Civil Defense Warning Siren controller: Difference between revisions

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==Overview==
{{Infobox siren|title=Civil Defense Warning Siren (C.D.W.S.) controller|company=Western Electric Co.|produced=1950s-1980s?|type=Siren controller|image=Cdwsdotkt.png|caption=The dial of the C.D.W.S. Controller, as seen in "Day of the Killer Tornadoes" (1978)}}The '''Civil Defense Warning Siren (C.D.W.S.)''' controller is a controller that was manufactured by Western Electric Co. for Bell or AT&T Telephone Co. The controller consists of a central console similar to a dial to a desktop rotary phone, as well as a light up board that states what signal the sirens are currently sounding.
The Civil Defense Warning Siren (CDWS) controller was a controller manufactured by Western Electric Co. for Bell or AT&T Telephone Co. This controller was a unique style consisting of a central console that looked like the dial to a desktop rotary phone, as well as a light up board that stated what signal the sirens were currently sounding. This controller, when used, sent a signal via. phone relay to receivers mounted to sirens. When a signal was received, sirens were activated. To activate sirens, a certain section had to be dialed twice within 5 seconds. The dial had 5 sections. 4 for siren signals (Test (1), Attack (3), and two instances of alert (2 and 4)), , one for cancel. In Bell literature, the controller was initially thought of during WWII, however the first know iteration of it is from 1950. The earliest known instance of this controller appearing anywhere was in a 1960 civil defense film that was shot in the Washington, DC metro. The controller did also have some screentime in 1978's Day of the Killer Tornadoes. It is currently not known when this controller was taken out of production, however a logical guess would be the late 1970s or early 1980s.


==Photos:==
== Overview ==
[[File:Cdwsdotkt.png|thumb|left| Dial as seen in "Day of the Killer Tornadoes"]]
[[File:Cdwsdotkt2.png|thumb|left| Indicator as seen in "Day of the Killer Tornadoes"|160x160px]]This controller, when used, sends a signal via. phone relay to receivers mounted to sirens. When a signal is received, sirens are activated. To activate sirens, a certain section has to be dialed twice within 5 seconds. The dial has 5 sections, 4 for siren signals "test" (1), "attack" (3), two instances of "alert" (2 and 4), and one for "cancel".
[[File:Cdwsdotkt2.png|thumb|left| Indicator as seen in "Day of the Killer Tornadoes"]]


In Bell literature, the controller was initially thought of during WWII, however the first know iteration of it is from 1950. The earliest known instance of this controller appearing anywhere was in a 1960 civil defense film that was shot in the Washington, DC metro. The controller did also have some screentime in 1978's Day of the Killer Tornadoes.


It is currently not known when this controller was taken out of production, however a logical guess would be the late 1970s or early 1980s.


==Photos:==
[[Category:Siren Control Equipment]][[Category:Electromechanical Siren Controls]]
{{cite manual
|title=Bell System publication from January 1968 pertaining to the CDWS|url=http://etler.com/docs/BSP/981/981-281-100.pdf
|format=PDF
|publisher=unknown
|accessdate=March 6, 2018
|deadurl=no
}}</ref>


[[Category:Siren Control Equipment]][[Category:Signal Timer]][[Category:Electromechanical Siren Controls]]
__INDEX__

Latest revision as of 22:15, 16 October 2024

Civil Defense Warning Siren (C.D.W.S.) controller

The dial of the C.D.W.S. Controller, as seen in "Day of the Killer Tornadoes" (1978)

Company Western Electric Co.
Produced 1950s-1980s?
Type Siren controller

The Civil Defense Warning Siren (C.D.W.S.) controller is a controller that was manufactured by Western Electric Co. for Bell or AT&T Telephone Co. The controller consists of a central console similar to a dial to a desktop rotary phone, as well as a light up board that states what signal the sirens are currently sounding.

Overview

Indicator as seen in "Day of the Killer Tornadoes"

This controller, when used, sends a signal via. phone relay to receivers mounted to sirens. When a signal is received, sirens are activated. To activate sirens, a certain section has to be dialed twice within 5 seconds. The dial has 5 sections, 4 for siren signals "test" (1), "attack" (3), two instances of "alert" (2 and 4), and one for "cancel".

In Bell literature, the controller was initially thought of during WWII, however the first know iteration of it is from 1950. The earliest known instance of this controller appearing anywhere was in a 1960 civil defense film that was shot in the Washington, DC metro. The controller did also have some screentime in 1978's Day of the Killer Tornadoes.

It is currently not known when this controller was taken out of production, however a logical guess would be the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Photos:

(PDF) Bell System publication from January 1968 pertaining to the CDWS. unknown. Retrieved March 6, 2018. </ref>