Portable signalling devices

[Kelly Alwood]

Here I demonstrate an emergency pen flare. We shoot two of them off for you. These are not cheep, so this is your chance to look before you buy. I hope this helps. Enjoy

[fuzzy]

That wasn't half bad! Now I'm thinking I need 2 or 7 of those things! lol

[DisasterGuy]

Yep, your portable flare is a great way to attract attention at night -- if someone is looking in the right direction, at the right time. Miss either by 30 seconds, and you've wasted a flare. And, maybe, a rescue.

So, let me introduce you a very cheap, very portable lighted signal wand.

Materials needed: An LED flashlight, some Scotch tape or duct tape, 4 white Styrofoam cups, a knife, and a ball-point pen.

1. Measure the bottom of the flashlight. Draw a circle that size on the bottom of a Styrofoam cup. Cut the circle out carefully. From the top of the cup, drop the flashlight into the hole.

2. Take two Styrofoam cups and cut the bottoms out. Cut about 1/8" in from the outside of the cup, so the bottom of the cup remains flat.

3. Tape the bottoms of the cups in Step 2 together. You now have two cups, bottom-to-bottom, with a hole where the original bottoms were.

4. Tape a new, fresh Styrofoam cup to one of the cups in Step 3.

5. Tape the cup with your LED flashlight in it to the other cup in Step 3.

You now have a Styrofoam light wand that's as long as 4 Styrofoam cups. The larger the cups you use, the longer the wand. Wait til dark, go outside, and turn on your LED flashlight. Voila! You can see this wand for miles! And it lasts a long, long, long time.

That this stores very well -- just take the tape off and pile the cups into each other. Rebuild when needed.

My 8-year-old granddaughter made one, so I guess just about anybody else could. Try it!

[DMGNUT]

Flares are great, but as mentioned, they are expensive and the larger and longer lasting you go, the more they cost (by longer lasting, I mean they have a longer burn time and a parachute for floating down slower).
Other ideas...
The Howler whistle (currently the loudest whistle in the world) can be heard for 2 miles.
Those little reflective mirrors with the hole in the middle so you can see who you're signalling are pretty good (make sure its the heavy glass one, not a plastic one, as they scratch too easy).
For about $15 bucks you can buy a Coast Guard approved flashing beacon (visible day or night for 5 miles).
These are basically a capacitor driven strobe light that will run on one D battery for about 24 hrs (they have a pin to attach it to clothes, backpack, etc, and a heavy duty magnet to stick it to your vehicle).
I really like the LED wand idea.
And remember, regardless of price, sometimes there is no substitute for a good flare.