Flashlight SOS rescue in the news

[Tempest UK]

After reading the article, I'm fairly sure that they didn't use a strobe mode on the flashlight. Sounds like they just mashed the tailcap at the coast guard.

That's the impression I got from the article, too. It never mentions a dedicated SOS mode being used on a flashlight, just that a flashlight was used to make an SOS signal.

Regards,
Tempest

 

[Mdinana]

:shakehead time does not get distorted over distance.. 1/3 of a second is always 1/3 of a second. :nana:

No, but time DOES get distorted over speed! :duh2:

 

[Sub_Umbra]

...Plus as joema said, you would have a much better chance directing the light at the coast guard if you were working it yourself.

As you think about this try to remember that having an SOS mode built into a light in no way prevents the user from signaling manually AT ANY TIME! DUH! It's not an EITHER/OR thing. An SOS mode slipped into a good UI does not decrease the functionality of the light in any way. It does not FORCE one to use it any more than owning a handgun forces one to use it -- although there are many misguided souls who believe that one, too. SOS modes offer OPTIONS that the user would not have without them. Options are good. They don't dictate the user's actions -- they just give the user more flexibiity.

 

[joema]

...having an SOS mode built into a light in no way prevents the user from signaling manually AT ANY TIME!...

Nobody is arguing having an SOS mode prevents the user from manually signaling.

Rather we're saying that the above situation (which was referenced to support inclusion of SOS modes) likely used manual signaling.

Also that we've never heard of a reliable report of SOS mode in a general purpose flashlight ever being effectively used in a real life rescue situation.

 

[Wattnot]

Nobody is arguing having an SOS mode prevents the user from manually signaling.

Rather we're saying that the above situation (which was referenced to support inclusion of SOS modes) likely used manual signaling.

Also that we've never heard of a reliable report of SOS mode in a general purpose flashlight ever being effectively used in a real life rescue situation.

:shakehead

 

[ToeMoss]

Maybe a little harsh, but anyone who doesn't know how to do an SOS with momentary presses doesn't deserve to be rescued.

"Harsh" isn't the word I'd use to describe this statement.

 

[Supernam]

Great... so for ONCE someone has used SOS with a flashlight to catch someone's attention (as mentioned, probably was done manually and at a faster rate than the international standard). Does this justify pissing off the other hundreds of thousands of people with built in SOS lights?

 

[Tempest UK]

Maybe a little harsh, but anyone who doesn't know how to do an SOS with momentary presses doesn't deserve to be rescued.

:shakehead


I wonder if you would still be thinking like that once you've been stranded in cold waters for hours, by which time performing even the most basic manual tasks become extremely difficult or even impossible.

Regards,
Tempest

 

[Supernam]

You know, I just thought about it. I'd rather have a blinking light than an SOS light. The reason being that if I was stranded and needed help, it would catch more attention than the SOS (which we've criticized for being too slow at specs). Also, a rescuer isn't going to look at your blinking light and say..."hmm, well there's a blinking light over there, but it doesn't seem to spell anything in Morse code, so we won't bother going over there".

 

[Sub_Umbra]

...I'd rather have a blinking light than an SOS light. The reason being that if I was stranded and needed help, it would catch more attention than the SOS (which we've criticized for being too slow at specs). Also, a rescuer isn't going to look at your blinking light and say..."hmm, well there's a blinking light over there, but it doesn't seem to spell anything in Morse code, so we won't bother going over there".

Yup, I've been thinking that since the start of this thread. If I needed to get someone's attention in most cases I wouldn't use SOS. A few weeks after Katrina rolled through New Orleans I wanted to attract the attention of a Missouri National Gard unit (bless 'em)....to quell some activity on my block. I blinked a really quick series of flashes from my EL Hyper-Blaster and the Hummer five blocks away headed for me immeadiatly.

 

[stitch_paradox]

Fast sos or slow sos, it does not really matter to me as long as it's flashing.

 

[mchlwise]

Does this justify pissing off the other hundreds of thousands of people with built in SOS lights?

