Fog Horn Recommendation

[jibes138]

In my years of sailing i have seen mouth/lung actuated horns, aerosol cans with a horn attached and a marine radio that will broadcast fog horns over a speaker in a periodic manner. For those of you living in fog prone areas, what do you recommend? seems like the can of air with a horn on top would be prone to running out of air. The radio is dependent on a battery and a lung powered horn has a problem with fatigue of the operator and another distraction from navigation (especially if singlel handed).
You Maine folks must have a grand solution to this problem, let's hear it.

 

[Don12364]

When the gas powered horns first came on the market they seemed inordinately expensive. However I saw a 'used' one on sale in our local chandlers at half price. Always a sucker for a bargain I enquired as to how it came to be on sale as a used item so soon after its introduction. The proprietor of the chandlery said it was his own air horn but seemed somewhat reticent to tell me about it. I was concerned that the little gas cylinder would run out at a critical moment leaving us hornless.
My suspicions now aroused I pressed on with my questions and asked "How long does the gas cylinder last". He became even more embarrassed until I said, "look, unless you tell me I won't buy it".

Oh well he said sheepishly, "About three football matches!"

Have had it now over 30 years, never used it and always use my lung powered version - which will outlast me anyway.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Sounding the horn

You know that it is not just for fog, I use mine to announce going in reverse, and to coordinate passing folks in the channel. Works better than VHF as it does get their attention. You are also required to answer with a horn if someone signals you with a horn BTW.
The loud hailers are nice as you can set it and forget it. Lets you get some sleep or concentrate on listening and navigation without watching the clock.
I found a hand pump model that you can recharge. Comes with a small bicycle hand pump. Lasts for about 15-3 second bursts on one charge.

 

[Maine Sail]

The Fog Mate works well: http://www.fogmate.com/HTML/index.htm

Also many VHF radios have a fog horn signal built in but they use a speaker rather than a horn. The Fog Mate above in conjunction with a small Ongaro horn is a great system..

 

[Ross]

I have a mouth blown horn that turns heads on powerboats at a half mile. The horns used at the world cup games, the vuvuzela, are the loudest mouth blown horns that i know about

 

[Warren Milberg]

I haven't had any problems with using the typical cannister type air horn. My only problem is that I seriously doubt that many boaters know what the standard signals mean. I have often gotten some strange stares from other boaters when signalling my intentions via horn....

 

[Ross]

I haven't had any problems with using the typical cannister type air horn. My only problem is that I seriously doubt that many boaters know what the standard signals mean. I have often gotten some strange stares from other boaters when signalling my intentions via horn....

At the very least you got their attention.

 

[capejt]

I forgot the name

of the contraption, but how about those horn things thay blew at the world cup? (Billabong?)

 

[Ross]

Re: I forgot the name

vuvuzela

 

[cephius (Dave)]

The Attwood Bellow Signal Horn uses so little air to make a very loud signal that operator will not fatigue. It's cheap and maintenance free.

http://www.amazon.com/attwood-2460-7-Attwood-Bellow-Signal/dp/B000NJ17XW

 

[Prime Time]

Love the automatic fog horn on my VHF

I spent a few weeks cruising in Maine this summer after doing the around long island race. Approaching Monehegan Island we lost virtually all visibility. For the next 6 hours heading to Rockport it was pea soup. I was very happy to have the automatic horn on my VHF.

It seemed to be a very foggy summer. Sailed back down Penobscot bay from Castine to Tennant harbor not seeing anything. Going back thru the cape cod canal could not even see the sides of the canal or the bridges! I would have gone through a lot of canisters.

I also sail with an Eco horn. You can alway recharge it with the hand pump. It is quite loud.

 

[John Nantz]

130 db @ 1 mile

To answer your question of "what do you recommend", I'd recommend compliance with the ColRegs because anything less could lead one into trouble.

If you're putzing around in fog on the water, at least salt water, and there is an "accident", then would be helpful if one is within compliance with legal requirements because if not, then the day(s) in court could get very stressful. Compliance with the legal requirements includes sounding the audible device at the prescribed intervals, with the appropriate signal, and with a device that meets the requirements, which for a boat between 20 and 75 ft is 130 db at 1 mile, minimum. There is also a frequency range requirement and I think I remember reading something about a standing watch requirement.

http://www.dupremarine.co.uk/attachments/015_IMO_Requirements_for_Sound_Signalling.pdf [file size is 168KB]

Even if there isn't a standing watch requirement it would be smart to do so. Even our Washington State ferries have someone who stands watch on the bow of the vessel when it is traveling in fog.

One system I use is a Standard Horizon loud hailer with an electrical powered horn. It is hooked up with a heavy gage wire which is run to the bow where it is attached to a horn that is clamped onto the pulpit. This is my temporary setup that I've been using until I come up with a more permanent solution.

