Reviews

When looking for a new power source for my RC Bug , I ran across a very unusual motor from Dualsky . This tiny outrunner contains a 6 amp brushless speed controller in the motor housing. That means you get a matched motor and ESC with no hassles of soldering bullet connectors or checking which way the motor spins, and less wire clutter when installed. Read on for our review. read more »

Finding a Good LED Flashlight for Patrol

Let's face it, with so many flashlights in the market to choose from today, it can be difficult to find "the" one that is just right. No one ever likes to think they are making a poor choice when they make a purchase, but; it never seems to fail, shortly after you buy something, you'll see something you like more.





For many police officers, flashlights are provided by their departments and they don't get a choice, for others, it's a personal choice and finding the right light can be daunting. Regardless if you are the officer making a decision for a SWAT team, a new cadet buying your first flashlight or an old road dog upgrading your incandescent light that's seen better days, thinking about what you will do with that light will help point you in the right direction.





What do you mean what will I do with it? I'm going to light things up, dummy! Well, you're right; you will light things up with it; but, how, where, when and why? When you are armed with the answers to these questions, you will be able to make a better choice for your needs; that way, when your buddy shows up and you begin to think he got something better, you won't be second guessing your first choice.





For police work there are three types of lights; weapon mounted, vehicle mounted and those that are carried personally. People usually think of personally carried lights when they think of a flashlight. Weapon mounted lights have very special uses and an officer that has a weapon mounted light, even on a pistol, should also have a personally carried light as well. Pointing a "loaded flashlight" at an old lady with chest pain just isn't cool. So let's discuss personally carried lights and leave the vehicle and weapon mounted lights for another time.





It used to be one size fits most, when it came to flashlights. Today, if you have the budget and the arm strength, you can buy a high intensity discharge (HID) handheld light that puts out 5000 lumens for over 110 minutes; you can also buy a light you put on your keychain with a pushbutton LED that will last about 1000 hours and provide enough light to read your favorite novel. A 5000 lumen light would be great for search and rescue and a pushbutton LED would be great for a sniper that was referring to windage charts in low light. Somewhere between the aircraft landing light and the reading light there is a light suitable to your task.





For police work a light must be dependable, it doesn't matter how bright it is supposed to be if it doesn't work. A good light for patrol should run for at least 90 minutes on its highest setting before needing fed new batteries. Rechargeable batteries are always a good upgrade, when your light can accept them. If you go the rechargeable route make sure you invest in the best rechargeable batteries you can buy; your life may depend on them.





Brightness is also an important factor. If you are new to LED light technology, figure 80 lumens is brighter than older flashlights with 4 D Cell batteries. How bright is too bright? Well, if you are in low light or darkness, are you looking for bad guys? There are lights out now that are 400 to 500 lumens, that's bright! However; with that much light, you could easily toast your low light vision and the bad guys for that matter and you are probably going to have enough backwash (light reflecting off everything in the room) to light up yourself as well.





I'm not against lights that are that bright; but, sometimes too much isn't just right. Also consider as the lumens go up, the runs times go down and the light requires more batteries to feed its hunger for power. For me, 80 to 200 lumens is the neighborhood I look for in a good patrol light. 80 to 200 lumens is brighter than anything we have ever had access to, it is plenty of light to light up even the biggest of rooms we search and it is not so much light that we blind ourselves or silhouette ourselves in the process.





Along with the brightness comes adjustability. Having an LED light set to its highest setting isn't required all the time. When you just need a "little" light for a task, having the ability to turn the light down is a must. Lower settings help conserve your low light vision and it saves on battery life as well. Most LED lights have several settings to adjust the light. The more the better; but be sure the light you consider has immediate access to the brightest setting so it can be accessed if a threat suddenly pops up. You don't want to be fumbling with a light switch if you're trying to acquire a bad guy.





