Dual system Driveway Alarm and Press Button for Service

[rox]

In a week my hubby and i iwll be comeing back to the states and while there I wanted to address a problem we are having. We worked hard building up tourism visits and also locals who come to our farm to buy olive oil directly from us. The problem we have is that we are working in the fields or int he home and we don't hear the customers arriving.

I have attached a very crude sketch of our layout. Jsut as you enter the property there is a bright blue directional arrow directing guests to go to the left. We want them to park over by the barn as we have a large parking area there and also go to the Borie to give the olive oil tastings.

I would like two or three things if I can get them at low cost. I would like a driveway alarm sothat I know people are arriving. It would be nice if the alarm rang a large bell like a school bell so that when we are working outside in fields where we cna't see the entrance area we would hear the school bell and know someone entered the property. Also it would be nice to hear this inside the house.

Second i wnat to have a doorbell type thing mounted on the barn with a sign that says ring for service and then we would know to come over and serve the customer.

We have on top of the barn a guest house/ apartment that we have rented out to a couple nice young firemen who are more or less permenet tennants. They park in front of the barn also.

I am looking at this product VA6000S - Voice Alert 6 Wireless System - Home Security Store

and perhaps for the doorbell type thing I need this accessory to the product TXPCBBV - Voice Alert Transmitter in Waterproof Box - Home Security Store

Do you think this would work? We would be fine with the distances of 1,000 feet and 300 feet inside a house.

With that audio out outlet is that something I can use to rig up a school type bell I was looking at the bell on this site found under Loud Ringing Bell DRIVEWAY ALARMS , SENSOR, MONITOR, DWA 6, 7 ACCESSORIES that I would install outside.

I don't want the bell to ring continously. Just ring a little bit and then stop.

I am thinking my budget will be around $150 for this. We do need wireless to the gate alarm but could string wire from the house to the barn if we had to. I would need to know what gauge of wire to buy for the loud ringing bell. Or perhaps you all know of a better solution.

 

[rox]

I went out an measured it is 150ft from our house to the barn. My guess is that it is probably around 500 ft from the house to the gate. In the center area of my drawing the circles drawn represent olive trees. That is the problem with the olive trees in the center we can't see any traffic going in and out.

 

[pennwalk]

Rox,

Could you find a old dinner bell. I have seen cast metal bells that people mount on poles to call the kids in for dinner. My mom had a cow bell that she rang we could hear it way back in the woods behind the house.

Chris

 

[Willl]

I've tried a few driveway alarms, the best so far and the one I'm using now is the "The Reporter Wireless Alert System #RWA-300R".
Have two family members who are also using this model, so far so good.

It also has external hook ups to trigger anything you wish.

 

[Willl]

Old acetylene tanks make pretty good bells.
The big ones are pretty loud and have a good solid 'gong' tone to them.

 

[sandman2234]

Willl,
Are you sure you mean Acetylene and not one of the high pressure tanks, such as O2 or Nitrogen, etc? The reason I ask, is the Acetylene tanks I have cut the tops off of (with a torch no less, don't try this at home!!) are filled with a gypsum like material simliar in consistancy to concrete. I have seen a few of the bells you are referring to, and they were done with the high pressure tanks of oxygen or other high pressure gas.
David from jax

Rox,
Something to consider might be one of the old driveway bells that gas stations used to have to alert the working mechanic, or the sleeping kid that a customer just arrived on the scene and would need some attention, such as a fillup, windshield cleaning, tire pressure and an oil check. (tell me I am not having flashbacks!!) Add that to the dinner triangle for them to play with and you should have all your bases covered.
David from jax

 

[Willl]

filled with a gypsum like material simliar in consistancy to concrete.

I did not know this. Maybe it was an oxygen tank.

Which ever, sure made a cool gong sound.

 

[sandman2234]

That was probably a standard high pressure tank, typically used for oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and a host of other high pressure gases. I have a few of them lying around and have considered building a bell to hang from my shop, but then I realize I will have to listen to it every time the wife wants something, tends to squash that thought.