Nobody is forcing those hundred of thousands of people to buy lights with built-in SOS. :shakehead

 

[Wattnot]

Nobody is forcing those hundred of thousands of people to buy lights with built-in SOS. :shakehead

I'm not sure what Supernam's point is with your quote of him but the problem I see is that some people here seem biased against the SOS function. They claim it's worthless and will continue to do so even in the face of proof. Normally I'd say "big whoop, just ignore them" but the Harry Potter light (the new Incendio) was introduced in the marketplace with "no strobe or sos to annoy you" as a FEATURE. Hey, some have it, some don't, but listing the lack of a feature as a feature? Sheesh!!

 

[Illum]

:shakehead


I wonder if you would still be thinking like that once you've been stranded in cold waters for hours, by which time performing even the most basic manual tasks become extremely difficult or even impossible.

Regards,
Tempest

Water is only one of the possibilities you will be stranded in...but yes, I agree
its not that difficult to learn, heck...you could do it with a whistle if your so inclined:laughing:
· · · — — — · · ·<silence>· · · — — — · · ·<silence>· · · — — — · · ·<silence>
--- ...- . .-. + .... . .-. . + -.-- --- ..- + -.. ..- -. -.-. . + ..-. --- .-.. .-.. --- .-- + - .... . + .-.. .. --. .... -

 

[2xTrinity]

IMSabbel - a valid observation. If they do speed it up it would be nicer.

Just get a liteflux LF2, then you can actually program the brightness, and frequency of TWO separate SOS modes... stock it comes with both a fast SOS and a slow SOS, as well as a slow strobe, and a "disorienting" strobe. Yeah, the extra features on the liteflux mode are pretty over the top... but I suppose if you're stranded on a raft and nit-picky about strobe frequencies you'd be glad to have it :twothumbs

I'm not sure what Supernam's point is with your quote of him but the problem I see is that some people here seem biased against the SOS function. They claim it's worthless and will continue to do so even in the face of proof.

People don't mind SOS modes as long as they are out of the way. They are annoying however as part of "sequential" user interfaces such as sevearl of teh Fenix lights, where they must be "skipped over" to access more commonly used modes. In the caseo f the liteflux lights though, a fairly convoluted sequence of twists is actually necessary to access the SOS modes (4 consectuive quarter-twists...) In the case you're actually stranded and truly need and SOS, you certainly won't mind the extra difficult of accessing such a mode, so I have no objection to lights having SOS as an "out of the way" side feature.

 

[Lightmania]

--- ...- . .-. + .... . .-. . + -.-- --- ..- + -.. ..- -. -.-. . + ..-. --- .-.. .-.. --- .-- + - .... . + .-.. .. --. .... -

:lolsign::twothumbs

 

[Sub_Umbra]

...People don't mind SOS modes as long as they are out of the way. They are annoying however as part of "sequential" user interfaces such as sevearl of teh Fenix lights, where they must be "skipped over" to access more commonly used modes. In the caseo f the liteflux lights though, a fairly convoluted sequence of twists is actually necessary to access the SOS modes (4 consectuive quarter-twists...) In the case you're actually stranded and truly need and SOS, you certainly won't mind the extra difficult of accessing such a mode, so I have no objection to lights having SOS as an "out of the way" side feature.

Exactly. I probably switch on a Photon Freedom at least 4-5 times as often as all of my other lights put together and in years of use every night I have never activated the SOS or any of the strobe modes by accident. Nor have I had to ever 'step over' them to get to where I want to be. That makes them totally cost free from a convenience point of view. I wouldn't keep a light that had features that were always in the way.

 

[Connor]

Bad weather might also be a reason for a slow SOS mode.
Imagine a stormy night with lightning heavy rain etc. .. fast blinking may just not cut it under these circumstances.

-Connor

 

[KuoH]

Actually it does, at least for some lights. With my Fenix multi-level lights, taping the switch to manually signal SOS will cause it to change brightness/modes in both normal and turbo. There is no option to lock out, so you're stuck with using the auto SOS mode. Obviously there are lights out there with better UI, but they are not as common or as cheap.

KuoH

As you think about this try to remember that having an SOS mode built into a light in no way prevents the user from signaling manually AT ANY TIME!

 

[curlyfry562]

So do you guys think the new surefires (optimus and invictus) will have fast strobe or slow strobe?

My bet is on fast