Nashville Tornado Warning yesterday: how did the ATI's do?

Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:15 pm

I checked today on the Severe Weather Warnings page and saw that the City of Nashville was under a Tornado Warning yesterday afternoon and was wondering if there's anyone here on the board from that area. If so, were you able to hear the ATI's? Anyone from the 'burbs of Nashville and got to hear different sirens other than ATI's?

Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:27 pm

FedTB wrote:I checked today on the Severe Weather Warnings page and saw that the City of Nashville was under a Tornado Warning yesterday afternoon and was wondering if there's anyone here on the board from that area. If so, were you able to hear the ATI's? Anyone from the 'burbs of Nashville and got to hear different sirens other than ATI's?

Yes a member on this board does live in Nashville and his name is Melvin Potts.In Cookeville we also got it pretty bad but no siren soundings

Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:06 pm

I have a friend that lives there and said he didnt hear them go off, and was less than 500 ft. from one of the ATI locations. I was on the phone with him when the warning was issued and nothing went off. That sucks!!

Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:42 pm

TornadoSirenFan wrote:I have a friend that lives there and said he didnt hear them go off, and was less than 500 ft. from one of the ATI locations. I was on the phone with him when the warning was issued and nothing went off. That sucks!!

Yes Yes it does.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:55 am

I wasn't at home or near one of the ATIs when the warning was issued.

However, my parents said they heard the ATI at Crieve Hall School clearly.
That siren is about 1/2 mile from our house. Many 1st Saturdays I've never heard it during regular test. Heard it a few times if wind was blowing toward the house.

Last Saturday I was about 2 blocks away from ATI in Fannie Mae Dees Park(near Vanderbilt) when system was tested. Not an impressive sound at all.

I was leaving work in Brentwood when their sirens sounded. Most of that city's sirens are Federal 2001s. There's one atop the Municipal Building just down the street. It began sounding just as I got in my car..so I got myself back in the building!

I could also hear another 2001 in the distance.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:31 am

Ya i was in Nashville last month and heard the test on the first Saturday, and I must tell you I am sooo disappointed that Davidson county went with that crappy company(ATI). That thing sounded like a high pitched dial tone. I don't see how any one could hear that during a real storm. I don't know why some parts of Nashville have 2001's(Vanderbilt) but most have the ATI.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:14 pm

I don't know why some parts of Nashville have 2001's(Vanderbilt) but most have the ATI.

Vanderbilt's 2001 is part of the school's warning system.

Brentwood is just across the county line, but one can't tell where Nashville ends and Brentwood begins. Except for Modulators in 2 city parks, all the Brentwood sirens are 2001s.

Franklin, a few miles S of Brentwood has several Modulators in parks, but also has 2001s at other locations.

I like your description of the ATI sound! I think it sounds like a bad case of microphone feedback.

Certainly the city could've done better than ATI.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:38 pm

Certainly, the City of Nashville COULD have done better: They could've went with something other than the CHEAPEST BID!

Isn't that how most cities do it, cheapest bid wins?!

That's how the City of Arnold, just south of St. Louis, did it late last year. They went with ATI because they were the cheapest bid and ATI sold them a bill of goods, telling the City how much better their system is compared to Whelen, Federal and ASC.

BTW, the City of Arnold replaced all of their 1982 "vintage" Whelen WPS-3016's with these ATI's.

Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:39 am

I remember when the previous mayor announced the siren project.

There was a brief clip on TV news one night. ASC had brought a T-121 to Centennial Park. During this clip they revved it up to full speed then shut it off so people could get an idea of its sound.

We'd have been much better off with this siren...or Federal 2001..than with the ATIs.

Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:41 am

TornadoSirenFan wrote:

[/quote]Ya i was in Nashville last month and heard the test on the first Saturday, and I must tell you I am sooo disappointed that Davidson county went with that crappy company(ATI). That thing sounded like a high pitched dial tone. I don't see how any one could hear that during a real storm. [quote]

The ATIs were sounded today for their regularly monthly test.

I was about a block away from the one at West End Middle School at noon.
The ATI is on back side of campus. I was at traffic light across from the campus waiting for light to change.

The sound was PITIFUL! There was no startup or winddown...just this high pitched electronic squeal.