[Rhodes22-list] New Toy

[Steve]

Interesting toy, Roger and Happy Birthday.
Steve

--- Roger Pihlaja <cen09402 at centurytel.net> wrote:

> Hi Everybody,
> 
> Well, I recently had my 51st birthday.  My family &
> relatives all gave me Cabela's gift certificates
> this year plus I already had a couple more gift
> certificates.  I decided to order an Osprey Laser
> Rangefinder.  The thing that caught my eye about
> this model is the phenomenal 1600 yard (0.91 statute
> mile) range against a reflective target!  It also
> has a built-in 7X50 binocular.  This combination of
> features should make it useful as a navigational
> tool.  Most targets of interest on the water are
> considered "reflective" , i.e. another boat, a buoy
> or day mark, a lighthouse, water tower, or other
> landmark.  It should be possible to determine a
> position fix from a single landmark by shooting a
> compass bearing & ranging the distance with the
> Osprey.  There are many situations on the water
> where there are not multiple landmarks available to
> triangulate a position fix.  It would be better if
> the Osprey had a built-in bearing compass. But, I
> don't mind having to take two separate measurements
> when it gives me more options to determine an
> accurate position fix without GPS.  With a distance
> ranging accuracy of +/- 1 yard, my new Osprey
> rangefinder should also be useful in racing
> situations or any other time when you'd like to know
> whether you are slowly closing the distance with
> boat up ahead.
> 
> The Osprey also has a 5 - 1000 mph speed measurement
> function.  It's sort of a civilian version of a
> police laser speed gun.  It doesn't use the doppler
> effect like police radar speed guns use.  Instead it
> computes speed from the change in consecutive
> distance measurements along with a built-in time
> base.  I've used it with my inflatable sport dingy
> against a stationary target to determine the top
> speed was 19 mph with only me aboard.  However, the
> accuracy & resolution is not sufficient for
> detecting the tiny speed differences between racing
> sailboats, especially when the Osprey is on a moving
> boat shooting another moving boat.  Assuming I ever
> get another engineering job, I can envision
> work-related applications for remotely measuring
> line speeds or machine speeds in places that are
> inaccessible due to high temperature, tight machine
> clearances, or other hazards.  Other applications
> may come to mind after I've played with my new toy
> for awhile.  It's intriguing to have the capability
> to measure velocity remotely.
> 
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium    
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