Junior Member
I'm so excited for this! I'd definitely be interested in helping setup too!
Bradfo69 thank you for the all the info! I see you are based in DE which isn't too far from me. I'm in VA. I'd love to link up with you sometime before then and see some of your shows in person or if you need any help for a show and it's reasonable for me to make it.
Junior Member
Do you know if LSO courses be offered again in 2015? I'm also a member of ILDA joined Nov 2014.
I just looked and I know exactly where you are. It's about 2 hours and 45 minutes away depending on if you're going 66 to DC and north or, 340 up through Berry (pronounced "burry" with southern drawl) ville, and up through Harpers Ferry to I-70. I dated a girl who ended up going to Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music so I have made that trip countless times. Plus, going to SELEM in the first place, I come I-66 to I-81 south. Anyway, yes, I've had several visitors to "the playground" and you're more than welcome. We've talked about trying to host a LEM here but, it's nearly impossible to do on a weekend since I'm booked more than a year out most of the time and I can't financially justify to the owners turning away our normal weddings and such, to have a bunch of laser geeks come hang out. I need unemployed friends who can come hang out on a Tuesday!
As far as the LSO course, it depends on two factors. One is whether Greg Makov can make it to teach it and second is having enough people sign up for it to make it worth while for him to come. We've been lucky the past three (four?) years and it's worked out. Very, very worthwhile day. Worth paying for and if you go to SELEM, you'll secretly feel a little superior to everyone else when all our sorry asses have to head home and you get to still stay and keep taking about lasers. Yeah, we're jealous. The biggest thing is, do not be discouraged if you don't pass the first time. You can take it again and it's much easier the second time around. There are a lot of guys with far more laser experience than I have who haven't passed the first time. I didn't know what to expect going in and that was part of my problem so, I've tried to make sure I've given new people an idea of what to expect since it helps your chances. The test itself is completely open book, open notes, open internet you can use whatever reference you want to try and find the right answers. They're more concerned that you know how to FIND the information you need. The questions can be just a bit tricky and sometimes you have to realize that some aspect of the question isn't right, in order to give the right answer.
Senior Member
Is the LSO course easier or harder than the PADI SCUBA open water course and test?
Junior Member
OH WOW!!! That's really not that far. I think you're closer to me than if I wanted to go to the beach. In fact I could meet pretty much any Tuesday as all my work is production work on weekends. Very rarely do I have a wedding to DJ or some other corporate function for lighting/video/or lasers during the week.
The only safety training I've had and completed is an online course from Kentek. The LSO course is definitely the next step for me.
On a good day, I can hit Harpers Ferry in an hour and forty five but, that's rolling pretty good.
PADI versus LSO. The LSO test is unquestionably harder than the PADI exam however, the confined water and open water physical stuff towards getting certified blows LSO away. At least with LSO your sitting in an air conditioned hotel conference room in the comfort of your own cloths. Greg isn't going to turn off your air supply at depth or make you put on or take off a BDC while bobbing around in 3 foot seas hoping you don't slip under and suck up a gallon of saltwater.
Great SELEM info, Brad! Thanks for taking care of that. For the record, I'm currently out of town doing some groundwater sampling for a client, so my Internet access is spotty.
Hank: The ILDA LSO class is no joke. You'll want to study beforehand and take good notes during the course. It's hard enough that even though the test is open-book (well, open-note anyway) and you can use your laptop to google things, there is still about a 20% failure rate. Then again, being a laser safety officer is serious business, so the final exam reflects that seriousness.
That being said, I think you would do well in the course. Len has posted a study guide of sorts (basic list of definitions to memorize in advance, plus some web resources to study before the class). I would definitely look over that material first. If it makes sense to you and you can follow what is being presented in Len's sources, then you'll probably be just fine in the LSO class.
But if you look over some of that stuff and it makes no sense, then I would wait to take the LSO course until you've had time to bone up on the basics. At a minimum you should understand how divergence and irradiance are related; how to calculate beam diameter given the initial beam diameter, the divergence, and a distance; what MPE stands for, how it is measured, and what the limit is; have a general understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum and how wavelength affects the properties of various kinds of electromagnetic radiation; have a good understanding of the various structures of the human eye, including what each part does; and finally be capable of solving simple algebraic equations. (Re-arrange to solve for a single variable.)
Adam
Senior Member
I know I'll be there. Can't wait to see all you wonderful people again!
Barring loss of life or limb...
Sorry about your current situation, Hak. Hope things change for the better in the coming months!
Needs moar photons
ya I was falling asleep at the table lolOriginally Posted by Bradfo69
was a hell of an event!
110 days left until I pack the van/truck whatever. Can't come soon enough. At least that's 2 days shorter than from New Years Day until now.
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