A strobe function is also a good addition to a patrol light. If you are not familiar with "strobing," it is a feature on today's newest lights. Flashing a strobe light into the eyes of a subject in low light has been shown to disorient them, sometimes to the point of making them physically sick. For the user, being behind the light, the same untoward effects are not felt. The strobe can be a dramatic, intimidating tactic in low light. Like the adjustability; if your new light is going to have a strobe feature, it needs to be immediately accessible in a crisis situation.





The ability to carry the light also must be considered. For years, flashlights have been a round tube with the light at one end, the batteries stacked behind the light head and a switch on the tube or on the tail cap. New developments have changed the way we carry our lights, as well. There are lights you can clip on your shirt pocket or lapel, there are even lights you can wear on your head.





One company has designed a flashlight that is worn on the hand so both of your hands are free while using the light. To me this is an interesting concept. Think about this for a minute; if you are on a traffic stop in low light, do you have your light out? What are you going to do with that light if you need to demonstrate field sobriety tests? Write a ticket? Handcuff the subject? You are going to do what we all do, stick the light in your mouth (if it's small enough), stick it in your belt or stick it under your arm. What about shooting at night? We all have our favorite flashlight technique for shooting a night; but, if the gun malfunctions or we need to reload, the light goes right into our mouths or under our arm.





Having a light on your hand and not in your hand is the biggest advance in flashlight technology I have seen to date. With this latest addition to the law enforcement field; a good patrol light should have the ability to be used and keep both hands free for other tasks as well.





You are now armed with the information you need to go forth and find a new light suited for police work. To summarize; the light should: run for at least 90 minutes on new batteries without a recharge, be 80 to 200 lumens in strength, be adjustable from full power to low power with instant access to the highest setting; have a strobe function with instant access and have the ability to keep both of your hands free while the light is in use. This a pretty tall order for a good patrol light. They are out there, just spend some time to find the light that is right for you; your life could depend on it.

Things To Bring On A Camping Trip

Besides the tent, sleeping bags, and cooler there are many essentials that must be brought in order to have a successful, enjoyable camping trip. Depending upon the environment where the camping trip will be, these essentials can vary according to the terrain, whether, and any flora and fauna that may be encountered. Also, who is going on the trip must be considered - children may require different gear from adults.



A first aid kit is absolutely essential no matter the camping environment or the makeup of the group making the trip. Camping trips, by definition, are to areas away from civilization and should an injury occur it could be some time before professional medical attention is available. That's why it is so important to have a first aid kit packed for the trip.



In every first aid kit, there should be a flashlight with working batteries. Be sure to check that the flashlight works before leaving home. This flashlight should be additional to other flashlights more casually used. It's there in case of an emergency and other flashlights are not available. Also, the kit should contain a whistle. The whistle has a dual purpose - a method for locating lost campers and for scaring off wild animals. There should be a whistle for every person in the group and they should be worn whenever a trek into the wilderness is begun. Also, the kit needs tweezers, cloth bandage for wrapping sprains, etc., band-aids for small abrasions, anti-itch cream, burn cream, aloe vera for sunburns, a thermometer to check for fevers, antiseptic (Listerine works), pain medicine (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or aspirin), and a first-aid handbook that can provide guidance in the case of an emergency.



In addition to the first aid kit, basic necessities and tools should be packed. Pack flashlights for adults, and one for each child if children will be camping - this will avoid arguments on who gets to use the flashlight. Battery powered headlamps can provide light for nighttime activities. Campfires do not provide adequate light for nighttime cooking, for example. Wooden matches and a lighter are always needed for lighting campfires and serve as a backup for each other should one method become inoperable. Be sure to bring screwdrivers, a hammer, and a camp knife. Also keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case. Finally, some duct tape should be packed. Duct tape can fix unseen tears in tent material that become a problem should it start to rain, plus it has many other uses.



