SAR COORDINATES

January 2008   

TONTO RIM SEARCH AND RESCUE SQUAD, Inc.

P.O. BOX 357

STRAWBERRY AZ 85544

 A self-supporting, not-for-profit group of volunteer citizens dedicated to improving safety in the Arizona wilderness.

Operating under the authority of the Gila County Sheriff's Office

John Armer; Sheriff

TRSAR Squad meets monthly

General Public Welcome
2nd Thursday @ 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Payson Public Library Meeting Room
328 N. McLane Road - Payson, Arizona

Commander’s Corner

Mission Summaries: 

It’s the end of another year in SAR, a very successful year I would say.  We had almost a record number of missions – 33 total.  We responded well, we had sufficient response for most of them, we performed efficiently, and most importantly, we performed safely.  This is a tribute to our training and to the squad members who put out so much effort creating the various training programs throughout the year.  It also says something about the readiness squad members maintain for themselves.  It is always gratifying to see so many members show up for a mission so quickly after a call out.  Keep up the good work.

 Just to review, here is a list of the missions from 2007.  I’m sure some of these will jog your memory, as several of them were challenging and difficult missions.

 Going into the new year, I think we are well set up for our annual fundraiser – the raffle of a side-by-side quad and trailer.  Indications so far are that it will be very successful.  We have a number of events planned for ticket sales.  These always help in getting our name in front of people, which helps generate funds to meet our operating expenses.

 Thanks to all for a great 2007! – there are so many who contribute to this squad in large and small ways, it is always humbling to work with such a motivated group.

 Bill Pitterle – Commander, #500

Election Results

By a unanimous vote in the December meeting, the members chose Bill Pitterle to continue another two years as our Commander and Claudia Bullard to take over the reins of the Secretary position. They also chose Dave Pirtle and Kim Donau as the two Members-at-Large.

Let’s extend a heartfelt thank you to all these folks and also to those who were willing but did not get voted in. You are Wonderful!

NEW MEMBER

We are proud to announce the newest member of TRSAR, Jack Reid 562 of Payson.

Welcome Jack, we look forward to getting to know you and working with you.

January 2008 Training & Events Schedule

Planned Training Sessions ( Coming this Year)

Requested Training Sessions

…                If you would like to volunteer to run a training session, or if you have a training session request contact any Board Member or Don Johnson 

Business Cards for Active Members

All active members are permitted to have business cards with your SAR info on them. If you do not have them yet, or if you have used up the ones you had, contact Mike Taylor to place your order. They are nice to have when you are doing any Squad activities, and the best part is they are free. A common use for them is to hand out to family members of the search/rescue subject.

Email miket@trsar.org or call 978-8009.

Don’t forget; the meetings this month are January 8th for the Board and January 10th for the General Meeting.

Fundraising

A few of the fundraising committee members met with the manager of the Sawmill Theatre, Craig Triphahn. He had previously agreed to not charge us for the TRSAR slides we have running at the theatre for 2008. He also said we could add 4 more slides.

We brought him the new slides which he previewed for us in an unused theatre. They look pretty good and we’ve included 3 slides just for the Raffle. Stop by and watch a show and see for yourselves.

The on-line donations page is just about finished. http://www.trsar.org/donate1.asp. A couple more days of testing and it will be ready to accept donations. Then we will have the ability to sell Raffle tickets AND accept donations on our web site. 

Computer Tips, Techniques, Rants, Raves, and Netiquette

Submitted by  Les Hulse

Continuing our look at digital cameras, let’s consider image file format.

 What is the right or the best file format for saving your photo images?

 This is a question that you need to know the answer to if you're going to be doing any sort of photo editing using your computer. If you will be making any sort of edits to your images you should be saving your master image (the one you work on) in a “lossless” format. So, what the heck is “lossless”?

Quite simply it is a file format that does not destroy your image pixels with compression when it is saved. So you can save your image over and over again and it will retain the quality. A “lossy” image format (JPG) will lose a little quality each time the file is opened and saved on your PC.

 There are three major file formats used by digital cameras: JPG (or JPEG), TIF and RAW.

