Horn issues

Dream_Inn

Ok, I know I've seen some discussion in the past on RBO related to fixing the horn.  I have the two trumpet looking chrome ones just in front of the windshield.  When I push the button, one seems to make a little iniital noise but it seems like nothing out of the other at all.  They are usually quite loud (sound like air horns, but from what I can see there ar only electical wires).  If I remember right you take something apart and clean it?   any help would be great as I do use them since I go thru a bridge each time I leave my marina.

mvn

You are correct.  There is a set of "points" (remember those??) that corrode over the winter.  Just take the rear cap off, clean up the points and reassemble.  You should be good to go.

Mark

212rowboat

for what it's worth: those things suck up some h2o, and gurgle when you hit the button if they do anything at all... that is, if the points are clean.. I rec you tap a tiny hole in the back of the drum low (for draining), and one high (for venting the drain)... if you place a piece of tape over the places you want to tap, it won't mar the finish..

use as small a drill bit as you can for this purpose.

Dream_Inn

You guys are on the ball!  That is two great responses very quickly!  I will first check out the points & then look at the best place for a small drill tap once I have it working.  Thanks!

Anything other surprises I should expect when removng the back cap??  It's a fun place to take things apart (on the round edge of the bow), so hopefully I can keep everything in tact. I can't imagine there is too much that can fall out.  A towel or two should hold things there.  It's fun to work the small problems that are an easy fix!

mvn

Maybe spiders or other critters!!  Actually, there may be a cover over the horn motor once you take the back cover off.  Just don't lose the screws!

 

Mark

Dream_Inn

ok, did a little reading on this now and it also sounds like once cleaning the contacts & checking for mud dubbers (& maybe the diaphram), there are some screws you can use to adjust the sound.  Sounds like a fun time of annoying a few at the dock!

Black_Diamond

They are almost certainly electric. Should come apart, they can crud up with water/bugs.    Been looking to upgrade my stock electric horn as it is lame. Looking at air..any thoughts? Train horns would be the bomb at 150db, but they are huge!

raybo3

Hey BD Train horns are LOUD for sure but they are real UGLY trust me I know have installed them (on trains..lol) before........

bat32

I would love to replace my stock horn too.  It works whenit wants to and is sad sounding when it does.  But I think I remember on the old RBO Al saying you have to upgrade the wiring if you do replace them with a bigger horn.

Dream_Inn

I'm actually quite happy with my horns when they were working corectly.  they aer quite loud and fit the size of the boat.  If I have to clean them every now and then (which looks that way), then that's no big deal.  Sure beats the real corny sounding one I had on my 310!! )

mvn

You should hear the poor excuse of a horn on my 226.

Mark

clarkbar

My horn on the 320 is very wimpy! Sounds like it belongs on a pontoon boat. Looking at upgrading also.

TikiHut2

WooHoo post #100. It's official, I'd get the gold watch if they scanned my comp for time wasted at work

Hey I hear you. My 270 horn is a lot like a Kazoo sound. Absolutely the sorriest boat horn I've ever heard. So embarrassing that I only use it in an emergency or if we need a laugh. Always guaranteed to make the crew grin or have someone say wth was that??

Ray, omg, send me a train horn from one of those express lines  (just kidding)

Found these babies on Amazon Wolo model 125. just need to find the time/money: 

TonyWalker

I looked at the 125 Wolo horn.  Their website has samples of the sounds made by each of their horns.  When I make the decision to upgrade.  This is the one I will go with.  The only thing slowing me down is the single kazoo type trumpet draws 4 amps and this one draws 8.  Of course the boat is wired for the 4 amp load so fixing that is where the real work/expense would be.  But someday I will take it on.

Tony

Salt Shaker 342

Black_Diamond

You can buy the REAL train horns from outfits that clean them up and finish them nice, but they take a lot of real estate.

raybo3

Mike I do not think you would want one of those train horns. They are ugly and the people around you would not like it when you push the button....lol 

Black_Diamond

But at 150db, everyone will know where you are at!  Might cause spilled drinks too.

