Phone: (860) 526-9504
Fax: (860) 526-4078
Internet: www.whelen.com
Sales e-mail: autosale@whelen.com
Canadian Sales e-mail: canadiansales@whelen.com
Customer Service e-mail: custserv@whelen.com
DANGER! Sirens produces extremely loud emergency warning tones! Exposure to these
tones without proper and adequate hearing protection, could cause ear damage and/or hearing
loss! The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (www.osha.gov) provides information
necessary to determine safe exposure times in Occupational Noise Exposure Section 1910.95.
Until you have determined the safe exposure times for your specific application, operators and
anyone else in the immediate vicinity should be required to wear an approved hearing protection
device. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THIS RECOMMENDATION COULD CAUSE HEARING LOSS!
Safety First
This document provides all the necessary information to allow your Whelen product to be properly and safely installed.
Before beginning the installation and/or operation of your new product, the installation technician and operator must
read this manual completely. Important information is contained herein that could prevent serious injury or damage.
•Proper installation of this product requires the installer to have a good understanding of automotive electronics,
systems and procedures.
•If mounting this product requires drilling holes, the installer MUST be sure that no vehicle components or other
vital parts could be damaged by the drilling process. Check both sides of the mounting surface before drilling
begins. Also de-burr any holes and remove any metal shards or remnants. Install grommets into all wire
passage holes.
•If this manual states that this product may be mounted with suction cups, magnets, tape or Velcro®, clean the
mounting surface with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water and dry thoroughly.
•Do not install this product or route any wires in the deployment area of your air bag. Equipment mounted or
located in the air bag deployment area will damage or reduce the effectiveness of the air bag, or become a
projectile that could cause serious personal injury or death. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual for the air bag
deployment area. The User/Installer assumes full responsibility to determine proper mounting location, based
on providing ultimate safety to all passengers inside the vehicle.
•For this product to operate at optimum efficiency, a good electrical connection to chassis ground must be
made. The recommended procedure requires the product ground wire to be connected directly to the NEGATIVE
(-) battery post.
•If this product uses a remote device to activate or control this product, make sure this control is located in an
area that allows both the vehicle and the control to be operated safely in any driving condition. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO ACTIVATE OR CONTROL THIS DEVICE IN A HAZARDOUS DRIVING SITUATION.
•It is recommended that these instructions be stored in a safe place and
referred to when performing maintenance and/or reinstallation of this
product.
•FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND
INSTRUCTIONS COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE PRODUCT OR
VEHICLE AND/OR SERIOUS INJURY TO YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS!
ACTIVATION OF THIS
SIREN MAY DAMAGE
UNPROTECTED EARS!
CAUTION
Loud siren noise can cause
hearing damage and/or loss.
Wear
Refer to OSHA Section 1910.95 prior
Protection!
to putting ANY siren into service!
Automotive: Sirens/Switches
For warranty information regarding this product, visit www.whelen.com/warranty
DISCONNECTING THE VEHICLE BRAKE LAMP
CIRCUIT USING ANY SIRENS WITH RELAY OUTPUTS
OR SWITCH CONTROLLERS COULD CAUSE
VEHICLE OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, SERIOUS INJURY
OR EVEN DEATH.
DISABLING THIS CIRCUIT IS A VIOLATION OF THE
FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD
FOR THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT, AS WELL AS REAR
BRAKE LIGHTS.
FUNCTIONS THAT BLACK OUT THE REAR BRAKE
LIGHTS (SOMETIMES CALLED “BRAKE LIGHT CUT
OUT”) MAY INTERFERE WITH THE BRAKE SHIFT
LOCK MECHANISM, AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO
MOVE UNEXPECTEDLY AND DANGEROUSLY.
DISCONNECTING THE BRAKE LIGHTS IN ANY WAY
IS AT YOUR OWN
RISK AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED
BY WHELEN.
