Picture 2; well atleast I have never looked right in to the sun with a signal mirror.

Picture 3 and 4; nobody is holding the mirror?

Looks like the reflective side of the mirror is facing them...

To me,it appears that the final illustration is a bit catywampus - the signal mirror doesn't appear to be in the right position. While the article may not be a shining example of proper mirrow usage, it is almost as good as the instructions printed on the really good mirrors. I eagerly await Rafowell's informed comments...

Keep trying....

The Cessna is shown clearly in front of the sun, whereas in use the fireball would obscure the Cessna ... It's okay as far as any of these articles go; a person really needs to get a signal mirror and use it.

Yes, but, not the significant issue.

If at first you don't succeed.....

If you have caught a nice fireball, you should not have to use your outstretched fingers to aim said fireball at the target; I believe the "V for victory technique is generally advised when you are using a "non-fireball"mirror.

How many more chances (guesses) do we get?

True, but that goes with the discussion of using any reflective object, so it's correct.

As to how many guesses? It depends on...gotta run, back later....

One should not "tilt" the mirror in order to flash it; the natural tremors of the hand, perhaps enhanced by coffee jitters, will do just fine.

Sometimes and also depends on the range. Close in takes more than further away. But, by and large, a small degree of tilting back and forth is simply a good rule, but even at close range doesn't take much.

The problem I see is the position of the plane in relation to the sun and mirror. The plane cannot be between the sun and the mirror.

Edit: The sun is behind the mirror. How can the mirror reflect the sun if it is behind the mirror?

Jeanette Isabelle

Welllll, I suppose if the plane was damn close, but in reality, the plan is always so small in relation to the sun that's not generally an issue. Also, it is usually not moving directly at you with the sun behind it, rather it is crossing the sun, but that's really besides the point. I think what some are thinking is the sun, in the illustration, is, I believe, intended to represent the "fireball."

In the lower picture it doesn't appear to me that the shiny surface is actually facing the sun enough to reflect anything.

This is what I was thinking in my edit.

Jeanette Isabelle

I think you all are perhaps over-thinking this. Error is very obvious, not "sneaky" at all. :-)

Oh, wait a minute. The guy is holding the mirror backwards. He has the reflective side facing himself.

Jeanette Isabelle

Nope

How can he reflect the sun that is behind him to a plane in front of him

BOATMAN
John

In pictures 3 and 4, you can see BOTH the plane AND the sun through the sighting hole, looks like he waited until the plane tried to eclipse the sun before signalling.

REPEAT: I think what some are thinking is the sun, in the illustration, is, I believe, intended to represent the "fireball."

Try, try again.....

In the final illustration, his hand is covering the sighting hole (or so it seems,ladies and gentlemen of the jury).

Parting comments: How could anything published in Backpacker magazine be incorrect?

Where, oh where, is Rafowell when you need him?

Great thread.......

Keep trying....

In the second picture - of the guy holding his hand in a "V" - the mirror needs to be pointing toward an imaginary point directly between the sun and the plane -- not toward the plane itself.

Of course the idea is to flash the hand because you simply can't see the flash on the plane itself.

It is critical to have the mirror as close to the eye as possible, line the hand's "V" up with the plane (so the mirror/eye, the "V", and the plane are in a straight line), and then angle the mirror toward that imaginary point between the sun & plane until the flash hits the hand's "V". If the mirror is very close to the eye, then the flash on the hand should also flash the plane.

I don't think the artist really understood how it all works.

BTW, I've never really been comfortable at using the aiming grid on signal mirrors. I find my eye glasses keep the mirror too far from my eye and I really struggle to get the "flash" on the grid. I find the "V" method much much easier.

in the 3rd pic the fireball is on the aircraft and in pic 4 with the mirror tilted the fireball is still on the aircraft ...

Really, considering the artistic license used by the writers of these articles in order to convey information they don't really understand, this one is not too bad. If you like the idea of using a mirror as a signaling device (highly recommended), get one and practice using it so you aren't "learning" during a situation.

You are correct as to the technique, though I don't think the artist got that really all that wrong. It is pretty much impossible to determine anything beyond generalities given the scale of the image. Could have been done slightly better, but.... Pretty standard image of how to do that. I could easily set that up in real life and have it looking in a photo pretty damn near like shown.

And, in any case, that's not the obvious screw up I am looking for. :-)

Nope, though you are getting closer....

I'm thinking the angle of the mirror is parallel with the light and hence you wouldn't be able to get that 90 degrees that's illustrated.

I am comparing the image in the PSP survival instructions with the images from this page. The image in the PSP survival instructions is more clear. Other than what was already mentioned, I am not seeing anything that is “obvious.”

This begs a question. If we can't see what is wrong, how well would we do if our lives depend on how well we use a signal mirror?

Jeanette Isabelle

Exactly what I was thinking as I was typing my reply...

Good question....

Okay, so here's the issue, and it's a pretty common mistake found in many such instructions in various articles and survival manuals over the years.

The clear area in the middle of the aimer is there to allow you to easier locate the target. However, the fireball can only be seen where there is an edge of retro-reflective material. In a mesh design, or one with punched holes, etc, that is only within or at the edge of the mesh. With the StarFlash style, it is only at the edge of the star.

You have to move the mirror so the target is within the mesh area or at the edge of the star to make it work.

The fireball can never be seen in the clear area in the middle of the aimer.

So, they sorta, kinda, almost started out right in illustration #2, but #3 and #4 are impossible.

See the instructions here for a more realistic example of how it really works: http://www.dougritter.com/psp_rescueflash.htm

Somehow I have been using a signal mirror for several decades without being aware of this distinction. Would this error prevent someone from successfully using these instructions and a signal mirror to attract attention?

While the error won't help, if the user finds and maintains track of the bright spot, they should do okay - if they "hunt" for it when they lose it in the center, they should find it again, since any motion of the mirror pulls the "bright spot" back out of the hole to the edge of the retroreflective annulus.

You can see what Doug is talking about in this YouTube video in the segment from 00:40-00:51, where the "bright spot" (red, in this case) momentarily disappears a few times when the mirror bobbles enough to head the "bright spot" towards center, at which point it disappears, but since any tilt after that brings it towards the edge of the hole again, it gets picked up.

(If you want to see this full screen or the like, here's the link to the original YouTube video: DIY Signal Mirror



It is some help to let students know that they should pass the very center of the bright spot across the target, since the "bright spot" is about triple the width of the main beam.

There was some confusion in some of these posts as to whether the diagram was depicting the "bright spot" or the sun itself - not too surprisingly, because the "bright spot" is an image of the sun. One nice thing about the red aimers - it is easy to tell a red "bright spot" from the sun.

Here's a photo I took of the (white) "Bright Spot" that makes it clear the "bright spot" is not the sun, since my hand is in the way:



Here's a photo showing the "bright spot' at the edge of the mesh, as Doug was talking about (and again - that isn't the sun, it is the "bright spot" - the sun is to the right of the photo scene):

GAH I knew the answer but saw the thread too late!!!

lol