Whistles

J

jingo

Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
27
Well since I messed up and put a thread in your forum that shouldn't be here I figured I should do some penance and put up a real thread.

When it comes to survival gear I find that Whistles are the most under appreciated piece of equipment out there. When things get really bad - like a broken leg or sprained ankle - you can just pop the whistle in your mouth and go at for hours. I've got one attached to my keychain that also has a crappy little compass and a 10x magnifying lens on it which is very useful when identifying plants. Anyone else keep a whistle handy?
 
I keep one in my bag along with that multi functional whistle/matches holder/compass etc.
 
I have a number of whistles including the Fox40. Most are high pitched, squeaky sounding. If you want something really loud get a Storm Whistle. You had better plug your ears if you blow it hard.
 
HornyToad said:
I have a number of whistles including the Fox40. Most are high pitched, squeaky sounding. If you want something really loud get a Storm Whistle. You had better plug your ears if you blow it hard.
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Thanks for the advice,I looked at them and being the same price I picked up a couple of Fox 40 instead,I may pick up a storm whistle for my son:thumbup:
 
I have a Fox40 Classic thats been on my keychain since 1995. It makes noise underwater, not much, but it does work. I have never needed it to work underwater, but its kinda fun to do. Actually lost the original whistle back in march on an airline, but soon replaced it for $3.50. Highly Recommended!
 
I looked at the whistle tests and the Fox 40 mini was 114 db and the Windstorm (which is smaller than the Storm) was 116 db. A 3 db change is twice as loud.
 
Check out the Acme Thunderer. It's not fancy, it's a gym teacher's whistle. It's just very well made, and very loud.
 
Its too bad Sgt. Mike didn't include a Storm in the tests. I would have loved to know how it fared against the rest. My personal opinion is that the Storm is amazingly loud. Still, it is big enough that I EDC a shaved off Fox 40 in my pocket.

Also, referring "A 3 db change is twice as lound."

Can someone help me understand this better?

Ken K.
 
Great point, Jingo--and welcome to the forums! And the wilderness/survival forum, in particular!

You're right about whistles being much better for signaling for long periods than just the voice. Cody Lundin, in his excellent survival book 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping your A__ Alive, advocates carrying a whistle on you at all times when outdoors.

More starkly, there was a case in Arizona some years back in which a kid got lost, was searched for, might have been found had he been able to make a loud enough noise, but was not found in time, and died. An auto service chain ended up responding to this event by starting a program of providing whistles (and encouragement to use them for survival purposes) free of charge to kids. Here is a link with the story, rationale, etc.: http://www.equipped.org/kidwhstl.htm Kids' voices are surprisingly hard to hear sometimes, and I imagine it doesn't get better when they're scared speechless, exhausted, and hoarse from crying for a day straight.

One tricky thing is getting the kids to actually carry them--whistles tend to get played with, then left in the car while the kids go running off into the woods. Anticipate the need to push hard to get them to really take up the habit of carrying whistles wherever they go.

Another thing: different whistles take different amounts of air to make them work. I was surprised to find that the Storm whistle I'd bought for my tiny daughter was simply too big for her to make more than an almost-inaudible "toot". A Fox 40 Micro takes even more air--a lot of kids will probably be simply unable to use them. Good idea to test what you're thinking of using. Also, some people swear by "pea-less" whistles; it's said that the Fox 40 original was designed after a referee blew his whistle during a game, but got no sound out of it for some reason (e.g., pea frozen in place in cold weather, or something like that). So: not all created equal; have the user test it in the safety of home before relying on it to summon search & rescue.

Once more, welcome!
 
Sound measured in db is on a logrithmic scale. That is to the power of 10. The difference in two levels in db = 10 log (P2/P1). 10 times the log of 2 (twice the power) is 3. Google db for a detailed explanation.
 
Wow, theres some whistle masters in here huh?

Sgt. Mike and Care thats a sweet blog you've got going.

JD thats a sad story but it really drives home the safety that a whistle can bring.
 
When out on trips I have a real compass (BSA model of Silva), firesteel with striker, and whistle on a cord that I can wear around my neck.

Another thing to consider is pitch. Lower pitch carries better over distance, and is heard better by older people. Try different pitch whistles at 200 yards and see if you can tell the difference.
 
Fox 40's rock: I use it as my bicycle horn. I bike-commute to work, and my office is in the downtown of a major city. I tend to cruise at a pretty good clip, usually about 60% to 80% of my fitness capacity (but do respect the fact that if I bike like an idiot, swerving in and around traffic and up/down sidewalks, etc., I deserve to get hit by a car). I attached the whistle to my helmet with some cable ties, cut down so it reaches only as far as my mouth (with a little slack). I ride with it in my teeth: cut me off--or begin to cut me off--and I blast away with all my lung power. I've seen pedestrians 70 yards away jump when I've done that. Like I said: Fox 40's rock.
 
I realize I'm reviving a thread.

The only whistle I've got is one that came with my Wiggy's sleeping bag several years ago. It's got a compass on one side. This thread has got me thinking of getting something like the Fox Mini Official for my key ring.

Manu Forti
 
Return of the J.D. said:
Another thing: different whistles take different amounts of air to make them work. I was surprised to find that the Storm whistle I'd bought for my tiny daughter was simply too big for her to make more than an almost-inaudible "toot". A Fox 40 Micro takes even more air--a lot of kids will probably be simply unable to use them. Good idea to test what you're thinking of using. Also, some people swear by "pea-less" whistles; it's said that the Fox 40 original was designed after a referee blew his whistle during a game, but got no sound out of it for some reason (e.g., pea frozen in place in cold weather, or something like that). So: not all created equal; have the user test it in the safety of home before relying on it to summon search & rescue.

Once more, welcome!
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This is a really good point. I've also noticed that different whistles, even seemingly the same brand can require different levels of exhalation to perform. Probably worth tooting your own tooter just to get a feel for it!
 
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