All the items already mentioned are essential for a successful, headache free trip. Other items that should be brought include personal hygiene items like toothbrushes/toothpaste, shampoo, a mirror, brush, etc. Be sure to pack toilet paper and a shovel for when nature calls. If you're camping in the summer time be sure to pack sunscreen and lip balm. Lip balm is a nice item to have during the colder months also. Be sure to bring bug repellent and some bug candles. Bug candles when lit help keep away the bugs from your campsite.



There are also some simple items to bring that can increase the comfort level when sleeping in a tent. Cut down a piece of carpet to the size of your tent and place it inside when the tent is up. This will provide a great comfort enhancement to the hard ground. A camping stove will greatly enhance the camping experience when it's time to eat. While it is fun to cook on the open campfire this can be impractical when cooking hamburger meat or fish, but it is perfect for roasting marshmallows. Also, campers might consider investing in a cooler that operates off a car battery. These are really small refrigerators that plug into the cigarette lighter. These eliminate the need for ice - which melts, of course.



Be sure to research the area where the camping trip will occur so you know what to expect. Sometimes, if bears are active it is recommended that food be kept away from campers to avoid confrontations. Also, at certain times of the year poisonous snakes may be about or poison ivy could be abound. Be sure to look into this before embarking on any camping trip to ensure you are ready for what might come up.

LED Flashlights vs Traditional Flashlights

You may see in many adventure films, flashlights always come in handy in many emergency situations. Flashlights can become an important tool in your house in many cases. They can be helpful when electricity supply was shut down, or can be use in hunting and camping activities, or use them as a backup source of light in your car, or even include them in a disaster kit. Flashlights can become a life saver in many situations and become more and more important source of light in case of emergency.



Traditional flashlights usually composed by a light bulb, flashlight case and powered by traditional batteries. They can disperse or assemble with ease and also very easy to use. But unfortunately, they are not always dependable. Light bulb used in traditional flashlight has a limited lifespan and always generate an unwanted high heat. It can be broken due to high heat or provide fades light without any warning. More than that light bulb in traditional flashlight consumes much more power than modern flashlight and causing batteries run out quickly. You have to stock a few batteries supply to ensure your traditional flashlight will not run out before you needed.



LED flashlights (LED: light emitting diode) are a new technology introducing a new source of light to the world. With the same amount of batteries, LED flashlights can provide more power of light and can be last longer at least 10X than traditional flashlights. The less battery you use the more earth friendly you are. LED flashlights can be mentions as long lasting tools; they can be continuous use more than 100 hours before the batteries run dry. It doesn't generate an unwanted high heat power; provide a constant light even if the batteries are running low; with one set of batteries it can run a hundreds of hours before you need to replace it with new batteries.



The usage of LED flashlights are various in many way. They usually use as a household item for emergency case or disaster kit. People who love an adventure life can bring them for hiking, hunting and camping. Police forces and firemen carry them along with their equipment and make them ready for use in any situations. Keychain LED flashlights can be a good idea as a gift for your friends.



As of to date, there are many leading brand who sale high quality LED flashlights for example, Surefire, Streamlight, Mag-Lite, Inova, Petzl, Pelican. These brands feature various high quality LED flashlights with different propose. Some of them have many advance features that you may not require them on your normal usage. So you need to learn more about individual product that best suite your need before you buy.



With LED flashlights, you can ensure a more efficiency and effectiveness over traditional flashlights in many ways. They are reliable and durable which means you can trust your LED flashlights in your hand that they will always work whenever you need them. They will not break easily when drop from high place or when you accidentally ram them into a hard surface. Many organizations like fire department and police department usually include LED flashlights as one of necessary tool. LED flashlights are definitely proved themselves as a reliable tool over traditional flashlights.

How to Explore the Night Sky Without a Telescope

You don need a telescope to see a lot of wonderful things in the night sky. For example five of the planets are often readily visible with the naked eye. There are lots of amazing things you can see and this guide will help you find them.

