What is a "beta light"? - Survival tin prep.

Barrabas

Barrabas

Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
1,135
I am attempting to get a small emergency kit together, and for now I am using the guidelines put forth in the SAS survival guide.

I have a few questions I could really use your help with:

Q1 - What is a "Beta light"?
The Author makes mention of a "Beta light" - which her refers to as "Coin sized, expensive, but virtually everlasting". I gather that it is some type of light emitting crystal, but I can't seem to find something of his description on any searches I have tried thus far.
Can someone point me in the right direction :confused:

Q2 - Does anybody make a pocket sized waterproof container that would hold most or all of the stuff needed in a small kit, or do I need to buy a Tobacco tin and waterproof it myself? (All I have now are Altoid tins).


Q3-
In the event of a flight, would an Airline allow the contents of a a small survival tin in carry on luggage? I.E - Fire/ Saw, small knife etc..

Thanks for the help, sp
 
Q1 I think that they are reffering to a LED light like a Pulsar II. I have one in the car and love it.
Q2 I know that an altoids citrus sours tin is waterproof. I anchored one in a full sink for over an hour with no water getting in.
Q3 Don't even think about putting an knife on your person or in your carry on bag. It will end up on Ebay being sold by the TSA. I carry a few pens with sharp points and a belt buckle with a edge I can sharpen if need be. Better to be safe than sorry, even though I feel naked traveling with out a knife.
 
said by flotsam:The light-emitting "crystal" was probably a beta light - a small tube filled w/ tritium & a phosphorescent coating - it produces light, barely enough to read by - not at all as a bright as a Cyalume or LED light.
i dont think he was right though, why would john lofty wiseman call it a crystal?
 
a beta light is a military device indeed using tritium and a radioactive iisotope , they are/were made in europe, and importation of them has been banned as the ammounto fo radioactive isotope is too high for public purchase under our existing federal law. they have a rubber base and a large curved lens that you place on a map and then can read the map. they are like the glow rings that bagheera used to sell only much larger.

alex
 
Alco is right on the money.
Beta lights were comprehensively used by British (and Commonwealth) military through the 80's, they do not have an indefinite life, the tritium loses its light emitting qualities by about 50% after 6-8 years.

Good bit of gear in its time, but a small LED flashlight is a better and safer option.

Don't attempt to carry sharp stuff on an aircraft, you will lose it, and have a lot of hassle to go with the loss.
 
I use the Inova night vision red LED lights and like them very much. They don't destroy your night vision and they give plenty of light to work by. Mac
 
LED's actually last forever, and they are very good on batteries. They're just not as bright as regular bulbs in most cases.
 
Barrabas:

What the other posts have said about the Beta light is right. You could replace it with an LED light. Just remember to include a yellow or white light somewhere in your kit so you can fix cuts at night.

You can often find good-sized tins at "head" shops -- sold as "stash" tins. These often include a waterproof ring in the lid, but it's best to tape the tin shut or pack important stuff in ziplocs.

I don't know about a "kit" per se, but I've carried a BSA hot spark, whistle, LED flashlight, and pill fob with cotton and water tabs on my keyring for several flights with no problems.

I carry a Silva-type compass with a sighting mirror. I imagine you could carry on a button compass and a signalling mirror with no trouble.

I also carry a cork-backed steel ruler, a steel-bodied ball-point pen, and a quad pad in case I have to chart anything. I carry a folding diamond hone in my toilet kit to keep my calluses in line. And lots of paracord in the bottom of my bag to improvise a clothesline in my hotel room.

On my next flight I'll be carrying my new Kevlar gloves. If I could afford it, I'd carry one of those Evac-U-8 hoods. But now I'm digressing into ways to improve your chances of surviving an airplane crash. There are lots of threads on that. Wear natural fiber clothing, good shoes, etc.

Bear
 
Bear,

Good point about the red light and examining wounds at night. I hadn't thought of that. Normally I carry a AA mini mag in my belt pouch kit or a AAA solitare. I had an older Inova white LED that worked as well as my AA mini-mag and ended up using that almost exclusively.

I find the red LED more practical at night as I don't normally leave the light on and the white LED would mess with my night vision. I hang it on a string around my neck and with the constant-on switch it is very easy to hold between my teeth while rummaging through the pack.

EBS,

The LED lights use very little energy. They give far more light and last far longer than you would expect from their small size. They are a great piece of kit for a PSK provided you pack the kit in a way that the light won't get turned on inadvertantly. They are sort of fragile though so they have to be carried in a protected container. My original white Inova LED ended up self destructing.

On the flip side of the LED are the Lithium camera battery lights like the Surefire Nitrolon. I find these useless for examing wounds due to the 65 lumen light output. You can't see squat for too much light!

These lights only last about an hour so you have to carry spare batteries and use the light sparingly. I attach an LED light to the wrist cord of my Surefire Z2 Combatlight so I have a low light option that conserves the main batteries. As a night signal, S&R light, spotting wildlife they are fantastic but for walking down a trail or use in camp they are just too much.

I have no experience with the multiple LED lights but it seems to me they would be a viable replacement for the AA mini-mag. Mac
 
Barrabas said:
Q2 - Does anybody make a pocket sized waterproof container that would hold most or all of the stuff needed in a small kit, or do I need to buy a Tobacco tin and waterproof it myself? (All I have now are Altoid tins).
sp
Click to expand...

I'm using an Otterbox 1000 for my PSK. It is completely waterproof and it is said they are strong enough to withstand being run over by a truck. The Otterbox has a little more room than the Altoids Can, and is still small enough to slide in your pocket. :)

Pelican also makes nice waterproof small containers.

Soup
 
ever try a krill light or similar types, just like a lightstick, uses 2 aa cells and last up to 55 hr.s?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top