Page 2
The 295HFS4, although technologically advanced, is simple to
install. An aftermarket center console is recommended for the
mounting location. This not only allows the driver to reach the
controls easily, but also keeps the unit safely out of the path of
the vehicle’s SRS air bag. Follow the console manufacturer’s
instructions for mounting information. If a console-type mount is
not possible, the unit is specially designed for dash (or panel)
mounting. WARNING: Mounting will require drilling. Make sure
that no vehicle components behind the mounting area will be
damaged. If damage is possible, select another location.
INSTALLATION / Amplifier:
1. From inside the trunk, position the amplifier against the ver-
tical trunk wall behind the rear seat and mark off the 4
mounting holes using a scribe or other suitable tool. Be sure
that the remote amplifier fits properly and does not interfere
with any parts of the trunk or seat back.
2. Carefully drill the indicated holes using an appropriately
sized drill bit.
3. Using the supplied sheet metal screws, secure the remote
amplifier to the vertical trunk wall.
12-POSITION INPUT CONNECTOR
RED and BLACK / Power & Ground Wires
WARNING: All customer supplied wires that connect to the
positive terminal of the battery must be sized to supply at
least 125% of the maximum operating current and FUSED
at the battery to carry that load. DO NOT USE CIRCUIT
BREAKERS WITH THIS PRODUCT!
Control Head:
For 6 feet of wire ......................................... 22 AWG wire
For 9.5 feet of wire ...................................... 20 AWG wire
For 15 feet of wire ....................................... 18 AWG wire
Amplifier:
For 6 feet of wire ................................................. 16 AWG
For 9.5 feet of wire .............................................. 14 AWG
For 15.5 feet of wire .................................... 12 AWG wire
1.Insert the wiring harness into its port.
2. Splice the 2 RED (Power) wires together, then extend this
single RED wire toward the vehicle battery. Splice the 2
BLACK (Ground) wires together and extend this single
BLACK wire toward the vehicle battery. To pass the RED
and BLACK wires through, you may have to drill a hole in
the firewall. Be sure there are no components that could be
damaged. Insert a grommet in the hole to protect the wires.
3.Install a 20 amp fuse block (user supplied) on the end of
the RED wires.
NOTE: Remove the fuse from the fuse block before connecting
any wires to the battery.
READ BEFORE INSTALLING!!!
Do not install this product or route any wires in the deployment area of your airbag. Equipment mounted or located in
the airbag deployment area will damage or reduce the
effectiveness of the airbag, or become a projectile that could
cause serious personal injury or death. Refer to your vehicle
owners manual for the air bag deployment area.
The User/Installer assumes full responsibility to determine
proper mounting location, based on providing ultimate safety
to all passengers inside the vehicle. Whelen Engineering Co.
assumes no liability or responsibility for determining individual
applications or exact installation location criteria.
4.Connect the fuse block wire to the POSITIVE (+) terminal
on the battery. There must not be more than two (2) feet of
wire between the fuse block and the battery. As the wire
between the fuse and the battery is “unprotected,” do not
allow this wire to come in contact with any other wires.
5. Connect BLACK wire to factory chassis ground.
YELLOW, ORANGE & BROWN / Speaker Wires
NOTE: This section outlines a two-speaker installation. If a one-
speaker installation is used, cut and cap ORANGE wire, skip
step 3 and connect BROWN wire to NEGATIVE speaker terminal of Speaker #1.
1.Route YELLOW, ORANGE and BROWN wires toward
vehicle’s siren speakers.
2.Connect YELLOW wire to POSITIVE speaker connection
on Speaker #1.
3.Connect ORANGE wire to POSITIVE speaker connection
on Speaker #2.
4.Connect BROWN wire to NEGATIVE speaker connection
on Speaker #2.
5.Splice a wire from the NEGATIVE connection on Speaker
#2 to the NEGATIVE connection on Speaker #1.
BLUE / Radio Rebroadcast Wires
NOTE: The two (2) BLUE wires are used to connect your two-
way radio’s external speaker to the 295HFS4 for radio rebroadcast. This is an optional connection and doesn’t effect other
operations of the 295HFS4.
