7200 would be released. These 3 sirens would be the only sirens in the series until 1986, when the AL-1000, AL-2000, AL-6000, and AL-8000 would be released, which were variations of the AL-4000 with differing amounts of speakers. The line would remain the same until 1991, when the AL-6000R would be discontinued and replaced by the AR-1600, which was an improved version of the design with better performance and cheaper production and maintenance costs.
[[File:Alertronic5000brochurecover.png|thumb|right|Front cover of the 1983 Alertronic 5000 brochure, color.]]
The directional Alertronic 5000 was introduced in 1983. The assembly contained a fiberglass projector consisting of six exponential channels that came together into one large horn. Each channel was connected to two 100-watt drivers for a total of 1200 watts. Supposedly, the design was later altered to include four 100-watt drivers per channel for a total of 2400 watts. The assembly utilized a rotor that spun the noise making components 360 degrees. Very few of these sirens were reported to have been installed, with a witness account suggesting one was installed in Rhinelander, WI. The Alertronic 5000 was rated 125 dB at 100 ft. It was discontinued in 1984 and ultimately replaced with the Alertronic 6000.


==AL-1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, and 8000==
In 1992, the [[ASC i-FORCE|Quadren]] would be introduced, which was considered part of the Alertronic series at that point in time. In 1994, ACA went bankrupt and was bought by HÖRMANN, being reformed into ASC. The Alertronic line would remain largely the same as it was, though in 1994 the Quadren would be renamed to the i-FORCE, and the AR-1600 would be renamed to the RE-1600. The line would remain unchanged throughout the rest of its production, until the line was finally discontinued in 2011. Today, Alertronic sirens are few and far between, both due to their poor sales compared to their competitors, as well as the increasing age of these sirens. These sirens developed a reputation for questionable reliability, with some cities opting to replace them entirely after a few years. Enthusiasts have also noted their quietness compared to other electronic sirens, which may be due to failing drivers as these sirens age. Few rotational Alertronics remain in service, along with a handful of directional units. Others sit abandoned and rotting away, having been replaced or decommissioned long ago.
While many omnidirectional Alertronic variants were present through the line's existence, there was a particular design that persisted until the very end. It started in 1983, with the introduction of the Alertronic 4000. The Alertronic 4000 consisted of eight Atlas CJ46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a cubical aluminum core. Two speakers were situated on all four horizontal facing sides, and each speaker was connected to two 100-watt drivers for a total of 1600 watts. One side of the core would also act as a maintenance door, allowing access to the inside of the siren. Between 1986 and 1991, four additional sized variants were introduced--the 1000, 2000, 6000, and 8000. These were 400, 800, 2400, and 3200-watts respectively. The design of these sirens allowed for different directional configurations, for example bi-directional. These sirens were discontinued in 2011.


==Alertronic 6000==
All Alertronic sirens run on 24 V DC, and are capable of battery backup operation, allowing for the siren to operate for up to 30 minutes after main grid power is lost. The siren can run on either deep cell 24 V batteries, or on solar powered operation. Alertronics are capable of 10 main signals, with 13 different programmable tones. These signals were Alert, Attack, Fire, Airhorn, Hi-Lo, Hazard, Scream, Wail, Silent Test, and Chimes, and all Alertronic sirens are voice-capable, using either a live microphone on the controller, or prerecorded messages. The sirens can run on analog or digital controllers.
[[File:Alertronic6000brochurebw.png|thumb|left|Front cover of the 1985 Alertronic 6000 brochure, black and white.]]
The directional Alertronic 6000 was introduced in 1985 as a direct competitor to the Whelen WS-3000. The siren so closely resembled the WS-3000 that Whelen Engineering and Community Professional Loudspeakers considered pursuing a lawsuit, but ACA was not deemed a large enough competitor. The assembly contained a fiberglass projector consisting of eight vertically aligned exponential channels that came together into one large horn. Each channel was connected to two 100-watt drivers for a total of 1600 watts. A rounded aluminum protective sheath covers the back of the projector, and another covers the rotational components. The rotor itself contained a torque limiter to allow for weather vaning during high-wind events. Early versions of this siren included a rotational platform similar to that of the Penetrator 10 and 15 sirens, however this was changed after around one year in production. The Alertronic 6000 was rated 125 dB at 100 ft. It was discontinued in 1991 and replaced with the AR-1600.


