Nightvision help

Moderators: gds, bakerjw, renegade

Klem
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:07 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Klem »

I agree with the other guys...if you're going night vision then get the best or not at all.

You can shoot night vision a couple of ways. The more affordable solution is to have the NVD mounted behind the aiming aid (Aimpoint or EOTech). You end up with tunnel vision but it works, especially for static shooting. If you want to mount an NVD in front of the scope then prepare to mortgage your house.

Another way is to helmet-mount your NVD and use an IR laser on the gun. It doesn't have to be a ballistic helmet, a simple Stack-Hat will do. This is much more comfortable than constantly swinging your weapon around to see. Your head swings around and when you are ready to fire use the laser, or unclip the NVD and mount behind the Aimpoint to take the shot. An Aimpoint Twist Mount on the gun behind the Aimpoint, using a GG&G twist-mount on the PVS14 works nicely. It doesn't interfere with the helmet J Arm so you can have it on the PVS 14 helmet mounted.

You really need an IR illuminator to be able to see and identify more if going this route. Gen III technology is the go, and anything less...is less.

All this is going to set you back several thousand dollars.

Then there is thermal...another mortgage on your house.

A much cheaper way is to use daytime optics. The poor man's night vision is to use a pair of daytime binoculars with an exit pupil of at least 7mm. Something like a 7*50mm. That is the objective 50mm divided by the magnification 7 = 7mm exit pupil). The human eye expands from 3.5mm to 7mm at night so anything more is a waste, and anything less will only be max resolution during daytime. Binoculars magnify the ambient light just the same as they do what you are looking at (which is the same when you think about it). Couple your binoculars with a white light torch that you can control while ready to shoot. Identify the potential bacon bandits with binos in the dark, then switch on the torch at the last second to finalise the shot.

"Surprise!"

"Oink!" (translation, "NNNNOOOOOOOOO").
Seventyfivefj40
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 417
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2013 6:03 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Seventyfivefj40 »

Factory PVS 14 prices are falling.....
SICARII Night Vision LLC
Excelis Night Enforcer Authorized Reseller/Morovision Night Vision Authorized Dealer
User avatar
mj36639
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 296
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:47 am

Re: Nightvision help

Post by mj36639 »

Simrad KN-203FAB
User avatar
pruhdlr
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 350
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:31 pm
Location: Cantonment,Florida

Re: Nightvision help

Post by pruhdlr »

Depending on how dedicated of a night hunter you are....... ----> THERMAL !!

Mine is a ATN ThOR 3X 60hz. It stands alone on top of my AR/Bison 6.8SPCII. BUT.....!..... I HUNT !! --- pruhdlr
Why just dance when you can "rock and roll".
STONER 63A / XM177E2
Klem
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:07 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Klem »

Seventyfivefj40 wrote:Factory PVS 14 prices are falling.....
How so?

Just checked TNVC and Optics Planet. They are the same price they've been for the last ten years.
Dochartaigh
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 263
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:30 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Dochartaigh »

You can pick-up a gen 3 tube (non auto-gated) for $1,000 (as of 10 months ago, still during the panic) , and an AB systems complete housing for $675 = $1675 for complete gen 3 night vision...pretty darn cheap. Sure beats the ~$2,950 TNVS charges.

Granted it wouldn't be auto-gated, that would be $500 more (and you kinda need that with the AB systems housing since it doesn't have a gain dial like PVS-14 bodies do), but that's still a good compromise on price/performance.
Klem
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:07 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Klem »

Where do you purchase these $1K tubes?

Is it difficult to upgrade a PVS14 housing with an older non auto-gated tube? I have an older PVS14 with manual gain and have wondered how much of an improvement a newer auto-gate would be.

I have heard thin-film auto-gate tubes don't last as long as the earlier non auto-gate GenIII tubes...Is that true?

What do you think of the AB systems housing compared to the PVS14?
Dochartaigh
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 263
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:30 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Dochartaigh »

Klem wrote:Where do you purchase these $1K tubes? .................
To find a $1K tube I literally sat down and called about 20-30 different night vision companies (including emailing another 30+ when I couldn't find a phone number). Even messaged the guys on eBay who had currently and previously posted 10160 Gen III N.V. tubes on eBay. Found 3 guys selling non-gated for $950, 1000, and 1100 if my memory serves...I decided to pay $500 more for the gated type which I think was worth the money (and was even 2-500 cheaper than what similar units were going for at the time).

The earlier thin-film tubes didn't last long (think the non-existent, or "super thin" type was called Gen IV by some people and was fragile, especially with recoil), but the new thin-film ones seem to have the same life as normal.

For the AB Systems housing, I've only played with a couple of my friends real PVS-14's and see no difference with my AB unit (and to be honest the tube/ANVIS optics I received seem clearer than some of theirs). With an auto-gated tube I've never felt like I needed to pump up or turn down the gain so I don't miss having that adjustment. Even car headlights don't blind me, and as long as there's some starts in the sky overhead I can always see through the night vision (and the built-in, much-higher lumen IR light the AB unit has, although ringy as hell since it's just a bare LED, has always helped in a pinch when there's not enough ambient light around to see by).

...so basically, to be honest, I don't have enough experience to compare the two, but have never noticed a difference between my limited use (less than 10 hours) of regular PVS-14's and my AB systems....when comparing the money difference I never look back (and at the time you also got double the battery life with the AB, for the same weight as a regular PVS-14. PVS-14's then switched to the single AA system so they're the same now, but that was an added bonus at the time.
Klem
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:07 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Klem »

Thanks, interesting.

What do you use as an illuminator (other than the IR LED in the device)? I was thinking of getting the Laser Designs SPIR because of its focusable ability and high power (600mW).

Shooting with just the PVS14 is often difficult on a dark night or when game is under tree canopy
Dochartaigh
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 263
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:30 pm

Re: Nightvision help

Post by Dochartaigh »

I have a DBAL -I2 which actually lights up the target pretty darn good inside...but outside (just playing around, my range closes at dusk) my illumination is either a Surefire M620V vampire light, or an Inforce WML white/IR light (mostly played around with off the gun when camping/etc.)

Check out TNVC's own illuminators; they're supposed to be great, super far range, and not too expensive (think they might be focusable as well but not positive).

If you ever have the chance to pick-up something like a PEQ-2A (or the newer models), grab it. The illumination on those is crazy (just be very careful with the 50mw laser...that scared me it was so bright and I didn't want to go blind over time from the laser reflecting off objects...although that was probably a pretty far-fetched possibility).
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 55 guests