David from jax

 

[rox]

I need a good loud bell because the barn area is 150 away from the house and if I am inside the house I need to hear a loud ell. Also when we are up in the fields we need to hear a bell, a triangle isn't going to be near loud enough.

Did anybody look at the links I provided and do you think that system would work for me as I described in the first post? I was thinking of installing the loud bell over at our house. That pressure switch can act like a doorbell and wirlessly transmit to our house and then I have to hook up the bell to the base receiving unit. It has an audio out would that audio out connect in some way to a bell?

I am anxious to get the unbiased opinion of my fellow TBN members before I talk to the company. I was hoping to order tomorrow as I need to get it shipped to my folks house and we arrive from France Sept 9th. I'm trawling for insights and help from everyone. Anyone have any other ideas or have seen a better system?

I looked at the air hose across the road option but the road is gravel and they are supposed to be on pavement.

I also have no idea in France where I would get any of the containers suggested but thanks for the idea none the less.

 

[tommu56]

Rox

try this link

Wireless Driveway Alarm | Driveway Alarms & Gate Motion Detectors up to Two-Mile Range!


I was looking at this one for my cabin (no power)
and it had radio that people can talk together

I'm not sure on the Freq in you can use them on the east side of the pond.
4-Mile Range MURS Driveway Alarm w/ Hand Held Radio

tommu

 

[rox]

Tommu,
Thanks for the link, I looked it over. However it does not offer the pressur switch that I wish to use as the button for "ring bell for service". With having tennats going in and out I thought I would not have a loud bell unless it was a customer who wanted service. That is where the loud bell comes in. In other words we are not worried that much about security. If I'm in the house it would be kind of nice to know a car drove in but then it could just be the tennant. I am also having signs printed both in French and English that say "Blow your horn loud 3 times and then wait we are int eh fields workign and it takes a while for us to get here"
I had those signs already however I guess the people here are so polite tha they jsut gently beep thier horns and inside the house I don't hear it. So I changed he wording to say blow your horn "loud" 3 times. Then if I have the ring bell for service and a loud bell that is attached probably on the roof of our house that rang for say 5 to 7 seconds I think that would cover us. Between the car honking 3 times and a loud ringing bell when we are in the far away fields I think we could hear it and respond.

I want the pressure switch to be over byt he barn and the bell to be over by the house 150 away. I though the wirless thing was pretty cool. But I don't knwo how to hook a bell up to it and if it is possible. Plus a really important factor is that the bell has to turn off by itself in 5 to 7 seconds. There must be members on TBN who have this knowledge that I need.

 

[rox]

Tommu56
I went back again to that website you linked to and I found a wireless doorbel that has hookups for an external bell. So far this looks good to me.
3000 ft. Range Deluxe Wireless Doorbell
Thanks!

 

[ragkar]

You might evaluate this product
Dakota Alert. Wireless Alarms Security Equipment for the home, acreage, farm and business.

This comes in a hose and infrared version. I'm using the hose version on my driveway about five hundred feet from the house through heavy woods.

I'm fairly isolated and don't get too many visitors, but I want to know when I do. The transmitter is 9v battery and the receiver is in the house plugged into the ac socket. The receiver sounds loud chimes when it activates.

But I'm sometimes outside when visitors arrive so I bought an extra receiver and a alarm bell (also from Dakota). The bell (sounds for about five seconds) is mounted outside the detached garage and my neighbor (800 ft away) sometimes grumbles about it sounding (was that the phone?).

I see that Dakota also sells a pushbutton transmitter. Of course each option drives up the system price. But I'm happy with my system and only have to change the transmitter battery once a year.

The system also solves a slight problem that I have. I get power outages two or three times a year so I start up the emergency generator that serves a portion of the house. The house receiver is plugged into a not-powered-by-generator outlet and when the mains power comes back on, it sounds the chimes so I know to stop the generator.

The Dakota system will do everything you want though it may be a little over your budget.

 

[rox]

You might evaluate this product
Dakota Alert. Wireless Alarms Security Equipment for the home, acreage, farm and business.

