Review: DOSS DMP7 Dynamo radio

For quite some time, I have been missing a key element in my survival kit.

Knives, lights, radios, pouches, oh my. Everything but a radio, as it happens. So when I saw a dynamo powered radio on ZAZZ, I jumped right onto it.

This is the DOSS dmp7 dynamo multifunctional radio / music-player. 

It is more than just a radio though, and it is jam-packed with extra features.

As well as a scanning (no dials or even readouts) AM/FM radio, it also has a SD card slot and USB port to play solid-state media music, and a 3.5mm stereo auxiliary input port.

A push button selector cycles through the input types and similarly, the scanning forwards and backwards is by push-button. I found this a bit difficult to use, or at least awkward, to try to find a station I was specifically after.

Each side cap features a LED lamp, also push button controlled. The left side is white and continuously lit.

The right side features four flashing red LED's and also activates a siren, which is both loud and annoying. Perfect, really. At full charge, the siren will play for 3 hours.

The unit features a 1000mAh 3.7V lithium polymer battery internally, but can also take four AA batteries as well. Power status indicators on the front also show how well the hand-cranking dynamo is working on your manual charge.

It also will charge USB devices with an output of 5VDC /500mA.

The radio will play for 7 hours, the torch will last 15 hours and the SD/aux playback will run for 3-5 hours.

Made of a pretty lightweight ABS plastic, and with exposed seams throughout, this is not really a rugged piece. More suited to sitting in the glove-box or in the box of camping gear than for treks in the Amazon, or salvage runs into Chernobyl, but given the eternal nature of the dynamo as a power source, not only for the radio, lights but also as a charging station, this little multi-purpose device is a welcome addition to my just-in-case collection. You never know when the power will go out, and radio is an excellent source of news and information.

Home Front: Bug Out Jar

I've been looking at putting together Bug Out Kits, to offer online, and possibly put up on Kickstarter, to get out to a wider market.

I've been thinking about what to include in such a kit, and what to put it in. My thought was to have something that could rattle around in the boot of a car, in the corner of a ruck or by the front door at home. It needed to be small and unobtrusive, rugged, easily identified but not standing out as a prize.

I happened to have a stash of bio-bottle containers, not unlike the Patho-Pack containers (or as we call them at home, "Dead People Jars"). The Bio-Bottles are biohazard rated, air and water tight shipping containers, 850 ml capacity, with a "size in carton" of 12cm x 12cm x 17cm, which meets UN3373 regulations, meeting 95kPa pressure testing. Good solid containers!

The contents of the kit I have been pondering, based in part on my own EDC and adventuring kits in past, and my experiences camping, LARPing and travel around the world. I have also been working on a tight budget, so have kept the items pretty generic where possible.

I've included in this beta version:
A wire saw
A space blanket
A fire starter (which includes a button compass)
A 100' length of paracord
A knife (which includes a rescue hook/strap cutter)
A steel paracord shackle
A WTF multitool
A multifunction spork
A 850mL Bio-Bottle

I may include some other contents as options, including a couple other excellent items, as well as carry-pouches, and even upgraded, expanded kits. Hopefully, there will be some interest in these, and I'd love your feedback as to contents, carry and packing thoughts and I can make this happen.

[EDIT] Check out the jars, now in my online store, for sale!

Review: Manta Strobe helmet light (replica)

I've been meaning to post about this for a while. As my regular readers may know, I simply can't get enough lights. I love lights, and illumination. As one of my favourite designers states "Dark Sucks" 

I saw one of these little guys in my feeds and instantly felt the need to add one to my collection. However, there were two problems. First and foremost was one of the banes of my existence. 

"This Item is ITAR controlled and cannot be shipped or carried outside the United States without express written permission from the United States Department of State. We do not export outside the United States. PERIOD!"   

IR products are just so hard to get from American producers because if this. The second reason was almost irrelevant as a result, its a pricey gadget. I was super lucky when I was sent the
CJ Engineering - Phoenix jr IR strobe .

However, the original Manta Helmet Strobe from S And S Precision looks to be an excellent addition to many real-world users kits, so I wanted to see what I could find.

I managed to find a replica-for-paintball version by Canis Latrans Trading, out of China. These are the same folks that supplied me my "Ops-Core like" bump helmet . Now, before I go into the item, let me reiterate, this is how I could get one of these, legally. It is a replica, so is unlikely to have gone through rigorous QC and testing that an original from S&S would have. I wish I could have a real one, but I can't. This will have to do. 

However, that said, it works a treat!

The manta-ray shaped device is 7.5 cm (3") long, 5cm (2") wide and 3cm (1.4") high. It is curved on its underside to mate with the curve of a helmet and is covered in hook-field for attaching to loop-fields.
 
The underside of the unit (the tail) features a textured button which when depressed, triggers the IR strobe. Because of the risk of switching it on unknowingly, or to confirm that it is in fact on, the strobe has a vibrate function, which gives three pulses when it is activated. This is an awesome feature, and can be easily felt with the helmet strapped on, but is essentially silent.

There are two buttons on the side of the tail, recessed, which trigger the "overt" green strobe. This can only occur when the strobe has already been put into IR mode, and then only by a three second squeeze of both side button simultaneously. This is a great feature, especially for those users who may need to be very aware of not breaking light discipline.

The strobe takes one of the CR123a batteries so prolific in high end electronics and lights these days.
The IR strobes uses three IR LED's, which when activated are barely perceptible within 2 meters to the naked eye, as three faint, pale pink blinks. I have pretty good night-vision, and beyond 2 meters in a blacked out room I couldn't see them. 