 JPG file format:

 This is the most commonly used file format. JPG format is a “lossy” format meaning that it compresses your image and reduces the file size by throwing away data (part of your image) depending on the image quality setting you have chosen. You cannot control it – the computer in the camera makes the decision on what to throw away. The main reason to store in JPG format is that you get more shots on a memory card – and it's faster to save.

 I generally save my images in JPG format with a low compression rate (the high quality setting) whenever I travel.

TIF file format:

 The TIF file format is a larger file than a JPG file, because it retains the full quality of the image. The TIF file can be compressed, but the compression method is “lossless” which means it doesn’t lose any of your image detail.

 I will save my images in TIF format with a low compression rate (the high quality setting) when I know I will be doing a lot of photo cropping on the PC.

 RAW file format:

 This is the best quality your camera can store. A RAW file is actually just that – the raw image data direct from the sensor without any of the image processing the camera normally does (like White Balance and Exposure correction). The Nikon cameras have a different name for the RAW format: NEF.

 The less expensive cameras won’t have the RAW file option. This image type is only for those who worry about exposure and white balance and who need a high level of quality (normally the professionals). RAW files take up a large amount of memory card space, so you will need to purchase a larger card to get the same number of images as you would with JPG images.

 In addition, the RAW files are different for every make of camera. You will have to use the software that came with the camera to convert the RAW data into something the computer can read like a TIF.

  Tip of the month:

 Protect and re-format your memory cards.

 Why?  Memory cards (while not affected by airport security scans) are susceptible to static electricity, so always keep your memory cards either inside the camera, or in a protective plastic case. Don’t leave them near a computer screen or TV either.

 If you use your cards a lot, it is worth periodically wiping and reformatting the memory to ensure they stay reliable.

Question: Do any of you find this section useful?

We can rant and rave about many topics, but do not know if it is appreciated. Also, we will most likely choose topics that “tick us off” and ignore the ones that you may be interested in. We can give you our opinion on just about anything (opinions are cheap).

So let us know if this section is useful, and if you would like us to tear into some topic, just tell us.

Send any comments and/or suggestions to the editor; Mike – address at bottom of newsletter.

Website

Tonto Rim SAR Members can now have your very own email address through our site. Just contact our Webmaster at jack@jackswebs.com  to arrange for it, no cost to you or us.

Just Musing

Our missions these days, though increased in number, have been for the most part, quicker than 10 or more years ago. One reason is the new technology that helps to locate our subjects. In addition to helicopters, which are real lifesavers, cell phones and GPS have really been a boon to locating people in the wilderness.

 GPS units are, of course used with great success by SAR units, but are just now starting to be used with success by individuals to get themselves into and out of the back country. Cell phones on the other hand have become such a common accessory for most people that we have a great many searches that are instigated, not by a distant friend or relative, but by the subject themselves. They most often know they are lost but can give us enough information that we can deploy searchers directly to them, thus reducing valuable man-hours and expediting the mission.

 Prior to the widespread use of cell phones we had a search in the Mazatzals in summertime about 1996 for a man and woman who had become separated from their group and did not return to their vehicle at the Barnhart trailhead before nightfall. We were called out to look for them on the following morning and we sent multiple teams on all the trails in hope of locating them quickly due to the heat and their lack of provisions. Around 4:00 PM just as additional resources were arriving from Maricopa County, the two subjects climbed out of the drainage just north of the parking area and walked into base camp. They were exhausted, dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise OK. They had lost the trail on top of the mountain and had followed the barnhart canyon downstream, swimming through pools and scaling down sheer rock faces. Fortunately for them, neither had sustained any serious injuries so the entire effort was deemed a success.

 The interesting part of the entire episode was when Sgt. Hudgens was debriefing them and found out that they were members of an environmental group that likes to take hikes in new and different wilderness areas. They had never been in the Mazatzals before so were totally unfamiliar with it and did not even have maps of the area. I was standing there listening when Sgt. Hudgens suggested to the lady that they should carry a cell phone when they go into such terrain and her reply was, “But that would be cheating!”

 Of course I don’t understand bungie jumping or base jumping either.

 J. Mike Taylor 502L

We are promoted and you’ll also find our newsletter on the

Rim Country Volunteer site;

http://www.inpayson.com/TRSAR-Payson-Rim-Country-Area.htm

Humor me

Thanks to those who contributed to this issue of the newsletter.  

Mike 502L 

miket@trsar.org