So, who does point at the sky? (or, what are your own rules? / The Rules of Lasing)

[Razako]

Is it bad to shine a laser out into falling snow? I wonder if the snowflakes could be a reflection hazard.

 

[Comander Shepard]

I go by a simple set of rules.
I point in any direction that is not occupied by a vehicle of any kind, or a animal/person with no "eyes" on.
If i'm sky pointing I look for nav lights and listen for engine noises. If i see or hear any of these things i wait for an hour of so to make sure the plane is either gone or out of range.
High power lasers are very much like firearms for me, in that the safe hendling rules are very much similar.
Both are a lot of fun as long as you are not a knob about it.

 

[robertkoa]

I am thinking of a few 5mw pointers in Blue Direct and 515nm and 532.

Range is 2 miles on the Blue with a visible beam and 5 miles on the Greens with a visible beam...visible beams are not the full 2 and 5 miles I assume.

But this company uses the same Lasers for the Military( same 5 milliwatts same Diodes and lenses -Iraq, Afghanistan etc etc.) ( Z- Bolt ) so I assume they are very well engineered with glass lenses etc. They are honest rated with ¤ IR Filters and constant duty rugged ...not the cheapo fountain pen ones..( though some of theirs are in that shape...not these).
¤ I think IR Filters even on the Direct 515nm ( Osram ?) and direct Blue Diode ( Nichia ?) Models.

Advantage is I can use carefully with no goggles.

Also - BIG QUESTION.
What about off axis visibility?
Will these be invisible to a Pilot in another direction far off axis 5 to 10 miles away ?

A plane I don't see or hear ?

I have read a lot of reports that the visible Beam does not stop where it appears to but goes to a lower brightness in different layers of Atmosphere but can be visible still ?

Off axis viewing of Beam only is what I mean, I am aware of the actual 'Dot' possibly going 20 miles ( hopefully not).

So specifically IF I point at a cloud ...can a bored Pilot see it 8 miles away off Axis and report it ? [ which can then be misconstrued as " in his flight path" ]

Will I get a LOT of protection with only 5 milliwatts since it will NOT be visible far off Axis ?

I have a cheap 7 watt Cree LED Zoom which seems to hit low clouds because the beam is focused with small die high Candela...I am even careful with that but a Laser even 5 milliwatts is a different thing.

So this is a great thread...just the info I need to be safe from exaggerated Reports.

I know I won't point at any cars planes or People even with 5 milliwatts BUT am worried about over reporting etc.

Great if off axis people can only see the dot and Dot only on Clouds or Rigel 7 etc.

Feedback ?

So with high humidity ..how far can a good Astrological Type 5mw Green be seen off axis by 20 degrees to 90 degrees?

Is it just Rayleigh scattering or is there some other way a bored Pilot might see the beam wayyyy across the Horizon even at 5 milliwatts ? Humid Air etc. ?

° These 5 milliwatt Lasers are I think very well engineered and APC regulated so not to be confused with 5 milliwatt Lasers which are unfocused ..different power every day ( lol)- I have never owned a Laser but have been reading and many Lasers are different every day when checked on a Power Meter- right?

Not important IF it's 100 milliwatts and fluctuates between 97 mw and 108mw -

BUT if it's 5 milliwatts and ranges from 4.6mw to 9mw- THAT could be a problem.....

So many Reviews and so many Videos and so many Articles - But almost NO even informal tests of Laser Visibility off Axis in ' Humid Air....' Desert Air'...Videos of Star Pointers in use - no.

Visibility from one Ship to another ?No.
Visibility over Ocean ? No.

Etc. etc .
I know what you will say ...
Too many variables- the Variables are what I would like to see.

 

[RedCowboy]

Be very careful if you chose to point to the sky, it is illegal within 10 miles of an airport without a variance, so you can get in trouble.
So if you see an airplane anywhere then don't.
Even if an aircraft is way to the left, do not think it's ok to point right, just wait until it's clear.
Stop, look and listen before you point to the sky, take no chances, stay away from the tree line where an aircraft could pop over suddenly.

