Sparton Sirens

A Sparton Model 37, located in Bonneauville, PA. It is inactive.

The **Sparton** line of sirens were various vehicular and outdoor warning sirens that were produced by the Sparks-Withington Company out of Jackson, MI in the 20th century. While they saw some success, these sirens never saw widespread use and today are rare finds. They are distinctive due to their unique housings.

## History and Design

These sirens were produced around the 1940s (with one advertisement for them dating back to 1940) by the Sparks-Withington Company, based out of Jackson, MI. They are small omnidirectional mechanical sirens that were mainly intended for fire station and industrial use, and they also made small vehicular sirens. They were intended to compete with other small fire sirens such as Federal Signal (then Federal Electric)'s Model 2, and Sterling Siren's 2V8. The sirens were produced until around 1956, when parts of Sparks-Withington was sold to Magnavox and the rest of the company was split to become the Sparton Corporation, which is still in business today as a defense contractor.

There were 4 main siren models produced by Sparks-Withington:

### Sparton Model 35

These are the smallest of the Sparton sirens, and are a small siren intended for use in industrial areas or as a street clearing siren at fire stations or intersections. These sirens are very similar to a Federal Signal Model L or Sterling Model F, using a small 8-port rotor and stator driven by a 1/2HP universal motor. These sirens operate on 110V AC, and the rotor and stator are shielded by a small horn. The siren uses a long, slightly conical intake which includes a steel mesh screen to keep debris out of the siren. The motor and stator are a single cast, meaning that the motor is not removable from the siren. The siren is mounted on a swivel base, which allows the siren to be tilted vertically to face any intended direction. These are very rare today, with few examples in existence today. One operating example survives in private possession by Midwest Siren Productions.

### Sparton Model 37

The Sparton Model 37 is a small omnidirectional siren, and the most common model sold by Sparks-Withington. These are small sirens that were intended to compete with Federal Electric/Enterprises' Fedelcode Model 1 and 2, and Sterling's 2V8. These sirens make use of a 14-inch 5-port rotor and stator, which are driven by a 1HP AC/DC universal motor, running at 7600RPM. The rotor and stator on these sirens are very short in height, with the ports being far wider than they are tall.

The siren intakes from both the top and bottom of the rotor, with six holes on the bottom of the housing allowing air into the siren. A mesh screen protects these intakes from debris. The stator has two large rings that help project the sound outwards, and there is a tall metal rod which has an eyebolt on top bolted to the stator, held up by 4 legs. This rod holds up the siren's cylindrical housing, which has a large number of small vents which allow the sound to escape the housing, a similar design choice to the earlier Decot Red Arrows as well as W.S. Darley Weatherproof Champions. The housing sits on four mounting legs A rainshield is included on top to keep moisture and debris out of the siren. The design of the housing is severely flawed, however, as much of the siren's sound output is blocked due to the housing being too obstructive. As a result, this siren is quiet, being greatly outperformed by a Model 2. These are the most commonly found model surviving today, with one in private possession by Calvin Mayer, one in active service as a noon blaster, and several sitting inactive. They are commonly mistaken with the taller Model 38.

### Sparton Model 38

The Sparton Model 38 is a taller, enlarged version of the Model 37, taking a largely similar shape. These sirens filled a similar role to the Model 37, being small omnidirectional sirens intended to compete in the same market as the Model 37. These sirens make use of a 14-inch 5-port rotor and stator, which are driven by a 2HP AC/DC universal motor, running at 6800RPM, which makes them lower pitched than a Model 37. The rotor and stator are taller than the Model 37's, although they share the same diameter, with the ports being square in shape. The stator lacks the rings that the Model 37's has, and like the Model 37, the siren intakes from both the top and bottom of the rotor. The siren's metal housing is held up by a tall metal rod bolted to the stator, held up by 4 legs, with an eyebolt on top. The housing is similar to a Model 37's, but is 5 inches taller to fit the taller siren inside. The housing is cylindrical in shape, with many small vents allowing the sound to escape. A rounded rainshield is on top of the siren, which differs from the 37's conical rainshield. Like the Model 37, the Model 38's housing is severely flawed, greatly hampering performance by being too obstructive. These sirens are very commonly mistaken by enthusiasts for Model 37s, but can be differentiated by the taller housing. Few of these sirens survive, with a few units sitting inactive and another in private possession by Adam Pollak. No active examples are known to exist.

### Sparton Model 39

The Sparton Model 39 is the largest siren that was offered by Sparks-Withington, and is a unique design. The Model 39 is a dual rotor, vertical omnidirectional siren with a very similar design to a H.O.R. Siro-Drone. Because of this, these sirens are very commonly mistaken as Siro-Drones. The Model 39 makes use of two 14-inch 5-port rotors and stators, both driven on the same single rotor shaft by a single phase 3HP AC motor running at 5700RPM. The siren uses the same rotor and stator from the Model 38, with two of them stacked vertically like some H.O.R. Sirex units, however the siren is 5/5 port single tone. The top rotor intakes from the top, while the bottom rotor intakes from below, and each stator has a steep louvre attached which directs the sound down and outwards, very similar to a Fedelcode era Model 5 C3 1/2. A rounded rainshield is located on top, with an eyebolt attached. The siren's motor is bare, with no protection from the elements. This model did not sell as well as other models, with few units surviving today. One intact, inactive example is located in Jackson, MI, where the company was based out of.