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Gong with the wind!
Rod Hughes on the advent of sounders ...
"The use of electronic sounders and horns, as opposed to mechanical bells in alarm sys-tems, has been comparatively recent. Some of the earlier bells were monstrous devices with large diameter gongs, mains driven, often with external hammers. Early units were not self-actuating or self-powered and could sometimes be disabled by cutting cable. To combat this, installation companies, who often manufactured their own equipment, fitted them into vented steel housings and later added batteries and tamper devices...

'Bells still remain popular, but they are limited in acoustic volume and thus effectiveness. The introduction of horns and electronic sounders dramatically increased available volume while generally not increasing current consumption. It is now more usual for companies to use sounders: either horns, piezo, loudspeaker or transducer type in place of bells. "

Alarm signalling in 20 seconds
Paul Miller, MD of Sonic Alarms, was the first central station operator connected to RedCARE, centred on Manchester ...
"It is early days yet but, so far, RedCARE has not failed him or his subscribers. It is proving consistently faster than digital communicators, signalling an alarm within 20 seconds, the fastest so far being 5 seconds. Line faults take a little longer at 40 seconds. The dig com is capable of notifying an alarm in 20 seconds if it is close by. If it has an STD code to dial, however, it takes longer...

'The STU is usually programmed by the Central Station and is an easy job, as is the installation, similar in most respects to the fitting of a dig com. The overall costs are similar too, although the proportions are different. For example, a dig com with the same number of channels costs about £55 plus £110 for BT to connect in the second line. Whereas the STU costs around £126 plus the connection charge to the existing line of £30. Fitting costs are therefore much the same but a second line is unnecessary."

Heighten your public profile
Arthur Snow on the advantages of installer involvement…
'The potential for Neighbourhood Watch is quite considerable but it has one major problem - the maintenance of interest among members - something which anybody who has been on a club committee will certainly understand. This need can be turned to good advantage by installers and, as I have emphasised in earlier articles, offering to talk to groups and to demonstrate equipment provides the high profile every company craves at local level.

Sponsorship is no longer a dirty word in the public sector and it can enhance a firm's image where it may count most – among the local business community – so offering locks, alarms or cheques for competitions etc is a relatively low cost method of obtaining publicity.

"Handled with care and integrity, installers will receive sympathetic, or even enthusiastic, co-operation from Crime Prevention Officers, local authorities and co-ordinators of schemes. Sometimes their enthusiasm can be roused with special offers to the membership of the particular scheme, so working out a strategy with an attractive package and finding the right body to present it to could be a marketing project worth considering."

Too long at the pub?
Were the staff of Security Installer in '88 numerically challenged– or too long at the pub ? In the very first page of the July issue the Contents list ran as follows ...
"Page 4 Newsdesk; 28 Tried & Tested; 8 Bench Test; 51 Security Exhibitions; 39 Competition; 15 High Security Sounders; 35 Neighbourhood Watch Schemes; 19 Central Stations; 6 …" and so on!