The post about SPOT relablilty sound familiar. I have been looking at one of these does anyone have one? they look like a good signal device, where I hunt most places there would be someone that should see this and investigate. Looks small enough I would not mind it in my pack. I palyed with one at Sportsmans warehouse, it is preety powerful.

http://www.getinproducts.com/xtremebeams

I don't have one, BUT, I'd rather have a little LED light instead because it's actually useful for finding my way in the dark. A laser beam is only going to be visible if there's particulate or moisture in the air, so the "follow the beam" theory is heavy on theory IMO. Also, a lasers very focused beam means you'd need to shoot your rescuers right in the face for them to see you---------which they might not be able to do after you've cooked their eyes.

I'm a gear junkie myself, but I try to buy things that will actually serve a real purpose-------or multiple purposes if possible. I see this product as a way to exchange money for extra pack weight. Sorry.

the guys I know who are on our local SAR find more people by cell phone than everything else put together. (You can see the LCD screen on a cell phone from the air for miles).

The crack-N-shake chem lights are highly visible with NVGs, I've been told by AK troopers.

We've had various scumbags over here using beefed up lazer pointers to dazzle aircraft; they actually shine them at passenger jets taking off and landing!

There was one idiot arrested not too far from me for shinning one at a police helicopter doing some night flying..The papers reported that in court, the pilot recounted being severly dazzled as the lazer essential wiped out the night vision goggles he was wearing...In fact it seems this now getting be a common tactic with car thieves when puersued by police helicopters...

So all said and done, I would not use one on a SAR helo/aircraft as it could do more harm than good....

I have one of the SPOT units, they work well, send the OK message to 10 email addresses, send the HELP message to another 10 emails addresses, and 911 to a Central Dispatch center (continues to ping your location on this message).

They are durable units, water proof, small size and light weight. The best capability is the web based information portal you have to manage the 'text' and email addresses you send OK and HELP messages to. The messages can be configured to send a Google Earth link and you can map as well as the email recipients.

Well thought through hardware unit and they continue to upgrade the software capabilities.

The SPOT web page www.findmespot.com often has specials to get the device for $0 and then just buy the service for $165 a year including Google map feature and emergency evacuation insurance.

SPOT fails miserably, I would not trust my life on something that works only 50 percent of the time and not at all when in deep cover or canyons. They simply need to increase the beacons strength, but from reviews of their CS I don't really think they are concerned one bit for lil ole consumer.

The beam shows up really well all the way up into the sky giving a trail to where you are.
I Would hope not to shine it right into someones eyes, the idea is to show a loction to the ground, not shine like a flashlight at some body.

If a guy is using NVG's you can't go wrong with a light. I've used a flashing, infrared LED before and have been spotted from a LONG way off by pilots using NVG's.

If he's using his naked eyes, you can't go wrong with a light.

If he's using FLIR, you can't go wrong with a fire. He'll see you even if you are in a galaxy far, far away.



Travis.

Very heavy.


Travis

Yeah. As a pilot, this makes me a little unnerved that it even exists. To give you the major issue with them for pilots at night is the fact that it takes the average adult 30 minutes to fully build up rhodopsin in their eyes to allow night vision. It takes less than a second for one bright flash of light to trick your eyes into thinking it's daylight again and flush the rhodopsin out, leaving the pilot flying without his eyes adjusted to the night. It's for this reason we generally wait until lined up on the runway to turn our landing lights and strobes on at night and why most of the cockpit lighting you see is either dim white light or brighter (but not too bright) red light (red happens to be the easiest light color on the eyes at night, which is why vehicle tail-lights use it).

These lasers are an intense focused light, but a brief flash over the eyes doesn't cause any physical damage. You'd need prolonged exposure.

As for emergency signaling at night, I'd go with your flashlight. I'm not sure on glowsticks, having never seen them from the air, so I don't know how well they catch attention. I'd be more interested in their use for signaling.

A pen-sized green laser pointer can have a range of a few miles. At night, you can see the entire length of the beam. Outside the Mauna Kea observatories, the astronomers will use a green laser to point out stars to the audience. It is as if they were effortlessly wielding a bright green stick that is a few miles long.

With a green laser beam and clear night skies, no one will have a problem finding you.

I've seen some pen sized lasers that would certainly get peoples attention from a LONG ways away.

Until this thread I never considered their emergency potential...

Aside from the WOW factor, maybe I DO need one.

I absolutely love gear, gadgets, toys, and other assorted crap by any name. BUT, I really don't see how a laser is as useful as an LED light. A light can signal a broader area since the rescuers will be in the dark and impossible to aim at from a long ways off. And, if you don't get lost, an LED light is still very handy around camp. Win/win IMO. A laser OTOH, is dandy for playing with the cat around the house. They'll chase themselves dizzy. Good fun!

This laser does not just point a spot in the sky it leaves a trail thru the sky back to you. So searchers on the ground can see the point of origin.

Not if it is a clear night. Dust or fog is needed to reflect and refract the laser.

for the limited utility don't believe it would make weight for me either.


doesn't mean it's wrong for the poster contemplating it, we each have to find our own comfort zone.


but like all gear, sleep bags, rifles, gps, compass, stoves etc. the time to find out if it works and it's reliability is before we need to stake our well being upon it.


they call it homework for a reason

Here is a copy from a E mail I recieved back from the company.
Thank you, for the recent inquiry.


To answer your first question: Yes, the ERL�s beam is visible in all weather conditions dry, wet, smoky or foggy. The beam is visible from several miles away. From the perspective of the person being rescued, the beam appears as a thin sparkling bright green beam. The beam is like an extension of that user, but has the ability to reach out and get people�s attention from a much further distance than any flashlight, strobe, flare or whistle. From the perspective of the rescuers the beam appears as a huge spot light illuminating the surrounding area. If you are on the receiving end of the beam there is absolutely no mistaking where it is coming from.


Although the SPOT appears to be an affective rescue device it does still use GPS. GPS units although a great device to have when you are getting a strong signal still are highly affected by the positioning of satellites, the landscape and surrounding foliage.


Our ERL is a simple device that does not require a high level aptitude to use and is anything, but complicated. Simply insert the batteries, press and hold the button and point in the general direction of rescuers. The ERL is a high intensity beam that will shine through any gap in the foliage and is not hampered by the landscape.


Please, feel free to contact us, if you have any further questions.


PS. The video on our website shows the beam shining from the rescuers point of view from several miles away. www.getinproducts.com


Warm Regards,


Xtreme Beams Staff

The link wouldn't work for me but it appears that you're describing what we call a "laser flare" (if I'm wrong then I apologize). We did a demo of them during our Winter Indoctrination Course and from a mile or two away in the pitch black there is nothing that shows up like a horizontal laser beam. If you were stuck somewhere and could see a plane or searchers on the ground all you have to do is pan the light back and forth over them and they will see the flash. If you hold it in your fist next to your cheek and pan your head back and forth as though you were scanning across landscape it will flash across the person or people you are trying to signal will definiely see it. I wouldn't be without one going out on the land in the dark winter. They're not a light for navigation, they're a signalling device pure and simple. The ones we use up here weigh only a few ounces and are as small as a mini-maglight. Cheap insurance.

The Visitor Information Station at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, holds a nightly stargazing program. Per its website ( http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/stargazing.html ), �As soon as it�s dark enough, a star tour will be given. Using a laser pointer, we will point out all the bright constellations and bright objects visible that night.�

The green laser beam was a few miles long and was clearly visible along its entire length. The astronomer wielded it effortlessly as a giant pointer. The skies were crystal clear and the stars were bright. From a 9,300 feet altitude, we could see Polaris to the North and the Southern Cross to the south.

The pen-sized laser used is sold in the gift shop for under $100. Its specifications are:
� 5 milliwatts (0.005 watts)
� Two AAA batteries
� 12,500 feet range
� 532 nanometer wavelength (green)
� 3,000 to 5,000 hours laser lifetime

I�ve no idea how long the two AAA batteries will last but in clear skies. Perhaps you can flash the laser on and off to conserve the batteries.

The laser should be held vertically and not horizontally. You should not treat it like a signal mirror and point it at someone. It is illegal to point it at an airplane. During a clear night, someone may be able to spot your beam and see it emanating from your location on the ground.