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Friday, December 30, 2011
Military Flying Drone Boasts a 1.8 GigaPixel Camera!
I just read an article about a new Military Drone that has a crazy cool camera. The A160 Hummingbird robo-drone has a handful of new features that will set it apart, and most likely set it above the currently used Predator Drones.The first new feature is that, unlike the Predator, the Hummingbird doesn't fly like a plane, but is rather rotor based, so it is closer in operation to a helicopter. This will give soldiers greater control of the drone, and allow for more detailed viewing of certain parts of the terrain.
But that's not the part that caught my eye. The Hummingbird Drone has a suped up camera that will give far greater resolution. The 1.8-gigapixel camera (yeah, I said GIGApixel) will allow the drone to scan an area of 25 square miles from altitudes up to 20,000 feet. That's a little under 4 miles up!
Soldiers on the ground will be able to download images and video in real time. This should give them far greater situational awareness and allow them to make more informed choices on the battlefield.
To put that 1.8-gigapixel camera in perspective, the latest smartphones might have a camera around 8 megapixels. And people swoon over the quality of the photos they take. Most consider the resolution from many smartphones today to be on par with professional grade cameras. A gigapixel gives a thousand times more detail than a megapixel, so the Hummingbird Drone should do a pretty good job.
At about 4 miles up it will be able to distinguish people, cars and more, and the operators can see what's around a corner before they poke their head out.
The technology here goes beyond just getting a good picture though, and the soldiers can also can be set to watch up to 65 designated areas, including following cars or people regardless of where they go!
Well, I should mention that any drone has limitations. As The Simpsons once joked, "Satellite Imagery has shown us the trillion dollar bill isn't on the roof."
Reading about the Hummingbird Drone got me thinking about the various camera options we have at Tactical-Store. For long distance viewing and photography many people like to use a digital camera binocular. These are a great option when you want to cut down on the amount of gear you carry with you when hunting or birding, but we have a new option from Nikon that you might have even greater success with.
The Nikon EDG VR FieldScope 88mm Spotting Scope is, first and foremost, a fantastic spotting scope. The 85mm objective lens will gather a ton of light for a really bright and clear image, and since the EDG FieldScope comes from Nikon, you can trust in the quality of the lenses and the construction of the body.
But what makes the Nikon EDG FieldScope really special is the VR (Vibration Reduction) system. It's tough to use a spotting scope on the go, as even slight shaking from your hands will blur the image, and even when mounted on a tripod the wind or other environmental disturbances there can be a bit of shaking. The VR System reduces the effects of this and gives you a really clear image. That's a huge deal when you're running around and need to take a quick look!
Another thing that's great about this Nikon FieldScope is that it is perfect for digiscoping. For those who don't know, digiscoping is when you attached a digital camera to the eyepiece of your spotting scope or telescope to take a photo. As Nikon is world-renowned for their Cameras, it makes sense that they would make a number of great camera-ready optics like the EDG FieldScope.
You probably won't be able to get the same resolution as from the Hummingbird Drone, but you'll get a great picture if you use the Nikon EDG VR FieldScope the next time you're out hunting, birding or just enjoying the great outdoors!
Labels: camera, digiscoping, military technology, nikon, spotting scope
Posted by brian.coughlin at 11:01 AM Read Article 0 comments 
Friday, December 23, 2011
Ammo or Gold: Which Protects Your Future Better?
And no, I don't mean robbing banks.
There are a number of people, including current GOP Presidential Candidate Ron Paul, who believe that investing in gold is a good way to keep yourself ahead of inflation. He may or may not be right, but there's another possibility: ammo. The graphic below comes from Ammo.net, and it's a pretty cool way of seeing that investing in ammo may be as good an idea as gold.
I don't want to just reiterate everything from the graphic, but it shows that ammo has risen in value fairly steadily over the years. More and more people are applying for gun licenses, and the need for ammo will likely never go away.
Please note that I'm not suggesting you stop with traditional investments, but having a little extra ammo might just do you good. And if you need a way to haul your ammo on your next hunt, check out our gun accessories, we have some great ammo cheek pads and shell carriers!
Via: Ammo.net
Labels: ammo
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Celebrate National Flashlight Day with a DISCOUNT on the Coast MT7 LED Lenser!
As it's National Flashlight Day, we're running a special deal on one of our best flashlights! The Coast MT7 LED Lenser is a favorite around the Tactical-Store offices because of its versatile uses, tough body, and super bright LED light. To make it even more attractive, the MT7 Lenser uses 4 AAA batteries, which most of us have around the house!For National Flashlight Day we're offering a 15% off coupon for the Coast MT7 Lenser. The coupon code is 9a647be, and it's only good for today on our parent site OpticsPlanet, so be sure to use it right away.