The advantage of this loud hailer is it has a "talk back" feature that when the horn is not blasting it takes any sounds it picks up and feeds it back to the loud hailer unit. What you hear, then, is what the horn is picking up which can be noise from waves, or, sounds made another boat. And the sounds are better than what a human can normally hear without the aid of the horn.

The loud hailer has switches for the 2-minute interval sound while under power, plus all the other signals such as "aground", etc.

For the future I've like to install an electric air pump and have an air horn on the bow - but also with the loud hailer horn (but not sounding a signal) for it's talk-back feature.

 

[Henry Scurlock]

I would take exception to 130db @ 1 mile

"which for a boat between 20 and 75 ft is 130 db at 1 mile, minimum."

For that to be, the blast would most likely be literally deafening at the horn. I believe the reg reads "minimum sound pressure level in 1/3 octave band at 1 meter... audible range 1 nautical mile"

 

[Benny]

I just had a revelation! If the air runs out of the bottle, use the pump to blow more air in between signals.

 

[John Nantz]

Give Mr Scurlock an Atta-Boy!

"which for a boat between 20 and 75 ft is 130 db at 1 mile, minimum."

For that to be, the blast would most likely be literally deafening at the horn. I believe the reg reads "minimum sound pressure level in 1/3 octave band at 1 meter... audible range 1 nautical mile"

Good thinking! It's supposed to be 130 db at 1 meter but audible at 1 mile, minimum.

Guess I was just trying to condense things a little too much and got carried away.

Anyway, I'd still like to put in a plug to doing things according to the regs when running through fog. If something happens the jury will be listening to the opposing attorney and unless one has deep pockets to buy a better one to argue your case you could become toast.

Remember that guy on Clear Lake in California that was T-boned by the drunk bonehead sheriff?

Even if you do things right you could still loose. Just remember there are no guarantees in life.

 

[RAD]

Interesting thread......i've always wanted a loud hailer for the listen back feature and also the fog horn but where do you install a speaker? spreaders? mast?

 

[John Nantz]

Horn mounting location suggestion

The "listen back" feature is a big help. When one is running in fog, you're usually back in the cockpit where there is some amount of engine noise and this makes it harder to listen to noises, such as something from another boat.

Interesting thread......i've always wanted a loud hailer for the listen back feature and also the fog horn but where do you install a speaker? spreaders? mast?

Like I mentioned before, my setup is "temporary" - probably about 10 to 15 years old. My horn location suggestion is to mount the horn to a board and then using a strong spring-loaded clamp, clamp it to the pushpit seat (if the boat has one).

I run a two-conductor wire from the loud hailer at the nav station which is connected with a couple "bullet connectors", then run the wire forward and then out the forward hatch to the horn at the pushpit, and it is then connected to the horn with a couple more bullet connectors.

Once through the fog bank, or if the fog lifts, the horn can be easily un-clamped and the wire coiled up and then everything stowed. May not look very pretty but it is temporary and there are no holes in the boat.

Having the horn on the bow makes the talk-back, or listen-back, feature much better.

What I'd really like to have is an air horn powered by a small compressor, and operated with an electric solenoid powered by the loud hailer. The one downside to this setup would be the lack of a listen-back feature.

Short story of one loud-hailer w/ fog horn use:
While going out the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Victoria to Barkley Sound we were running in quite thick fog, as is usually the case in the month of "Fogust".

Running between the shipping lanes and shore, and staying closer to the shore side, the radar would typically pick up lots of targets ahead. As we approached the targets they would disappear off to the side. As it turned out, the targets were small boats with sport fishermen. Maybe they thought we were a tug? Tugs quite often travel outside the shipping lanes, especially when they have a tow.

As an aside: One thing to be especially on the lookout for are kayakers. During the popular July/August/early September periods fog can develop quickly. If some kayakers are traveling along and fog suddenly develops they can be out there without radar, radar reflectors, or even something to make a loud audio signal with, so us boaters need to be cautious. The audio signal for boats under something like 20 feet is less than the 130 db @ 1 meter.

 

[John Nantz]

Horn for Loud hailer

Forgot to insert the link to the Standard Horizon horn that can work with their loud hailer:

http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...60E75C81C5D2B48C9A4&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1

Another item to consider: With a long wire run between the hailer and the horn, and something like 25 or 30 (x 2 for forward and return = 50 to 60 feet) feet should be considered long, use heavy gage wire, say at least 16 ga, not the 22 or 24 ga stuff, to avoid power loss.

 

[Prime Time]

Horn location

I have my horn/hailer speaker up on the mast located just below the radar mount.

It is a standard horizon Matrix VHF unit with an AIS receiver. I really like it.

 

[DianaOfBurlington]

How about a BELL????????