Excel Alerting Systems
| Excel Alerting Systems | |
 A recreation of Excel's logo, made by currents01. | |
| Names | Excel Alerting Systems
Excel
|
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Mequon, WI |
| Founder | Dale Moeller |
| Key people | Dale Moeller
Jim Biersach
|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Products | Outdoor warning sirens |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | American Signal Corporation |
Excel Alerting Systems, LLC. (EAS), also known as simply Excel was a company owned by Dale Moeller, former General Manager of American Signal Corporation (ASC) . EAS, developed the TEMPEST series of outdoor warning sirens and control systems. The siren manufacturer founded in 1996 by Dale Moeller, after leaving ASC, not satisfied with the direction the company was heading after HÖRMANN GMBH's recent acquisition of American Signal Corporation.
Moeller, in leaving ASC in 1996 designed, developed and began manufacturing the Tempest-128, Tempest T-121, and the Tempest T-112 Outdoor Warning Sirens out of an old dairy barn in Fredonia, WI. EAS (Moeller) purchased American Signal Corporation from HÖRMANN GMBH in early 1999 and took the brand name American Signal Corporation moving forward.
History
In 1993, HÖRMANN GMBH, became interested in purchasing ASC to gain a foothold in the US siren market. ACA demonstrated many of its newer sirens at its facility in 1993, which sealed the deal after impressive results. Soon after, the company would be purchased by HÖRMANN but keeping the name American Signal Corporation. Many of ACA's sirens would be discontinued while others would be carried on into ASC, and ACA's brand would ultimately come to an end.
In early 1996, Dale Moeller, who formerly worked for ACA and then American Signal Corporation as a Regional Manger, decided to leave ASC, forming Excel Alerting Systems. Excel would put the Tempest-128 into production shortly after its founding in 1996. Several Tempest-128 units would be sold in early 1997, with the 1st unit installed in Random Lake, Wisconsin. By early 1998 Excel, competing with companies like Federal Signal Corp. and American Signal was approached by HÖRMANN GMBH and purchased in June of 1998 where Dale Moeller returned to ASC as the V.P. of Sales and Marketing.
In early 1999 Moeller had made an offer to purchase American Signal Corporation from HÖRMANN GMBH and close the sale on April 1st, yes that's right April 1st of 1999. American Signal Corporation was returned to American Ownership and items Made in America.
Products
Tempest-128
The Tempest-128 (T-128) is a rotational electromechanical siren, and was the only siren produced by Excel under the Excel brand name. The Model T-128 uses an 8-port rotor driven by a 7.5 hp 48 VDC motor located in the rear housing. 8 large L-shaped horns are directly bolted to the stator ports, which forces the sound up and out of the front of the siren directly, which greatly increases sound output and range, and allowing the siren to boast a sound output of around 129.9 dB at 100 ft. These horns converge at the very front of the siren, forming a "flower" shape. To protect the horns from corrosion or damage, a large 2-piece shroud is place over the chopper and the horns, and the slits between the horns and the shroud act as the air intakes for the chopper. The siren is rotated through the use of an internal direct-drive rotator, using a ¼ hp motor connected to a gear reducer to drive a small gear around a larger gear. This is located directly below the motor, and this is also where the collector rings are located. The siren rotates over a very small stationary box that holds the wiring, attached to the mount. The Excel T-128 has several differences compared to a standard ASC unit, particularly the connections, controls, and the large cavity underneath the rear housing, which would not be present on an ASC T-128. Interestingly, the Excel T-128 will immediately stop rotating upon the chopper being unpowered, in a similar fashion to the ASC T-135AC.