To maximize what you can see in the night sky there are a few things you should do as preparation. Of course the first thing you need is a clear and cloudless night. And this includes the moon. You should try to do your observing on a night with no moon; or at the least the smallest sliver of moon possible. Its brightness will wash out many of the dimmest and most dramatic objects in the sky. Second you should consider your comfort. Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather and bring extra layers of clothing if you are observing during cold months. The temperature late in the evening can be substantially lower than it is during the day and because observing the sky means not moving around much you will be even colder. Bring along any items to help your comfort like a lawn chair or a reclining lawn chair so you can look up without craning your neck.

Find yourself a spot to observe from that is as dark as possible. This means get away from street lights, city lights, house lights, or any other type of light source. Ideally you should drive away from any city that is nearby. If this is not possible then try to find the darkest spot you can. Man-made Light sources have an effect on the night sky by washing out the dimmer objects and they have an effect on your eyes by causing your pupils to close. This will decrease your ability to see the dimmer objects.

Beginning your observing is the most critical time for one big reason and this is why a lot of people don realize how rich the night sky really is. It takes your eyes up to a half an hour to fully adjust to the darkness outside. If you go outside and immediately begin looking for object in the sky you may be disappointed but this is because your eyes haven adjusted yet! Give it some time and let your eyes fully adjust and you will be amazed at how many more things you see in just a half hour time.

Equipment and stuff to bring along

Get some star maps, planet charts, and reference materials and bring them right outside with you. They will help you to find various objects. But it will be dark outside so you won be able to read them! And if you turn on some kind of a light or flashlight your night vision will be ruined. But there is a way to read your charts and materials without ruining your night vision. Cover your flashlight with some type of red cellophane or tape so it only gives off a dim red glow. The reduction in light will have less of an effect on your viewing and your eyes are very insensitive to red light so your pupils will not dilate. You can buy flashlights with red covers online, at astronomy and optical shops, or even at military surplus stores.

Suggested Materials List:

Lawn Chair or Reclining Chair

Constellation Chart

Planetary Chart

Lunar Chart

Plenty of Warm clothing

Flashlight covered with red cellophane

Snacks and hot beverages

Things to See

The first place you can start with is the moon (If it is out). And the best viewing will be when it is only a think crescent. This is because when it is like this the sun is casting light on it at a very sharp angle and the surface features will cast long shadows which makes them easier to see. With a full or near full moon the light hits the surface of the moon directly and casts no shadows.

The Milky Way Galaxy ?Our solar system is part of a tremendous spiral galaxy called the Milky Way galaxy. You can see this galaxy as a band of diffuse light that stretches across the sky. It takes dark skies and well adjusted night vision to see it but it is quite a remarkable sight. Every star and constellation map will show you where the milky way stretches across the sky.

The Constellations ?Finding and identifying various constellations can be a lot of fun. Each constellation represents an object, animal, or historic figure; and learning the story behind them can also be a lot of fun. Identifying constellations is also the only way to go deeper and find other objects like planets and comets. They form the background that everything moves within and they give you a frame of reference for finding these objects. Identifying constellations should be part of every star gazing event you undertake.

The Planets ?The planets move around in the sky quite a bit and sometimes they are too close to the position of the sun which means they are not visible at night but five of the planets, when in the right position are easily visible with the naked eye. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. And often times these planets are the brightest objects in the sky. Refer to you planet charts to find current locations of them. One rule of thumb for figuring out whether something is a star or a planet is whether or not it twinkles. Stars twinkle and planets do not. So if you locate an object that you believe is a planet you can watch it for several minutes to see if it twinkles like other stars. If it does not then chances are good you have found a planet.

Colorful Stars ?Stars are not all white. This is a common misunderstanding that people have. Stars come in a wide variety of brilliant colors and some of the more notable ones are the bright red Betelgeuse in Orion, the bright light-blue Rigel in Orion, the yellowish-white Altair in Aquila, and the bright red Antares in Scorpio. Finding and identifying these colorful stars can be a lot of fun. It can also be quite easy because some of the brightest stars in the sky are also very colorful from white to blue and red.

