Hey guys I just installed horn blasters conductors 544 nightmare kit. It comes with 444 compressor. What I was wondering is would those horns be louder with 200 psi and is it really worth it or should I stay at 150 psi.
Don’t run the shockers at 200. HB will tell you that as well. Yes, they’ll be a little louder but it’s not worth it. They’ll just wear out and fail prematurely. If you want louder, save up and get the big iron stuff from Airchime or Lesley.
Thanks. Tha is what I was thinking. They R plenty loud now.
When I attempted to correlate air pressure to loudness, my low pressure test pegged my loudness meter at 130 dB, so I moved on.
Thanks. I will stay at 150 psi.
I wouldn’t even run an aluminum Nathan K horn at those pressures either, as the nozzles wear down way too fast and ruin the diaphragms. Above 150psi on K horns, they start to sound funny and the loudness is negligible above 140psi, which is the pressure locomotives typically run their horns at. EMD locomotives and most cabcars have bigger air lines than GE’s which is why they’re louder. I heard a cabcar with a K5LA once at full blast and it just about knocked me right over. Remember that’s only 140psi.
I’ve been filling my 5 gallon to 200psi for a while since it gives you around double the honk time as 150psi. However, I use a ball valve and only open it half way for the first few seconds. What I really should do is get a regulator. If only Hornblasters sold ones that could handle horn air volumes. It make a lot of our lives a bit easier.