>> We had so little light that we could not even see the tops of waves. We broke out some lightsticks and placed them on our stern decks so that we could stay with each other. We found that we had to cover half of the four inch lightstick because the glare was too bright for us in such a low light environment. >> While searching the Web for information about night vision, I ran across several sites offering LED flashlights for sale. Seems to me that LED lights could be used for a couple of purposes: making yourself visible to your companions and for illuminating your compass. For the first use, a low-intensity LED that could be attached to your PFD would be ideal. It should be fairly easy to make one from parts bought from Radio Shack. In fact, Sky and Telescope has instructions for making one for stargazing that could be easily adapted; theirs even includes a dimmer! The instructions can be found at http://www.skypub.com/tips/projects/redlight.html. The Nexus (Silva) 70P compass has a hood available for it that has light stick illumination. Though I haven't seen one close up, it seems to me that it should be possible to replace the light stick with an LED and run the wires to a switch in the cockpit. As with the S&T light, you could incorporate a potentiometer to adjust the brightness. Other compasses would probably require a little more effort to mount the LED. LED batteries should last far longer than a light stick. LEDs might also be the way to go if you want to put running lights on your kayak. One possible problem: if the lights are too dim, power boat drivers might run you down thinking they are on a larger boat much farther away. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Chuck wrote: > >LEDs might also be the way to go if you want to put running lights >on your kayak. One possible problem: if the lights are too dim, power >boat drivers might run you down thinking they are on a larger boat >much farther away. Running lights have been on my mind quite a bit, and after making a few night crossing I am interested in hearing in people's (legal) solutions. I know we've hashed this over on the list a few times, but I don't recall a really good solution for something that will let boats know you are there and is also unobtrusive on the boat. What I've always done is to hang my headlamp off my PFD in back, and when a fishing boat is heading towards me, grabbing the light and flashing it at them. Problem there is, they may think you are signaling for help. Not to mention this really isn't a running light set up. I am less worried about large boats. Those small fishing boats are what worried me. Last summer, I was on a solo crossing (OK, there were two of us in a borrowed double, but we're a couple so think of it as solo). This was on Lake Superior out to Sand Island, about two miles. We embarked right as darkness fell. I was compass navigating, and headed towards the dock on the island. More accurately, I was heading towards the light on the dock. Imagine my surprise when over halfway across the dock light drove right by me. It was a small fishing boat that had been trolling around the dock. This is when I discovered how difficult it is to a). discern how far something is simply by judging its light intensity and b). you simply cannot hear those boats until they are literally on top of you. Luckily, I had taken a bearing before leaving and arrived at the dock without a hitch. Of course the fog rolled in before we landed so I didn't even know if we were at the dock until we were about five feet in front of it. Then I woke everyone in camp up. Those Iowans are *lazy*. ;-) -Patrick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Maun pmaun_at_bitstream.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>>While searching the Web for information about night vision, I ran >across several sites offering LED flashlights for sale. Seems to me >that LED lights could be used for a couple of purposes: making >yourself visible to your companions and for illuminating your compass. >For the first use, a low-intensity LED that could be attached to your >PFD would be ideal. It should be fairly easy to make one from parts >bought from Radio Shack. This might open up another can of worms....... LEDs have a specified brightness that is also spec'd with an angle of viewproduced by having a small reflector behind the active chip. Spread that energy over a wider angle and what's seen by an observer would be far less. So as a small source for reading a compass or a map, they'll do fine. As a marker or beacon, though, they may be found wanting. I have used a hikers or bikers LED Patch for night paddling. These are composed of many LEDs with some circuitry to produce an attention getting flashing pattern, or else to pulse the LEDs at a high frequency and higher current to get more apparent light out of them. It's cheaper, probably, to buy rather than build. I bought a small one up in Maine for about $7. