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Night Vision For Beginners: An Introduction (PT 3 Added)

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  • CouchOperator
    Veteran Member
    • May 2016
    • 4353

    Night Vision For Beginners: An Introduction (PT 3 Added)

    INTROCommon Terms:
    NVG: Night Vision Goggle
    NOD: Night Observation Device
    Monocular: A single tube NOD designed for the use of only one eye
    Duals: Generally a two monocular system used with both eyes.
    DBAL: Dual Beam Aiming Laser
    ATPIAL: Advanced Target Pointer/Illuminator Aiming Laser
    Class C / Class 1: C refers to Commercial, which falls under the FDA power output legal for NEW civilian purchase. Generally eye safe, however I will expand upon this later.
    Restricted: A laser device with an output that the FDA has deemed non-eye safe
    Tube: Refers to the intensifier tube inside the goggle.
    PVS: Passive Vision Sight

    USESMisconceptionsThe Foundation: The Helmet.
    Most people are not used to wearing several pounds of gear on their head. It is for this reason that especially in the beginning, I cannot stress buying a quality helmet with a suspension system enough. Good helmets on the market include Team Wendy, Ops Core, MTEK, and Crye. Team Wendy and Ops Core both utilize a tightening ratchet system that evenly snugs down around your head. What this does for you is allow your chinstrap to not be ran as tight, and is more stable. Stability adds to comfort for extended wear. People get in the weeds about ballistic vs bump. I use a vented Team Wendy bump due to the ventilation, adding comfort during hours of use. MTEK is relatively new on the market, however they have good feedback and Team Wendy and Ops Core both sell suspension inserts should you find the desire to make the modification. Regarding the Crye Airframe, it is an odd duck in the ballistic market as it has a rear-top ventilation cut. Do not skimp on the helmet with a protec. While serviceable, you will regret it as soon as you try a TW or Ops Core.
    BOA suspension closure on the rear of the Team Wendy:



    The Shroud:


    The shroud is the next piece of the puzzle. It is a rather flat plate interface that mounts to the front of the helmet via one or three screws. These can be purchased in a combo deal with mounts. Never drill into a ballistic helmet, though most should come pre drilled for shrouds. Confirm the helmet hole pattern matches the pattern of the shroud.
    While this is an integrated shroud, most will be mounted via screws.

    Example of a 3 Hole shroud:


    Pre-Drilled 3 Hole Pattern:



    The Mount:

    This is the hinged part that deploys or stows your NVG. Most people starting out go with the Rhino II, however Norotos and Wilcox have definite advantages. With mounts, your differences will generally be Force to Overcome or a button engagement. I prefer the button engagement on the G24, however the Rhino II and Wilcox G11 Force to Overcome mounts have served many people well. While mounts can get very expensive, keep in mind it is responsible for holding a rather expensive piece of hardware. Regarding the last major differences, you have Bayonet Horn (Rhino II, G11, etc) and Dovetail (Wilcox G24, Norotos INVG, etc.). These are the different designs in which the J-Arm will click and engage into the mount. It is the most common point for separating the monocular from the mount. The mount is where the height, angle, and distance from eye will be set and fit to your head

    Wilcox G24:


    Dovetail next to dovetail J Arm


    A Wilcox G11. Note the added depth of the bayonet mount engagement compared to the above dovetail.

    Last edited by CouchOperator; 08-09-2017, 11:59 PM.
  • #2
    CouchOperator
    Veteran Member
    • May 2016
    • 4353

    The J-Arm:

    The J Arm will almost always be married to the body of the pvs-14 via a screw. While good to check the tightness of the screw pre-use, generally you will not have an issue. The other end of the J Arm clicks into the mount via a bayonet mount or dovetail. I use a Wilcox j-arm in the dovetail variety. Dovetail is a bit more stable and is a lower profile and lighter package. More surface area contact between the dovetail and the mount is what creates this stability, and the wilcox J Arm is made of a much stronger polymer compared to the USGI bayonet arms and the user generally experiences less flex.
    Installed:





    Example of a USGI bayonet J Arm




    The Counterweight:

    The last piece to a relatively complete setup for wear is the counterweight. While everyone will have preferences, a counterweight will increase comfort by providing a rear balance to all the weight at the front of the helmet. I use an EOG 1.5 lb counterweight.




    Things to Expect and Do in the Beginning:

    One of the most immediate hurdles when first using a NVG is the lack of depth perception and close up detail. It is quite odd, but the feeling will pass the more you use it. Walk around your home, do small chores, walk outside, and generally try to live in it for an hour a night. You will also feel restricted at first by its 40 degree field of view, but turning your head to look around you constantly will go a long way. Everything up close will be blurry as you generally want to focus the NOD to infinity, however just like walking around, you will eventually get used to it. Practice installing/changing batteries on all your devices in the dark by feel, as well as changing modes on whatever devices you have on your gun. Certain products on the market exist such as Refocus lenses, however they aren’t necessary. Once you have spent time in it for a bit and walk at a regular pace take it outside and start walking on uneven terrain.