This comes in a hose and infrared version. I'm using the hose version on my driveway about five hundred feet from the house through heavy woods.

I'm fairly isolated and don't get too many visitors, but I want to know when I do. The transmitter is 9v battery and the receiver is in the house plugged into the ac socket. The receiver sounds loud chimes when it activates.

But I'm sometimes outside when visitors arrive so I bought an extra receiver and a alarm bell (also from Dakota). The bell (sounds for about five seconds) is mounted outside the detached garage and my neighbor (800 ft away) sometimes grumbles about it sounding (was that the phone?).

I see that Dakota also sells a pushbutton transmitter. Of course each option drives up the system price. But I'm happy with my system and only have to change the transmitter battery once a year.

The system also solves a slight problem that I have. I get power outages two or three times a year so I start up the emergency generator that serves a portion of the house. The house receiver is plugged into a not-powered-by-generator outlet and when the mains power comes back on, it sounds the chimes so I know to stop the generator.

The Dakota system will do everything you want though it may be a little over your budget.

MANY Thanks for posting!!! On these products I don't see any that have a push button type device so send the signal to the receiver. I see probs and infared but not a pressure type button. The area where the customer needs to Ring For Service is also where the tennants park so I don't want an automatic sensor, I would prefer a push button type device. Many thanks though.

 

[ragkar]

Push button transmitter
Dakota Alert. Wireless Alarms Security Equipment for the home, acreage, farm and business.

 

[Soundguy]

I like the one tommu56 was showing.. though there are certaintly many others.. just pick one with good specs from a good store and go with it.

box stores usually sell these devices too.

soundguy

 

[jinman]

Rox, I would suggest that you not overlook Radio Shack. They have lots of home security products and you should be able to get parts or additions easily by ordering over the web. Their prices are a little higher than some (by as much as 25%) so be cautious. Here is a system that might do what you want if you added a bell and it also has two-way communications. It's not exactly the configuration you described, but there are many options available. A visit to a RS store while you are in the US might also be productive. Also, Amazon carries many home alarm products at very good prices. I've ordered from them and am very happy with the simple RWA-300R that Willl suggested. One of the problems with alarm systems is that nobody offers a simple pushbutton alarm for a bell. If I were you, I'd just use a wireless doorbell for that feature. If you can find a doorbell with a switch closure, you could wire it to an exterior bell also.

Chamberlain Alarm at RS

 

[Jimbrown]

Rox. One of the things that you need to be careful about is the frequency range of the device. USA laws and European laws on radio frequiencies are considerably different. Though you probably would not gt into any trouble with these type of low power devices. I also find that in this area you get what you pay for.

If the frequency does not get you into trouble I agree with Tommu 56 that this is probably what you need. It is a little more expensive but probably works.

4-Mile Range MURS Driveway Alarm w/ Hand Held Radio

 

[rox]

Would that frequency thing matter that there is an airforce base as the crow flies about a half a mile from us? And that the airflorce planes practice over us frequently? And also the fact that the fire department air water tanker planes will soon also be based over at that air force base? It is not a typical airforce base. it is the French version of the US Airforce acadamy in Colorado springs. Plsut it is the home of the french national air acrobatic team. Once in a while we get other French airforce planes but generally they are jsut visiting. It is the air acrobatic teams that mainly fly over and not every day but often. of course they have thier own air traffic control tower. Woul you think I would have a problem with buying in USA wiht the frequency thing over here?

 

[yzbdsbp]

Rox this might be a good soloution. Reporter Driveway Alarm

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/ezStore123/DTProductZoom.asp?productID=1149

I use the regular one, The nice part about the reporter is that you can hook up a total of 4 transmitters to report to the base station, I use the regular one and it works great. But I have a outside loud telephone ringer hooked to mine, its simple to hook up and the ports are on the back of the receiver ready for you to a telephone ringer to it. Check out the link below

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_16331_16331

Or any of these would work with the Reporter,

http://www.gadgetshack.com/adbesi.html