Best signalling equipment from the searchers point of view
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Along the same lines as the space blanket. Would defnietly help. Look in the "What they Say" section at the pictures in the water. I may still use the Space blanket though.
, 3/4 submerged 55gal drums from 40miles and other small objects from over 60miles. The actual reflectivity of these items is not known but I would be checking out any returns I got if I knew you had something radar reflective. I was actually thinking about carrying a small (or piece of a)space blanket which would not take up much room but could (probably) give off large returns. But the searchers MUST know you have it or they might think you are a boat if the return is large enough.
Is there anything radar reflective (some kind of reflector patch?) that could be attached to an SMB?
What IS radar reflective ? what does it mean Please.
Radar reflective is the ability to return a radar signal to the source.
Metal is usually the most radar reflective material. Think of it as how much of the signal hits the surface and is bounced back to the transmitter/receiver.
This is an interesting topic because it is my understanding that often the Coast Guard will discontinue active aerial search for lost divers during the night time. To me, this seems like the absolute best time to be searching for a diver who has a strong dive light that he can shine towardan aircraft (or the strobe might be nice too). Of course this assumes reasonably clear atmospheric conditions, but thunderstorms etc would also hamper visual searches in the day.
Does anyone know what the official USCG policy is with reagrd to night search for lost divers? If I am correct that they shut everything down and start again in the morning, is their a way to communicate that the diver definitely had a dive light and try to get them to work the night shift. It seems that they treat a lost diver as similar to a boater who has fallen over board, when a diver could/should have some very useful safety and signaling gear.
This is an interesting topic because it is my understanding that often the Coast Guard will discontinue active aerial search for lost divers during the night time. To me, this seems like the absolute best time to be searching for a diver who has a strong dive light that he can shine towardan aircraft (or the strobe might be nice too). Of course this assumes reasonably clear atmospheric conditions, but thunderstorms etc would also hamper visual searches in the day.
Does anyone know what the official USCG policy is with reagrd to night search for lost divers? If I am correct that they shut everything down and start again in the morning, is their a way to communicate that the diver definitely had a dive light and try to get them to work the night shift. It seems that they treat a lost diver as similar to a boater who has fallen over board, when a diver could/should have some very useful safety and signaling gear.
I don't know what the USCG policy is but I have never stopped a search due to night. I actually prefer to search at night. Every launch I have made at night has been sucessful (knock on wood) while using NVG's. Before NVG's became mainstream I could see the search possible being called, so it might have been an old policy. I'll ask at work on Monday if I see any of my USCG bretheren around.
Is there anything radar reflective (some kind of reflector patch?) that could be attached to an SMB?
Just to throw another idea in the air: I vaguely remember seeing a product announcement a while back (in a non-diving context) about an inflatable radar corner reflector. Corner reflectors have the useful property that unlike a simple mirror, most of what hits it goes straight back toward the source, which can make you much more noticeable to things like radar, provided your reflector is designed to work at the radar's frequency. Anyone know what frequencies search-and-rescue helicopters use for sea-search radar (determines among other things the minimum size of the reflector)? For that matter, anyone out there knowledgeable enough about radar to guess whether aluminised plastic (i.e. in the corner reflector) would reflect enough energy to be useful? I don't know whether a few square inches of space blanket would return enough signal, either. (Think of a crinkly mirror. Some of the searchlight gets reflected back to the sender, but is it enough to be noticeable?) More reflective than a dolphin, but a dolphin is quite a bit bigger.
Might be a dive safety product there for some enterprising soul.
Radar reflective is the ability to return a radar signal to the source.
Metal is usually the most radar reflective material. Think of it as how much of the signal hits the surface and is bounced back to the transmitter/receiver.
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Originally Posted by DennisS
jimernstphotography.com
