What is the correct way to signal distress with a horn?

I want to paddle in the Louisiana swamps at the end of April and there is a
chance of getting lost. The critters might eat my bread-crumb trail
markers.

So, do I signal SOS on the horn? How long do I wait between blasts? How
many blasts can I get out of one horn. I'm supposing there is the "canned
air" type and maybe a rechargeable type or similar battery operated type.

Is there a different signal for paddling in the Hood Canal?

--
Sincerely,
Joanne

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The standard answer is that three of anything is an distress signal. It
could be three gunshots, three blasts of a horn, you name it. This
applies on land or sea. You can signal SOS in morse code with three
shorts, three longs, and three shorts. I would suggest two seconds for
shorts, six seconds for longs, with at least two seconds between toots,
maybe 10 seconds between the shorts and the longs. I have not tested
this to see how well the sound carries over long distances.

I have never been a fan of the compressed air horns, figure that I will
grab it after years of not needing it, and all the air will have leaked
out. I guess I believe in Murphy's law.

The Blaster Horn that we are talking about is mouth powered, and plenty
loud.

If you are worried about getting lost in the swamp, a GPS is probably
the easiest solution, just mark the starting point, and when you want to
go back, tell the GPS to point you which way to go. It is almost that
easy, but practice by walking around your neighborhood. Obviously, you
may not be able to go in the shortest line, but it will tell you the
direction and distance in real time, and keep you from heading away from
your car.

If you have a shoreline for the swamp, then a compass will get you home.
Compasses do not need batteries, while GPSs tend to be battery hungry.

Richard



Joanne wrote:

What is the correct way to signal distress with a horn?

I want to paddle in the Louisiana swamps at the end of April and there is a
chance of getting lost. The critters might eat my bread-crumb trail
markers.

So, do I signal SOS on the horn? How long do I wait between blasts? How
many blasts can I get out of one horn. I'm supposing there is the "canned
air" type and maybe a rechargeable type or similar battery operated type.

Is there a different signal for paddling in the Hood Canal?

"Richard Ferguson" wrote in message
...
The standard answer is that three of anything is an distress signal. It
could be three gunshots, three blasts of a horn, you name it. This applies
on land or sea. You can signal SOS in morse code with three shorts, three
longs, and three shorts. I would suggest two seconds for shorts, six
seconds for longs, with at least two seconds between toots, maybe 10
seconds between the shorts and the longs. I have not tested this to see
how well the sound carries over long distances.

I have never been a fan of the compressed air horns, figure that I will
grab it after years of not needing it, and all the air will have leaked
out. I guess I believe in Murphy's law.

The Blaster Horn that we are talking about is mouth powered, and plenty
loud.

If you are worried about getting lost in the swamp, a GPS is probably the
easiest solution, just mark the starting point, and when you want to go
back, tell the GPS to point you which way to go. It is almost that easy,
but practice by walking around your neighborhood. Obviously, you may not
be able to go in the shortest line, but it will tell you the direction and
distance in real time, and keep you from heading away from your car.

If you have a shoreline for the swamp, then a compass will get you home.
Compasses do not need batteries, while GPSs tend to be battery hungry.

Richard

Thank you, Richard. This is great information. I wasn't planning to invest
in a GPS just yet. So I'll use a compass and definitely get a manual horn.
I love that idea; it makes much more sense than anything expendable.

--
Sincerely,
Joanne

If it's right for you, then it's right, . . . . . for you!!!

Play - http://www.jobird.com
Pay for Play - http://www.jobird.com/refund.htm
Looking for Love? - http://www.jobird.com/hearts.htm
Garden Kinder CDs
http://www.jobird.com/cd/gardenkinderhome.html

On 7-Feb-2005, Richard Ferguson wrote:

I would suggest two seconds for
shorts, six seconds for longs, with at least two seconds between toots,
maybe 10 seconds between the shorts and the longs.

At that length, folks might not think it's a signal. One SOS over a
minute long (62 seconds to be precise)!

I'd suggest a lot shorter. Less than a second for a short, about twice
that for a long. Short gaps between each toot and longer between
each repeat.

If there is any chance for echoes, it may all sound like a mess of confusing
sounds. For that reason, three toots is somewhat better than SOS in Morse.
Also, that means that signalling with a whistle for any reason but distress
should be discouraged.

Mike