==AL-7200 and 12000==
== Models ==
Little is known about these two omnidirectional Alertronic series sirens. They were both very similar in design to the 1000 through 8000 series sirens, utilizing the same Atlas CJ46 horns and a similar core setup. The AL-7200 was eight speakers around and three tall, for a total of twenty-four speakers. Each speaker was likely connected to two or four 100-watt drivers for a total of either 4800 or 9600 watts. The AL-12000 was six speakers around and five tall, for a total of thirty speakers. Each speaker was connected to four 100-watt drivers for a total of 12000-watts. These two sirens appear to have been very short-lived, as only a few AL-7200s have been located in Oak Ridge, TN with no AL-12000s being documented.


==AR-1600/RE-1600==
==== Directional ====
[[File:1992QuadrenConfigurations.jpg|thumb|right|The back of a 1992 Quadren brochure, showing the many different configurations available.]]
[[File:AL-1000.png|thumb|160x160px|The AL-1000/AL-2000, as advertised by ACA.]]
The directional AR-1600 was introduced in 1991 to replace the directional Alertronic 6000. The AR-1600 was rather similar in design to the 6000. Differences included the number of exponential channels decreased from eight to four, the replacement of the aluminum coverings in favor of fiberglass ones, and the introduction of a mesh screen at the end of the projector. The AR-1600 maintained the same wattage as the 6000. IN 1994, fter the transition from ACA to American Signal, the AR-1600 was renamed the RE-1600. The RE-1600 was discontinued in 2008.
 
===== AL-1000 =====
The '''AL-1000''' is a directional electronic siren, which is essentially an AL-4000 cut in half. It makes use of 4 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a rectangular aluminum housing which contains the wiring and speaker drivers. The AL-1000 uses 4 100 W speaker compression drivers, with one attached to each horn, for a total of 400 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals. The design of the AL-1000 allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-1000 reaches 108 dB at 100 ft.
 
===== AL-2000 =====
The '''AL-2000''' is a directional electronic siren, which is essentially an AL-4000 cut in half. It makes use of 4 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a rectangular aluminum housing which contains the wiring and speaker drivers. The AL-2000 is visually identical to the AL-1000, but differs on the inside by doubling the number of drivers, with 2 100 W drivers per horn for a total of 800 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals. The design of the AL-1000 and AL-2000 allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-2000 reaches 112 dB at 100 ft.
[[File:Alertronic AL-4000.jpg|thumb|160x160px|A privately owned Alertronic AL-4000, which formerly served the Ontario Power Generation plant near Sarnia, ON. Photo by ArxCyberwolf.]]
 
===== AL-4000 =====
The '''AL-4000''' is a directional electronic siren, and was advertised as a cheaper alternative to the Alertronic 5000 when it was first released. The AL-4000 is a simple electronic siren, with 8 Atlas CJ-47 fiberglass paging horns attached to a cubical aluminum housing which contains the wiring and speaker drivers. The AL-4000 was available without the square housing, with each speaker array's drivers being contained in individual smaller housings. This made it able to face in more than 4 directions, and made it look very similar to a [[Federal Signal DSA|DSA]] or [[Whelen WS-2000|WS-2000]]. The AL-4000 contains 16 100 W speaker drivers, with two attached to each horn for a total of 1600W. There are 2 horns on each side of the housing. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals, and the design of this siren allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-4000 reaches 116 dB at 100 ft.
[[File:AL-6000.png|left|thumb|159x159px|An ASC AL-6000, located in Rapid City, SD. Photo by NorthDakotaSirens.]]
 
