A lighting and signaling device is provided which is capable of both lighting and signaling intermittent signals such as Morse code signals. The lighting and signaling device has a switch for selecting among an unlit mode, a continuous lighting mode, and an intermittent lighting mode; a clock circuit for oscillating at a single frequency in the intermittent lighting mode; a plurality of decade counters responsive to the clock circuit; and a driver for outputting periodic signals from outputs from the decade counters. The decade counters are arranged so as to output a series of dot and dash signals according to a predetermined program. The circuitry is housed within a portable flashlight.

An S-O-S distress signalling device for flashing a lamp, consisting of a decade binary counter, a signal converter circuit connected to the counter and a timer having its output coupled to the lamp and the input of the counter. The counter and converter circuits provide three charging paths to the timer, so that rapid flashes will be produced to simulate the "S" code and two charging paths to the timer to simulate the "O" code at a slower repetition rate. Between each S-O-S signal, only one charging path is provided, to slow down the timer to define the interval between the coded messages.

An automotive lamp flasher provides a visibly irregular series of flashes to indicate the existence of a distress situation. The flasher also provides a regular series of flashes as is done by existing flashers. Circuitry is provided to generate a nonuniform pulse train and repeatedly apply this pulse train to a lamp activation circuit. Broadly, a multiplexer with a plurality of input terminals is used, each having a logic level thereon. The multiplexer is sequentially stepped to provide an output representative of the sequence of logic levels on the input terminals. Preferred stepping means includes a timer for supplying a continuous sequence of uniformly spaced pulses, and a scaler responsive to these pulses for supplying a sequence of binary codes to the multiplexer.

An intermittent low intensity light source that is switched on by a drive signal is enhanced by a high intensity light source. The high intensity light source is coupled with the low intensity light source so that at least some light from both sources is projected in a desired direction. The high intensity light source has a brightness or intensity that significantly exceeds that of the low intensity light source. A pulse power source is connected to the high intensity light source and made responsive to the drive signal for pulsing the high intensity light source to emit a brief light pulse before the low intensity light source achieves any substantial precentage of its peak intensity, the light pulse occurring in such close time proximity to the peak intensity of the low intensity light source that persistence of vision in the human eye causes the two light sources blend together visually.

A location marker includes a casing, a switch assembly and a lens enclosing a flashable strobe lamp. The location marker is powered by batteries and an electronic circuit that converts the battery voltage to a trigger voltage for illumination of the strobe lamp. The switch assembly is non-intrusive and maintains water tight integrity inside the casing. The switch assembly futher includes a magnetically operable switch for selectively connecting and disconnecting two pairs of terminals. An R.F. transmitting location marker is also employed using a transmitter circuit and an antenna.