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Patrick I paddle at night all the time and haven't had any problems. Of course, I also don't have a good solution to the light problem, but I can at least share what I do to deal with it. I keep a bright white flashlight on my PFD. I normally keep it off and only when a boat is heading my way and not appearing to know of my presence do I turn it on to signal the boat. I think in the final analysis, its really this white light that does any good which is why I suspect its all the coast gaurd requires. I also use those LED lights bicyclists use in steady mode (our local sheriff gets angry if we use flashing lights on the water). I know its a bit twisted, but I put a red one on my back and a green one on my front. With my torso rotation, the lights wag back and forth as I paddle along. Why front and back? Well, I am most concerned about what's straight behind me where I can't see. These bicycle lights are very directional and I worry that the standard side to side configuration wouldn't be seen by a boat coming straight at me from behind. I'm going to experiment with other configurations and other lighting setups. I'm thinking of building a small disk with a short "T" rising off of it. This could be placed on the back hatch of my boat and held in place with the bungie cords holding my spare paddle. I would then put LED's pointing back and to the side on the ends of the T. This could be build cheaply and would provide almost adequate visibility. I say "almost adequat" 'cause I think there is really no good way to make ourselves visible at night. I assume I'm invisible, avoid the busiest shipping lanes and paddle defensively. --Tim > -----Original Message----- > From: Patrick Maun [SMTP:pmaun_at_bitstream.net] > Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 1999 10:45 AM > To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] paddling at night > > Chuck wrote: > > > >LEDs might also be the way to go if you want to put running lights > >on your kayak. One possible problem: if the lights are too dim, power > >boat drivers might run you down thinking they are on a larger boat > >much farther away. > > Running lights have been on my mind quite a bit, and after making a few > night crossing I am interested in hearing in people's (legal) solutions. I > know we've hashed this over on the list a few times, but I don't recall a > really good solution for something that will let boats know you are there > and is also unobtrusive on the boat. What I've always done is to hang my > headlamp off my PFD in back, and when a fishing boat is heading towards > me, > grabbing the light and flashing it at them. Problem there is, they may > think you are signaling for help. Not to mention this really isn't a > running light set up. > > I am less worried about large boats. Those small fishing boats are what > worried me. Last summer, I was on a solo crossing (OK, there were two of > us > in a borrowed double, but we're a couple so think of it as solo). This was > on Lake Superior out to Sand Island, about two miles. We embarked right as > darkness fell. I was compass navigating, and headed towards the dock on > the > island. More accurately, I was heading towards the light on the dock. > Imagine my surprise when over halfway across the dock light drove right by > me. It was a small fishing boat that had been trolling around the dock. > This is when I discovered how difficult it is to a). discern how far > something is simply by judging its light intensity and b). you simply > cannot hear those boats until they are literally on top of you. Luckily, I > had taken a bearing before leaving and arrived at the dock without a > hitch. > Of course the fog rolled in before we landed so I didn't even know if we > were at the dock until we were about five feet in front of it. > > Then I woke everyone in camp up. Those Iowans are *lazy*. ;-) > > -Patrick > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------ > Patrick Maun > pmaun_at_bitstream.net > > > ************************************************************************** > * > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > ************************************************************************** > * *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 11:23 AM 3/3/99 -0800, Tim wrote: >Patrick >I also use those LED lights bicyclists use in steady mode (our local sheriff >gets angry if we use flashing lights on the water). I don't blame the sheriff. Flashing lights are either a distress signal or buoy lights. You don't want to be mistaken for either. >I know its a bit twisted, but I put a red one on my back and a green one on my front. With >my torso rotation, the lights wag back and forth as I paddle along. I use exactly this set-up on my bike, but on the water, red and green lights mean port and starboard respectively. Other boats use them to figure out your orientation and direction of travel relative to them. It's not good practise (besides being against the Collision Regulations) to confuse other boaters, especially if they are bigger and faster than your are - which almost everything else is, if you're a kayak. Cheers, Philip T. N49°16' W123°08' "The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my employer, or indeed, of any sentient being." *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