The overt, green strobe however, was almost painful to look at, with its twin lime green LED's that all but lit up the room I was testing them in. 

I had a go capturing the IR and overt green strobes both directly with my iPhone, and also down the barrel of my Yukon IR scope  and that really demonstrated the efficacy of this light.  The IR LED's cast so much light that the reflection made the blacked out room.

So, for my use as an emergency beacon  when I am out adventuring (like when I was out testing the Aquayak Snapper Pro, or running about through the mountains) I think it will work out just fine. I want to be able to be spotted by Search and Rescue, if the need arises, or just stay out of oncoming traffic's way. It is a rugged little toy, waterproof and bump-capable. I'm going to pack it whenever I go adventuring, and see who is watching ...

Visual light test of Manta

IR test of Manta, through Yukon IR scope

Review: Get Home Bag - Bug Out Bag

Some friends of mine asked me recently for recommendations for Bug-Out-Bags, after watching the NatGeo "Doomsday Preppers" show, and The Colony.

I don't have a "Bug-Out-Bag", per se,  but I do have two "Get Home Bags". One in my car, and one is my every-day pack. 

Here's one that NASA made ...

I've covered both before, as Items, and shown off what I keep in them from time to time, but as a unit, I thought it might be worthwhile laying it all out.

My primary, EDC and "get home bag" is the Platatac Bullock Echo, to which I've added a couple of extra pouches and loaded up a fair bit. This is the bag I have with me everywhere I go, and I still manage to carry my iPad, days food and whatever else I need day by day in it. Great pack. It's a reasonable load that I carry, as you'll see, but I can run, climb, crawl, jump and probably swim with this all on me. I get some funny looks sometimes, but I'm used to that. 

1) waterproof poncho, OD / first aid kit

2) set of metric Alan keys on a split ring

3) compass

4) dmt diamond knife sharpeners

5) credit card tool / fire steel

6) wire saw

7) cord

8) Dead On Annihilator Super Hammer

9) ZombieSquad 1L Nalgene bottle

10) LaserBrite (single blue and low/high/blink red heads)

11) CRL Tactical cache

12) ZuluNulonGear CAOS admin pouch with small adjustable wrench, LED plyer multitool, Buck Tools Multitool, dexim BluePack 1200mAh ( 5V-500mAh) USB iPhone battery, UV laser pointer, kumquat carbon fiber credit card bottle opener, sharpie.

13) Figure 5 Benchmade safety cutter

14) microfiber towel

15) Berber Bear Grylls safety pack

16) Platatac Half Med pack with elastic bandage, forceps, non-latex gloves, cylume sticks, band-aids, bandages

17) GoSt PaleoBarefoots

18) Sea To Summit Alpha cutlery and chopsticks

19) survival kit in a can

20) Platatac HeadOver head sock 

21) SnowLizard solar, rugged, waterproof iPhone case

22) EcoFuture Aqua Prove

23) alcohol based hand sanitizer

24) EcoFuture hand sanitizer

25) EcoFuture foot spray

26) cable ties

27) toiletries bag with toothpaste, soap, safety razor, floss

28) essential oil deodorant bag

29) Spare glasses in hard case

30) nut and honey snacks

31) SAR GlobalTool Eclipse signaling mirror system

32) whistle

I also keep this, in the car. I consider this my "broken down in the side of the road" kit, but also doubles as my camping/kicking adventure bag. I have a full first aid bag in the car, and a fairly complete tool bag as well.

As I've covered before,  the Kathmandu Hip Bag is a very dependable, and feature rich, wearable pack.

With my FUBAR and CRKT Stiff Kiss it is quite the formidable survival pack.

Here's what I keep in it....

33) heavy waterproof poncho, Woodland camo

34) gaffer tape

35) camping propane gas

36) kinetic induction flashlight 

37) enamel mug

38) bug spray

39) sweetened condensed milk in a tube

40) roll of SES emergency marker tape

41) Gerber Bear Grylls survival pack

42) high-test marlin-fishing line

43) Petzl "figure 8" device

44) Kong locking carabiners

45) 5mm dynamic rope

46) matches

47) fishing hooks and sinkers in-a-tin

48) Sea to Summit 20L Kitchen Sink

49) hand carved snare with braided line

50) Miltons water purifier tablets

51) nails

52) Caribee backpacking stove

53) bandages

54) tea bags

55) whistle and flint

56) powdered chocolate.

I can wear both the Bullock Echo and the Kathmandu bum-bag at the same time, between the two I have a lot of survival kit in fairly small, wearable packages. Given that I don't spend a lot of time in the distant wilderness, but more urban sprawl, and country roadsides I think that in the event of a disaster in my region, I would be able to manage with this loadout for quite enough time to get home, or away, and overcome most any obstacle that I might come across.

For me the idea of a "bug-out-bag" is more of a "never coming back" bag, which would be a little more substantial, and aggressive, where these two are more a "get out of trouble" set. I can help myself, and others push through rough times with what I carry at all times, and have with me in my car...

After the Black Saturday fires of 2009 and the semi-regular flooding we are getting, I want to be ready, Equipped!




[edit] I've been asked if i would make Bug-Out-Bags for sale ... anyone interested?

Sneak Peak: Phoenix Jr IR Strobe

So, generally, I don't like surprises. Surprises mean I haven't planned for something adequately. 

The exception is mystery presents... Like this, the Phoenix Jr IR strobe transmitter. 

This showed up this morning in the mail, along with a couple of military cylume sticks, no return address. 

Cal, was this you?

Either way, I'm going to have fun with it and crank up my Yukon NVG to see what I can see with it. 

Presents! Yay.