1.Locate the two wires that connect the external speaker to
the vehicle’s two-way radio.
2.Cut one of these wires and splice one of the BLUE wires
into this circuit.
3.Cut the remaining speaker wire and splice the remaining
BLUE wire into this circuit.
NOTE:Radio rebroadcast will NOT
speakers. If your remote speaker contains a power amp circuit
in the speaker assembly, do not enable radio rebroadcast.
work with amplified remote
Page 3
MOUNTING and WIRING the CONTROL HEAD
1.Remove front, driver’s side rocker sill plate and kick panel.
2.Fold the floor covering so that access is gained to the fac-
tory wire harness routed under the driver’s seat area.
3.Extend the wires from the control head as described in the
following sections.
8-POSITION SIREN CONNECTOR
RED / Power
1.Insert the 8-position siren connector into its port.
2.Route RED wire to POSITIVE (+) battery terminal.
3.Install a 5 amp fuse block (user supplied) on the end
of the RED wire. Remove the fuse from the fuse block
before connecting any wires to the battery.
YELLOW / Dimmer Control
1.Route YELLOW wire along factory wire harness toward
driver’s side rocker sill plate.
2.Follow factory wire harness towards firewall. Do not go
beyond the firewall.
3.Connect YELLOW wire to the dashlight dimmer circuit
located under the dashboard. Depending on the vehicle,
there are several good locations to access this circuit.
Example; the ashtray courtesy light in a Crown Victoria is
connected to the dimmer circuit and is easily accessible.
WHITE & GREY / Horn Relay Wires
1.Route WHITE and GREY wires along factory wire harness
and through firewall at the same point as the RED and
BLACK wires.
2.Locate your vehicle’s horn relay and route the WHITE and
GREY wires to this. If possible, follow the factory wire
harness to this relay.
3.Cut the wire that connects the vehicle horn to horn relay.
4.Connect WHITE wire to wire coming from horn relay.
5.Connect the GREY wire to wire coming from horn.
BLACK-WHITE / Remote Siren Tone Activation
Slide switch position #3 can be configured to automatically activate siren tones by connecting it to the AUX ENABLE input
(WHITE / GREEN on P2).
CONTROL HEAD COMMUNICATION CABLE
1.Connect the Control Head Communication Cable to the 3-
position connector coming from the 8-position siren
connector (VIOLET, BLACK & GREEN).
2.With rear seat and drivers sill plate still removed, route the
Communication Cable towards the driver side sill plate.
3.Following the factory harness, route the Communication
Cable towards the remote amplifier.
4.Insert the pinned wires into the 12-position connector
located on the back of the remote amplifier as shown in the
Wiring Diagram on page 6.
9-POSITION CONTROL HARNESS
NOTE: The push-button and slide switch control wires are
designed to activate relays with a coil rating no greater than 250
ma. Do not attempt to connect these wires to any circuit that
carries a higher rating.
GREEN, GREY, BLUE & BROWN
Slide-Switch Control
1.Route and connect GREEN wire (slide switch position #1)
to desired lightbar function control wire.
2.Route and connect GREY wire (slide switch position #2)
to desired lightbar function control wire.
3.Route and connect BLUE wire (slide switch position #3)
to desired lightbar function control wire.
4.Route and connect BROWN wire to +12 VDC fused
@ 3 amps (customer supplied fuse).
VIOLET, WHITE, YELLOW, ORANGE & WHITE-BLACK
Push-Button Control Wires
The 295HFS4 push button switches control the following wires:
NOTE: This push-button control wire is designed to activate a
relay with a coil rating no greater than 250 ma. Do not attempt to
connect this wire to any circuit that carries a higher rating.
Page 4
To Adjust the Radio Repeat Levels: Before using the
295HFS4, the Radio Repeat output volume and microphone
volume (PA) must be adjusted to satisfactory operating levels.
