[Laser] Some beginner questions

[Paolo Cravero]

Hi from a newcomer!
I am Paolo, IK1ZYW, from Torino, Italy. Any other Italians here?

My interest in laser comms started when I showed a colleague (with whom 
I share interest in QRP and SOTA - www.sota.org.uk - ) an offer of 3 
laser pointers for 3 USD (at www.ledshoppe.com). Those are declared to 
be 5mW/2mile red lasers, so we started rambling about attempting a SOTA 
Mile-Per-Watt laser record with a minimalist RTX.

I've read through the 2006 archives and quickly glanced at the FAQ and 
other webpages. I have a few questions, that have certainly already been 
answered elsewhere. Please point us to the right direction.

I understand photodetectors from CDROM drives are not good for long 
distance because of their small capture surface. How about those built 
into VCRs? All my samples are in black containers, so perhaps they're 
not for visible light? IR? Are they any good if combined with a red laser?
I have seen OPT202 for a reasonable price, but had not the chance to see 
a datasheet. How about these detectors? Should I wait for those 
mentioned on previous posts (xx1 or xx3)?

About the receiver, is it better with FET/BJT or some op-amp arrangment? 
Any "beginner" circuit to start with?

Thank you in advance for your answers,
Paolo ZYW

-- 
| www.paolocravero.tk +  IQRP #476  + skype://pcravero  |
| SpamAssassin-based email antispam/antivirus solutions |
\     Italian/English-to/from-Croatian translations    /