I realize that seeing is believing, so take a look at the OpticsPlanet video below. Alex and Alessandro will take you though the various modes and features of the Coast MT7 Flashlight.
Labels: coast, flashlights
Friday, December 16, 2011
Hunt a T-Rex with a .700 Cal Gun and Leupold Optics!
I just came across this video on Youtube showing a custom made gun with .700 caliber bullets. They call it a dinosaur hunter, so the next time you have a T-Rex come after your dog you can take it down with this sucker. I'm posting the video at the bottom, and it's definitely worth a watch, but make sure you have headphones on, because the sound from this gun is extraordinary.Watching the massive gun video got me thinking about what type of rifle scope you'd want on your dinosaur hunting gun.
At first I considered a red dot sight, since you'd want quick target acquisition, but those are for closer range shots, and I think I'd notice a Tyrannosaurus Rex before it was right in front of me.
As I'm a big fan of Leupold, I looked through some of their newest scopes, and the Leupold Patrol VX-R 3-9X40 Illuminated Riflescope caught my eye. It has a number of great features that should make it perfect for hunting dinosaurs.
First, it's tough. Like all Leupold Optics, you can count on the scope to stand up to the rigors of hunting, with recoil and moisture all taken into account from the design stage, so there's no need to worry about it falling apart when you attach it to a big gun.
Next, the reticle on the Leupold Patrol VX-R is fantastic. It's illuminated, and the proprietary motion sensor technology illuminates the reticle whenever the scope is moved, so you don't need to worry about turning it on. So when that T-Rex comes charging out of the forest you just need to get it in your sights!
The reticle on the Patrol VX-R uses Leupold's FireDot system, so the center dot is a bright red, while the rest of the reticle isn't illuminated. This will help draw your eye to the center, speeding target acquisition time.
Since you're going to want to have as much space as possible between you and the dinosaur when you take your shot, the 30mm tube is a smart feature, as it allows for a great deal of windage and elevation adjustment.
The lenses give you a ton of light transmission, which is important, as you never know when that killer dino is going to jump out at you, and you'll want to be able to take a shot at any time of the day, not just in perfect conditions.
If I found myself thrown back in time, or if they perfect cloning and bring dinosaurs back, I'd want to make sure I had a .700 caliber rifle with a Leupold Patrol VX-R Rifle Scope attached. I'd be the most legendary dinosaur hunter in the world.
Labels: leupold, riflescopes
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
New Battle Tech Aims at Keeping Soldiers Alive!
We talk quite a lot about various products and new technology that comes to our store that helps soldiers, police officers and hunters be more effective in the field. We have rifle scopes that help you hit targets at farther distances, night vision devices that help you see in any situation and GPS devices that let you see just where you are. These are all great battlefield tools and enhance the effectiveness of a soldier, but I don't write very often about saving lives, and that's what I'd like to do today. There are a great number of ways to help save lives in war. I know that General Patton (I have to paraphrase, this is a kid-friendly site) said, "No soldier ever won a war by dieing on the battlefield. He won the war by making the enemy die on the battlefield." So, based on this logic, one way to keep safe is to make sure you don't have any enemies.
But sometimes you or one of your buddies gets hurt, and you have to make sure you're capable of handling the situation. A good first aid kit that is properly stocked is an absolute necessity. You need gauze, tape, medication and more to clean up some of the more minor injuries, or to give the injured man extra time for a medic to show up. A quality knife is also a must have tool for medics, and I like the SOG Knives, as they're really tough and reliable, while also being portable. Weight is really important, so having a lightweight option is also important.
One of my favorite safety products is the QuikClot 1st Response TraumaPak, which stops bleeding fast and can be a real life sa
ver when you have an open wound. Any cut or scrape could turn serious if not properly cared for, as infection is all to common on the battlefield.
ver when you have an open wound. Any cut or scrape could turn serious if not properly cared for, as infection is all to common on the battlefield.Just looking at the war in Iraq you can see thousands of injuries that worsened because of infection. With bullets flying overhead there just isn't time to properly sanitize everything before performing surgery.
But there's a new development that may help field medics do a better job fighting bacteria, and it's similar to a tool every soldier carries with them: a flashlight. A dermatology researcher at Harvard Medical School is developing an antibacterial light that could kill deadly bacteria, which is currently the number one killer in Iraq and Afghanistan.