===== AL-6000 =====
The '''AL-6000''' is directional electronic siren, essentially being an AL-8000 with the top 4 speakers removed. It shares the same housing as the AL-8000 to save on costs. Due to this, the horn mounts are visible where the horns would have been mounted. The AL-6000 makes use of 12 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a tall rectangular aluminum housing, with three horns on each side. The siren used 2 100 W speaker compression drivers per horn, for a total of 2400 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals, and the design of this siren allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-6000 reaches 121 dB at 100 ft.
[[File:AL-8000.png|thumb|160x160px|An ASC AL-8000, located in St. Francis, WI.]]
 
===== AL-8000 =====
The '''AL-8000''' is the largest directional siren in the Alertronic series, essentially being two AL-4000s stacked on top of each other with a single rectangular housing. The AL-8000 shares the same housing as the AL-6000 which contains the siren's wiring and drivers, with 16 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to the housing, 4 horns being on each side. The siren uses 32 100 W speaker compression drivers, with 2 drivers attached to each horn, for a total of 3200 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals, and the design of this siren allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-8000 reaches 126 dB at 100 ft.
 
==== Omnidirectional ====
[[File:AL-7200.png|thumb|163x163px|An ACA AL-7200, which was located in Oak Ridge, TN. It has since been removed.]]
 
===== AL-7200 =====
The '''AL-7200''' is a omnidirectional electronic siren. Little is known about this siren compared to the rest of the series, as it was relatively short lived. It uses an omnidirectional design compared to the directional design the other non-rotational sirens used. The AL-7200 uses the same Atlas CJ-46 paging horns as the other sirens, with 3 rows of 8 horns attached to an octagonal aluminum housing which contains the speaker drivers and wiring, with a total of 24 horns altogether. The siren is assumed to use 48 100 W speaker compression drivers, with two attached to each horn, for a total of 4800 W.  A larger 30-speaker model, the AL-12000, was rumored to have existed, though no evidence of this siren's existence has been found. The siren's decibel rating is unknown. It appears this model was custom-made for the Oak Ridge, TN region, as no units have been found outside of the Oak Ridge system.
[[File:ASC Quadren.png|left|thumb|214x214px|An ([[American Signal Corporation|ASC]]) Quadren Q-3200, which was located in Mt. Prospect, IL. It has two full active cells. It has since been replaced by a ASC [[ASC Tempest|T-128]].]]
 
=====Quadren=====
''Main article: [[ASC i-FORCE]]''[[File:1992QuadrenConfigurations.jpg|thumb|right|The back of a 1992 Quadren brochure, showing the many different configurations available.|207x207px]]The '''Quadren''' is an omnidirectional electronic siren that differs significantly from the other Alertronic sirens in design, being a large stacked-cell electronic siren similar to a Federal Signal [[Federal Signal Modulator|Modulator]] or Whelen [[Whelen WPS-2800|WPS-2800]]. While similar in appearance, its internal design is completely different, with the Quadren only having speaker compression drivers in every other cell. The sound is projected out of both the top and bottom of each active cell using horns inside the cells. Each active cell has half of a dummy cell on the top and bottom which forms an entire dummy cell in between each active cell when stacked, which forms the projectors through its shape. Like all of ACA's sirens, the cells are made of weather and corrosion-resistant fiberglass. Each active cell quadrant has a removable panel to easily access and replace faulty drivers.
 
Each active cell in a Quadren is formed by four separate quadrants, which when 4 of them are put together form an entire cell. Each quadrant contains 4 100 W speaker compression drivers, meaning that a fully formed cell with 4 quadrants will have 16 100 W drivers. The siren was designed in a way where it could be cut in half or even in quarters to be mounted on walls or corners, instead of just on a pole. This made them more versatile, and they could be installed just about anywhere. None of these wall or corner mounted Quadrens are known to have been installed or exist today. Up to 3 active cells were supported per siren, for a maximum of 4800 W. A smaller variant was also available, which only had one horn channel and produced sound from only the bottom of the active cell. This made the siren far more compact. Quadren models were given the "Q-XXXX" designation (XXXX being the wattage) and the three main models sold were the '''Q-1600''', '''Q-3200''', and the '''Q-4800'''. No Q-4800 models are known to exist.
 
