97xr400r 122 Posted October 30, 2018 Wanted to pass this along. Search & Rescue: A Tip or Two About Getting Found Some great tips in the comments below the article... "I've done hundreds of hoist rescues over the years for injured and lost hikers, bikers, hunters and off-roaders. The new products like SPOT are great but not too widely used yet. I've yet to have the opportunity to respond to one. Most of the rescues we get are from cell phone calls, or worried friends or parents who have a general idea where the person is. Night rescues have always been a challenge but with the new generation of NVGs it has gotten a lot easier. The smallest light source can be enough to grab the attention of a pilot or crewmember. We recently rescued a hypothermic couple that had gotten lost and the husband simply held up his iphone with the screen illuminated and we were able to pick it up a mile away. Red chem-sticks on a string swung around over your head work really well for NVGs (green won't be seen by the goggles). They're light weight and don't require batteries. High visibility panels work well in daylight but you have to be close. A rescue signal mirror is probably best and can be seen for miles, it just takes some practice to get good at using them and they only work in sunlight. The real lesson here is not to get too confident because you have a SPOT or cell phone and get yourself into a situation where you need rescue. You are putting the rescuers lives in danger every time they have to respond. I've had to rescue 19 Search and Rescue members for various reasons over the years which really pisses them off. Typically, they aren't the type of people you want to piss off." I think I'll be adding a laser pointer and a "Panel, Signal VS-17/GVX" to my riding vest Stay safe out there buds Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riggerdan 147 Posted October 30, 2018 I've been a fan of the "glow stick" for years in addition to a laser pointer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dress4Less 162 Posted October 30, 2018 Thanks xr'r...great info. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SoCalMule 106 Posted October 30, 2018 4 hours ago, 97xr400r said: Wanted to pass this along. Search & Rescue: A Tip or Two About Getting Found Some great tips in the comments below the article... "I've done hundreds of hoist rescues over the years for injured and lost hikers, bikers, hunters and off-roaders. The new products like SPOT are great but not too widely used yet. I've yet to have the opportunity to respond to one. Most of the rescues we get are from cell phone calls, or worried friends or parents who have a general idea where the person is. Night rescues have always been a challenge but with the new generation of NVGs it has gotten a lot easier. The smallest light source can be enough to grab the attention of a pilot or crewmember. We recently rescued a hypothermic couple that had gotten lost and the husband simply held up his iphone with the screen illuminated and we were able to pick it up a mile away. Red chem-sticks on a string swung around over your head work really well for NVGs (green won't be seen by the goggles). They're light weight and don't require batteries. High visibility panels work well in daylight but you have to be close. A rescue signal mirror is probably best and can be seen for miles, it just takes some practice to get good at using them and they only work in sunlight. The real lesson here is not to get too confident because you have a SPOT or cell phone and get yourself into a situation where you need rescue. You are putting the rescuers lives in danger every time they have to respond. I've had to rescue 19 Search and Rescue members for various reasons over the years which really pisses them off. Typically, they aren't the type of people you want to piss off." I think I'll be adding a laser pointer and a "Panel, Signal VS-17/GVX" to my riding vest Stay safe out there buds Thanks for your service! I was a SAR Air Crewman (hoist operator) for 18 years with the CG. I know the probability of detection rates are usually small without good signaling devices.The ideas expressed here are good ones! No signal fires in SD county Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikey777 44 Posted October 31, 2018 I keep an IR Firefly strobe in my pack. You can buy them on eBay for less than $20, very small, and they work with a 9 volt battery. For a night rescue using FLIR from a helo or NVG's you are super visible. They are used by the military as markers for night ops. Laser pointers are awesome too (fun for pointing out satellites around the fire too). https://www.adamsindustries.com/Strobes-Beacons/Phoenix-Junior™-Firefly™.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
97xr400r 122 Posted October 31, 2018 15 hours ago, SoCalMule said: Thanks for your service! I was a SAR Air Crewman (hoist operator) for 18 years with the CG. I know the probability of detection rates are usually small without good signaling devices.The ideas expressed here are good ones! No signal fires in SD county Sorry for the confusion, I was quoting one of the comments below the article. I'm not a SAR guy. Thank YOU for your service. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
