OAUSA Net - June 10, 2021 - Camp Lighting and Flashlights

[KK6DYO]

Special Purpose Lights

UV Beast Ultraviolet

Note: there are different wavelengths of ultraviolet light which are used for different purposes, e.g., killing Coronavirus. This one is great for scorpion hunting, but will not cause some minerals to fluoresce well.

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Bar 10 UV story anyone?

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What? A new higher power, longer range version?

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Green Laser

Great for pointing out astronomical features when stargazing.

Note: I have no experience with this particular brand. I have found that legally limited, eye-safe lasers are not quite bright enough to seemingly reach out to the stars, especially on a dusty or hazy night. Some lasers can be made brighter if you find the proper potentiometer to tweak it. This is a dangerous modification as the resulting beam will no longer be eye-safe. In my opinion, such a laser is more dangerous than a firearm as it might not be treated with the proper caution and respect.

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[NotAMog]

Rig Mounted Bear Lights
or
How Much Light it Too Much?
(The answer is "it depends")

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I was doing some electrical upgrades to my rig earlier this year. While I was in the middle of the project I saw a review of an off road trailer on YouTube. The trailer included "bear lights" which were lights that illuminated 360 degrees around the trailer so if you hear something at night you can turn them on to see what is outside.

Thinking this would be a good idea I ordered a pair of these lights from SuperbrightLEDS -

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... 571/12485/

Not having a good feeling for how bright a light may be with a given lumen rating I went with the largest unit rated at 4000 lumens. Had I read the description more carefully I would have seen that they are basically equivalent to a 400W incandescent light. I tried them out at home in the garage and they did not seem to be excessively bright.

The first time I used them while camping was at a remote desert site with little vegetation and no trees. The sky was inky black on the night of a new moon. When I turned on one of the lights it illuminated that entire extended campsite and it looked like a very bright off road light bar which it essentially is. While illuminating the campsite to near daylight levels was nice for after dark cleanup, it was pretty excessive.

It turned out that other people at this site were there on the night of a new moon to take pictures of the spectacular star field in the sky especially when the milky way rose after midnight. Someone from a camp about a quarter mile away below the area when I was came over and asked to turn off the light since it was lighting up the whole area where his camp was located.

Being an amateur astronomer and understanding that other people around were at the site to enjoy the exceptionally dark sky I obliged and turned the light off. I know how frustrating it can be when you make the effort to get out to a special area to pursue night time observing and inconsiderate campers have blazing lights or roaring campfires ruining your night vision and generally spoiling the dark sky.

So how much light is too much? Well it depends. The bright lights I put on my rig will be great as "bear lights" to check things out in the middle of night when camping in the woods but they are definitely much brighter than necessary for background or even task lighting around my rig. If I had to do it again I would have gone with a smaller less bright light.

When you're out camping on public lands it's important to understand that you are not the only person out there and you need to be considerate of the other campers and their activities. In this case, I didn't need the excessively bright light which interfered with the activities of other people at the site.

Having too bright of a light which annoys other campers around you is no different than having a dog that is barking all night or people camping with "dueling boom boxes" playing loud music into the wee hours of the morning. Like the general rule with transmitter power in ham radio, you should only use what you need to get the job done. For years I favored candle lanterns while camping. A few of them placed around camp provided just enough light to walk around safely and see other people although they weren't adequate to make what animal was the owner of the glowing eyes you could sometime see near the edge of camp.


https://www.ucogear.com/candle-lanterns ... anterns%2f

[Voodoo Blue 57]

I like to have a variety of types of lights powered and recharged in different ways.

Luci Lights are solar recharged and are a fantastic low to medium brightness area light. Many options are available.

I used these lights on our recent Utah Trip. I attached one to the side of my tent at night and also hang one inside the tent. Both provide enough light to see conformably. During the day I leave them on the dash or my FJ to charge.

Here you can see a clear one attached to the side of my tent by tent pole.

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[lrsrngr]

KK6CTT for the 06/10/21 check-in please.

Thoughts (in no particular order of importance):

• Modes are great when they happen to work at the right time and you don't need an owner's manual to get them to work the way you want, especially in the field; twisting, pushing, pulling and taps can be frustrating in a high stress environment; tactical vs. multi-purpose

Several examples of lights with different functionality with a "grab rating" per light. I know the question will come up; Astrolux FT03 SST40-W 2400lm 875m; IDK the run time but I keep it charged (w/spare battery) for domestic security & potential SAR if called to help somewhere/sometime with the others as backup and my faithful multi-battery charger with cigarette plug.

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• Proper on/off switches are a must; a light that turns on too easy can be dangerous for burns or in extreme cases, fire but the most common issue is a "not ready for use" drained battery

• Proprietary batteries are starting to become an issue; beginning at first contact with a perspective purchase ask pointed questions of the vendor and avoid them when possible

Great multi-fuel light with a flare for EDC bleeding over to a tactical entry level.