==== Rotational ====
 
===== AL-5000 =====
[[File:AL-5000.png|thumb|175x175px|The AL-5000, as it appeared in one of ACA's advertisements.]]
The '''AL-5000''' is a rotational electronic siren that makes use of a large fiberglass projector consisting of 6 exponential channels that came together into one large projector. Each channel is connected to two 100 W drivers for a total of 1200 W. Supposedly, the design was later altered to include 4 100 W drivers per channel for a total of 2400 W. The assembly utilized a chain-driven rotator that allowed the horn assembly to rotate 360°. Due to the siren's design, it was susceptible to falling over due to high winds, which made it rather unpopular. Like the rest of the Alertronic family, it likely made use of collector rings. The AL-5000 reaches at 125 dB at 100 ft. The AL-5000 was never a popular siren, and only a handful were ever confirmed to exist. It is extinct today. The reasons were likely due to its oversized projector which was susceptible to wind damage, as it acted like a sail. High winds could damage the projector, or the rotation mechanism. ACA found inspiration in Whelen's WS-3000 and designed the AL-6000R, which quickly replaced the AL-5000.
[[File:AL-6000R.jpg|left|thumb|160x160px|An ACA AL-6000R, which was located in Rolling Meadows, IL. It has since been replaced by an ASC [[ASC Tempest|T-128]], and originally replaced an ACA [[Hurricane 130|Hurricane 130 MKI]].]]
 
===== AL-6000R =====
[[File:Alertronic6000brochurebw.png|thumb|Front cover of the 1985 Alertronic 6000 brochure, black and white.|209x209px]]The '''AL-6000R''' is a rotational electronic siren, utilizing high-powered speaker drivers located in the back panel of the siren to amplify the sounds from the controller. The AL-6000R uses 16 100 W drivers for a total of 1600 W, with two drivers paired into each of the siren's 8 "throats" which connect to the siren's singular horn and allows the siren to reach 125 dB at 100 ft. The siren is rotated with a separate motor and gear reduction drive which drives a chain inside of the lower enclosure that rotates the entire siren unit 360°. Early AL-6000Rs made use of the [[ACA Allertor 125|Allertor]]/[[ACA Penetrator|Penetrator]] series chain-driven rotators, although facing backwards. This was quickly changed to an internal chain-driven rotator to shield it from corrosion, which is the design it used up until its discontinuation.
 
Every other rotating Alertronic siren used this rotator afterwards. Like Federal Signal's EOWS series, the AL-6000R makes use of collector rings, which means it doesn't have to oscillate. However, this also means that the siren may cut out or glitch if the rings are dirty. For a short time, ACA experimented with directly wired drivers, removing the collector rings and hard wiring the drivers to the controller and adding a reverser switch to allow the siren to oscillate like a Whelen. At least one of these units survives in private possession. The siren's overall design was similar enough to Whelen's WS-3000 that Whelen considered suing ACA for infringing on their designs, but they chose not to as ACA was not deemed a big enough competitor in the electronic siren market.
 
=====AR-1600/RE-1600=====
[[File:RE-1600.png|left|thumb|160x160px|An ASC RE-1600, located in Arpin, WI. Image by openblast64.]]
The '''AR-1600''' is a rotational electronic siren, and was introduced as an improved and refined version of the previous AL-6000R. The siren uses largely the same design, with a few changes. The number of throat channels was reduced from 8 to 4, with the siren using 16 100 W speaker compression drivers, with 4 attached to each throat. In addition, the siren's aluminum components were replaced with corrosion-resistant fiberglass components, and a mesh screen was added to the siren's projector to help keep debris out of the throats.
 