To adjust this level, a small, flat-blade screwdriver is needed.
Locate the Radio Repeat adjustment port (potentiometer) to the
left of the 12-position input port on the back of the remote amplifier. Set the volume level of the vehicle’s two-way radio to it’s
normal operating volume. Turn the Rotory Knob on the control
head to RAD to activate Radio Repeat. Insert the screwdriver in
the Radio Repeat adjustment port and turn in a clockwise direction to increase the sound level.
Microphone
PIER
Volume Adjust.
Radio Rebroadcast
Adjustment Screw
BACK of AMPLIFIER
20 AMP
SPK1
FRONT of CONTROL HEAD
VOLSPK2
Microphone Volume (PA) Locate the microphone adjustment
port (potentiometer) below the microphone cord. With the vehicle in an enclosed area, turn the Rotory Knob to PA and speak
into the microphone. While speaking, turn the screwdriver in a
clockwise direction to increase the volume. Continue to
increase the PA volume until audio feedback occurs, then turn
the screwdriver in a counter-clockwise direction until the feedback is eliminated.
Operating the 295HFS4 Controls:
Power Switch This switch has two posi-
tions: Down / Off and Up / On. When this
ON
POWER
ONMAN
switch is in the Off position, the unit will not
function. When the switch is in the On position the siren is functional and may be activated at the operator’s discretion. NOTE: If
the 295HFS4 is connected to the vehicle’s
horn ring circuit, the vehicle horn is disabled
when the 295HFS4 power is ON.
MAN Button The Manual button generates a variety of tones, depending on what
position the rotary knob is in. For further
explanation of this button’s function, refer to
PA
the Rotary Switch Operations section of this
RAD
manual.
WAIL
YELP
T3
SPK1
SI-TEST
of the 295HFS4 and allows the operator to
confirm the proper operation of the siren
speakers connected to the 295HFS4 without activating an audible siren tone. To ini-
VOLSPK2
tiate the SI-TEST cycle, set the rotary knob
®
SI-TEST is a diagnostic feature
to the RAD position. Now press and hold the
MAN button for at least 5 seconds. As the
siren is tested, its diagnostic indicator will
turn on if no problems are detected. If the indicator doesn’t light,
a problem with either the siren or its connectors has been
detected. Check the wire connections for the failed speaker and
repeat the SI-TEST. If the speaker fails the test again, have the
siren itself inspected by a qualified technician.
NOTE: Installed speakers are tested by generating an ultrahigh frequency tone through each speaker. Although these
tones are inaudible to humans, be sure that there is nobody
®
within at least 5 feet of the speakers when SI-TEST
is running.
DIAGNOSTIC INDICATORS: This unit has two diagnostic indicators on the front panel which are used to indicate fault conditions with your siren system. The table on the next page lists
the type of fault and the indicators response. If the indicator is
on steady while a tone is in use, this implies that there is no
fault with the associated speaker output.
Fault ConditionDiagnostic Indicators Response
Under VoltageSpeaker LED #2 will be in a double flash
mode (2 quick flashes followed by a longer
pause) and siren tones will not operate.
Over VoltageSpeaker LED #1 will be in a double flash
mode (2 quick flashes followed by a longer
pause) and siren tones will not operate.
Speaker #1Speaker LED # 1 will be in a single flash
Short Circuitmode (the LED will be on and off an
equal amount of time) and siren tones will
not operate.
Speaker #2Speaker LED #2 will be in a single flash
Short Circuitmode (the LED will be on and off an
equal amount of time) and siren tones will
not operate.
Speaker #1Speaker LED #1 will be off (having a
Open Circuitsingle speaker system will always cause
this condition for the speaker output not in
use) all tones will continue to operate.
Speaker #2Speaker LED #2 will be off (having a
Open Circuitsingle speaker system will always cause
this condition for the speaker output not in
use) all tones will continue to operate.