    Shooting:


    Ah, yes, waging the weekend war on paper and steel. You have now become comfortable maintaining situational awareness and movement, so now lets step into hitting a bullseye in total darkness. What do you need?
    The most recommended way to go about this is a weapon mounted laser/illuminator. The top two I can recommend as of now are the DBAL A3 and the ATPIAL C. Both are civilian legal, and while more expensive than the i2 will give you the optimum setup for 120 yards and in. The i2 and the OTAL are rather limiting in that you will need an external IR illuminator such as a Surefire Vampire, and while the combination will give you the same results, it is a much more complicated and bulky setup. It is extremely important that you have activation and deactivation of the illuminator and the laser simultaneously. It is awkward and ill advised to have them running off of separate activation buttons. The illuminator will essentially act like a flashlight that only you can see. It is meant to illuminate targets at distance. Regarding laser safety, treat lasers just like a firearm. This should not be too difficult as we should already have a solid foundation in muzzle awareness/safety.
    There are a couple accepted ways to zero your IR laser. One being constant offset in that the laser is zeroed in a manner in which the bullet will fly parallel to the beam for the entire distance of the shot. Example: On an A3, the laser is offset to the right of the bore. In order to make a hit on the center of a playing card, one would put the laser on the upper right corner in order to inflict a center hit on the card. Elevation will still be taken into account. The other method is zeroing your laser to the optics zero at 100. While I am exaggerating to make a point, the key to remember here is that within 100 yards, impact will be to the left of the laser, and past 100 it will start to impact to the right of the laser as the streams cross. Pick the method you are comfortable and try it out.
    Slaved lasers such as the A3 and ATPIAL C are extremely beneficial for zeroing as you do not need to be under NOD’s to zero the laser. Using the visible to zero during dusk, your IR will also be zeroed within a click or two. Shoot to confirm under nods.


    This is my ATPIAL-C. It is a Class 1 laser/illuminator. As you can see, both lasers are offset to the right of the bore, and the illuminator is on the left. The center fire button activates Laser and Illuminator simultaneously.



    Here is an OTAL-C. It doesnt have an illuminator, therefore an external Surefire Vampire must be used to accomplish the same task, in a less efficient manner.




    Regarding how to shoot, due to the monocular being in the front of your face, a traditional cheekweld will not be possible. You will sink the gun low in the pocket of your shoulder and look over the rifle looking for the laser as your aiming reference. For a right handed shooter, I recommend running the monocular over the left eye to reduce any chance of a traffic jam between the rifle and the monocular, as well as leaving your normal shooting eye ready to drop behind the day optic should white light be desired/required.

    Safety note:

    Furthermore, if you use an ACOG or other magnified optic, be advised that laser bounce back can cause the beam to be intensified by your optic and may venture into unsafe levels when coming out the back end of the optic, especially within typical home distances. This is one reason i can only recommend shooting lasers in momentary. IR lasers will not register to your brain that damage is being done, and you wont know eye damage has occurred until it is too late. Ensure you are aware of all mirrors in your home and practice smart laser discipline.


    Random Closing Thoughts

    On a budget, places like Nightgoggles.com have good gen 2+ options for a fraction of the gen 3. While these will not be to the same level as Gen 3, they will fullfill 90% of the duties that gen 3 will. I cannot stress staying away from Gen 1 enough. If you are considering a cheap unit at around $1,000 you are better served putting the money into a 600+ lumen weaponlight should your purposes mostly lean toward use around a firearm. Be extremely careful purchasing NVG on ebay or secondhand, and always get a spec sheet. If you feel any level of discomfort about the seller, run away. Stolen NOD's are all too common and you must be overly cautious when purchasing secondhand. Regarding lasers, counterfeits and airsoft copies are all too common. Purchase from a reputable source and learn how to identify real from fake. It can save you from making a $1000-1300+ mistake.

    I hope this will give you a basic idea of what to keep in mind and helps you begin your journey. Any questions feel free to ask, and if I remember details I may have left out I will come back and edit.
    Others are more than welcome to insert feedback and/or constructive criticism.

    Thank you.
    -The Couch


    PART 2 CAN BE FOUND A FEW POSTS DOWN
    Last edited by CouchOperator; 03-23-2017, 3:56 AM.

    Comment

    • #3
      lazyworm
      Senior Member
      • Jan 2006
      • 1637

      good read! Upvote for sticky.

      Comment

      • #4
        GimpsUnlimited
        Senior Member
        • Aug 2013
        • 1651

        Awesome read. Thanks for taking your time to write it up for us noobs.

        Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk
        Lifetime NRA member.
        --------------------------
        Molon labe

        Comment

        • #5
          naaack
          Member
          • Oct 2016
          • 199

          Good read indeed. Thanks!

          Comment

          • #6
            CouchOperator
            Veteran Member
            • May 2016
            • 4353

            Part 2

            Taking Care of and General Use with the PVS14

            The PVS14 can handle a bit more than you think, but at the end of the day they aren't nearly as durable as Aimpoints. I treat my PVS14 with more care than anything else gun related i own. The intensifier tube will always be the weak link, and in the PVS14 it directly contacts the exterior housing, so any shock is directly transferred to the tube. Should one drop theirs onto cement, it is somewhat likely that it may suffer catastrophic damage. Outside of this, they can handle knocks and bumps just fine. Regarding the body, it is the battery housing that is typically the weak link and is fairly easily cracked. It can be replaced with relative ease. Regarding my earlier comment about autogating, it is a good feature to have in your PVS14. If you were to decide to buy one secondhand, with the daylight pinhole cap in place, turn it on with your ear against the housing. You should hear a faint whine as it powers up. Some are quieter than others, it will vary. There is no regular maintenance or servicing required for a PVS14. Tubes are generally rated for 10,000 hours however many go far far longer if taken care of. Back when i first got into it, I observed what appeared to be tails left on the image from headlights in the distance or my IR laser at close ranges, and while i worried that it was harmful, through research i discovered it is normal for high spec tubes. The effects can be mitigated through running the gain low, however it is nothing to worry about. Just dont stare into close lights. You will learn to ignore the normal tails that occur if your tube has a tendency to display them. Regarding manual gain, it is a knob on the front of the housing. This essentially controls how bright the screen is allowed to get and has no affect on the autogating and the unit will still autodim if the sensor picks up too much white light. I typically run my gain rather low as it prevents my unaided eye from being overpowered by the information that my aided eye is receiving from a super bright screen from the NVG. Regarding rain, these units are fully waterproof and i have shot using it in a complete downpour. Two notes: 1. A downpour is one of the only instances where having a vented bump helmet sucks, and 2. Avoid flipping up the monocular as much as possible. When you are soaking wet from head to toe and your main tool to see is pooled with water it is very hard to wipe off the moisture if not completely impossible. In that instance you may be best served transitioning to your white light and day optic.

            My First Experience With Night Vision:

            It was somewhat of a shattering revelation between what i previously expected and what i experienced the first time i put a monocular on. The monocular in question was a TNVC PVS14 OMNI VIII however this would have applied to just about any PVS14. I donned the helmet, killed the lights, turned on the PVS14 and wham. It was jarring. I could see but i felt like i was blind. The lack of depth perception coupled with my brain confused over the contradicting information from each eye was so startling that, even though i could see with one eye, i walked around the kitchen taking baby steps with my hands out in front of me. The kitchen i was in was unfamiliar to me at the time as well, so that certainly didnt help. It was at that moment that my ideas that it was some crazy magical device were shattered and i realized that yes it is in fact just another tool in the toolbox. My preconceived ideas were built up out of excitement for technology i had never used before. A mistake, but i think we are all guilty of creating misguided or false expectations in our head from time to time. It is support equipment, not a primary weapon system. Over time invested doing small activities, walking, and shooting i have gotten far past that stage to where i am now just as comfortable under greenscreen as i am in the daytime; however unless you have a good amount of forewarning beforehand you should not expect to use night vision for home defense (especially since itll take at least a little bit of time just to put the battery in!). NOD's are far more likely and useful to be used as an observational or navigational tool. Dont kid yourself, they can get you killed just as easily as they can help you.

            Thoughts on Cost in Relation to Performance:

            It's often said "You get what you pay for" and this is very true of the firearms industry. But if i had to say there was one area within that giant industry where it rings the truest, its by far with NVG related gear. Proper gear is immensely important, and while it may first seem to be an astronomical amount of money in difference when looking at similar items on a computer screen, the more you spend you are generally getting a far superior and useful product. To further complicate the gear side of things, your rifle must be set up to be optimal and intuitive for use during the day and night using white light just as much as it is under NVG. This can be a challenge at first and will take much trial and error which will require firing tons of live rounds, though some basic ergonomics can be worked out doing dry fire in the home.

            Convincing myself "Ill just upgrade later and get this "cheap" thing for now" led me to waste alot of time and money. I tried to convince myself that the cheaper option would work. They didnt and generally wont ever, at least not in a manner that is ultimately desired. Cheap really isnt cheap, because eventually you end up ordering what you should have originally purchased and instead of spending $1300 on an ATPIAL-C you have now spent $750 on a DBAL i2, realized you need an illuminator so you go out and buy a $300 Surefire Vampire. Then a couple months later you will realize it sucks and you will sell it at a loss for around $600 for the DBAL i2 and maybe $200 for the Surefire Vampire if you are lucky. Now you are out $250 right before spending $1300 to get the ATPIAL-C. You have now spent $1550 to get an ATPIAL-C on your rifle, and will now also waste time and ammo zeroing a new laser. Learn from myself and others and take our advice seriously because we have in fact been there and done that, often with multiple setups and lost money along the way to get where we are.