From: CHUCK_at_multitech.com (Chuck Holst) To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net ('Paddlewise') Organization: Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. Date sent: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 11:28:56 -0600 Subject: [Paddlewise] paddling at night > While searching the Web for information about night vision, I ran > across several sites offering LED flashlights for sale. Seems to me > that LED lights could be used for a couple of purposes: making > yourself visible to your companions and for illuminating your compass. There are other purposes. During Desert Storm, we did a fair amount of experimenting with equipment which would provide a visual "identification, friend or foe" (IFF) capability. Out of all that came a small LED "light" developed at Fort Belvoir by a guy called Bud. It got to be known as a Bud Light. In one application, it looked like a block of plastic a little under an inch wide, an inch high and a half an inch thick, and was configured to literally snap onto the top of a nine volt battery; sticking out the top were two purple colored LEDs --- can't remember the specs on wavelength, but they were visible only with night vision goggle (NVG) systems and were virtually impossible to see with the naked eye in daylight, and only with your hand cupped around the Bud Light could you see if it was actually on or not. The neat part about them was that they strobed at an incredibly fast rate, had some variability to them, and, therefore, provided some of the needed IFF data to "friendlies". In an effort to use similar technology on a project to locate items deployed by aircraft over the water, we incorporated the Bud Light technology --- initially by installing several Bud Lights in condoms, calling them Safe Buds --- and later in more seaworthy forms. We then flew against them with first Navy and later Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) aircraft, the flight crew wearing standard NVG devices. The effectiveness of these strobes was impressive, with consistent identifications of these little widgets visually by the flight crews at between five and up to nine miles. (A good conventional strobe should be good for about half that distance under similaar circumstances.) They were extremely bright to the crew, and the very fast strobing --- far faster than the red strobe I carry on my bike, for example --- was another effective signature of the device. In a truly marinized form, Bud Lights could become highly effective safety devices for kayakers. Any Coast Guard SAR effort will include at least one flight crewman on NVGs, and these little guys would definitely get the attention of the crew quickly. Of little or no value in most navigational situatinos, but still an option in a survival situation. Just a thought --- maybe a solution looking for a requirement, but it's an interesting technology. Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Patrick Maun wrote: Those Iowans are *lazy*. ;-) Are not! Rob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I tested my converted LED beacon up to 1/2 mile and I could probably get more! It's good for a week on 4 AAs. cya -----Original Message----- From: Joe Pylka <pylka_at_castle.net> To: Chuck Holst <CHUCK_at_multitech.com>; 'Paddlewise' <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Date: Wednesday, March 03, 1999 2:28 PM Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] paddling at night >>>While searching the Web for information about night vision, I ran >>across several sites offering LED flashlights for sale. Seems to me >>that LED lights could be used for a couple of purposes: making >>yourself visible to your companions and for illuminating your compass. >>For the first use, a low-intensity LED that could be attached to your >>PFD would be ideal. It should be fairly easy to make one from parts >>bought from Radio Shack. > > This might open up another can of worms....... LEDs have a specified >brightness that is also spec'd with an angle of viewproduced by having a >small reflector behind the active chip. Spread that energy over a wider >angle and what's seen by an observer would be far less. So as a small >source for reading a compass or a map, they'll do fine. As a marker or >beacon, though, they may be found wanting. > I have used a hikers or bikers LED Patch for night paddling. These are >composed of many LEDs with some circuitry to produce an attention getting >flashing pattern, or else to pulse the LEDs at a high frequency and higher >current to get more apparent light out of them. It's cheaper, probably, to >buy rather than build. I bought a small one up in Maine for about $7. > > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ >*************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Bob Denton wrote: > > I tested my converted LED beacon up to 1/2 mile and I could probably get > more! It's good for a week on 4 AAs. > > cya I am on 2 weeks now with 14,000 red led and 2 AAs following your design Bob. may not be a great beacon being red, but it looks like an hot ember in my fireplace. -- gabriel l romeu http://studiofurniture.com furniture, designed and constructed http://members.aol.com/romeugp paintings, photos, prints, etc. http://members.xoom.com/gabrielR