The siren's overall height was slightly reduced, with the projector now being more compact due to having fewer throat channels. The projector itself was simplified, with a shorter distance from the end of the throats and the end of the projector itself, and the length of each throat is longer than the AL-6000R. The driver cover on the rear is now rounded on the top and bottom. All of these changes improved the siren's performance, with the siren reaching 128 dB at 100 ft. The AR-1600 would be renamed to the '''RE-1600''' in 1994 when ACA became ASC. The siren's overall design was similar enough to Whelen's WPS-4004 that Whelen considered suing ACA for infringing on their designs, but they chose not to as ACA was not deemed a big enough competitor in the electronic siren market.


==Quadren==
The Quadren was introduced in 1992. The Quadren consisted of a base omnidirectional design wherein drivers would be located inside of "cells" and channels connected to each driver would direct sound into four sections on the curved "cell" surfaces. The Quadren was advertised as being the most versatile siren on the market during its production, with many coverage configurations available. In it's base state, the Quadren was a 360 degree omnidirectional siren, however it could be modified to provide 270 degree, 180 degree, or 90 degree coverage. This allowed for a siren utilizing anywhere from 400 to 4800 watts. Additionally, each section could be activated in sequence to create the effect of a rotating siren. The Quadren was designed for both indoor and outdoor applications. In 1994, after the transition from ACA to American Signal, the Quadren was renamed the iForce. In 2005, the original Quadren design was retired.


{{Models table 8 rows
|model1  = Alertronic 5000
|image1  =File:ASC Allertronic AL-1000 & 2000.jpeg
|alt1    =
|output1 = 125
|drivers1 = 12 and 24
|notes1  = 1983-1984
|model2  = Alertronic 6000
|image2  =File:ASC Allertronic AL-1000 & 2000.jpeg
|alt2    =
|output2 = 125
|drivers2 = 16
|notes2  = 1985-1991
|model3  = AR-1600
|image3  =File:ASC Allertronic AL-4000.jpeg
|alt13    =
|output3 = 128
|drivers3 = 16
|notes3  = 1992-1993
|model4  = RE-1600
|image4  =File:ASC Alertronic AL-6000.jpeg
|alt14  =
|output4 = 128
|drivers4 = 16
|notes4  =
|model5  = AL-8000
|image5  =File:ASC Alertronic AL-8000.jpeg
|alt15    =
|output5 = 126
|drivers5 = 32
|notes5  =
|model6  =
|image6  =
|alt16    =
|output6 =
|drivers6 =
|notes6  =
|model7  =
|image7  =
|alt17    =
|output7 =
|drivers7 =
|notes7  =
}}
[[Category:American Signal Corporation]][[Category:Alerting Communicators of America]][[Category:Electronic Sirens]][[Category:Omnidirectional Sirens]][[Category:Dual Toned Sirens]][[Category:Single Toned Sirens]][[Category:Sirens]][[Category:Rotating Sirens]]
[[Category:American Signal Corporation]][[Category:Alerting Communicators of America]][[Category:Electronic Sirens]][[Category:Omnidirectional Sirens]][[Category:Dual Toned Sirens]][[Category:Single Toned Sirens]][[Category:Sirens]][[Category:Rotating Sirens]]

Latest revision as of 00:25, 8 October 2024

Alertronic

An ACA Alertronic AR-1600, located in Ogden, IA. Image by Midwest Siren Production.

Company
Produced 1983-2011
Type
Sound output 108-128 dB @ 100 ft
Wattage 400-4800 W
Voltage 24 V DC

The Alertronic series was a line of fully electronic, voice and tone, directional and omnidirectional sirens produced by Alerting Communicators of America, and later American Signal Corporation beginning in the early 80s and lasting through the early 2010s.

History

1985 brochure showcasing the Alertronic 4000 and 6000.