            Keep in mind its pretty hard to get a good return on this equipment as its an extremely small fraction of shooters who are into night vision. Its a brutal truth but one that must be addressed.

            What Is This Intensifier Tube, and How Does It Work?

            While i have a rough idea about the general method in how it enhances photons, i think it is better to post a photo and a diagram.

            This is an Intensifier Tube:



            Simplified diagram of what happens inside it, not my creation:




            And do not forget Rule #1:

            Always look cool. If you don't look cool, theres no point to any of this
            Last edited by CouchOperator; 03-23-2017, 5:28 AM.

            Comment

            • #7
              av8r
              Member
              • Apr 2014
              • 210

              Very thorough post! Thanks for creating this!!

              Comment

              • #8
                NYT
                CGN/CGSSA Contributor
                CGN Contributor
                • Apr 2011
                • 3811

                well thought out post. i think you should prob delete the TW, team wendy stuff though. or someone here might buy from them not knowing their history. i got rid of my exfil stuff after the hillary clinton BS they pulled. ops-core got my money instead.

                the raging C-bag quite literally leaves our people out to dry in libya and this POS company asks her by for a photo op. after all the backlash, they state their only intention was to help protect our fighting men and women... yeah and HRC has a great history of doing just that.

                Comment

                • #9
                  CouchOperator
                  Veteran Member
                  • May 2016
                  • 4353

                  Originally posted by NYT
                  well thought out post. i think you should prob delete the TW, team wendy stuff though. or someone here might buy from them not knowing their history. i got rid of my exfil stuff after the hillary clinton BS they pulled. ops-core got my money instead.

                  the raging C-bag quite literally leaves our people out to dry in libya and this POS company asks her by for a photo op. after all the backlash, they state their only intention was to help protect our fighting men and women... yeah and HRC has a great history of doing just that.
                  I 100% agree, but the product still stands as quality. If someone finds one used and no money goes to TW, then i cant knick em. Im pre hillary owners club lol

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    NYT
                    CGN/CGSSA Contributor
                    CGN Contributor
                    • Apr 2011
                    • 3811

                    Originally posted by CouchOperator
                    I 100% agree, but the product still stands as quality. If someone finds one used and no money goes to TW, then i cant knick em. Im pre hillary owners club lol
                    yeah but they had the same owners since they started selling their equipment. the owners that would rather kiss HRCs *** than stand for their clientele. i just checked ebay to see if there was any TW stuff, looks like nothing much other than some stuff selling outside the US.

                    the fact theyre still pimping pics of pat rogers after their betrayal makes me sick. i took a class of his in virginia with a few friends, he was an awesome man and Marine who i doubt would have stood for their ****.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      CouchOperator
                      Veteran Member
                      • May 2016
                      • 4353

                      Originally posted by NYT
                      yeah but they had the same owners since they started selling their equipment. the owners that would rather kiss HRCs *** than stand for their clientele. i just checked ebay to see if there was any TW stuff, looks like nothing much other than some stuff selling outside the US.

                      the fact theyre still pimping pics of pat rogers after their betrayal makes me sick. i took a class of his in virginia with a few friends, he was an awesome man and Marine who i doubt would have stood for their ****.
                      There are threads about this already, please keep this one on track.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        JMP
                        Internet Warrior
                        CGN Contributor - Lifetime
                        • Feb 2012
                        • 17056

                        I have a clip on so I could use it with a variety of guns. In good moonlight, it's accurate to about 800 to 1,000 yards on a 1 mil target.


                        Comment

                        • #13
                          CouchOperator
                          Veteran Member
                          • May 2016
                          • 4353

                          Please keep this thread free from weapon mounted clip ons.

                          Thank you.
                          Last edited by CouchOperator; 03-24-2017, 9:37 PM.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Hairball
                            Senior Member
                            • May 2013
                            • 799

                            Dang it, you read the post before I could get rid of it. After I posted the comment, I deleted it because I did not want the thread to go sideways and start arguing the specifics of rifle optics.

                            We now return you to your regularly scheduled program...

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              LBDamned
                              I need a LIFE!!
                              • Feb 2011
                              • 19040

                              Originally posted by lazyworm
                              good read! Upvote for sticky.
                              +1 for sticky... This one will take some time - and worth the learning...

                              I've always considered NV - but always was discouraged by regs/restrictions...

                              Now I'm very interested in the info here... And seems to benefit all...

                              High valued thread!
                              "Kamala is a radical leftist lunatic" ~ Donald J. Trump

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