Signal mirror?

Thanks for all the replies! :thumbup:

PrimitiveMan said:
the sighting mirror on a compass would do just as well and does double duty.
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I've been using the same Silva Type 17 Director compass since 1985. It's been long discontinued, but looks similiar to this one, so it has no mirror.

silva-explorer-203-ergonomic-compass.jpg




kage said:
Having an aiming hole with the mesh that produces a fireball is great
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kage or anyone else,

What is the purpose of the mesh in the sighting hole? Is that feature an advantage over the County Comm model with crosshair?
 
Lots of good info there. Thanks. After reading, is it safe to say that a signal mirror with a "real" mesh aimer would be better than a crosshair? :confused:

vector1_back-600w.jpg


ccmirror2large.JPG
 
I still carry my old glass USAF mirror. I dont mind the weight of the glass and it does reflect better than the plastic mirrors. It is th only signaling device which always goes with me.
 
I've got the county comm mirror pictured above, and for the life of me I can't get the "fire ball" to appear for aiming. I'm no expert at it though. I'll have to take out the wife's AMK one and see how it compares sometime. I'm pretty sure that aiming can still be achieved without the "fireball" by reflecting the light onto your hand and using that to aim. But isn't the point of a dedicated signal mirror that it's easier to aim and use under times of stress?

Has anyone messed around with signaling an object with the sun behind you? From what I've read it takes two mirrors.

Oh, to the OP, my signal mirror is always with me when I'm in the woods. It's cheap insurance in my mind. Every kit should have one.
 
I've only played with my 2 County Comm mirrors a couple of times but I have not gotten a fireball. Nothing definitive, just took it out to the Green Belt and tried it out for a minute or 2. No problems with other mirrors with the mesh.

I think the County Comm mirrors are a great value. The quality is better than most (I've returned multiple AMK mirrors for defects and scratches in the coating that were made during manufacturing. Their QC seems to be VERY poor for the mirrors, although I haven't had any problems with any of their other products.), it is lightweight, comes in a good quality nylon case and in a ziploc bag.
 
Deere Man,

If the sun were low on the horizon and almost exactly 180 degrees from a horizon-level target, you might need two mirrors. I think it would depend upon both the existence of a small lateral angle and how high the sun was above the level of the object you were trying to signal. If the sun is behind me at a bit of a lateral angle, I've still been able to get a reflection. Or if the sun is very high in the sky relative to a horizon-level target, I can get a reflection even if the lateral angle is very small. Unfortunately, I can't say I've tested the limit of how small the angles can be and still make the mirror work effectively.

DancesWithKnives
 
Deere Man said:
I've got the county comm mirror pictured above, and for the life of me I can't get the "fire ball" to appear for aiming.
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kage said:
I've only played with my 2 County Comm mirrors a couple of times but I have not gotten a fireball.
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According to the link that Walkabout referred me to, it sounds like it's the glass beads on the mesh that creates the fireball. I'm thinking there's no fireball with the County Comm crosshair sight.

"A common example of retro-reflectivity would be road signs which are illuminated back at you when your car's headlights light them up, regardless if you are directly in front or they are overhead or approached at an angle. In a somewhat unintuitive manner, the glass beads of the retro-reflective signal mirror (mesh) aimers utilize this capability to create a false image of the sun where the mirror will reflect light towards. This is the fireball you see and aim with."

aimer_comp.jpg
 
BIG THUMBS UP for this thread and the information so many people have contributed. :thumbup:

I've got a County Comm plastic mirror but I think I'm going to hunt up a glass mirror with the real mesh also.
 
Dannyboy Leather said:
Absolutely! Having been a combat military pilot, and later a civilian SAR pilot, I can cogently suggest the mirrors are worth their weight in gold. I (we) have made several lifesaving rescues thanks to the efficiency of the signal mirror and its user.
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I'll second this. I carry a small one in my flight bag and a full size in my survival kit. I take the small one when backpacking. Its not much weight. I got both of them here:

http://www.countycomm.com
 
Esav,

I have had one of the military laminated glass mirrors for decades. It's about 3 x 5". It works great but it is MUCH heavier than my lexan mirror. I sometimes pack the military mirror for raft/canoe/kayak trips or horsepacking. But I don't like to backpack it.

DancesWithKnives
 
Well, I decided to go with the Adventure Medical Kits mirror because it weighs only 0.32 oz and it has a "real retro-reflective mesh aimer", which is phrase that I've never said until today. :D

I ordered it directly from AMK for $9.00 plus <$2.00 USPS First Class shipping. Great customer service from AMK by the way. :thumbup:

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All of my kits have a mirror and a whistle, the size and weight of each object is negligible; and as others have pointed out, they could easily save your life. I've bought mirrors from here before.

DWK2 is right, you pay for the better reflection with the glass ones with the added weight. I also have the AMK lexan mirrors, and while they are lighter, the flash isn't as great. I don't mind carrying a little more weight for the extra edge in performance; my psk mirror is one of those coghlan glass mirrors with the foam sleeve.

I bought a Vector-1 signal mirror from that site above for my GF's kit, and it's supposed the be the best of both worlds with a glass reflecting surface that's covered in break resistant acrylic. It is very light and seems pretty durable; but again, the reflection isn't as strong as the glass-only ones because you're probably getting some internal reflection and refraction at the plastic-glass interface. I can try to post pics comparing the three types I have this weekend if anyone is interested.

Here's a small review I found on four different types of mirrors: http://www.seakayakermag.com/2001/01Oct/mirror4.htm


ETA:
You'll love how light the AMK mirrors are TAH :thumbup:
 
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Either one of those looks fine. Like others have said, it costs so little and weighs nothing, it should be a must have in a PSK/car/BOB/etc.
 
A bit off topic, but still partly related, I am wondering if anyone has heard of a folding signal mirror that also acts as a solar lighter. My neighbor at one time had this mirror that folded in two, and when opened, it was concave, looked like a satellite dish in that a small flat metal prong stood erect with the tip directly at the focal point. If held to face the sun. the tip of the prong would get red hot and act as an ignition source (he used it to light cigarettes). This was a very long time ago and I have not seen another since. Does anyone know of this thing, what it is called or who makes it?
 
I heard that in a pinch you could use a compact disk, using the shiny bottom as the reflector and aiming thru the spindle hole. Has anybody heard of this?
 
I have an old CD attached to the BC on my scuba dive gear. They are waterproof, durable, easy to attach, and quite reflective. Cheap to replace if damaged or lost.

I wonder if you could bend/form a CD into a parabolic fire starter like the ones brought up by The REAL Commander?

DancesWithKnives
 
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