Some Objects of Particular Note

There are two very unique objects that are very easily seen with the naked eye on a dark night in the northern hemisphere. These are the Andromeda galaxy and the Hercules Nebula. They appear as tiny wisps of white smoke that look like small cotton balls. Once you start getting familiar with the constellations you should look for these two objects. The Andromeda galaxy is in the constellation Andromeda and the Hercules nebula is in the constellation Hercules.

Periodic and occasional Objects

The night sky is filled with a lot of objects that come and go in different patterns. Some of them, like meteor showers, occur at around the same time every year. This is when the Earth passes through clouds of space debris. You can check a chart of meteor showers and plan an evening or several evening of watching them. Some meteor showers can give as many as 120 falling stars every hour.

Comets ?These can be difficult to view because they are often very dim. But occasionally a comet will become very bright and be easily visible with the naked eye.

The night sky is more than just the moon and the stars. It is a extraordinarily rich environment with objects of all kinds. And given a little bit of time and dark skies you will discover and explore many of the beautiful secrets that it holds; and you can do it without a telescope. All you need is dark skies, a few charts, and a little bit of time.

Articles

The Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark (SCCMAS) airshow was held July 12th and 13th in Morgan Hill, California. This free annual show spans a wide range of radio control flight, from gliders to gas powered acrobats, and helicopters to turbine powered jets. It's a great chance for existing pilots and those new to the hobby to see a little of everything that RC has to offer in the air. Keep reading to see these planes and helis in action. read more »

Choose the Right Type of Flashlight

A flashlight, also called a torch is a portable device used for illumination and usually has battery cells for power. A flashlight usually consists of a small electric light bulb, a compartment for batteries which power the bulb, a switch for the bulb and a parabolic reflector for focusing the light. The battery compartment also acts like a handle for holding the flashlight.

Though the flashlight is of a very simple design, it is a relatively new invention. It came into being after the incandescent light bulb and the dry cell was invented.

The name "flashlight" has a humorous background. In the early days of the dry cell, the power of a dry cell battery was very limited. To save the it from discharging quickly, the flashlight was operated intermittently and just long enough to check out the environments, hence the name "flashlight".

There are many flashlight designs available in the market today. Like dry cell flash lights, rechargeable acid type flashlights, rechargeable dry cell type, LED (Light Emitting Diode) type, solar charging type, electromagnet type, head lamp type, underwater type, rifle or gun light etc.

The flashlight is the simplest design and used in most households and consists of batteries to power the electric bulb. As the batteries discharge the illumination dims in these flashlights.

Rather than buying a flashlight, which needs battery replacement frequently, a better design is to use rechargeable batteries, which can be lead acid type or dry cell type.

Some use solar panels for recharging during daytime. Electromagnet type uses a clockwork arrangement or a knob arrangement. In clockwork arrangement a spring mechanism is used to power the flashlight and has to be wound as required. The knob type arrangement has a moving coil or magnet which moves when the knob is pressed and charges a capacitor, which provides power to the bulb.

LED type flashlights are of a recent design. Though LED:s have been around for decades, the LED flashlight was not available till late 90s because the LED:s could not be operated continuously and their luminosity was very poor.

LED flashlights consume very little power compared to the conventional electric bulb as LED:s do not produce as much heat as electric bulb. These flashlights usually have a metal body to dissipate heat by conduction since LED:s do not dissipate heat through the light beam like electric bulbs do.

A headlamp type has a flashlight on a helmet so that the hands are free. Underwater type is a special flashlight, which is used for illuminating underwater objects and is waterproof. Rifle or gun lights are special flashlights used for illumination of target.

Flashlights are fairly cheap and available in attractive designs. The price ranges from a few dollars to a couple of hundred dollars.