Dream_Inn

hmmmm, I could see some good use for it when you go by one of those boats with the lady face down on the sunpad, top unstrapped.

well, Friday was my only day to get to the boat but with the tropical storm, I didn't get out.  Planning on taking this Friday off, so I'll mess with it then.

bat32

This discussion must have jinxed me.  My horn quit on me this weekend.  New one on order.  Just wondering does anyone know if I can operate two of the mini horns off the same wiring if I split off the stock horn.  I saw they make a high pitch horn identical to my low pitch one and was thinking with both sounding together it might not sound so bad.

212rowboat

Sounds like a good idea, bat.. consult a music major, though.. some notes sound good together, some don't.. also, the note of horn, depending on application, may be hard to find.. there is a lot more research that goes into the actual sounds those things make than I ever would have guessed if i didn't stumble across that all by accident..

rwire

I just fixed mine by cleaning the contacts with emery and oiling them.

bat32

Yeah I tried cleaning the contacts but I think it is gone for good.  Even the company only says they guarantee their use for 5 years and I'm at the mark.  I just not an electrician and don't know if it will draw too much if I run two horns from the same power source.  The more I think about it the more I want to do it (even though it means cutting another hole in the hull).  I figure not only will the sound be better but offer the double redundancy we have on so many other aspects of the boat.  For now I bought a trusty hand held!

Black_Diamond

read up on train horns if you want some history on the note mix to make them sound good.  Interesting reading.

bat32

Post it!

Capt_Steve

As long as you know what key your horn is in (use any free guitar tuner app on your smartphone), you can make harmonious music with additional horns by following this chart. This has been taped to the back of my very first guitar since I've owned it...when someone clued me into the secret of simple key changes. Using this chart you can play nearly any blues, rock or country song ever written. At least the ones with three chords! 

TikiHut2

The brief and intermittent use of the amperage load on a slightly larger dual horn that'll be substantially closer to the batteries should negate any voltage drop concern. Put your new one on and blast away.

(That wouldn't apply to any specialized train horn application that seems to have lit a spark here)

My concern with the dual horns is more about fouling it on dock lines or tripping on it but that's almost overridden by the hilarity of my current kazoo sounding horn. Maybe it should be up on the radar arch right by the Admirals side of the cockpit.... \m/

raybo3

Forget about train horns, needs way to much air pressure to work........ Trust me I know...lol

bat32

I'm going to give the 2 independent hi/lo tone horns a shot.  Heck at $40 it's the cheapest upgrade I can do to the boat.

Dream_Inn

ok, here is the update.  I cleaned the contacts and got it all put together and holy crap! I never new it could sound so loud!  Coming back yesterday when I got near the bridge entrance, it was so loud echoing that the admiral wondered if I should tone it down.  (we all know that won't happen)

thanks for all the help!

212rowboat

Capt_Steve said:

As long as you know what key your horn is in (use any free guitar tuner app on your smartphone), you can make harmonious music with additional horns by following this chart. This has been taped to the back of my very first guitar since I've owned it...when someone clued me into the secret of simple key changes. Using this chart you can play nearly any blues, rock or country song ever written. At least the ones with three chords! 

I saw a dude who had a circle of fifths laser engraved on the back of his Gibson Hummingbird, similar to this:


but using a nautical chart looking compass as the foundation that looked something like this:



I wanted to do the same thing to my guitars, because it looked so amazing- but then I saw the price tag for what he did, and realized I could just about buy a new guitar (in my price range) instead of doing that..

at any rate- most horns are sounded in aggravating tones.. on purpose.. I think cars use F, for instance, while trains use another all together- and shoot for volume instead..

like I said, I stumbled over this discussion a good while back, and was amazed at the thought that goes into something as simple as a signalling device.. If I recall correctly, there was actually a thought process at one time to have each family of horn using a different tone/note/key, so as they could be identified for what they belonged to by just listening... I reckon, the punch line, is that many folks are tone deaf anyway, and all that is for naught..

bat32

I have been doing some research too and if you go on Ongaro's website on their horn page they give you a sampling of all their horns including the High and Low pitches together.  Anyways update on the mini for future reference..... I was able to fix my old horn (of course after getting a new one) by bending the contact wire back up in the diaphragm.  Just a little copper wire that gets bent down after time.  Hope this helps someone in the future!