Hilltop beacon lamp - I need some advice

Hi all,

I am planning on doing a charity event and I need some advice. The event is in memory of a colleague of ours who was sadly killed this year.

It involves 214 teams of people who will simultaneously night climb the 214 Wainwright Peaks in the Lake District in the UK.

If all goes to plan we should all be at the top of our respective peaks at 0500 hours while it is still dark. We intend to synchronize watches and light up powerful lamps at the same time so that all 214 peaks will shine in the night sky.

Unfortunately we have to provide our own lamps. Therefore my question is, can anyone recommend some form of uber-powerful lamp that would do the job?

Ideally I'd love to be able to take the Batman Batlight up and illuminate the sky turning night into day but realistically we will be climbing these peaks at night in teams of about 3 or 4 people so these lamps need to be lightweight, a lot smaller than the Batlight and very easy to carry. But at the same time they also need to be powerful enough to see from miles away.

Finally it is a charity event and my budget is quite modest. I'd rather be able to give more money to the charity than having to spend hundreds on a lamp.

Your suggestions would be very greatly appreciated.

Jon

what do you plan on shining the lights on? or straight up? how far apart are the hilltops? plan to shine them directly at the other nearby hilltops?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warning_beacons_of_Gondor

http://scienceblogs.com/dotphysics/2010/07/how_fast_is_the_beacon_of_gond.php



this will be a significant event, with so many people spread out like that. since it is a charity, ask a light-maker for donations in exchange for sponsor status.


actually, this has enough action and uniqueness that it could be filmed for a commercial or short documentary.

Yeah I imagine it's gonna be a bit like the warning beacons of Gondor.

The differences are that we won't be using fire (i think the lakeland trust might have a problem with us setting fire to all the Wainwright peaks) and they will all be lit up at the same time rather than in a line like in TLOTR.

I guess the idea is that the light emanates out in all directions 360 degrees round and also up into the night sky much like a large fire would, visible all around.

I hadn't thought about contacting a light maker. It might be a good idea. But again, I wouldn't know who to ask or what to ask for.

There are numerous flashlights and other lights that give a bright concentrated beam of light, but in this case an all round light is required, so as to be seen from all directions.
If electric lights are to be used, then considerable battery power is needed to give a bright light in all directions.
As a minimum, a battery operated flourescent lantern could be used, they give a light in all directions but are not that bright and are fairly bulky and heavy.
If only limited run time is needed, then something like a halogen lamp without a reflector could be used.
A 12 volt 55 watt vehicle headlight bulb and a 12 cell NiMh battery would work, and being virtually a point source should stand out well. Improvise a simple heat resistant cover such as a glass jar to keep rain off.

Non electric lighting might be a better bet.
A Coleman lantern is brighter than most electric lanterns, and of course designed for outdoor use.
Or what about hand held flares ? Dont even think about use of RED flares as these would be a false signal of distress.
However white hand held flares are available, as are blue ones though blue are rare. They are light in weight, easily carried and designed for use in bad weather.