On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 21:15:22 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I fired off my flares when I was right in front of them. They never
saw me.

=======================

The only flares I've ever seen that looked like they would really be
useful in an emergency are those that are SOLAS certified. A SOLAS
parachute flare is an awesome sight and it has a peak altitude of
about 1,000 feet.

On the other hand, I doubt that the New Bedford fishing fleet would
stop for anything on the way home, not even a cold beer or a comely
deck hand.

I'll second that. The SOLAS handheld flares are MUCH brighter than those
Orion or automotive types. Once I saw them in action, that's all I'll carry
now. I'll describe it like this... if you look at one, you're going to have
a green spot in your vision just like someone flashed a flashbulb right in
your fact. They are REALLY bright.

--


Keith
__
Why do we say something is out of whack? What's a whack?
"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 21:15:22 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I fired off my flares when I was right in front of them. They never
saw me.

=======================

The only flares I've ever seen that looked like they would really be
useful in an emergency are those that are SOLAS certified. A SOLAS
parachute flare is an awesome sight and it has a peak altitude of
about 1,000 feet.

On the other hand, I doubt that the New Bedford fishing fleet would
stop for anything on the way home, not even a cold beer or a comely
deck hand.

.... or ignored you.

--


Keith
__
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending;
and have the two as close together as possible. -George Burns
"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I believe that a good selection of flares is the best way to attract
attention (assuming the other vessel has a proper watch 'on deck'.

I was once sinking in the middle of the night in Buzzards Bay. I was
pretty sure I could manage the situation and decided not to fire off
flares at the line of fishing vessels that were headed into New Bedford.
Then I realized that they were very likely to run me down because the boat
was small and I was pretty low in the water. I decided to fire off a few
flares. If they stopped, I'd ask them to report me (no radio) and carry
on.

I fired off my flares when I was right in front of them. They never saw
me.

--

Roger Long

True, I'm worth a lot less per pound than haddock was in those days.

--

Roger Long



"Keith" wrote in message
...
... or ignored you.

--


Keith
__
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good
ending; and have the two as close together as possible. -George
Burns
"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I believe that a good selection of flares is the best way to
attract attention (assuming the other vessel has a proper watch
'on deck'.

I was once sinking in the middle of the night in Buzzards Bay. I
was pretty sure I could manage the situation and decided not to
fire off flares at the line of fishing vessels that were headed
into New Bedford. Then I realized that they were very likely to run
me down because the boat was small and I was pretty low in the
water. I decided to fire off a few flares. If they stopped, I'd
ask them to report me (no radio) and carry on.

I fired off my flares when I was right in front of them. They
never saw me.

--

Roger Long

On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 06:42:56 -0800, "Steve" wrote:


I believe that a good selection of flares is the best way to attract
attention (assuming the other vessel has a proper watch 'on deck'.

Speaking as someone who's spoken to a fellow cruiser who had to fire a
flare AT a watchperson to get them to see him (tip: aim high because
flares drop into a parabola rapidly), I think there's an issue with
the declining practice of watch-keeping in an age of bleeping gadgets.

On 3 Jan 2005 18:33:38 -0800, wrote:

I have never used radar so this idea may be useless (ok, so almost all
of em are) but.....
Producing an intense burst of RF is fairly easy by firing a magnet
through a properly shaped coil. This is done in new EMP weapons where
the power output is high enough to fry nearby electronics. So, why not
use the same idea in a 12 guage shell dsigned to fit in one of those
flare launchers. The charge fires the magnet through the coil (this is
destructive as the coil disintegrates) producing a short intense pulse
of RF that will appear on the radar scope. Maybe it could also fire a
cloud of chaff into the air to make a longer lasting return. The idea
is that the initial pulse will get the operators attention and then the
chaff would allow him to see the source.

Clever, but I bet the chaff is easier to create by other means. Chaff
is sized according to frequency of the receiving units. I have no idea
what that would be for modern sets, but in WWII, "window" was fairly
long (12-18") aluminum coated card stock that was chucked out of
bombers or "pathfinders" to screw with the primitive German radar.
Five hundred bombers looked like five thousand over five times the
area = crappy radar guidance for anti-aircraft.

Funnily enough, I just read of field trials getting underway for an
"electric bullet" which is essentially a plastic, non-lethal
projectile in standard police-issue calibres that delivers a strong,
piezo-electric charge that stuns people in a similar fashion as a
taser, but over a far greater range and with similar accuracy as a
regular bullet. Your "RF pulse shell" is not dissimilar.

R.