Informer Equipment

[chester85]

Were setting up a informer at our station for when the tones drop it goes off can anyone tell what other equipment I will need?

 

[kb4mdz]

What do you want to do when the tones drop?
Trip a relay for night-time lights?
Feed Audio to a PA?
Open the bay doors?
Close a solenoid for the gas to the stove? (don't laugh, it's one of the things that is mentioned in wish lists. Don't know if or where it's been implemented?
Activate a bedshaker for that guy that just won't get up?

 

[Mattsenft]

You can do everything mentioned above and more. What you need if you don't already have it is:

1. A good antenna (external if your coverage in station isn't good)
2. Informer programming software from Federal Signal
3. The RS-232 programming cable for the Informer
4. The frequency and tones information to program the unit
5. A basic knowledge of electrical theory to understand how to connect the relay outputs in your circuit
6. A public address amplifier if you plan to connect audio from the Informer throughout the station. The audio amp in the Informer isn't very big
7. Don't forget if it's brand new to open it up and make sure the battery is connected.

 

[chester85]

What do you want to do when the tones drop?
Trip a relay for night-time lights?
Feed Audio to a PA?
Open the bay doors?
Close a solenoid for the gas to the stove? (don't laugh, it's one of the things that is mentioned in wish lists. Don't know if or where it's been implemented?
Activate a bedshaker for that guy that just won't get up?

To feed the audio through the PA

 

[kb4mdz]

To feed the audio through the PA

OK, good goal.
I'll sidestep the issue of how many speakers, which tells how powerful an amp you will need, for now.

And it's been over 15 years since I set up any Informers, but this is what I remember from then: Then ones we installed had a set of Common, Normally Open and Normally Closed relay contacts, maybe even 2 sets. And of course a pair for connecting the audio out. We found that there was a fair amount of electronic noise from the device driving the audio pins, so we had to route the audio thru the Common and Normally Open of a relay to keep it quiet when not alerted. Maybe they've made it better since then, YMMV.

Those are 1 watt output into an 8 ohm speaker; manual says 600 ohm output. That would go into a Line In port of your PA; putting it into a microphone input would overdrive it, unless you put a bunch of attenuation in there.


Mattsenft has good points. You need software & cable and knowledge of frequency and tones, and a few other important items.

 

[chester85]

OK, good goal.
I'll sidestep the issue of how many speakers, which tells how powerful an amp you will need, for now.

And it's been over 15 years since I set up any Informers, but this is what I remember from then: Then ones we installed had a set of Common, Normally Open and Normally Closed relay contacts, maybe even 2 sets. And of course a pair for connecting the audio out. We found that there was a fair amount of electronic noise from the device driving the audio pins, so we had to route the audio thru the Common and Normally Open of a relay to keep it quiet when not alerted. Maybe they've made it better since then, YMMV.

Those are 1 watt output into an 8 ohm speaker; manual says 600 ohm output. That would go into a Line In port of your PA; putting it into a microphone input would overdrive it, unless you put a bunch of attenuation in there.


Mattsenft has good points. You need software & cable and knowledge of frequency and tones, and a few other important items.

Do you know where I could get a cable from that doesn't cost a lot?