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This is another EDC with a great gift value for that special someone; cost, quality and "wow" factor for an AA light is there; XYL approved.

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• "Rechargeable" has taken on a new meaning; some have batteries that are not easily changed or are non-existent; make sure your "charge on the go" light has a simple battery replacement option that is not proprietary (example Olight uses a lot of propriety and "internal" recharge batteries)

• Rechargeable in the field is definitely a convenience but I find the normal take out and change system works well, still, and having a quality multi voltage automatic charger (cigarette lighter socket) with a nice "condition of battery/charge" display is helpful in camp especially with different makes and models (what I carry, what my family carries, lanterns and area lights...varied battery requirements if not standardized)

• Many flashlights do not store well with batteries left in them; make sure you keep your solar lights charged and off when put away because some are very sensitive to full discharge damage (Luci light example, great concept but I've gone through a few of these)

• Lithium Ion batteries are a great battery technology and charging them is not an issue in most CA weather conditions but this can be an issue in freezing temperatures (I have not had an issue with this but knowing this is important) https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/art ... mperatures

• Night vision devices have been around for a long time and though cost prohibitive, they can add a dynamic never experienced by many and it can be more than a novelty if applied correctly

[DaveK]

CAMP LIGHTING AND FLASHLIGHTS

Our recent Utah trip gave us a real world chance to see the lighting options we relied upon the most. On trips which are longer than the usual weekend, we pack only that which we know will meet our needs. Although we follow the rules of redundancy, these longer trips require us to economize on gear, especially as we need to carry more stuff.

When possible, small is a highly desirable quality for lighting purposes, and this is where the LED lighting revolution has made a significant positive difference. Additionally, the ability to recharge batteries, at camp, has really helped as well.

On this trip, I found that I was able to rely on four small lights to make it through the entire trip.

1. Tent light

For the trip, I used the Streamlight Siege X for my tent light. It operates on one 18650 battery (3,600 mAh) which was sufficient for almost two weeks of use. With three levels of light, it was sufficient for even reading at night.

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2. Belt Light

As part of my everyday carry, I rely on a Fenix PD35, 1000 Lumen belt light. At the highest setting, it is way too bright for most uses, but is nice for the occasional night blast.

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3. Key Chain Light

On my key chain, I carry the Surefire Titan AAA battery flashlight. It has two brightness levels, with a max output of 185 lumens. The lowest setting (15 lumens) is sufficient for most uses. Hardly a day went by without using this light for something. It is small, light weight, easy to carry, and with me at all times.

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4. Head light

A good headlight is indispensable for nighttime chores, like camp setup, cooking, and various trips to the outdoor latrine.

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[k9atk]

Please check inn
K9ATK BRIAN
K9FOG TRISH
KD0EXI CHEYENNE
KD0RHA TYLER
KD0GPE AUSTIN
THANKS

[Jeff-OAUSA]

Please check in

WD6USA
Jeff, Highland, CA via the Keller Peak Repeater

[Diesel4x]

Good evening!
Please check in
Randy KF6KOC
Becky KF6RGR

Thanks a bunch!!

[NotAMog]

Please check in -

John - KN6VL

Bruce - KD6GCO

[AK6DH]

Paul -KK6DYO, covered a couple of the Olights that I was going mention. The Baldr Mini is a nice, compact, weapon light. I like that it can be charged without removing it, you don't have to possibly realign it with your sights after charging. I received the Seeker 2 Pro right before Field Day, last year. It worked well for wandering around camp, I mostly kept it at the 300 lumen level 3. I t does go dim enough to use in a tent without blinding everyone in it. In order to use its magnetic, in the flashlight, battery charger, the battery is proprietary. I can use standard 21700 batteries, but, depending on the rating, turbo mode may not work, and the runtimes will be different. The standard battery cannot be charged inside the flashlight.

My EDC light, that is alway on my keychain, is the Olight S1R Baton II. It has a proprietary battery to facilitate the magnetic charging, but can also use a standard 16340. The magnet is strong enough to support the weight of the flashlight, so you can utilize it to work hands free. The pocket clip is bidirectional, allowing you to carry the light in your pocket bezel up or down, and to clip it on a hat for use as a headlamp. I have given several of these away as gifts, I get random thank you messages about them every now and then. I just got a photo from a friend who used the magnet to stick it inside his computer tower while working on it.

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A headlamp is also very handy when camping or otherwise to have in the car for working on it in emergencies. I have the Olight H2R, which has since been replaced by the Perun 2. Like the others, it uses a proprietary battery and magnetic charging, but can also use the standard 18650, with the same caveats as above. The head is at a right angle, so you can also use it clipped to your pocket. It is held on to the headband via a magnet and a strap. You can rotate it to aim the beam up or down. The magnet on the tail cap can also be used to attach it to metal objects.

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