ISO A4 format - Freelance Traveller

In A Store Near YouEF2 Emergency Flare Gunby Bo WozniakThe EF2 is a flare gun that fires a light emittingdisc that also contains a radio transmitter to send adistress message. You can use the standard distressmessage or record your own.The EF2 is somewhat larger and heavier than astandard pistol. The muzzle is shaped to accommodatethe ―flare‖ discs, and the chamber is larger toaccommodate the propellant cartridges. Unlike apistol, the EF2 does not automatically eject spentpropellant cartridges. Additionally, there is an energycell and a small data transfer unit built in tothe butt to facilitate loading the EBD-2 discs with adistress message (and, on the EF2-GPS, locationdata).The EF2-GPS variant can be linked to GPS receiversthat output location data in standard format.There is no inbuilt GPS capability. A thirty-secondvoice recording may be stored on all discs that supportuser-programmable distress messages; discsthat support recording of location data can alsostore up to four hours of it.The EF2 and EF2-GPS are intended to be usedon worlds with atmospheres (very thin or denser);the propellant cartridges are unsuitable for use invacuum and near-vacuum.Discs are about 10cm in diameter, and 1.5cmthick. They are loaded into the gun edgewise fromthe muzzle. Propellant cartridges are loaded intothe gun from the breech.There is a variety of discs available:The EBD (Emergency Broadcast Disc) canstore a thirty-second voice recording as a distressmessage. These discs are shipped preloaded with astandard message; once activated, they will broadcastcontinuously for 48 hours. It may be used withthe EF2 or EF2-GPS, but it cannot take advantageof the additional capabilities of the EF2-GPS. TheEBD emits a bright, actinic light for a maximum of60 seconds of flight, if activated with a propellantcartridge. If activated without the propellant cartridge,the disc remains in the gun, acting as anemergency radio transmitter only.The EBD-2 is a modification of the EBD whichincludes the ability to record up to four hours oflocation data, if used with the EF2-GPS. Whenused with the EF2, it is not possible to record locationdata.Both the EBD and EBD-2 come in ―S‖ variants(the EBD-S and EBD-2-S) where the light flashesin a stroboscopic pattern, extending the life of thelight to a maximum of 120 seconds.Propellant cartridges come in three variants:L cartridges are intended for use in low-gravityenvironments, to a maximum of 0.4g. If used inhigher gravity, the disc may not achieve sufficientheight to be noticed. Care should be used in gravitationalfields of less that 0.1g, as there is increasedrisk of the disc achieving escape velocity.S cartridges are intended for use in standardgravityenvironments, from about 0.4g to about1.6g. Use in lighter-gravity environments may allowthe disc to drift too far away during flight toact as a reasonable locator beacon (or, in extremelylight gravity, the disc may achieve escape velocity);use in heavier gravity may not permit the discto achieve sufficient altitude to be noticed.H cartridges are intended for use in environmentswhere gravity is between 1.6g and 3g. Use invery light gravity will cause the disc to achieve escapevelocity; use in light gravity may allow thedisc to drift too far to be a useful locator; use inheavier gravity, coupled with the increased atmosphericdensity normal for such environments, risksbursting the chamber at the breech and causing seriousinjury to the user.Discs are not self propelled; a single-use propellantcartridge is required for deployment to altitude(and to activate the visible light beacon). If―fired‖ without a propellant cartridge, the disc willremain in the gun, but the distress transmission,including both recorded voice and location data,will be initiated. The gun can be stored with theBroadcaster Disc inserted but for safety reasons thepropellant should not be inserted until the gun isready for use. Lights indicate the status of the propellantcartridge and disc. A yellow light indicatesthe disc is inserted; a green light indicates both thedisc and the propellant are inserted.16