[Laser] 5 mw laser transceiver kit

[n5gui at cox.net]

---- Chris L <vocalion1928 at hotmail.com> wrote: 
> 
> 
> ...why do people persist with lasers for atmospheric optical communication?
> 

Perhaps for the same reason that some people talk on amateur radio in an age of cell phones.

I think that lasers will find a niche, just as Morse Code and QRP have found theirs in today's world.  They do not compete head to head, or even in the same arena as hi-fi voice or kilowatt linears.

I was asked one time why I took a horseback trip into the Sierras.  There were equally majestic places accessible by road vehicle much faster and easier.  For that matter, there were places similarly remote.  I could have gone the same places at less expense, and for me personally more comfortable, on foot.  In each case, the experience is different, and the enjoyment of one does not interfer with those who choose to persue another.  So long as there is reasonable accomodation and co-existence, I feel that it is wrong to judge any as good or bad.  As for going on the horseback trip, the real reason is I went with someone who loved horses and who wanted to prove to herself that she could do it with her horses.

Maybe the comparison is better made with music or art.  Some still play musical instruments when better sound comes from an MP3 player.  Some still paint with a brush when better images come from a computer printer that reproduces what was captured by a digital camera.  Some people like jazz and seascape, while others prefer rock and portrait.

I don't know why people do the things that they do.  As long as they are not hurting anyone else, and in particular not preventing me from doing or enjoying what I want to do, I really don't much care why they do it, or even if they are doing it.

As for me, I would like to see a contest to build a hand held light communication system that could be pointed like a 6 D cell flashlight, and be about as rugged, with a range similar to how far the flashlight spot can be seen on a cloud or white building on a dark night.  ( I am not sure how far that is, but I guess it is less than five miles. )  The cost should be low enough that I could build two dozen of them for less than $500 for use by Boy Scouts or similar youth groups.  I would guess that LEDs would win that contest rather than lasers.  That would be my idea, but I didn't post the start of this thread.  

It is a nice idea.  But maybe not a good as someone else's idea.


James
 n5gui