The Klaxon Warning Signal". The Horseless age: the automobile trade magazine. Vol.21, no.15. April 8, 1908. pp.411–412 . Retrieved January 16, 2011. For use off the road, there are a number of “funny” car horns that are available. Personally, the all time favorite and the best funny car horn has to be the Dixie horn, which is a car horn everyone loves. Trains, trolleycars and trams/streetcars [ edit ] The Leslie S5T, a locomotive air horn with five 'chimes'

A horn grille is a part of some designs of car or other motor vehicle that has an electric horn, such as a motor scooter. Most cars, motorcycles, and motor scooters have for some time used a cheaper and smaller alternative design, which, despite retaining the name "horn," abandons the actual horn ducting and instead relies on a larger flat diaphragm to reach the required sound level. Sound levels of such horns are approximately 109–112 decibels, and they typically draw 2.5–5 amperes of current. Again, these horns can be either single, or arranged in pairs; typical frequencies for a pair are 420–440Hz and 340–370Hz (approximately G ♯ 4–A 4 and F 4–F ♯ 4) for this design.Ships signal to each other and to the shore with air horns, sometimes called whistles, that are driven with compressed air or from steam tapped from the power plant. Low frequencies are used, because they travel further than high frequencies; horns from ships have been heard as far as fifteen kilometres (ten miles). [1] Traditionally, the lower the frequency, the larger the ship. The RMS Queen Mary, an ocean liner launched in 1934, had three horns based on 55Hz (corresponding to A1 ), a frequency chosen because it was low enough that the very loud sound of it would not be painful to the passengers. [2] Modern International Maritime Organization regulations specify that ships' horn frequencies be in the range 70–200Hz (corresponding to C ♯ 2-G 3) for vessels that are over 200m (660ft) in length. For vessels between 200 and 75m (660 and 250ft) the range is 130–350Hz and for vessels under 75m (250ft) it is 70–700Hz. [3] The English company Klaxon Signals Ltd. has been based in Oldham, England for the last 80 years, [ when?] with premises also in Birmingham. The French Klaxon company was acquired by the Italian Fiamm Group in the 1990s. In 2005 Klaxon Signals sold the rights for the hooter or klaxon range to Moflash Signalling Ltd., based in the original Klaxon Factory in Birmingham, England. [ citation needed] The Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Company of Newark, New Jersey bought the rights to the device and it became standard equipment on General Motors cars. [8] Franklyn Hallett Lovell Jr., the founder, coined the name klaxon from the Ancient Greek verb klazō, "I shriek". [9]

A traditional style automobile horn includes an expansion chamber cast into its body, once spiral shaped, to better match the acoustical impedance of the diaphragm with open air, and thus more effectively transfer the sound energy. Sound levels of typical car horns are approximately 107–109 decibels, and they typically draw 5–6 amperes of current. In Japan, most modern trains like 209 series or E233 series from the first half of the 1990s onwards use electric horns as primary in passenger use. Although electric horns were used by Seibu 2000 series, air horns were primarily used until the 1990s. Modern Japanese trains may still be equipped with both air horns and electric horns. Dr. Richard E. Rodda (11 August 2012). "The Peninsula Music Festival - 60th Season 2012 - Program Notes". Archived from the original on 22 August 2012 . Retrieved 5 December 2012. The Stebel Nautilus is one of my personal favorite car horns and I have installed several over the years. It has a unique sound from the twin tone harmonized horn that outputs at 139 dB. Most modern streetcars, trams and trolley cars including low-floor vehicles around the world also employ horns or whistles as a secondary auditory warning signal in addition to the gong/bell which either use the sound of air horns or electric automobile car horns.Below is a list of the best loud car horn upgrades that are direct replacements and some of the loudest available. The Best Loud Car Horn Upgrades The Moflash Company discontinued the Klaxet hooter in 2013, but continued to produce the A1 hooter, the only original Klaxon left in production. Horns can be used singly, but are often arranged in pairs to produce an interval consisting of two notes, sounded together; although this doubles the sound volume, the use of two differing frequencies is more perceptible to the human ear than two horns of the same frequency, particularly in an environment with a high ambient noise level. Typical frequencies of a pair of horns of this design are 500Hz and 405–420Hz (approximately B 4 and G ♯ 4, minor third).