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Air Horn ~UPD~


An air horn is a pneumatic device designed to create an extremely loud noise for signaling purposes. It usually consists of a source which produces compressed air, which passes into a horn through a reed or diaphragm. The stream of air causes the reed or diaphragm to vibrate, creating sound waves, then the horn amplifies the sound making it louder. Air horns are widely employed as vehicle horns, installed on large buses, semi-trailer trucks, fire trucks, trains, and some ambulances as a warning device, and on ships as a signaling device.




air horn



An air horn consists of a flaring metal or plastic horn or trumpet (called the "bell") attached to a small air chamber containing a metal reed or diaphragm in the throat of the horn. Compressed air flows from an inlet line through a narrow opening past the reed or diaphragm, causing it to vibrate, which creates sound waves. The flaring horn serves as an acoustic impedance transformer to improve the transfer of sound energy from the diaphragm to the open air, making the sound louder. In most horns it also determines the pitch of the sound. When vibrated by the diaphragm, the column of air in the horn vibrates in standing waves. The length of the horn determines the wavelength of the sound waves generated, and thus the fundamental frequency (pitch) of the note produced by the horn. The longer the horn, the lower the pitch.


Larger air horns used on ships and foghorns function similarly to a whistle; instead of a diaphragm the air escapes from a closed cylindrical resonator chamber through a precisely shaped slit directed against a knife edge (fipple). The air blowing past the knife edge oscillates, creating sound waves. The oscillations excite standing waves in the resonator chamber, so the length of the chamber determines the pitch of the note produced.


In trucks and buses, the air horn is powered with compressed air from the vehicle's air brake system. In trucks, a cord mounted on the ceiling of the operator's cab is pulled or in buses, a valve lever on the side of the dashboard is pushed down or pulled up to open the valve, supplying varying amounts of air to the horn. Thus, an outstretched hand reaching upward and pumping is a signal to the driver of an air horn equipped vehicle, requesting a toot. In modern trucks and buses, the horn is actuated by a button on the steering wheel (just like a normal car horn). Some trucks and buses have both electric and air horn, selectable by a switch on the dashboard. This is to prevent the use of the powerful air horn in populated areas.


There are also electronic horns for emergency vehicles, which produce a similar easily recognizable sound. These are typically integrated into the same system as the vehicle's electronic siren, and sound through the same speakers. In the last several decades, electronic sound systems with more widely varying frequencies have been chosen as common supplemental warning systems.


Originally, diesel locomotives were equipped with truck horns. After an accident in which a driver mistook a train for a truck, the need for a unique-sounding train horn became clear.[1] Consequently, North American trains now have at least two horns with different tones forming the airhorn, that sound simultaneously,[citation needed] creating a harmonic interval or chord. Each individual horn is called a "chime". Three and five-chime configurations are the most common, but two chime horns also exist.[2]


Fifteen to twenty seconds before entering a level crossing, federal law requires locomotives to sound their horns in a standard warning sequence. This succession consists of two long, one short, and one long horn sounding repeated as necessary until the locomotive clears the crossing. Exceptions to federal law occur in locations with established quiet zone ordinances that prohibit sounding locomotive horns.


In recent years, it has become a fad for bicycle, car, and truck enthusiasts to install large air horns on their vehicles.[3] Some jurisdictions do not allow an airhorn to be attached, whether or not it can be activated.[citation needed]


Portable air horns are also readily available packaged with a can of compressed gas as the air source. These are often sounded by fans at sporting events such as American football, basketball, ice hockey, and association football, and at other events such as graduations, and political conventions.


Another use is as a non-lethal weapon for self-defense, mainly as an auditory distraction to get away from an attacker. For outdoor activities like hiking, hunting, cross-country skiing, canoeing, fishing, an air horn can be handy to frighten away unwanted or aggressive wildlife, signalling for help and to announce one's location.


Additionally, air horns (especially those that contain fluorocarbons) have the potential to be abused as a substitute for recreational drugs since many such refrigerants can be inhaled for a quick and dangerous intoxication.[5][citation needed]


The idea of a goal horn in NHL ice hockey is said to have begun in 1974, when Bill Wirtz, then-owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, liked the sound of the Kahlenberg Q-3 on his yacht so much that he had another Q-3 mounted inside of the team's home arena, Chicago Stadium, to be sounded whenever the Blackhawks scored a goal.[6] Since then, every NHL, AHL, ECHL, SHL, and CHL team has picked up a horn, including many more leagues.


In mixed martial arts, an air horn is commonly used to signal the end of a round as opposed to the bell used in boxing and professional wrestling.However, CZW, GCW, and other independent wrestling companies allow air horns, while major companies such as WWE and IMPACT Wrestling have banned them.


