kjl@bbn-meta (07/31/85)
From: Ken Lebowitz <kjl@bbn-meta> I was wondering how many riders use horns, whistles, klaxons, etc. when riding in traffic? Also, what do people think are the correct situations to use them in? Ken Lebowitz BBN Laboratories Cambridge, MA ARPA: kjl@bbn-clxx.ARPA UUCP: ...!linus!bbncca!kjl CSNET: kjl%bbn-clxx@csnet-relay
fish@ihlpg.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (08/01/85)
> I was wondering how many riders use horns, whistles, klaxons, etc. when > riding in traffic? Also, what do people think are the correct situations to > use them in? > > Ken Lebowitz *** AC T YOUR AGE *** I use a *LOUD* horn quite frequently. In fact, it saved my butt a couple of days ago, discouraging a farm dog from running out in front of the High School Brats in the rat Camaro that was trying to pass me and avoid the dog at the same time. I posted an article about a year ago on how to build a *LOUD* horn. For the sake of those who missed it, I'll repeat the recipe. Go to Radio Hack and pick up two "six volt, low current buzzers" and two nine-volt battery clips. Connect the buzzers in parallel and the batteries in series. That's right, you're driving six-volt buzzers at 18 volts. I guarantee they won't burn up, but they will be EXTREMELY LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS, especially if you turn the tuning screw on the back of one of the buzzers so it sounds awful with the other one. Mechanical assembly is left as an exercise for the student. I mounted mine on the front reflector tongue, with a button clamped to the handlebars just right of the stem. Appropriate situations for use are whenever you think somebody doesn't see you; when you're passing a Walkman-toting jogger on the bike trail; when dogs take off after you; when overtaking a slower bike on a narrow path; and especially when some obnoxious bum blares his horn at you even though you heard his stinking Buick coming from half a mile back. __ / \ \__/ Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihlpg!fish