Rotary Knob The Rotary Knob controls
HF
MAN
PA
the siren and PA (Public Address) functions
WAIL
of the 295HFS4. There are 7 positions that
may be selected. Each position and it’s function is outlined in the Rotary Switch Opera-
T3
ACTIVATIONOFTHIS
SIRENMAYDAMAGE
UNPROTECTEDEARS!
tions section.
FUNCTION
CAUTION
Loud siren noise can cause
Wear
Protection!
hearing damage and/or loss.
Refer to OSHA Section 1910.95 prior
to putting ANY siren into service!
Page 5
Rotary Switch Operations
RAD (Radio Repeat) - When the rotary knob is in the RAD posi-
tion, any signal that is received by the vehicle’s two-way radio will
be simultaneously broadcast over the vehicle’s loudspeaker (unit
must be connected to the two-way radio as outlined in this manual).
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
• Pressing the MAN button will result in SI TEST®.
• Activating the HORN RING input results in the AIRHORN tone
until the HORN RING input is released.
• Activating the AUX ENABLE input has no effect.
PA (Public Address) - When the rotary switch is in this position
the siren is in a standby state where no tones have been
activated, but is waiting for another action to be taken by the operator. This position is often the best choice when public address is
required.
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
• Pressing the MAN button will result in the AIRHORN tone until
the MAN switch is released.
• Activating the HORN RING input will result in the AIRHORN
tone until the HORN RING input is released.
• Activating the AUX ENABLE input will result in a repeating
WAIL tone.
MAN (Manual Siren) - When the rotary switch is in this position
the siren is in a standby state where no tones have been
activated, but is waiting for another action to be taken by the operator. This position is often the best choice when manual operation
of the siren is desired.
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
• Pressing the MAN switch will result in a WAIL tone ramping up
to peak frequency and stopping when the MAN switch is
released.
• Activating the HORN RING input will result in a WAIL tone
ramping up to the peek frequency and stopping when the
HORN RING input is released.
• Activating the AUX enable input will result in a repeating WAIL
tone.
HF (Hands-Free Operation) - When the rotary knob is in the HF
position, the siren functions are placed in a stand-by mode. Siren
tones are activated by a single tap on the MAN button or a single
tap on the vehicle’s steering wheel horn ring (if the vehi-
cle’s horn has been wired to the HORN RING input). The first tap
produces a WAIL tone (a steady rise and fall tone). A second tap
produces a YELP tone (a fast rise and fall tone.) A
third tap produces a PIERCER™ tone (an extremely fast rise and fall tone). The next tap returns the siren to a wail tone and the
cycle repeats itself. Two quick successive taps will stop the siren.
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
• Pressing the MAN button will result in the HF cycle as described
above.
• Activating the HORN RING input will result in the HF cycle as
described above.
• Activating the AUX ENABLE input will start the HF cycle.
WAIL (Wail Tone) - When the rotary knob is in the WAIL position,
a steady, rise and fall tone (wail) is produced.
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
• Pressing the MAN button will change the siren tone to a yelp
pattern. (a fast rise and fall tone) Pressing the MAN button a
second time returns it back to a wail tone.
• Activating the HORN RING input will change the siren tone to a
yelp pattern. (a fast rise and fall tone) Activating the HORN
RING input again returns it back to a wail tone.
• Activating the AUX ENABLE input has no effect.
YELP (Yelp Tone) - When the rotary knob is in the YELP
position, a fast, rise and fall tone is produced.
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
• Pressing the MAN button will result in the AIRHORN tone until
the MAN button is released.
• Pressing the HORN RING button will result in the AIRHORN
tone until the HORN RING button is released.
• Activating the AUX ENABLE input has no effect.
T3 (Piercer
position, an extremely fast, rise and fall tone is produced. May be
used for HI / LO and auto sequence in some applications.
With the Rotary Switch in this Position:
TM
Tone) When the rotary knob is in the T3
• Pressing the MAN button will result in the AIRHORN tone until
the MAN button is released.
• Pressing the HORN RING button will result in the AIRHORN