OBEY ALL LAWS!

 

[Razako]

I am thinking of a few 5mw pointers in Blue Direct and 515nm and 532.

Range is 2 miles on the Blue with a visible beam and 5 miles on the Greens with a visible beam...visible beams are not the full 2 and 5 miles I assume.

But this company uses the same Lasers for the Military( same 5 milliwatts same Diodes and lenses -Iraq, Afghanistan etc etc.) ( Z- Bolt ) so I assume they are very well engineered with glass lenses etc. They are honest rated with ¤ IR Filters and constant duty rugged ...not the cheapo fountain pen ones..( though some of theirs are in that shape...not these).
¤ I think IR Filters even on the Direct 515nm ( Osram ?) and direct Blue Diode ( Nichia ?) Models.

Advantage is I can use carefully with no goggles.

Also - BIG QUESTION.
What about off axis visibility?
Will these be invisible to a Pilot in another direction far off axis 5 to 10 miles away ?

A plane I don't see or hear ?

I have read a lot of reports that the visible Beam does not stop where it appears to but goes to a lower brightness in different layers of Atmosphere but can be visible still ?

Off axis viewing of Beam only is what I mean, I am aware of the actual 'Dot' possibly going 20 miles ( hopefully not).

So specifically IF I point at a cloud ...can a bored Pilot see it 8 miles away off Axis and report it ? [ which can then be misconstrued as " in his flight path" ]

Will I get a LOT of protection with only 5 milliwatts since it will NOT be visible far off Axis ?

I have a cheap 7 watt Cree LED Zoom which seems to hit low clouds because the beam is focused with small die high Candela...I am even careful with that but a Laser even 5 milliwatts is a different thing.

So this is a great thread...just the info I need to be safe from exaggerated Reports.

I know I won't point at any cars planes or People even with 5 milliwatts BUT am worried about over reporting etc.

Great if off axis people can only see the dot and Dot only on Clouds or Rigel 7 etc.

Feedback ?

So with high humidity ..how far can a good Astrological Type 5mw Green be seen off axis by 20 degrees to 90 degrees?

Is it just Rayleigh scattering or is there some other way a bored Pilot might see the beam wayyyy across the Horizon even at 5 milliwatts ? Humid Air etc. ?

° These 5 milliwatt Lasers are I think very well engineered and APC regulated so not to be confused with 5 milliwatt Lasers which are unfocused ..different power every day ( lol)- I have never owned a Laser but have been reading and many Lasers are different every day when checked on a Power Meter- right?

Not important IF it's 100 milliwatts and fluctuates between 97 mw and 108mw -

BUT if it's 5 milliwatts and ranges from 4.6mw to 9mw- THAT could be a problem.....

So many Reviews and so many Videos and so many Articles - But almost NO even informal tests of Laser Visibility off Axis in ' Humid Air....' Desert Air'...Videos of Star Pointers in use - no.

Visibility from one Ship to another ?No.
Visibility over Ocean ? No.

Etc. etc .
I know what you will say ...
Too many variables- the Variables are what I would like to see.

5mw pointers? There's no way you'd have much side visibility of the beam at all.

 

[robertkoa]

5mw pointers? There's no way you'd have much side visibility of the beam at all.

So IF I was pointing at a Cloud a plane 5 miles away and off Axis could not see the Beam..?

 

[Razako]

So IF I was pointing at a Cloud a plane 5 miles away and off Axis could not see the Beam..?

Absolutely no chance of it. IDK if they'd even be able to see the beam of a 1 watt laser from the side if they were 5 miles away. With a 5mw pointer unless you're pointing at, or right around a nearby plane I doubt they'd ever see anything.

 

[RedCowboy]

I wont be point at any constellations, there are loitering drones from what I have read, I will look for the article, lasers and rc toys are grounded.

 

[Razako]

I wont be point at any constellations, there are loitering drones from what I have read, I will look for the article, lasers and rc toys are grounded.

What about drones? Are you referring to hitting a drone with your laser, or suggesting that government drones are spying on all of us?