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Best Practices for ATON

A Homemade Day/Night Datum Marker

After many years of trial and error, lost bleach bottles and chasing seagulls, we finally have developed a Datum Marker that really works, day or night.  It is hardly affected by the wind and moves with the current.  It is light, easy to store, non-marking and very inexpensive. Are you interested?Pool noodle DatumMarker example

It is made of a 'pool noodle' sometimes called a 'water weenie'.  We hang about four pounds of weight on one end and are careful to reinforce the bottom end so it won't rip out.  On the top end we wrap three or four different colours of retro-reflective tape.  In the centre, we attach a personal strobe.  Initially, we had trouble with it “drooping” so we inserted a 3/8" wooden dowel to keep it straight.  It sticks out of the water 3 - 4 feet and can thus be seen for quite a distance!   A light weight reflector (aluminum foil) can be fitted on top if RADAR detection is desirable.

Butch Dompierre
CCGA 131
 

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Last updated: 06/16/2008