Samples of various air horns have been used by NHL teams when the home team scores a goal, often accompanied by music. Many songs gaining fame from this use, like "Chelsea Dagger" and "Kernkraft 400," gaining popularity from the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Some fans of teams, like the Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken, have built chants into their songs that have become synonymous with goals. Predators fans point at the opposing bench and scream "Hey, you suck!" along with "Gold on the Ceiling," finally finishing with a "We're gonna beat the hell out of you." Kraken fans also sing along to their goal song, chanting "Let's Go Kraken!" along with Nirvana's hit, "Lithium." Many other teams, like the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights also incorporate chants into their goal sequence. Some teams also use player goal songs, which means players can choose which music is played after their goals. This is highly criticized however, with many horn enthusiasts claiming that it kills all life in the building, and ruins the possibility of all aforementioned chants.


The air horn is also a popular sample in reggae music. Jamaican dancehall music was the first musical genre to use the effect, and has been using the airhorn sample for over 26 years, in live shows as well as on mixtape recordings, and in Puerto Rican reggaeton, a reggae hybrid genre since the late '80s and '90s.[7] The sound effect has recently been used in hip hop music as well.


The "Air Horn Orchestra" gathered at the North Carolina Governor's Mansion every Wednesday for 30 weeks from April 13, 2016, until November 2, 2016, to protest the state's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, also known then as House Bill 2, and Governor Pat McCrory by making a loud, disruptive noise.[8][9][10][11] The 30th and final performance on November 2 was expected to set the Guinness World Record for the number of simultaneously sounding air horns, having had 342 participants. This was the last performance owing to the gubernatorial election six days later.[12]


  • The Miata is a great car, but there is a serious problem. When you have to use your horn, do other drivers just laugh at the pitiful squeak? Not only is it demoralizing, it's not safe.We're pleased to introduce you to the 3rd Millennium Miata Air Horn Kit. Our kit includes a patent-pending mounting bracket just for the Miata, the necessary mounting hardware, and a state-of-the-art air-horn made by Marco of Italy - one of the world's leaders in air horn technology.You could buy a generic air horn and fit it into your Miata, but it's a major headache to deal with the relays, tubing, compressors, and wiring. Our kit eliminates all that work and gives you a simple to install solution that you can have installed and working in about an hour.With our kit there are no wires to cut and splice and no tubing to run. It's a one-wire hookup using the existing horn wire!Our kit was designed to be simple to install and designed specifically for all model years of the Miata. What Happened to the Stebel Air Horn? For many years we sold an airhorn kit which used the Stebel Compact Nautilus horn, but unfortunately Stebel moved production to China and quality deterioriated to the point where we no longer could recommend the horn.Enter Marco. Another Italian manufacturer who took the Stebel design and improved upon it producing a far superior product. Differences include: Attachment of compressor to the sound unit has been reinforced

  • Air compressor redesign includes changing from a plastic holder for the brushes to a wire form holder to eliminate melting

  • Redesign of the impeller so it is screwed on to the shaft eliminating the tendency of the lower plastic cap to fall off from rough road pounding. This would cause total failure of the unit

  • Electrical blade connector redesign eliminating the blade from sliding into the plastic cap as well as eliminating the stress riser in the design eliminating breakage

  • And most of all, the Marco horn is manufactured by Marco in Italy and quality is controlled by Marco. Every horn is live tested by Marco prior to leaving the factory

  • Still have a Stebel horn or want to use one you got somewhere else? We have our famous, super-strong Stebel mounting kit with instructions available for purchase. Click here. Our Horn Kit Features: No complicated wiring. The kit uses your existing horn wiring combined with special short lead(s) supplied in the kit. There is no wire cutting or splicing.

  • Can be uninstalled easily. Because there is no wire cutting or modification of your existing horn setup, you can easily uninstall this air horn and put your stock horn back in place. Perfect if you ever have to sell your Miata.

  • Custom fit for the Miata. We supply everything needed for a secure, custom fit in your Miata. Hand tools-only installation. No drilling or modifications of your Miata!

  • Marine Grade Wire

  • Attention getting volume. Rated at 140db at 4 inches, other drivers will pay attention when this horn sounds.

  • True dual-tone air horn. Combined frequencies of 530Hz and 680Hz produce a distinctive tone. Think Ferrari...

  • We include detailed full-color printed installation instructions with every kit plus online video installs for the NB and NC.

  • A full 1-year warranty

Want to hear it? Turn up your speakers and click here (MP3) 041b061a72


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