97xr400r 122 Posted October 31, 2018 11 hours ago, Mikey777 said: I keep an IR Firefly strobe in my pack. You can buy them on eBay for less than $20, very small, and they work with a 9 volt battery. For a night rescue using FLIR from a hello or NVG's you are super visible. They are used by the military as markers for night ops. Laser pointers are awesome too (fun for pointing out satellites around the fire too). https://www.adamsindustries.com/Strobes-Beacons/Phoenix-Junior™-Firefly™.html Now that is a cool little device. Thanks for the tip! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
97xr400r 122 Posted October 31, 2018 Does anybody have a laser pointer recommendation? The ones I've seen look low quality and intended to be used in an office. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikey777 44 Posted October 31, 2018 I got mine from CiD. He bought a bunch from China. Green solid beam laser, shoots really far, and would be a great night marker also. Cheap too. Ping him and I am sure he will give you the source. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Covered in Dust 162 Posted October 31, 2018 4 hours ago, Mikey777 said: I got mine from CiD. He bought a bunch from China. Green solid beam laser, shoots really far, and would be a great night marker also. Cheap too. Ping him and I am sure he will give you the source. Just type in laser on eBay and there are multiple choices. The prices have come down by about half from when I bought mine a couple of years ago. Just make sure you get batteries and a charger with the laser. They are not regular double A or triple A batteries. this one looks like a good choice. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F351707696078 CiD. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simicrintz 177 Posted November 1, 2018 Is green OK with NVG's? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Covered in Dust 162 Posted November 1, 2018 11 minutes ago, simicrintz said: Is green OK with NVG's? Probably not, but will be very visible to the naked eye. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikey777 44 Posted November 1, 2018 NVG's can be used to see laser beams. It all depends on the beam wavelength and the particular goggles. Dust particles in the air will also allow you to see naked eye laser illumination with NVG's since they are picking up small amounts of ambient reflected light to create the visible display. You generally do not want to point a flashlight or laser at somebody using NVG's. It creates a "bloom" or white out. It can also damage the equipment. Laser pointers with a visible beam (like CiD's) allow you to point them in the air or at other objects to create a path to your location. This is a good video to show you how this all works. Here is what a flashlight looks like under NVG's Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simicrintz 177 Posted November 1, 2018 Really want to put together a complete pack of stuff and while I never ride at night would want to be as prepared as possible. Great info! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
97xr400r 122 Posted November 1, 2018 "NVG's can be used to see laser beams. It all depends on the beam wavelength and the particular goggles. Dust particles in the air will also allow you to see naked eye laser illumination with NVG's since they are picking up small amounts of ambient reflected light to create the visible display. You generally do not want to point a flashlight or laser at somebody using NVG's. It creates a "bloom" or white out. It can also damage the equipment. Laser pointers with a visible beam (like CiD's) allow you to point them in the air or at other objects to create a path to your location. This is a good video to show you how this all works." Very interesting stuff, thanks for posting that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
97xr400r 122 Posted November 1, 2018 I ordered up a cheap laser and an IR strobe. Hope I never need them! Thanks guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikey777 44 Posted November 1, 2018 After reading some reports about groups stuck out into the night due to a downed rider/broken bike, that is when I decided to upgrade my S/R gear. Your Spot/InReach should get them close, but giving them a visual aid will speed up the rescue. Don't forget your daylight visual aid. A signal mirror works great for bringing in a helo. We used them in the Forest Service to help helicopter/air tanker pilots locate us on the fire line either to aid in picking us up, cargo drops, or avoiding getting dropped on with fire retardant. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simicrintz 177 Posted November 1, 2018 27 minutes ago, Mikey777 said: or avoiding getting dropped on with fire retardant. 30 (or more!) years ago when I was doing this they tried to hit us with retardant!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites