# "Blow the horn?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 11, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829 "2012-06-11T17:08:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829/21 "2012-06-14T02:14:30Z")

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I have “train horns” on 3 of my trucks and on one of my motorcycles.  
The purpose of the horn is to warn people or get their attention. Can’t do that if they’re wearing earbuds, talking on the phone, jamming to the loud radio, or singing hymns with the carpool on the way to church!

I don’t however, sneak up on people and let loose or crumble someone’s back window because the light’s been green for .043 seconds, now.

But I could.😃

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**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829/22 "2012-06-14T02:54:43Z")

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Yep. My Yaris is small, but not vanishingly so. My air horns on it make it more apparent when I blow them by actuating their air compressor. I’m thinking of adding another low tone one.

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**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829/23 "2012-06-14T03:08:20Z")

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> [@friedo](#):
>
> Cars don’t have air horns. They just have diaphragms actuated by an electromagnet, connected to a horn-shaped resonance chamber. (Actually, modern cars usually have two horns at different frequencies, to produce a more perceptible interval.)
> 
> In any case, it’s not a wind instrument; just a specialized loudspeaker.

unless it’s a truck horn which is actually an air horn.

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**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829/24 "2012-06-14T03:08:42Z")

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> [@LawMonkey](#):
>
> There’s a forum for [jerks who put train horns](http://www.trainhornforums.com) on their vehicles.

Hey! I resemble that remark! But it was stock in my '92 Buick Roadmaster Limited. It wasn’t quite as loud as a locomotive horn, but almost, and it sounded the same.

I figured GM tuned it to match their diesel locos, maybe even as a joke, 'cause the frikken thing was almost as big.

I regret not removing it when I unloaded the car.

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**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blow-the-horn/624829/25 "2012-06-14T03:10:30Z")

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I saw and heard a turbine conversion airplane years ago that used bleed air to operate a set of train horns. It was hilarious to hear a train flying over.

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