The Alertronic series was introduced in 1983 as ACA's first fully electronic warning system. The original purpose of these sirens was to give ACA a chance to compete in the market against Whelen's popular WS-2000/3000 and Federal Signal's EOWS series of sirens. The first 2 sirens introduced were the AL-4000, which was a directional electronic siren made up of 4 speaker arrays, and the AL-5000, which was a rotational, high powered electronic siren. While the AL-4000 proved popular, the AL-5000 would be a complete failure and would be discontinued shortly after.

In 1985, the AL-6000R was released, which was a rotational electronic siren that was meant to replace the 5000. It used a design that was very similar to the WS-3000, which nearly led to a lawsuit from Whelen, though the lawsuit was dropped as ACA was deemed to not be a significant enough competitor. The same year, the short-lived omnidirectional AL-7200 would be released. These 3 sirens would be the only sirens in the series until 1986, when the AL-1000, AL-2000, AL-6000, and AL-8000 would be released, which were variations of the AL-4000 with differing amounts of speakers. The line would remain the same until 1991, when the AL-6000R would be discontinued and replaced by the AR-1600, which was an improved version of the design with better performance and cheaper production and maintenance costs.

In 1992, the Quadren would be introduced, which was considered part of the Alertronic series at that point in time. In 1994, ACA went bankrupt and was bought by HÖRMANN, being reformed into ASC. The Alertronic line would remain largely the same as it was, though in 1994 the Quadren would be renamed to the i-FORCE, and the AR-1600 would be renamed to the RE-1600. The line would remain unchanged throughout the rest of its production, until the line was finally discontinued in 2011. Today, Alertronic sirens are few and far between, both due to their poor sales compared to their competitors, as well as the increasing age of these sirens. These sirens developed a reputation for questionable reliability, with some cities opting to replace them entirely after a few years. Enthusiasts have also noted their quietness compared to other electronic sirens, which may be due to failing drivers as these sirens age. Few rotational Alertronics remain in service, along with a handful of directional units. Others sit abandoned and rotting away, having been replaced or decommissioned long ago.

All Alertronic sirens run on 24 V DC, and are capable of battery backup operation, allowing for the siren to operate for up to 30 minutes after main grid power is lost. The siren can run on either deep cell 24 V batteries, or on solar powered operation. Alertronics are capable of 10 main signals, with 13 different programmable tones. These signals were Alert, Attack, Fire, Airhorn, Hi-Lo, Hazard, Scream, Wail, Silent Test, and Chimes, and all Alertronic sirens are voice-capable, using either a live microphone on the controller, or prerecorded messages. The sirens can run on analog or digital controllers.

Models

Directional

The AL-1000/AL-2000, as advertised by ACA.
AL-1000

The AL-1000 is a directional electronic siren, which is essentially an AL-4000 cut in half. It makes use of 4 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a rectangular aluminum housing which contains the wiring and speaker drivers. The AL-1000 uses 4 100 W speaker compression drivers, with one attached to each horn, for a total of 400 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals. The design of the AL-1000 allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-1000 reaches 108 dB at 100 ft.

AL-2000

The AL-2000 is a directional electronic siren, which is essentially an AL-4000 cut in half. It makes use of 4 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a rectangular aluminum housing which contains the wiring and speaker drivers. The AL-2000 is visually identical to the AL-1000, but differs on the inside by doubling the number of drivers, with 2 100 W drivers per horn for a total of 800 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals. The design of the AL-1000 and AL-2000 allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-2000 reaches 112 dB at 100 ft.

A privately owned Alertronic AL-4000, which formerly served the Ontario Power Generation plant near Sarnia, ON. Photo by ArxCyberwolf.
AL-4000

The AL-4000 is a directional electronic siren, and was advertised as a cheaper alternative to the Alertronic 5000 when it was first released. The AL-4000 is a simple electronic siren, with 8 Atlas CJ-47 fiberglass paging horns attached to a cubical aluminum housing which contains the wiring and speaker drivers. The AL-4000 was available without the square housing, with each speaker array's drivers being contained in individual smaller housings. This made it able to face in more than 4 directions, and made it look very similar to a DSA or WS-2000. The AL-4000 contains 16 100 W speaker drivers, with two attached to each horn for a total of 1600W. There are 2 horns on each side of the housing. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals, and the design of this siren allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-4000 reaches 116 dB at 100 ft.

