[Laser] mechanical rotating shutter

[TWOSIG at aol.com]

I am pleased to see there is interest in the  Scout program.  The 
organization has a website to explain what they  do:

_http://www.ontargetbsa.org/about.htm_ (http://www.ontargetbsa.org/about.htm) 
   


They have contact information on another page, but I would not expect them  
to be able to respond any time soon.  I think their annual event is this  
weekend.
 
 
 
Please note that I do not suggest that laser activity is appropriate for  all 
the scouts that participate in On Target.  They are much better suited  to 
hand held mirrors.  I think that some of the experienced scouts have  built 
interesting heliographs and made them work.   Also the adults I  have contacted 
within the organization seem to have a good handle on what the  scouts can do, 
and should be allowed to try.  I think that they would be  happy to see a 
rotating shutter in front of a heliograph on the transmit  side and for receive a 
photo detector to an audio amp so they can hear Morse  along with the flashes.  
Computer interface is beyond them for now.   Nighttime, IR, and NLOS, those 
are futureworld.
 
 
 I do suggest that the scouts who have participated in On  Target have a 
resource ( known locations for LOS communications sites AND  stories to tell of 
how they got there with their equipment, the weather, maybe  pictures of their 
site and their target...) that they would likely share with  enthusiasm.  
Especially if another light communicator ( including but not  limited to laser ) 
would show interest.  And it would not hurt if you put  together a demonstration 
of your experiments or help them in some other  way.
 
 
I do not have the endpoints for the 176 mile path.  I was told that  Wheeler 
Peak, Nevada, to Deseret Peak, Utah, is 145 miles, but I have not  checked it 
on a map.  There is also a report of a path near Las Vegas  to near San Diego, 
about 150 miles.  Clear skies certainly do help.
 
 
If I find out more that the scouts have done that can be applied to  
electronically detected light communications, I will pass it along.
 
 
James
N5GUI