Libre Aquatics Wiki
Navigation

Colorado Time Systems lane speakers

From Libre Aquatics Wiki, the free aquatics reference

EquipmentTimingSwimming

Edit View source

Colorado Time Systems (CTS) equips its deck-wired start systems with an under-block lane speaker cataloged as SP-6/45: a 6 watt, 45 ohm reflex horn mounted behind each starting block. A start system drives up to twelve of them, wired in parallel on one speaker circuit, so the start tone and the starter’s commands reach every lane together.1 The speaker itself is not made by CTS; it is the 306 Series reflex horn made by Fourjay Industries of Dayton, Ohio, and CTS resells it under its own part number.2 The auxiliary, far-lane, and underwater speakers CTS sells for the same start systems are covered in each start system’s article; shared background on lane speakers is in the external-speakers overview.

Use across the CTS start line

The same 6 watt, 45 ohm under-block speaker runs through the CTS deck-wired start systems:

  • The Championship Start System (SS) drives up to twelve SP-6/45 speakers on its main circuit, wired through an LS40 cable harness.1
  • The Championship Elite Start System (SSE) uses the same speaker, cataloged R-SP-6-45 with an attached cable, on an R-LS40-x harness.3 The sources disagree on the cable length: the CTS datasheet lists a 26 ft cable, while the Poolweb dealer listing for the same part gives 26 inches and sells a separate 72 inch version (R-SP-6-45-72). The dealer figure is consistent with the 72 inch option being the long version.34
  • The legacy CHAMP-SSM generation drove up to twelve 6 watt, 45 ohm under-block speakers in the same way.1
  • The 1990s SS2 offered six, eight, or ten 6 watt under-block speakers on the matching LS40-6, LS40-8, or LS40-10 harness.5

The start tone on the lane-speaker circuit is fixed at full volume; only the public-address level is adjustable.1

The Fourjay 306 horn

The SP-6/45 is the Fourjay 306-45, the 45 ohm version of Fourjay’s 306 Series “Little Big Horn” reflex speaker. Fourjay builds the 306 in two impedances, an 8 ohm 306-8 and the 45 ohm 306-45; the 45 ohm version is the one used as a lane speaker, because its high impedance lets a dozen speakers share one amplifier circuit.2 Fourjay sells the 306 as a general-purpose paging and talk-back horn, and electronics retailers stock the same 306-45 for public-address work; the lane speaker is a standard commercial part rather than an aquatics-specific design.6 The horn body and adjustable base are moulded from impact- and UV-resistant ABS with stainless-steel fasteners, and the reflex driver uses a moisture-resistant diaphragm, so the unit withstands the poolside environment. It carries a 2-conductor cable, mounts to a 3-inch electrical box or recesses through holes in the horn flange, and weighs about 1.25 lb.2

Specifications

The under-block speaker’s ratings are Fourjay’s for the 306-45; CTS does not publish separate figures.2

CTS part numberSP-6/45 (R-SP-6-45 with attached cable)
OEM modelFourjay 306-45
Power handling6 W continuous
Impedance45 Ω
Frequency range400–5000 Hz (±3 dB); 320–6000 Hz (±6 dB) on axis
Sound pressure level97 dB average (1 W/1 m, 500–5000 Hz)
DriverReflex type, 3.5 in, moisture-resistant diaphragm
ConstructionImpact- and UV-resistant ABS; stainless-steel fasteners; tan
Cable2-conductor, 18 gauge
MountingAdjustable base to a 3-inch electrical box; flange for recess mounting
Weight1.25 lb (0.57 kg)

Part numbers and accessories

  • SP-6/45, 6 watt, 45 ohm under-block lane speaker (Fourjay 306-45); R-SP-6-45, the same speaker with an attached cable on the Elite (26 ft per the CTS datasheet, 26 in per the dealer listing); R-SP-6-45-72, the 72 in cable version.134
  • LS40-6 / -8 / -10 / -12, lane-speaker cable harness; the number is the lane count. R-LS40-x is the Elite equivalent for 6, 8, or 10 lanes.13

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. Colorado Time Systems, Championship Start Instruction Guide (F875 Rev. 202202) (up to twelve 6 W, 45 Ω under-block lane speakers on the main circuit; SP-6/45; LS40 harness; fixed start-tone volume). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. Fourjay Industries, The Little Big Horn: 6 Watt Reflex Horn Speaker, 306 Series (Form 360-02) (306-8 and 306-45 impedance options; power, frequency, and sound-pressure specifications; ABS and stainless construction; 3-inch electrical-box mounting). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Colorado Time Systems, Elite Start System datasheet (Rev. 05/24) (R-SP-6-45 lane speaker with attached cable, listed as 26 ft; R-LS40-x harness). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Poolweb, Championship Series Lane Speaker 6-Watt (45 ohm), R-SP-6-45 (dealer listing: 6 W, 45 Ω reflex lane speaker with a 26 inch cable; separate 72 inch version R-SP-6-45-72; up to 12 per Championship start system). ↩ ↩2

  5. Colorado Time Systems, Electronic Start System Model SS2 Instruction Guide (F503 Rev. 0897, ©1993) (6 W under-block speakers on the LS40 harness). ↩

  6. Parts-Express, Fourjay 306-45 Little Big Horn 45 Ohms (retail listing for the same 45 Ω horn sold as a general paging speaker). ↩

Last updated July 27, 2026.