UV light is already used in households to kill bacteria, and it is extremely effective at doing so. The problem the Harvard Researcher is trying to solve is how to use UV light without harming the patient, as UV light can burn skin and even cause cancer. Currently, his hope is to use a particular wave of UV light, known as UV-C light, to kill the bacteria, and hopefully not hurt the person. UV-C Light is the shortest wavelength of the ultraviolet spectrum.
With a small, handheld UV-C light a soldier or field medic could quickly and easily treat life-threatening infections. While this may not cure the infection completely, it will lessen their impact and danger, giving the injured soldier extra time to get to a full military hospital for more specialized care.
While this new flashlight is not yet in production, it may only be another 2 to 3 years before it is in the human testing phase, and successful tests could push this into production right away.
I may love our QuikClot products, but a UV flashlight that saves soldiers from having limbs amputated might just replace my favorite first aid tool. Pretty cool.
Labels: first aid, medical equipment
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
New Video for the Bianchi 83 Paddlelok Holster!
One of our resident product specialists, George Poulos, has just finished a fantastic new video on the Bianchi 83 Paddlelok Holster. I embedded the video below, and you can see him take you through some of the fantastic features of the holster and why it's such a great option.There are a number of reasons you should choose the 83 Paddlelok. It's an easy to use holster, with an open top for a sure grip on the gun when you draw. As it's a paddle holster it's no problem to quickly take the holster and gun out of your pants when you no longer need it. The draw is super smooth and natural with a simple mechanism for retention that is pressed by your middle finger in the same motion as your normal draw.
The 83 Holster is a fantastic Bianchi Concealed Carry option. Bianchi has been making great holsters for nearly 50 years, and they've always been focused on quality options for police officers, as founder John Bianchi was a cop when he made his first holster.
Of course, no matter how much I say about the Bianchi 83 Paddlelok Holster I'm sure you'll get a lot better idea of how it looks, feels and performs from the video below. Be sure to find a great deal on this holster and more at Tactical-Store!
Labels: bianchi, concealed holster, holster
Monday, December 05, 2011
Legendary Actress Hedy Lamarr Lives on in your Phone and Radio!
Most of us own a cell phone or radio communications device of some sort, and without question we've all been affected by such a tool in our lives. Imagine a battlefield where commanders are unable to quickly relay orders to their subordinates. Imagine police officers unable to coordinate their efforts to capture a criminal. There was a time when this was the norm, and enemies of freedom and justice prevailed more often than today.So without question, communication effects us all quite a bit, but while we take many of these tools for granted, do you ever wonder where the technological innovations in radios came from?
There is some debate as to who should be credited with truly inventing the radio, with Guglielmo Marconi and Nikola Tesla the most likely candidates, although their work came as a result of building upon the discoveries and advancements of earlier inventors, so regardless of who is the most important, each man contributed to the technology.
While there are a number of men recognized for their contributions to radio technology, there are few women who have received any credit. But one woman has gained a little more notoriety for her contribution. I say a "little more notoriety" because she's already notable for a very different reason: Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress in the 1940s, and referred to at times as the "Most Beautiful Woman in the World." But she also had a profound impact on radio tech. Yep, Hedy Lamarr had a side job as an inventor.
So what exactly is her contribution? Well, during WWII, Hedy read a report about a German U-Boat sinking an English cruise ship that caused the death of 90 schoolchildren. To help the Allies stop these sorts of tragedies Hedy wanted to develop a radio-guided torpedo to sink submarines. The problem was that any attempt to use radio waves as a control system would be thwarted by relatively easy-to-use radio jammers.
Hedy realized that if the radio frequency used to guide the torpedo changed frequently it would stop the effectiveness of a jammer, which could only briefly jam the signal, and as soon as the frequency changed the torpedo would be back in the control of the pilot or engineer steering it.
With the help of a friend and mechanical engineer, Hedy developed a patent for how to keep the two devices in sync as they changed frequency. This technology is used in radios, GPS devices and cell phones to this day. As your phone loses signal strength, it changes frequency to boost performance, and while this change is far more advanced today than back in the 40s, the basic concept remains the same.
Soldiers and civilians across the world use this Hedy Lamarr-innovated radio tech all the time.
Was Hedy just a pretty face? No way. Though her contribution went largely unrecognized for years, when she was finally given some credit for her radio innovation, Ms. Lamarr reportedly responded with, "Well, it's about time."
What a lady.
Labels: innovations, invention, radio