a daily photo journal *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I've been playing with white LEDs and High brightness leds: http://www.flinet.com/gulfstream/paddle.html cya -----Original Message----- From: Chuck Holst <CHUCK_at_multitech.com> To: 'Paddlewise' <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Date: Wednesday, March 03, 1999 12:51 PM Subject: [Paddlewise] paddling at night > >>> >We had so little light that we could not even see the >tops of waves. We broke out some lightsticks and placed >them on our stern decks so that we could stay with each >other. We found that we had to cover half of the four >inch lightstick because the glare was too bright for us >in such a low light environment. >>> > >While searching the Web for information about night vision, I ran >across several sites offering LED flashlights for sale. Seems to me >that LED lights could be used for a couple of purposes: making >yourself visible to your companions and for illuminating your compass. >For the first use, a low-intensity LED that could be attached to your >PFD would be ideal. It should be fairly easy to make one from parts >bought from Radio Shack. In fact, Sky and Telescope has instructions >for making one for stargazing that could be easily adapted; theirs >even includes a dimmer! The instructions can be found at http://www.skypub.com/tips/projects/redlight.html. > >The Nexus (Silva) 70P compass has a hood available for it that has >light stick illumination. Though I haven't seen one close up, it >seems to me that it should be possible to replace the light stick >with an LED and run the wires to a switch in the cockpit. As with >the S&T light, you could incorporate a potentiometer to adjust the >brightness. Other compasses would probably require a little more >effort to mount the LED. LED batteries should last far longer than >a light stick. > >LEDs might also be the way to go if you want to put running lights >on your kayak. One possible problem: if the lights are too dim, power >boat drivers might run you down thinking they are on a larger boat >much farther away. > >Chuck Holst > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ >*************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
We tested the 12000 MCD Amber and the 40,000 white over the weekend and from the water. Both were visible at significant distance but the Amber was the most visible and noticeable. I also use an amber bulb as a replacement for a 4 cell flashlight bulb and it was it was bright enough to read with and didn't attract bugs, of which there was no shortage. cu *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
They beauty of these lights is that you can set them up on the boat during daylight hours and not worry about lighting as it gets dark. The single white LED is quite bright and it's easy to gang 2 or 3 together. Each one draws around 20-30 ma as opposed to 500 ma for an incandescent bulb. They will retain brightness at lower voltages then an incandescent bulb and bulb life is 50,000 hours! The white LEDs are uncomfortable to look at, even in daylight. cu *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>They beauty of these lights is that you can set them up on the boat during >daylight hours and not worry about lighting as it gets dark. The single >white LED is quite bright and it's easy to gang 2 or 3 together. Each one >draws around 20-30 ma as opposed to 500 ma for an incandescent bulb. They >will retain brightness at lower voltages then an incandescent bulb and bulb >life is 50,000 hours! The white LEDs are uncomfortable to look at, even in >daylight. I'll have to try the white LEDs. Were you the one using 3909s? What sort of duty cycle? You remind me that I was at a cemetery near Doylestown, PA recently and I saw some solar powered Eternal Lights by some tombstones. about 16-20 square inches of panel evidently storing into a battery thence to a superbrite red LED in a translucent plastic block. Shade the panel (i.e. the sun went down) and the LED lit up. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
The White LEDs are NSPW500BSs. I have some running on an LM3909 at 50% duty 1k pulse I'll have to try the white LEDs. Were you the one using 3909s? What sort of duty cycle? This doesn't sound eternal?! Eternal is when they put the corpse in a block of plastic! You remind me that I was at a cemetery near Doylestown, PA recently and I saw some solar powered Eternal Lights by some tombstones. about 16-20 square inches of panel evidently storing into a battery thence to a superbrite red LED in a translucent plastic block. Shade the panel (i.e. the sun went down) and the LED lit up. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>This doesn't sound eternal?! Eternal is when they put the corpse in a block >of plastic! The so-called eternal lights are usually just humongous candles in a red weatherproof container. It means you have to eternally keep replacing the candles. --Also called vigil lights. Haven't put a person in a block of plastic yet, but I've done that with small vertebrates. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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