Whistles

Here is my story ... I EDC a shaved down Fox 40. It rides on one of my keychains.

Last summer my wife & I were out walking in an idle farm field in a mixed agricultural/suburban area outisde of Chicago. We were maybe 1/3 mile from our house, but we could easily see it. We'd forgotten to tell our pre-teen kids where we were. At one point we could see our daughter step out on the deck and look in the back property for us. I pulled out my Fox 40 and blew - hard - many many times. She didn't even flinch. Didn't even look in our direction. I was bummed.

Later I asked her if she heard it and she said she heard something, but didn't realize it was a whistle.

Since that time I've only carried a Storm whistle when in the field. I still carry that Fox 40 in my pocket, but it is not nearly as loud as the Storm. Someday I'd like to do a test using the many whistles I have, but it hasn't happened yet.
 
I've given Acme Thunderers to all the females in my extended family and asked them to put it on their keychains and carry their keys by the whistle when going to their cars/homes: -- urban survival.
 
For a while Walmart carried the whistles made by American Whistle Co in Ohio (maybe they still do). They are very similar to the ACME Thunderer - nickel plated brass - and do not cost very much at all. I usually carry one of these. They take less air to produce a loud sound than my Fox 40, and perform very similar to the ACME Thunderer (I have one of those, too). My son has a Storm, and it is very loud. I don't like blowing it because it hurts my ears too much.

It is a myth that a pea whistle will not work if the pea is frozen. I have tested my whistle by holding the pea in place with a toothpick stuck through the opening, and it worked just fine, just a simple tone instead of the warbling.

I like the plated brass construction, it seems more robust. The only disadvantage is that, unlike a plastic whistle, it won't float if dropped in water. Hence the need for a good cord to hang around your neck.
 
I carry a metal whistle zip tied to my LBE rig in the woods. However, since its a bad idea to touch your lips to metal in the winter, I wrapped some 100 mph tape over where my lips go.

A Fox 40 would be infinently better.
 
I have a Fox40 on my EDC key chain (among other things). So does my wife.
 
TOPS sent me these survival whistles. They are so loud and piercing they leave my ears ringing.

http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?cPath=9&products_id=248

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • tsw-01.jpg
    tsw-01.jpg
    97.5 KB · Views: 28
I have a Fox 40 not only for my long distance, deep woods backpacking, but also because it one of the only ones that my dog pays attention to. On one occasion I had the chance to use it while he was over one mile away. In about five minutes he arrived at my side.
 
bjr said:
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.
Click to expand...

When I was a kid an Acme Thunderer is what my Mom used to summon me back home. I'd be well over a mile from home and still here it....doesn't mean I came back though.


I have a ton of the Fox 40's I picked up for cheap when I worked at EMS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top