Greatland Laser products

[jenks]

I do Search and Rescue with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. I've curious about these lasers since I saw them reviewed on Equipped.com. Does anyone have any real world experience with them? Are there any similar products out there that I've missed? I think the concept is great, especially for picking out retro relective marking on nav. bouys at long distances.
Thoughts?

 

[sotto]

Personally, I thought it was very interesting on the equipped.com website that they basically said the green laser they had outperformed the red Laser Flare that they were actually testing. Right then I said to myself, I'm waiting to get one of those green lasers for my emergency signalling. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

 

[Specop_007]

Green lasers blow the pants off red lasers. Something like 5 times brighter when compared straight across.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Jenks,

I have carried a Rescue Laser Flare Magnum while kayaking for a couple of years now. I have demonstrated it during Boy Scout camp outs by showing its effectiveness in signaling across the lake or other longer distances. I think it has its place. It also works great for picking out reflective surfaces at great distances.

The problems are that it has to be aimed, and is not as effective during daylight hours. The aiming is easily learned, but may prove difficult hanging onto a capsized boat with hypothermia setting in. In daylight, use smoke.

I was also interested in a green one, until I found out that they were quite a bit more expensive, and fragile. They are going to have to figure out how to make the green device more robust. As of this summer, if you drop a green Rescue Laser on a hard surface, it will probably die. I'll stick to the red one, for now.

Tom

 

[sotto]

Silverfox:

I didn't know they now had green Rescue Lasers. The last time I checked their website, a couple months ago or so, they didn't. I'll have to head over there again.


(later) Well, I didn't see any green Rescue Lasers on their site. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Sotto,

I don't believe it is listed on the web site. I stopped by when I was in Anchorage and was told that it was available as a custom build, but not recommended and with no warranty.

Tom

 

[GPS Rider]

Hi Guys,

Forgive me for butting in here, but I work in the search and rescue industry and I think it's important to make a couple of points:

Laser flares are not Coast Guard accepted as a VDS (visual distress signal), so they don't count as one if you are required to carry one. Of course, this only affects you if you are a boater.

Moreover, green lights/flares are specifically discounted as a distress signal. While you may be able to grab someone's attention with a flashing green light, when that report gets to the rescue coordination center, it's up to the duty officer to decide if he wants to investigate it, and he certainly has no obligation to do so. I would say that in my experience, green lights are more often ignored than investigated.

I would highly recommend staying with red as a distress signal.

Regards,

GR

 

[sotto]

GPS Rider:

This is excellent advice. However, my intended use for a green-laser is sort of as a marker beacon rather than as a distress signal, and it would not be for marine use as much as for terrestrial use. I occasionally do some deep canyon hiking here on the left coast, and a visible green beam of laser light shooting up out of the canyon bottom into the night sky might help identify my location to searchers should I become disabled for some reason. This is assuming I've followed my usual practice of letting someone responsible know which canyon I'm going to and when I expect to return (plus asking them to let searchers know I'll be trying to mark my position with a green laser). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif