Lighthouse at Whitefish point sounding Fog Alarm

[bnodurft]

This a replica. It sounds nothing like the original fog signal.

[RamblingRounder]

@bnodurft I dont know. I just shot the video and it was foggy and the alarm was sounding. Maybe not the same as it was once upon a time. Or maybe its a bad weather alarm, not the fog alarm?

[bnodurft]

@RamblingRounder You got nice shots while it was foggy. It is intended as a replica fog signal. They usually have the replica fog signal going on sunny days when there are a lot of tourists there. The replica is not used as a navigational aid but the light still is. The Coast Guard disabled the real fog signal quite a few years ago at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum's request - it was so loud it felt like it was rattling your teeth and knocking you out of your socks if you were up close.

[RamblingRounder]

@bnodurft Well then, thank you for that info. I like it up there, Ive been visiting whitefish point about once a year the last 4 or 5 years, now I know something Ill bet few of the other tourists know. The weather there can change in minutes, it can cloud up over the lake very quickly.

[bnodurft]

@RamblingRounder Whitefish Point is a special place. Go to the website whitefishpointwatch and read the pages "Historical Light Station" and "Maritime Artifacts" to find out about "the rest of the story".

[manga12]

Is it still in there though, could it be restored, what do they mean disabled disconected the pipes? or riped out compleatly diaphone and all? This sucks there are hundreds of lighthouses on the great lakes and none of them have the classic roooooo ruuuuuut sound anymore for real, some have a ship horn mind and electro alarms but no diaphones. I want to hear a real great lakes diaphone I want to hear a real great lakes not a recording of one that sounds like a sick organ pipe.

[clockbuilderhg]

@bnodurft I read that the old diaphone signal at Whitefish Point was replaced around 1983 with an electric signal. Actually the very first signal was a steam whistle. Are you comparing this to the old diaphone or the electric signal? In any case I think it's cool anyway. I'm not aware of any other working diaphones on the lakes.

[bnodurft]

@clockbuilderhg Where did you read about the Whitefish Point fog signal? It was actually silenced for many years at the museum's request. The replica fog signal was put into use just a few years ago. I am talking about the signal up to the time the Shipwreck Society got the Coast Guard to to disable it.

[clockbuilderhg]

@bnodurft I read it on terry pepper's website. In the book ''The Northern Lights'' Page 42 there is a modern picture of an electric signal on the signal building right where the old diaphone once was. The photos in the book are from the early 80s. That must be the one that ran when the museum started. Those electrics phased out the air diphones in lights 30-40 years ago. I'm happy to see the air horns back but they're clearly toned down. They where louder than the electrics.

[manga12]

@clockbuilderhg Ah but there is one, at traverse bay, its not the regular one anymore but they do have it for the visiters, its a british style one though far as I can tell, it dont go ruuuuu roooot it just makes a trumpety rooooooooooooot sound, but east brother is a 2 tone, I dont know if its an f2t but it does have a long drawn out second note. type in east brother lightstation and listen to the videos it is a restored diaphone, roooooo, whhhooot is kind of how i say it sounds.

[clockbuilderhg]

@manga12 Cool. I learned there is one at Grand Traverse Light a while back. I live about 50 miles from that light. Haven't been there yet.

[manga12]

Well your welcome, I also read on some greatlakes lighthouse website that there were some out on islands that still use diaphone but they are not open to the public, and they are way out there so I dont know if there are any recordings of them from the ships that pass by while transporting stuff around the lakes.

[Umpqua1012]

@bnodurft What did the original foghorn sound like???????

[bnodurft]

@Umpqua1012 It had a deeper tone and it was much louder. If you go to the "Foghorn Sound Files" on the San Pedro website, click on "Foghorn 1". That sounds more like the last foghorn at Whitefish Point before it was disabled.

[Umpqua1012]

@bnodurft One of those Beeeeeee-oooooooooo horns!?