JDS c-88quake Earthquake Alarm

This Earthquake Alarm is very reliable once you install it properly. Yes, it requires calibration, and it will take some time to get it working fine, specially if you are not in an active seismic zone. I have installed it in México City, and after a month I have detected quakes located as far as El Salvador. The alarm generates a loud but not annoying sound. Since it works using a pendulum located inside a triangle acting as a limit that when touched it will sound. This alarm detects the p-waves which travel faster than the destructive s-waves, thus this alarm will sound before the quake and sometimes you will not even feel it because it is so far or too weak. How many seconds before, depends on how near or far you are from the epicenter.Mexico city is a seismic area and the idea was to detect those quakes at 250 miles away where the faults are located, right in the pacific ocean or in Oaxaca. We also have the Popocatepetl Volcano and so far there has been no activity there, so I still have to wait for some activity. You will learn how far or how strong a quake is by the way it sounds, and you can act accordingly. For instance, a quake located at El Salvador (1000 miles away and magnitude 7) will only do a couple of pings in a one second period, while one located at 300 miles at magnitude 5 will sound with some long and short pings during period of 6 seconds. I guess that a magnitude 7 in such area will generate a steady sound for at least 10 seconds. Since almost every day makes a sound, my family try to guess how far and how strong the quake is. A quake is no fun, but science is as we are learning how the earth works and how events that are located very far affect where we live.With this device there are really no false alarms, you may jump next to the alarm and it will simply stay quiet, even though I have set it to be very sensitive (locating the pendulum very close to the triangle).To verify everything I have subscribed to the earthquake notification service at [...] via email and that way you can receive the quake information promptly and associate the pings in your alarm to the magnitude of the quake. Now when it sounds, I take note of the hour and the sound generated by the alarm, after that I usually receive an email in a few minutes with the details.This is a must if you live in seismic active zone, like California, or Chile. Knowing in advance that a quake is coming could save your life. The bad news is that if you live right at the epicenter or where a fault is, there is no enough time to get a warning. The pendulum works by moving at the presence of p-waves, specially those coming from the sides than below.<spanish>Si vives o trabajas en la Col. Roma o en el Centro de la ciudad y especialmente en algún edificio, no lo pienses, este aparato es para ti</spanish>

First off let me start by saying I live in south-central Illinois far from California who experiences earthquakes on an everyday basis. How ever we have a fault system located here know as the New Madrid Fault System which branches off in to several faults which the closest one to us is the Wabash Valley Fault Line. (About 60 miles away) The New Madrid Fault System was repsonsible for the biggest earthquakes in history back in 1811-1812 in and around New Madrid Missouri and was widely felt over 500 miles. They keep saying we are due for at least a 6.0 to 7.5 earthquake within the next 50 years. In the last 10 years alone we have more earthquakes with atleast a magnitued 3.5 or bigger on the Wabsash Valley Fault than they have had on the New Madrid Fault itself and alot of people feel the Wabash Valley Fault will be the one to produce the big one and maybe not the New Madrid Fault As there is evidence in the creek beds of atleast 8 earthquakes in history that have been estimated about 6.0 to about 7.0 in magnitude. In April of 2008 we had a 5.2 magnitude earthquake with many aftershocks that was nothing like I ever had felt before and I then said I hope we never have anymore. Well last night we had a 3.7 magnitued earthquake and I said enough was enough and that I may not have any warning to get to safety especially living in an apartment building on an upper floor. I had heard about the earthquake alarm and its reliabilty to sound an alarm before an earthquake and have been always wanting to get one of these but was reluctant. Well I finally did yesterday! As soon as I recieve it I will hang it up and hope that nothing ever happens but I know based on reviews and studies this alram has/had recieved that this thing actually works. I will test the theory and update my posting here when the next earthquake happens which I hope will never be the case but just incase I will be ready. Its always good to prepare because a few seconds could mean life or death. I suggest anyone living in an earthquake prone area to get one of these as it could be your only life saver during an Earthquake.

The product has been packed as a typical cheap Chinese stuff, so the first impression was sad. But practically it works well. Instruction included is so detailed, that I have fallen asleep reading it.Installation process is easy enough - just sticked to the wall in the right position. When I firstly set it to sensitive mode - it was ringing every hour (I live in an old apartment house, so probably it's shaking a little bit every time when someone shuts the door, or jumps) - such sensitive mode is not for me.After that I lowered down sensitivity to medium level. So, now it only rings when there is a real earthquake. In practice - it doesn't predict it now, and even gives a signal with 2 seconds latency (I feel earthquake myself, and then hear the signal).It would be probably more useful in more still / solid, maybe separate house.But in my case the only useful thing - is that it will definitely notify me about earthquake when I won't notice it for some reasons (will be sleeping for example). And in case of severe earthquake- every second can be important.