ANSI A (US Letter) 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 a pistol,the EF2 does not automatically eject spent propellantcartridges. Additionally, there is an energycell and a small data transfer unit built in to the buttto facilitate loading the EBD-2 discs with a distressmessage (and, on the EF2-GPS, location data).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; discs thatsupport recording of location data can also store upto 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 into thegun from the breech.There is a variety of discs available:The EBD (Emergency Broadcast Disc) can storea thirty-second voice recording as a distress message.These discs are shipped preloaded with a standardmessage; once activated, they will broadcast continuouslyfor 48 hours. It may be used with the EF2 orEF2-GPS, but it cannot take advantage of the additionalcapabilities of the EF2-GPS. The EBD emits abright, actinic light for a maximum of 60 seconds offlight, if activated with a propellant cartridge. If activatedwithout the propellant cartridge, the disc remainsin the gun, acting as an emergency radio transmitteronly.The EBD-2 is a modification of the EBD which16includes the ability to record up to four hours of locationdata, if used with the EF2-GPS. When usedwith 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 flashes ina stroboscopic pattern, extending the life of the lightto 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 about 1.6g.Use in lighter-gravity environments may allow thedisc to drift too far away during flight to act as a reasonablelocator beacon (or, in extremely light gravity,the disc may achieve escape velocity); use inheavier gravity may not permit the disc to achievesufficient altitude to be noticed.H cartridges are intended for use in environmentswhere gravity is between 1.6g and 3g. Use in verylight gravity will cause the disc to achieve escapevelocity; use in light gravity may allow the disc todrift too far to be a useful locator; use in heaviergravity, coupled with the increased atmospheric densitynormal for such environments, risks bursting thechamber at the breech and causing serious injury tothe 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 will remain inthe gun, but the distress transmission, including bothrecorded voice and location data, will be initiated.The gun can be stored with the Broadcaster Disc insertedbut for safety reasons the propellant shouldnot be inserted until the gun is ready for use. Lightsindicate the status of the propellant cartridge anddisc. A yellow light indicates the disc is inserted; agreen light indicates both the disc and the propellantare inserted.