Alertronic

Alertronic
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Company	Alerting Communicators of America & American Signal Corporation
Produced	1983-2011
Type	Electronic
Sound output	105-128
Succeeded by	E-Class (E-Class and iForce)

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

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 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, two additional models were introduced--the Alertronic 7200 and 12000. Little information is available on either of these 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.

Alertronic 5000

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

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

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 considering 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

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

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

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.

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.

Model	Image	Output	Drivers	Notes
Alertronic 5000		125 dBc	12 and 24	1983-1984
Alertronic 6000		125 dBc	16	1985-1991
AR-1600		128 dBc	16	1992-1993
RE-1600		128 dBc	16
AL-8000		126 dBc	32