Federal Electric Fedelcode

* Federal Signal STH-10
* Federal Signal STL-10
* Federal Signal SD-10

The **Fedelcode** series (short for **Fed**eral **El**ectric **Code**) is a series of sirens that was produced by the Federal Electric Company in the early to mid 20th century. Intended to replace the obsolete Type Mach. B and better compete in the general purpose and fire siren markets, these sirens were popular for their strong performance and reliability.

As the name suggests, all Fedelcode sirens were offered with coding dampers of various designs, which allowed the siren to create coded "pulse" signals. The Fedelcode series was succeeded by the Model series in 1948.

## History and Design

The Fedelcode line of sirens debuted in 1929, with several single and dual headed models being available. These sirens were intended for use on fire stations and other places where coded signalling was required, and offered superior performance and reliability than the existing Type B. These sirens quickly began to sell well as word spread around. These were produced both under the Federal Electric and Fedelcode branding, with Fedelcode variants having large metal "Fedelcode" badges advertising the brand.

Around the same time, the Model 2 would be released under the Fedelcode name, although it became its own separate siren and shares little in common with the other Fedelcodes. Though the tags on these sirens refer to them as "Type Mach. X", colloquially they are often referred to as simply "Model X", especially single headed models. The dual rotor Fedelcodes would be only vertical dual rotor sirens Federal made until the XT22 debuted in 1952.

### Dual rotor series

Unlike every other outdoor warning siren Federal has made, dual rotor Fedelcodes used curved vanes on the rotors, which makes them more efficient. This was likely to improve their performance over the single headed models. The Type Mach. 1 was also available with curved vanes originally. It is speculated that the dual rotor sirens were Federal's "premium" siren offering, as these sirens incorporated design features that improved their performance compared to the more common, cheaper single rotor series of sirens. While the Type Mach. 1 is a single rotor siren, it is included here as it is a unique single rotor version of the dual rotor sirens.

#### Type Mach. 1 (Early)

The Type Mach. 1 (not to be confused with the later version) was the lowest power option in the original Fedelcode line, being single rotor vertical electric siren, and the only single rotor siren in the dual series lineup. Unlike the other Fedelcode sirens, the Type Mach. 1 was intended as a "general alarm", with no coding capabilities. The Type Mach. 1 was available with an 9-port or 12-port single tone rotor and stator, driven by a GE square-shaped 1 hp AC motor. The rotor itself is 10.5", a size it shares with the Type Mach. 3. The Type Mach. 1 uses a weatherproof housing that slightly resembles those used in later Fedelcode models, being cylindrical in shape with two skirts directing the sound from the rotor ports outwards.

A rainshield on top which helps protect the siren from the elements and directs the sound from the siren's intake outwards. The siren uses a rotor-over-motor configuration, with the siren's intake facing upwards. The siren's design projects all of the siren's output both downwards and outwards in a 360° fashion, which makes it perfectly suitable for roof mounting. The siren uses a mesh screen to keep debris out of the rotor. The Type Mach. 1 was one of the poorer selling sirens, with few units still existing today, some with their original FEDELCODE labels.

#### Dual Rotor Type Mach. 3

The dual rotor Type Mach. 3 is the smallest dual rotor siren in the original lineup, using the same 10.5" rotors that the Type Mach. 1 has. The Type Mach. 3 is essentially a dual rotor variant of the Type Mach. 1, but unlike the Type Mach. 1, the Type Mach. 3 has coding capabilities. The Type Mach. 3 makes use of two rotors, available in 9/9, 12/12, or 9/12-port. The siren is driven by a dual sided GE 3 hp AC motor between the two rotors. The siren uses a tall cylindrical weatherproof housing, and each rotor/stator has two skirts that help project the sound both outwards and downwards.

The siren also has a rainshield which both protects the siren itself and projects the sound from the upper rotor's intake. The Type Mach. 3 was available with coding dampers fixed to each intake, which could allow the siren to create coded pulse signals. These dampers were optional, and were designed to be easily added to or removed from the siren as required. The siren also used a mesh screen to protect each rotor. The Type Mach. 3 was successful, although not to the degree of the larger models.