An ASC AL-6000, located in Rapid City, SD. Photo by NorthDakotaSirens.
AL-6000

The AL-6000 is directional electronic siren, essentially being an AL-8000 with the top 4 speakers removed. It shares the same housing as the AL-8000 to save on costs. Due to this, the horn mounts are visible where the horns would have been mounted. The AL-6000 makes use of 12 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to a tall rectangular aluminum housing, with three horns on each side. The siren used 2 100 W speaker compression drivers per horn, for a total of 2400 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals, and the design of this siren allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-6000 reaches 121 dB at 100 ft.

An ASC AL-8000, located in St. Francis, WI.
AL-8000

The AL-8000 is the largest directional siren in the Alertronic series, essentially being two AL-4000s stacked on top of each other with a single rectangular housing. The AL-8000 shares the same housing as the AL-6000 which contains the siren's wiring and drivers, with 16 Atlas CJ-46 fiberglass paging horns attached to the housing, 4 horns being on each side. The siren uses 32 100 W speaker compression drivers, with 2 drivers attached to each horn, for a total of 3200 W. There is a removable panel on one side of the siren, which allows access to the internals, and the design of this siren allowed for different directional configurations by removing speakers on one or more sides. The AL-8000 reaches 126 dB at 100 ft.

Omnidirectional

An ACA AL-7200, which was located in Oak Ridge, TN. It has since been removed.
AL-7200

The AL-7200 is a omnidirectional electronic siren. Little is known about this siren compared to the rest of the series, as it was relatively short lived. It uses an omnidirectional design compared to the directional design the other non-rotational sirens used. The AL-7200 uses the same Atlas CJ-46 paging horns as the other sirens, with 3 rows of 8 horns attached to an octagonal aluminum housing which contains the speaker drivers and wiring, with a total of 24 horns altogether. The siren is assumed to use 48 100 W speaker compression drivers, with two attached to each horn, for a total of 4800 W. A larger 30-speaker model, the AL-12000, was rumored to have existed, though no evidence of this siren's existence has been found. The siren's decibel rating is unknown. It appears this model was custom-made for the Oak Ridge, TN region, as no units have been found outside of the Oak Ridge system.

An (ASC) Quadren Q-3200, which was located in Mt. Prospect, IL. It has two full active cells. It has since been replaced by a ASC T-128.
Quadren

Main article: ASC i-FORCE

The back of a 1992 Quadren brochure, showing the many different configurations available.

The Quadren is an omnidirectional electronic siren that differs significantly from the other Alertronic sirens in design, being a large stacked-cell electronic siren similar to a Federal Signal Modulator or Whelen WPS-2800. While similar in appearance, its internal design is completely different, with the Quadren only having speaker compression drivers in every other cell. The sound is projected out of both the top and bottom of each active cell using horns inside the cells. Each active cell has half of a dummy cell on the top and bottom which forms an entire dummy cell in between each active cell when stacked, which forms the projectors through its shape. Like all of ACA's sirens, the cells are made of weather and corrosion-resistant fiberglass. Each active cell quadrant has a removable panel to easily access and replace faulty drivers.

Each active cell in a Quadren is formed by four separate quadrants, which when 4 of them are put together form an entire cell. Each quadrant contains 4 100 W speaker compression drivers, meaning that a fully formed cell with 4 quadrants will have 16 100 W drivers. The siren was designed in a way where it could be cut in half or even in quarters to be mounted on walls or corners, instead of just on a pole. This made them more versatile, and they could be installed just about anywhere. None of these wall or corner mounted Quadrens are known to have been installed or exist today. Up to 3 active cells were supported per siren, for a maximum of 4800 W. A smaller variant was also available, which only had one horn channel and produced sound from only the bottom of the active cell. This made the siren far more compact. Quadren models were given the "Q-XXXX" designation (XXXX being the wattage) and the three main models sold were the Q-1600, Q-3200, and the Q-4800. No Q-4800 models are known to exist.

