I've only dropped my whistles once (the aforementioned scenario). But I feel better knowing I have my backup if I do. How many of you can whistle loud enough and effectively enough to stop play without a whistle (in that dreaded case where you've dropped ALL your whistles)?
I carry a spare pair too. The pair I usually use is a tornado connected to a Sonic Blast, and my backup is a tornado connected to a Fox40
I currently use a Fox 40 Classic and Fox 40 Eclipse. I am interested in buying another whistle. Should I get the Fox 40 Sonik Blast, Fox 40 Pearl, some kind of Acme (Tornado, Tornado Tube, Tornado 2000, or Cyclone?), or something else? What do you guys like?
I definitely can. This brings to mind the question of under what circumstances it would be appropriate to go "commando" for an entire match.
Fox 40 Classic or Mini on one end for most mundane chores, Sonik Blast on the other end for "Time to come out of the locker room and start the second half ladies," or "Now I'm really pissed," or for when the train is going by, or big noisy stadiums - or breaking up fights.
Do people really find the Sonik Blast that loud? I switched to it because I found the Dolfin and Sharx whistles to be too loud.
It's WAY too loud for me to be in my normal use, at least when I use it. Like @Bubba Atlanta - I ONLY use it when I'm at one field where big jets come in for landing just a couple hundred feet up, and even then I only use it when the plane is actually overhead, not the whole match. I tried the Sonik for a couple of matches when I first got it and I variously blew my ears out, a player's ear out, or confused the hell out of people with a whistle that seemed way harder than I meant it. Maybe I put more air into my whistle than some people do (or just had to stick with it to adjust) -- I do know one or two people I work with who use the Sonik as their regular whistle, it's just too powerful for me (and I don't find it nearly as loud as the Dolfin).
http://www.dutchreferee.com/the-decibels-of-popular-referee-whistles/ The sonik is indeed a very loud whistle.
Wow, good to know. I'm an audio engineer in another life, so I'd like to keep my ears in good condition! I've been considering wearing earplugs while reffing, but I feel like it would cause more trouble than its worth. The Sharx whistle was causing my eardrums to vibrate, so I had to get rid of it. I felt like the Dolfin was doing the same. I think the issue was that the Sharx has sound holes on the sides, so the sound hits my ears more directly. I'm sure the maximal sound levels are correct in that article. I think another test of 50% effort, 75% effort, etc. would be more beneficial, though. How often does a referee actually hit the 120+ dB max of these whistles? When I'm mixing a song for a band, I (generally) don't care what the maximum level of the guitar is; I want the "average" (or specifically, the RMS level) of that instrument, and I want it for multiple portions of the sound spectrum (an instrument, and a whistle, can be loud in the "high" range, but soft in the "mid" ranges and non-existent in the "lows"). I would argue that the Sharx in particular, is MUCH louder than the Sonik Blast when blown with 50-75% effort, due to its spatial volume and the size and location of the sound holes. Maybe I can perform my own test using my recording equipment. Not sure how I feel about blowing these whistles in my tiny studio, though!
I cannot imagine the quizzical expression on a non-referee who somehow would come across this discussion. We are so close to asking for information on how many knots do you tie in your shoes. (3).
Shoe knots? I do a double-slip reef knot: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm It can be a little fiddly to tie, but once you get it tied it'll practically never come loose.
I've been using an Acme Tornado for a few years now http://www.satorsoccer.com/ACME-TORNADO-WHISTLE/productinfo/TR-6010-635/ . It's easy to hold and I find I can modulate it much better than most other whistles I have used. It also doesn't sound like others that might be near by. My back up is a Sonic Blast. I found a finger lanyards on a website some time ago and bought several for less that $1 a piece http://www.satorsoccer.com/AGORA-Finger-Lanyard/productinfo/SA-7452/. They are about 3 inches long and I put that on my pinkie. It looks like I don't have a lanyard at all. I've had the whistle knocked out of my hands too many times to want to go without a lanyard.
I use this one too. Since I changed about 7 years ago, I have not had a lace untie on me during a match. Plus it releases with a strong pull as per a normal shoelace tie.
I would say that the Sonik Blast is similar to the Classic, except shriller and louder. While I am not familiar with the Eclipse, IMO the Pearl is a different animal than the other Fox 40s. It is mellower, and it is the only one that I can 'talk' with. So, if you are looking for something else, I would try it. I used to carry the Tornado, the bent one, as my spare because it fit at the bottom of my pocket nicely. But I never actually used it because the sound was almost like a joke, like a kid pretending to be a train.
The Pearl has a more different sound if you do games with fields nearby, but I don't really like it. My favorite is the dolphin.
All of my whistles are set up in pairs -- I prefer holding them that way than holding a single whistle (I'm not in the camp that switches whistles for differnt things; I often ref on fields with others nearby, and I want to use a single sound that players will identify as me -- not sure if it really works, but at least it makes me feel like I'm doing as much as possible to make confusion less likely.). I pick the whistle to use that game (and, yes, I have way too many different whistles in my bag to choose from . . .), and grab that pair. And then I put another pair in with the handerkchief to baffle the rattle. In the old days, I did spit a pea out of a whistle and need my spare. Since I've gone to holdingn the whistle pair in my hand, I've never dropped them . . . but I know exactly what will happen the first game I don't have the spare pair in my pocket . . .
Yellow with write on sticker is in my left shirt pocket, red is on my back right pocket, and I keep my pencil and book with extra cards in my front right pocket. Two Fox 40s on a key ring in my hand the whole time. I do not carry a spare and hopefully won't need to!
I have wondered about the directionality of whistle noise. There is a whistle that claims to send the sound forward primarily, and so is easier on the blower (hammerhead). I have one but never use it unless I really need a different sound (they are low pitched), since they are clumsy to handle. When/if you do your testing, would it be possible to take measurements where one's ears are?
I'm a bit of a whistle wh... er, um, floozy shall we say, so I've tried just about all of them. I laughed when you described the Pearl because your experience is the exact opposite of mine! I can't seem to get anything out of that whistle but a single level, no modulation for me at all. But, I'm glad that one works for some! I hate that one as well. Never could get it to sound like anything other than a comical choo choo train. I knew of a particular HS ref who loved to do the crescendo whistle and he loved the whistle you speak of. It sounded like a distance train growing nearer every kick-off.
Primary: http://www.soccersuperstoreusa.com/valkeen/ Back up: http://www.soccersuperstoreusa.com/acme-tornado/ Both are loud whistles, never once a situation where a player could legitimately say they couldn't hear them.