#### Dual Rotor Type Mach. 5

The dual rotor Type Mach. 5 is the midrange option in the original lineup, and one of the best selling models. The Type Mach. 5 makes use of two 16" rotors/stators, driven by a 5 hp dual sided GE AC motor. The siren was available in a multitude of ports, including 6/6, 8/8, and 12/12-port single tone, or 6/12-port dual tone. No 8/12 or 6/8-port models have been documented, and may never have been made. The siren uses a tall cylindrical weatherproof housing, and each rotor/stator has two skirts that help project the sound both outwards and downwards. The siren also has a rainshield which both protects the siren itself and projects the sound from the upper rotor's intake.

The skirts on the Type Mach. 5 were originally smaller than those used on the Type Mach. 3, though this was changed later in the siren's production with larger skirts that sloped downwards at a steeper angle, and one skirt was removed. The Type Mach. 5 was available with coding dampers fixed to each intake, which could allow the siren to create coded pulse signals. These dampers were optional, and were designed to be easily added to or removed from the siren as required. The siren also used a mesh screen to protect each rotor. The Type Mach. 5 was the most successful model, with several surviving in service today, often as fire sirens or noon whistles.

#### Type Mach. 10

The dual rotor Type Mach. 10 is the largest siren in the original lineup, and easily the loudest. The Type Mach. 10 makes use of two large 24" rotors/stators, driven by a 10 hp dual sided GE AC motor. The siren was available in a multitude of ports, including 6/6, 8/8, and 12/12-port single tone, or 6/12-port dual tone. No 8/12 or 6/8-port models have been documented, and may never have been made. The Type Mach. 10 has been said by those who have heard it to be louder than even a Cyclone 125, although this has not been tested. The siren uses a tall cylindrical weatherproof housing, and each rotor/stator has two skirts that help project the sound both outwards and downwards.

The siren also has a rainshield which both protects the siren itself and projects the sound from the upper rotor's intake. The skirts on the Type Mach. 10 are much shallower than the other models. The Type Mach. 10 was available with coding dampers fixed to each intake, which could allow the siren to create coded pulse signals. These dampers were optional, and were designed to be easily added to or removed from the siren as required. The siren also used a mesh screen to protect each rotor. The Type Mach. 10 sold fairly well, with several surviving units. At least one 6/6-port unit is currently active.

### Single rotor series

At some point around 1930, the Fedelcode line of sirens would include several new models. These sirens varied in shapes and sizes, ranging from 1 hp all the way to 20 hp. There were three main rotor sizes, designated on the tag as "C1 1/2" (13" rotor), "C2 1/2" (15" rotor) and "C3 1/2" (17" rotor). The sirens are often named after their horsepower rating, however this is unreliable as the horsepower varies even with the same rotor sizes. These sirens were available with optional coding dampers, with coded models having the "OC" designation after the horsepower rating. The coding dampers on these sirens were originally spring-operated, with a rotating disk resting in the open position over the intake and lowering to silence the siren for coding, spinning with the rotor when lowered. This would later be changed to a more reliable solenoid-operated damper. These models include:

### Other models

#### Model 1

Not to be confused with the larger siren of the same name mentioned above, the Model 1 is a small vertical electric siren that was produced during the Fedelcode era. The siren uses a 9" 8-port rotor and stator, driven by a 1 hp AC/DC universal motor running at 5000RPM as standard. Due to the drag of the rotor causing problems when correctly wired, the Model 1 was shipped by Federal Electric wired in reverse as standard, which hampered the siren's performance but improved the longevity of the motor.

The Model 1 came in a variety of different housings, with 4 being known to exist. The first is a single louvre design that heavily resembles a C1 1/2 housing in design. A two-louvred version of this housing also exists, with an additional louvre helping to project the sound from the rotor outwards rather than just downwards. The two-louvred housing had a variant that had a larger gap between the two louvres, with a mesh screen in between. Finally, a variant exists with three closely spaced louvres around the rotor, and a slightly tapered cylindrical housing. On all of these units, a rainshield is located on top. Despite having half the horsepower, the Model 1 is nearly twice the size of a Model 2, and performs roughly the same. Being relatively redundant, the siren was discontinued by the 1950s.

#### Model 2

See the linked article for more information.