Rotational

AL-5000
The AL-5000, as it appeared in one of ACA's advertisements.

The AL-5000 is a rotational electronic siren that makes use of a large fiberglass projector consisting of 6 exponential channels that came together into one large projector. Each channel is connected to two 100 W drivers for a total of 1200 W. Supposedly, the design was later altered to include 4 100 W drivers per channel for a total of 2400 W. The assembly utilized a chain-driven rotator that allowed the horn assembly to rotate 360°. Due to the siren's design, it was susceptible to falling over due to high winds, which made it rather unpopular. Like the rest of the Alertronic family, it likely made use of collector rings. The AL-5000 reaches at 125 dB at 100 ft. The AL-5000 was never a popular siren, and only a handful were ever confirmed to exist. It is extinct today. The reasons were likely due to its oversized projector which was susceptible to wind damage, as it acted like a sail. High winds could damage the projector, or the rotation mechanism. ACA found inspiration in Whelen's WS-3000 and designed the AL-6000R, which quickly replaced the AL-5000.

An ACA AL-6000R, which was located in Rolling Meadows, IL. It has since been replaced by an ASC T-128, and originally replaced an ACA Hurricane 130 MKI.
AL-6000R
Front cover of the 1985 Alertronic 6000 brochure, black and white.

The AL-6000R is a rotational electronic siren, utilizing high-powered speaker drivers located in the back panel of the siren to amplify the sounds from the controller. The AL-6000R uses 16 100 W drivers for a total of 1600 W, with two drivers paired into each of the siren's 8 "throats" which connect to the siren's singular horn and allows the siren to reach 125 dB at 100 ft. The siren is rotated with a separate motor and gear reduction drive which drives a chain inside of the lower enclosure that rotates the entire siren unit 360°. Early AL-6000Rs made use of the Allertor/Penetrator series chain-driven rotators, although facing backwards. This was quickly changed to an internal chain-driven rotator to shield it from corrosion, which is the design it used up until its discontinuation.

Every other rotating Alertronic siren used this rotator afterwards. Like Federal Signal's EOWS series, the AL-6000R makes use of collector rings, which means it doesn't have to oscillate. However, this also means that the siren may cut out or glitch if the rings are dirty. For a short time, ACA experimented with directly wired drivers, removing the collector rings and hard wiring the drivers to the controller and adding a reverser switch to allow the siren to oscillate like a Whelen. At least one of these units survives in private possession. The siren's overall design was similar enough to Whelen's WS-3000 that Whelen considered suing ACA for infringing on their designs, but they chose not to as ACA was not deemed a big enough competitor in the electronic siren market.

AR-1600/RE-1600
An ASC RE-1600, located in Arpin, WI. Image by openblast64.

The AR-1600 is a rotational electronic siren, and was introduced as an improved and refined version of the previous AL-6000R. The siren uses largely the same design, with a few changes. The number of throat channels was reduced from 8 to 4, with the siren using 16 100 W speaker compression drivers, with 4 attached to each throat. In addition, the siren's aluminum components were replaced with corrosion-resistant fiberglass components, and a mesh screen was added to the siren's projector to help keep debris out of the throats.

The siren's overall height was slightly reduced, with the projector now being more compact due to having fewer throat channels. The projector itself was simplified, with a shorter distance from the end of the throats and the end of the projector itself, and the length of each throat is longer than the AL-6000R. The driver cover on the rear is now rounded on the top and bottom. All of these changes improved the siren's performance, with the siren reaching 128 dB at 100 ft. The AR-1600 would be renamed to the RE-1600 in 1994 when ACA became ASC. The siren's overall design was similar enough to Whelen's WPS-4004 that Whelen considered suing ACA for infringing on their designs, but they chose not to as ACA was not deemed a big enough competitor in the electronic siren market.

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