Signal mirror trick

A trick the special forces use with a signal mirror is hold you arm out and make a "V" with your fingers. Hold the mirror till it shines on your fingers and than line both up on the target centered between your fingers.This way your certain the mirror is shining directly on the target.

A stick held in the same manner would work also.

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I tought I taw a talaban

Les showed how to use the finger V method with a signal mirror in one of this season's African episodes.
"Survivorman". It's a good show. You should watch it, Swede. Laughing

I don't think Les mentioned a stick, though. Confused

But seriously, when I saw Les demonstrating the mirror, I thought that using the tip of an outstretched finger to line up the light would block less of the light from reaching the plane than aiming it through the V space between your fingers. That would be similar to using a stick. Is there any evidence as to which is better?

Is that why some signal mirrors have a hole in them? Very Happy

eric

	turd wrote:
	Is that why some signal mirrors have a hole in them? eric

Most of them have a red part in the center and when you aim it directly at your target(a plane for example) a red dot shows up on the target. Smile

http://www.basegear.com/acr-hot-shot-signal-mirror.html

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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1

Oh, cool

eric

I can get the V trick to work but it's not pretty. I have to hold the mirror right next to my eye and even then I find I have to aim a little bit more to the right. You can do it with compact disc. If you have a good glass mirror with a whole in the middle, it works great. You look through the whole and you see a white ball of light. Then you just aim the ball of light on whatever you are trying to signal. This is a skill to practice ahead of time. You don't want to be learning how to do it while the plane is flying over you. Have someone stand 100 feet away from you and try to flash them.

I keep my whistle and signal mirror on a parachute cord string. that way, if I am in a survival situation, I'll wear it around my neck. That way I'll be ready if a plane comes or something. You don't want to have to be digging through your survival kit that is burried in your pack while the plane is flying over you. Also if you hear voices or anything you can blow the whistle easily. So I don't wear it all the time, I'm not that much of a paranoid safety freak. But if I am in a survival situation where I may nead to signal for rescue, I'll put it on so I have it ready.

Well said.

I have a whistle that has a mirror that hangs off my belt when i go out

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

A mirror is great if you have one, but in a pinch, anything shiny will work. Cut open a soda pop can and use the inside, a piece of glass, even a knife blade will work,(or a piece of space blanket or tin foil).

It is not so much the shiny ball that the pilot sees that signals them, it is the fact that the shine follows them and lets them know it is something being purposely shone at them as the see sparkles from the ground all the time.

Using the V'ed fingers just helps you direct the shine in the proper direction as you can follow the plane or search vehicle and keep the signal where it does the most good. Put the V of your fingers on target, and move the reflector with your other hand to keep the reflection shining through your fingers. It does work.

The Commanche Indians in Texas used mirror communications for a long time before the Pioneers got there.

Even a match on a dark night can be seen at up to 3 miles, the shine of a reflector can carry farther during a bright sunny day. Very Happy

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All gave some, Some gave all.