Signal mirrors

[pirogue]

I noticed quite a price range in a couple different signal mirrors the other day in the store.
These are those credit card size ones with the hole in the middle. Can there be that much difference in quality? Thanks.

[Montana Mac]

If you want a cheap signal mirror carry an old cd - comes complete with the hole in the center :D

[johnnyjohnson2043]

As long as it reflects light all mirrors are created equal. As Montana Mac said, a CD would work as a signal mirror. I personally have a compass with a mirror on it. I'm sure others on this site might say that you don't even need a mirror. Hell, if you think about it you could use a number of items in your pack as a signal mirror (aluminum pot or mug, sunglasses, etc.)

[atraildreamer]

I personally have a compass with a mirror on it.

Q- Why do they put a mirror on the back of a compass? :-?


A- So you can look at it and see who is lost! :eek: :D :banana

[garlic08]

It would be nice to hear from someone who has actually rescued someone who used a signal mirror, but I doubt that has seldom happened in the civilian history of signal mirrors. I think it's something you carry "just in case", one more thing to allay your fears.

I had some training in the use of signal mirrors in survival situations. My instructor told me if you don't get the very best glass mirror with an aiming device, don't bother carrying anything at all. So I don't anymore. I carried one for a while, when I was new at this, a heavy, expensive glass job in a carrying case, and I don't know where it is now. If I could find it, I'd send it to you. Once, just for fun, I tried to get the attention of some friends who were descending a steep trail down to my location. They weren't in search mode, but they never even noticed the signal.

[Panzer1]

If your on the AT and your using your signal mirror, who would be able to see it with all the trees? An airplane maybe.

Chances are another AT hiker would not be able to see the flashes or know what it means.

When I'm hiking I do not look around to see flashes of sunlight reflecting off of things. If I did, I'm usually too tired to go far out of my way to investigate every flash of light. I would never get far down the trail if I did.

Panzer

[sherrill]

If your on the AT and your using your signal mirror, who would be able to see it with all the trees? An airplane maybe.

Chances are another AT hiker would not be able to see the flashes or know what it means.

When I'm hiking I do not look around to see flashes of sunlight reflecting off of things. If I did, I'm usually too tired to go far out of my way to investigate every flash of light. I would never get far down the trail if I did.

Panzer

Exactly. Carry a plastic whistle. Three short bursts are a signal of distress.

[Great White]

It would be nice to hear from someone who has actually rescued someone who used a signal mirror, but I doubt that has seldom happened in the civilian history of signal mirrors. I think it's something you carry "just in case", one more thing to allay your fears. ... Once, just for fun, I tried to get the attention of some friends who were descending a steep trail down to my location. They weren't in search mode, but they never even noticed the signal.

I think you are spot on. Using a signal mirror to signal someone has only been demonstrated to me through video on youtube and on television. I have never heard of anyone using a mirror to be rescued. However, that does not mean it has never happened.

The only written account of using a signal mirror that I have read is by Colin Fletcher as he hiked through the Grand Canyon. He tired to use a mirror to mark his position for a low flying aircraft that was providing him with resupply. He tried to signal the aircraft twice with a mirror and he was not detected. On the third and final attempt he made smoke from a fire he had by poring water on it. Here is an interesting quote from his book The Man Who Walked Through Time from page 86:


At the time I wondered whether the smoke or the mirror had done the job. Much later, I asked Jim Bailey. "The smoke", he said. "I picked it up right away. And just as well. We were running for home, like you thought. We didn't see the mirror until we were almost on top of you, just before we rocked our wings. At a guess, I'd say you didn't shake the mirror enough. You've got to do that to set up a good flashing. Another trouble was that your orange sleeping bag didn't show up at all against that red rock. We could hardly see it even on the drop run" So it appears that even when an aircraft is looking for you, a signal mirror may not be the most effective way to get attention. Smoke appears to be a better solution as well as a large tarp that contrasts with the surrounding ground. Fletcher wrote that he later used a large white sheet to signal the aircraft for later drops and never had a need to use the mirror again.

I have experience observing Close Air Support at Twentynine Palms in CA. Usually targets are marked, in daylight, with smoke and bright flares on the ground. I don't have any photos since this was before I owned a camera, something I regret to this day. The trick with aircraft is to make the largest visual signature that you can produce. From what I have observed smoke is the best option to signal aircraft, a signal mirror may be to small to be noticed.

[risingsun]

Found this, with various signal mirror success stories:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199966

[johnnyjohnson2043]

Q- Why do they put a mirror on the back of a compass? :-?


A- So you can look at it and see who is lost! :eek: :D :banana

Funny. I bought the compass years ago when I was first getting into backpacking. The mirror was already attached. Since the compass still works I still use it.

[Rain Man]

If you want a cheap signal mirror carry an old cd - comes complete with the hole in the center :D

I hope you're joking, and assume from the smiley face you are. Anyway, for real, the "hole in the middle" of an actual signal mirror isn't nearly so simple. It has a grid that, used properly, tells you whether you are aiming at what you think you are aiming at. And for a moving target, that's important. Beware, not all signal mirrors are manufactured equally.

Anyway, there's a good, long thread with thorough discussion of signal mirrors on Hammock Forums. Here's the direct link--
Signal Mirrors (http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15609&highlight=signal+mirrors).

If you want some good information, I recommend that thread, and not this one. To be fair, I think signal mirrors are designed for ocean use, where you cannot build a good fire to signal distant aircraft or ships. The AT is a whole different story for several reasons, of course.

I have two signal mirrors, one glass and one plastic, just for fun. Have taken one a time or two on the AT just for the heck of it, but mostly they stay home, especially since I mostly hike with groups.

Rain:sunMan

.

[garlic08]

Found this, with various signal mirror success stories:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199966

Thank you for taking the time to find that. Interesting stories. And I stand corrected--a mirror can be helpful, counter to my experience.

[garlic08]

Found this, with various signal mirror success stories:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199966

Thank you for taking the time to find that. Interesting stories. And I stand corrected--a mirror can be helpful, counter to my experience.

[Great White]

Found this, with various signal mirror success stories:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199966

Yes that thread is a great find. They mention that the use of a signal mirror was not reported by the media in some of those rescues. I guess that is why I never hear of its successful usage.