Line of Sight Laser Question

My company has tasked me with verifying that we have clear line of sight in between two points at distances ranging from 2-5 miles and possibly up to 13 miles if possible. My thought is to shoot a laser from one location and photograph that laser from the other with a camera that also captures location, heading, etc.

First off is this doable with a laser and if so what laser is recommended to accomplish this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Assuming this is for point to point radio comms?

Why not just look to see if you can see the other site? Use a pair of binoculars if you need to?

You also need a clear fresnel zone if it's radio.

For microwave transmission. They want photographic evidence of the clear line.

oldnomad said:

For microwave transmission. They want photographic evidence of the clear line.

Click to expand...

Then one of those cheap green laser pens from eBay should work. Get some of those cheap red laser goggles too just to be safe.

You won't be able to see the spot, but if you look in the direction of where the laser is coming from it should still be very bright (do this with a camera or with goggles on).

You do not need to see the line, just the output dot of laser should be sufficient. However it will be quite hard to align at such a distance. Maybe you can use something like telescopic sight or telescope finder with cross inside attached to the laser to align it to desired point. Regarding the color 532 nm green should be sufficient. Just as mentioned by H2Oxide - use protection of eyes/camera, as it might be dangerous to look with optical instruments - especially in direction to source.

oldnomad said:

My company has tasked me with verifying that we have clear line of sight in between two points at distances ranging from 2-5 miles and possibly up to 13 miles if possible. My thought is to shoot a laser from one location and photograph that laser from the other with a camera that also captures location, heading, etc.

First off is this doable with a laser and if so what laser is recommended to accomplish this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

First thought. You can use binoculars or a spotting scope to make this determination.

Somethings to consider if you decide to use a laser.
What wavelength will you be using? Visible or infra-red?
Power output? Above five milliwatts?
What time of day will this test be done? Day or night?

Questions to start with . Do you have locations already determined? If so, do the distant locations meet the requirements to run this test? Are they public or private locations?