Laser Christmas lights and FAA

[VeryBumpy 272]

I'm rather shocked this product was allowed to be sold in the USA.

 

Going to have TONS of errant laser light shooting in the sky now.

 

[michal 44]

It is a very low power laser. Imagine people/dogs walking/looking through the lights (residents of this very house?) - they would be much more in danger than some pilot, in fact people report no ill effects. By the way it is not question what's available on the market, you can get yourself a real powerful laser, it is legal, what is forbidden is aiming it at pilots. Use this product for what it was designed and no pilot will be in danger.

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

I'm rather shocked this product was allowed to be sold in the USA.

 

Going to have TONS of errant laser light shooting in the sky

Here in Dallas, a few days ago an Alaska Airline pilot reported a laser strike to KDFW tower when he was on approach and coming in over Keller. They sent police to investigate and it turned out to be laser Christmas decorations on his house that pointed into the sky. They made him turn them off due to being in the KDFW approach path, and of course he was not citied as it was not intentional.

[Chris Crawford 49]

The "I'm too lazy to decorate my house" lights!!

[VeryBumpy 272]

Being AC powered, I wonder of the individual light dot milliwatt value? 5 milliwatts or more is considered dangerous to the eye for more than a few seconds; they are usually the button cell battery pointers. The AA and AA or greater laser pointers are usually definitely above 5 milliwatts.

[spesimen 135]

Being AC powered, I wonder of the individual light dot milliwatt value? 5 milliwatts or more is considered dangerous to the eye for more than a few seconds; they are usually the button cell battery pointers. The AA and AA or greater laser pointers are usually definitely above 5 milliwatts.

 

poking around i saw one vendor that uses 100mw lasers and another that uses 20-30mw. 

 

i don't know if breaking it into 20 dots makes it less than 5mw per each, or how that math works exactly.

 

cheers

-andy crosby

[n4gix 4,947]

Being AC powered, I wonder of the individual light dot milliwatt value?

I can assure you that the household AC is converted to low voltage and low amperage DC. The problem is caused when folks don't aim the projector properly, or someone has moved the aim deliberately.

[michal 44]

 I wonder of the individual light dot milliwatt value?

Less than 1 mW. Also those laser "beams" get diffused much sooner than in a normal "true" laser - there is practically nothing left from those individual dots after 800 feet. Some people even use them to illuminate interior of their homes - including bedrooms where their children sleep (I am not saying it is very wise) - clearly they pose zero danger to any pilot flying higher than at tree top level.

[ubersu 78]

The folks across the street have these - they're dimmer than regular lights. No complaints from the local airport that is a mile from here...

 

DJ