Horns

[Sir Nibble]

I did have one small problem, in that the wiring to my horn is not wonderful, and only about 10v actually gets to the other end. This made the horn a bit reluctant to start, but a couple of turns in with the adjustnent screw fixed that. It made me realise, I'd nearly wasted my money on getting one of their louder horns which takes more current so probably wouldn't have worked at all.

 

 

 

Edited for tryping mistooks

I have two old lucas windtone type horns which whilst very loud and melodic are very current hungry. Solution? mount them on the cabin roof at the stern, you can still hear them for miles and it doesn't deafen the wife when she is at the bow checking for boats as we leave the marina.

[Machpoint005]

I bought a pair of (very loud) old Audi 100 twin tone horns from the breaker's yard for a fiver.

 

They can certainly be heard from a distance over the engine noise, which is more than can be said for many of the weedy affairs I have seen (but not heard) on some boats.

 

I agree. The best car horn I ever had was on a Saab 95V4 1969 vintage: deep-pitched twin tones. New Saabs are very nearly as good, though.

 

 

Nobody has mentioned the big advantage of a car horn; you can play games with the cars. When you see a car approaching a hump-back bridge, especially if he hoots his horn, by timing your hoot properly you can get him to slam on his brakes and screech to a halt.

 

And I thought I was the only one playing that game!

[David Schweizer]

QUOTE (Keeping Up @ May 13 2009, 05:02 PM) *

Nobody has mentioned the big advantage of a car horn; you can play games with the cars. When you see a car approaching a hump-back bridge, especially if he hoots his horn, by timing your hoot properly you can get him to slam on his brakes and screech to a halt.

 

 

And I thought I was the only one playing that game!

 

I thought we all played that game.

[Keeping Up]

I thought we all played that game.

What if the car-drivers learn how to play it back at us?

[Naughty Cal]

What if the car-drivers learn how to play it back at us?

 

They already do

[onthecut]

Slight deviation here, but how often does anyone actually use the horn on the canals (or properly on the river)? Strikes me it is possible to cruise for days or weeks and not hear a peep.

 

I'll give a good long toot at a completely blind junction or bridge hole, but it's only belt and braces as the real issue is to slow to a safe speed.

 

Favourite use of the horn is at those road bridges where the hump makes it blind to road traffic either side and you get a good percentage of prats speeding along in the car -- blast on the horn and keep going, as though it will magically evaporate any oncoming traffic. Just can't resist a good reply blast on the boat horn if adjacent.

 

Mike.

 

See from intervening posts I'm not alone !!

Edited May 14, 2009 by onthecut

[John Orentas]

Don't forget the golfers,

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...art=#entry16700

[RLWP]

I have two old lucas windtone type horns which whilst very loud and melodic are very current hungry. Solution? mount them on the cabin roof at the stern, you can still hear them for miles and it doesn't deafen the wife when she is at the bow checking for boats as we leave the marina.

 

So how do you let her know your tea mug is empty when she is sat at the front reading a book?

 

Richard

[alan_fincher]

So how do you let her know your tea mug is empty when she is sat at the front reading a book?

 

Richard

..... any absolutely guarantee that hers is ?............

[bastonjock]

i have an canister driven air horn,you can buy them from most chandlers.I have only used it on the nene heading toward wandsford,there is an area just before you go under the A1,it is used by gay men and transvestites,it was extremely difficult to try and explain to my daughter and her friend what the guys were up to,a few of them were at it,so when i approach i blast the horn,it gives them the time to hide and it saves me telling the kids to go below.

[carlt]

i have an canister driven air horn, it is used by gay men and transvestites,

Is this with, or without, your permission?

[Dalesman]

The 12 volt horn on the boat has given up. I am going to have a go at it to see if I can get working, but I think in the end it's a bin job.

Without spending silly money what is a reasonable horn to buy for a canal boat? I have been looking at one that's in the Vehicle Wiring Products catalog. Its described as a Marine Horn, low tone, 108dB. 410Hz. Price £25.20. No idea what it sounds like.

Does the spec. 108dB @ 410Hz indicate that it would make enough sound.

I wondered of I should invest in a rocket launcher to try and warn some boaters that I am about, some don't seem to have any consideration for other users.

 

 

You will find some good ones from this site, I have a twin gold one with a rating of 122 db at 1 meter.

 

http://www.marathonleisure.co.uk/acatalog/Trumpet_Horns.html

[blackrose]

The 12 volt horn on the boat has given up. I am going to have a go at it to see if I can get working, but I think in the end it's a bin job.

Without spending silly money what is a reasonable horn to buy for a canal boat? I have been looking at one that's in the Vehicle Wiring Products catalog. Its described as a Marine Horn, low tone, 108dB. 410Hz. Price £25.20. No idea what it sounds like.

