Pro Megaphone with Siren | 30W

When I was five, (I'm talking about 1964 here), Mum & Dad couldn't afford fireworks. I stood by the window, looking out for glimpses of other peoples. I thought I was disappointed but that was nothing compared to the following year. They saved up and proudly purchased half a dozen little rockets, a Catherine wheel (who became the baddie in this tale), a couple of Roman Candles and some assorted little whizz-bang jobbies.The firework-code of the '60s stated that you shouldn't keep your bangers and matches in the same pocket. When throwing bangers, don't hold them too long. Smother third degree burns in butter or lard. Those were the days. Dad, being somewhat ahead of the times, put our precious stash in a biscuit tin for safety. So, darkness fell and we went out into the garden. I was beside myself. I'll get to the megaphone in a moment, stay with me here.Being something of a novice, Dad nailed the Catherine wheel, firmly . . . very firmly, to the fence. He lit the blue touch paper and retired to a safe distance. So securely was it nailed that it couldn't spin and instead shot out a deadly ray of white hot sparks, luckily, away from us and across three neighboring gardens, igniting a couple of small blazes on the way. It burned fiercely and since I didn't know it was supposed to spin, I was the happiest six year old in Watford. As it burned, the white hot jet gradually pointed higher, and higher, then it started to burn around until it began spraying in our direction. Ushered back, further and with increasing haste, I was still mesmerized. Until the darned thing squirted its fire into the open biscuit tin and set off all of the remaining fireworks in a three second burst resulting in a mini mushroom cloud. Mum was speechless, Dad stood open-jawed and I was inconsolable. THAT's disapointment my friend! Or so I thought but oh no, there was worse to come - and I'm not talking about the 30W megaphone of 50 years into my future. Remember the rockets? Well fortunately, Dad didn't. He'd left them indoors. Whoopeee. He rushed out and brandished the four little beauties in front of his tearful, smoke-stained son. I stopped crying, Mum started beaming and Dad - well he was probably as excited as I was, as he firmly stuck the four little sticks, firmly and very securely into the ground. You see he was a bit of a gardener and he just couldn't help but to heel them in. Did I hear you mention milk bottles? I told you Dad was a novice. He lit the first one and retreated to the statutory safe distance. I remember holding my breath, waiting for the fizz, the rush of the rocket as it flew into the air and the magnificent explosion that would follow. Well of course the thing exploded right there, firmly planted in terra firma, well not exactly exploded, more of a pop with some pink sparks. Which ignited the other three, which immediately popped their pink sparks. The ensuing silence was profound. Dad stood, silhouetted against the occasional pop and fizz of neighboring fireworks, head in hands as his sobbing family went indoors.I bought this lovely red and white megaphone for carnival week duties. The one we had been borrowing from the PCSO wasn't really up to it and the carnival week here in St Dennis has grown. It arrived. The reviews were good. One customer said theirs didn't work. They must have been quite disappointed. I didn't get round to checking ours until right when I needed it for the Family Fun Day.The instructions embossed in the black plastic battery holder seemed clear, except for a slightly confusing up arrow that says 'Down' and a down arrow that says 'Up'. Being an engineer in the electronics industry, I wasn't too fussed, in fact I was pleasantly amused by the - presumably Chinese - symbols.Ready to scare the hell out of the neighbors with a deafening 'Come Out With Your Hands Up', I pressed the trigger. Nothing. I pressed the trigger and the handset switch. Nothing. Then I tried the age-old Man-thing of taking it by surprise. When I was sure it had forgotten I was there, I quickly pressed the trigger and yelled into the mic. Still nothing. Disappointed? I thought of Dad. Of fireworks. Of the reviewer who's megaphone failed to work. I was the unlucky second. And I had a field full of fairground rides and skatepark competitors waiting for some action. Yes I was disappointed but fifty years after the fireworks and the many hundreds if not thousands of soul crushing disappointments over the intervening years I was coldly resigned to it. "Bother" I muttered. "Read the instructions" my wife scolded. Another Man-thing. Of course I don't need to read instructions. I write service manuals for heaven's sake! But there are no instructions with this unit. Shouldn't need them anyway. I happened to look more closely at the inside of the red end cap where the battery contacts are and saw that they are clearly marked with + and - signs. They contradict the amusingly ambiguous signs on the black plastic. With nothing to lose and being pretty sure that there would be steering diodes to prevent reverse polarity damage, I plonked the batteries in the other way-round and hey presto! I bet the customer who reported the out of box failure had put their batteries in the wrong way round.The unit itself is sturdy, heavy but necessarily so with big batteries and a strong case. The strap is robust and comfortable. The thing can be heard miles away and is audio bandwidth limited to somewhere around 1kHz to 3kHz so it cuts through crowd and generator noise, putting every single Watt to good use.The mic feels a bit flimsy. Beauty.Fit your batteries according to the + and - signs in the red lid and you'll not be disappointed.

This information is for anyone considering buying this product, i bought one of these megaphones and it did not work,on inspection by a qualified electronics engineer costing me a further £20 i found out its battery terminal wires at bottom (two white wires instead of the standard black and red coloured wires to indicate polarity) to circuit board were soldered the wrong way round making this a dangerous fire hazard as batterys will overheat and explode!! I will not bother to return this megaphone as its wasted my time and money already and i DO NOT want another from this company.Its in the bin already!!These megaphone's need to be properly tested before dispatch.Buy at your own risk!!!

This purchase was a third megaphone of the same model. A third one was required for an annual summer event and has yet to be used. This comment on the product is based on the two identical megaphones purchased and used last year. They work well and one of the cheapest. Beware they require eight D size batteries. Decided to use rechargeables so that cost, plus a charger, needs to be considered. The batteries are inserted in pairs and which way round in each compartment could be clearer. Also the rubber ring which is a seal between the opening section and body of the megaphone easily gets displaced and can be fiddly to keep in position as the unit is closed. However, overall a good product. Purchases this year and last year arrived punctually and in good condition.

I coach rowing and a megaphone is essential from a bike or from a launch. I had one of these 20 years ago and it then cost over £100, so to get exactly the same item for under £25 is fantastic. This is a far-Eastern exact copy of the original British-made megaphone; hence the much lower price. It works very well indeed with high volume and clarity. It is quite heavy with the batteries but the shoulder strap is robust and useful. The facility to use the hand-held microphone with the speaker body carried on the shoulder is a real boon.

Has developed a lose connection over time

This is a proper grown-up's loudhailer. It really is great fun. Though I use it for entertainment only, it is the genuine article - as seen in police movies etc.PRO'S- Very Loud , good police siren (a little bit dated but still clearly "police")CON's- Batteries , these cost half as much again for decent rechargeables , but sorted for good now. Batteries seem to last quite well.

I bought this yesterday, arrived today, all going great so far, until it catches fire. Not what I expected, this is unfortunate as it was needed, I will not be using this company again and I suggest you don’t either

Amazing product, everything I had hoped for and more, works perfectly. Did a really good job at a kids club I was leading kept my voice for the first time in 6 years. Amazing really well done Adastra also I saw that guy from river cottage springs using one, really good also the siren is very very loud.