Does the spec. 108dB @ 410Hz indicate that it would make enough sound.

I've seen that one in the VWP catalogue. It says it's Italian and looks exactly the same as my Vetus horn (made in Italy) and is about the same price. Depending on your electrical connection it's bloody loud. I ended up connecting mine to the BT batteries at the bow because there was too much voltage drop on the existing circuit and I used a relay to connect the horn to the control switch.

 

If you get that horn, either install it in a place that rain can't get to it or take the cover off and put a bead of clear silicone between, because stupidly there is no o-ring or seal and it will fill with water.

 

Edit: As with generators it's very difficult to compare dB ratings of various horns unless you know that the measurements were taken on properly calibrated equipment and from the same distance.

Edited May 14, 2009 by blackrose

[Keeping Up]

So how do you let her know your tea mug is empty when she is sat at the front reading a book?

 

Richard

That's what I use the PMR for. She objects to being hooted at "as if she was a servant or something" - and it confused everybody when I hooted "a cup of coffee please" in morse code.

[RLWP]

That's what I use the PMR for. She objects to being hooted at "as if she was a servant or something" - and it confused everybody when I hooted "a cup of coffee please" in morse code.

 

You don't hoot at her full tilt, that would be rude! If you gently tap on the horn button so it just makes a momentary contact it will beep or tick quietly, enough to draw attention.

 

Richard

 

You use the horn full blast for people who have never been on the boat before...

[Nine of Hearts]

Reading this thread I began to wonder whatever happened to the fad of novelty auto-horns so popular in years gone by. They're still about, apparently. After visiting this site Musical Horns, I want one! Alas but I am at work [ahem] so I haven't been able to listen to the sample files. I'm desperate to know what "Kill the Old Lady" sounds like.

[Chris-B]

Reading this thread I began to wonder whatever happened to the fad of novelty auto-horns so popular in years gone by. They're still about, apparently. After visiting this site Musical Horns, I want one! Alas but I am at work [ahem] so I haven't been able to listen to the sample files. I'm desperate to know what "Kill the Old Lady" sounds like.

SPLAT !

[carlt]

What I've always wanted is a "Harvin Pied Piper" Ice cream van jingle player, on the boat.

 

Playing the Mister Softee jingle, of course.

 

Swmbo nods sympathetically, whenever I mention my latest ideas and then looks heavenward, despairingly, when they reach fruition.

[NB Alnwick]

I want a destroyer klaxon, with the "Whoop whooooop whooooooooooooop" sound.

 

Me too

 

But it is a steam trumpet or siren whistle and need loads of high pressure steam to work properly. They are available from Preston Services.

 

Clicky

[Chris J W]

Baldocks " subtle" little horn is a 32" truck horn ( Ex Britannia now Dove) powered by a 120 psi tanked compressor unit

sounds a bit like the Mersey Ferry coming into dock !

Scares the **** out of people when I blow it....

 

You've got it fixed, then?

[Iain_S]

Reading this thread I began to wonder whatever happened to the fad of novelty auto-horns so popular in years gone by. (snip)

 

They got made illegal by the Road Vehicles Construction and Use Regulations 1986 (Regulation 37, IIRC)

 

Iain

[billh]

I've always rather fancied a Deltic 2-tone horn (having been brought up on the Great Northern), although they seem to be in short supply (!) & I've no idea whether we could generate whatever power it needs in any case.

 

Be nice to be able to do "Ilkley Moor" at bridge holes

 

We've had a loco horn on the boat for years now. It came off a "Woodhead" EM1 class electric scrapped at Reddish in 1971. It's a Westinghouse model and the air supply comes from an old piston type fridge compressor driven by a 12v wheelchair motor. The (tested) air receiver is a lorry airbrake tank and the wp is 100psi.(NB all components are re-cycled) The air supply is also useful for blowing dirt out of small parts and inflating lockwheelers' bike tyres.

Recently we were lent another EM1 horn and I hoped it would be the other "tone" , unfortunately it is the same note , so "Ilkley Moor" is not yet in the repertoire.

We can cause a bit of consternation in signal boxes such as Ellesmere Port, Guide Bridge Junction, or Consall if we sound the horn when passing.A good use for the horn is to blow it while in a lock if there are any kids being a nuisance and getting too familiar with the boat- it tends to subdue them quite well.

 

Noisy Bill

[FadeToScarlet]

Me too

 

But it is a steam trumpet or siren whistle and need loads of high pressure steam to work properly. They are available from Preston Services.

 

Clicky

 

Right, if you see me sneaking away from Emily Anne in the dead of night with a suspiciously boiler-shaped bundle, you will turn a blind eye, won't you?

[Sven_8t4]

these any good to you?

 

clicky