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chosos, thank you for an excellent review. I appreciate you doing this for the forum members. You are right that we have an uphill battle but you will see that ATN is an entirely new company now. All our emphasis is on good customer service and offering the customer best bang for their money.
Let me know if you have any questions about the unit. Also there is an image capture cable and software available. That should really help capturing those images. Yes OTS can also be tripod mounted. |
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Hey, that looks like mine . If your like me it's only a matter of time before you order the 2X or 4X lens as I can only dream of how nice the extra mag would be for viewing more open areas. Being able to change lens totally out is a huge plus the OTS-X has in its corner. The more I use and compare my 314 to other thermal thermal viewers in its price range the more I respect it's construction and performance. View Quote It would be great if SachalATN had a lens or two for us to review. ;-) |
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Hey, that looks like mine . If your like me it's only a matter of time before you order the 2X or 4X lens as I can only dream of how nice the extra mag would be for viewing more open areas. Being able to change lens totally out is a huge plus the OTS-X has in its corner. The more I use and compare my 314 to other thermal thermal viewers in its price range the more I respect it's construction and performance. here's my image capture cable you may try Tyler at UNV if you need one. http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/SteelDixon/305605E2-2C94-46DA-BB32-3552646207A5-30574-0000349885B55DF0_zpsc12539b3.jpg View Quote I actually ordered that exact connector from Binder... however, my video out is a MCX port. Do you have multiple pin inputs in your video out port? Mine only has 1 pin. Like this: |
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It would be great if SachalATN had a lens or two for us to review. ;-) View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Hey, that looks like mine . If your like me it's only a matter of time before you order the 2X or 4X lens as I can only dream of how nice the extra mag would be for viewing more open areas. Being able to change lens totally out is a huge plus the OTS-X has in its corner. The more I use and compare my 314 to other thermal thermal viewers in its price range the more I respect it's construction and performance. It would be great if SachalATN had a lens or two for us to review. ;-) It would also be nice if he addressed your issue/concern about the background issue instead of just thanking you for the review. |
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we must have different versions, then.
when i turn mine on, it says: ATN OTS-X 320x240 Ver 3.2. I noticed that I have 14 color modes, but I don't seem to have a green mode that some of the product documentation shows at sites like optics planet. |
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we must have different versions, then. when i turn mine on, it says: ATN OTS-X 320x240 Ver 3.2. I noticed that I have 14 color modes, but I don't seem to have a green mode that some of the product documentation shows at sites like optics planet. View Quote The newest models have the 8 pin connector. I also have an OTS-X and when compared to other 320 units in the same price range, it can not be beat!! |
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I sent a PM to SachalATN about getting my firmware or the data port updated. Hopefully Sachal has good news for me.
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On the eye cup the PVS-14 shuttered eye cup fits the OTS-X ocular perfect(also no noise). I am running mine this way for a couple reasons, first being it limits stray light on your face/body if your a hunter. Second last fall using my THOR I noticed on cold nights your breath can fog the ocular if you exhaled while rising the scope/viewer. With the PVS-14 shuttered eye guard it really reduced my fogging issue in half so I added one to my OTS-X first thing.
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I wish I had one of these to try a dual NVG/Thermal setup. Ultimate nerdom.
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It would also be nice if he addressed your issue/concern about the background issue instead of just thanking you for the review. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Hey, that looks like mine . If your like me it's only a matter of time before you order the 2X or 4X lens as I can only dream of how nice the extra mag would be for viewing more open areas. Being able to change lens totally out is a huge plus the OTS-X has in its corner. The more I use and compare my 314 to other thermal thermal viewers in its price range the more I respect it's construction and performance. It would be great if SachalATN had a lens or two for us to review. ;-) It would also be nice if he addressed your issue/concern about the background issue instead of just thanking you for the review. |
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resent it. thanks. :-)
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Because it has already been discussed. That is part of Flirs core. View Quote I would love a link where I could read more about this issue, because it'll help me carve out my expectations as a user/owner. Thanks. |
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That OTS looks sooo good and the best part is you can screw an 2X, 3X right onto it... Can't do that with my X320...
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Thanks for sharing OP! Glad you are liking your unit. I haven't seen a customer yet that wasn't completely blown away by the OTS-X line.
I asked this question a while back, but wanted to get your opinion. Do see the need for a small external battery pack for your OTS-X, or are you happy with the battery life you are getting from CR123s? Like you said, if you want to build a cable yourself you can find the parts online for cheap, and if you are savvy with building cables it's not too tough to build an MCX to RCA cable. Now, if you had an 8 pin connector it wouldn't be worth your time building a cable. We moved to a more rugged design on our cables so the older style cables like the one you posted are discounted down to $29. Here's a link: ATN OTS-X MCX Cable |
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Quoted: I actually ordered that exact connector from Binder... however, my video out is a MCX port. Do you have multiple pin inputs in your video out port? Mine only has 1 pin. Like this: http://www.gpskit.nl/images/mcx-conn.jpg View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Hey, that looks like mine . If your like me it's only a matter of time before you order the 2X or 4X lens as I can only dream of how nice the extra mag would be for viewing more open areas. Being able to change lens totally out is a huge plus the OTS-X has in its corner. The more I use and compare my 314 to other thermal thermal viewers in its price range the more I respect it's construction and performance. here's my image capture cable you may try Tyler at UNV if you need one. http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/SteelDixon/305605E2-2C94-46DA-BB32-3552646207A5-30574-0000349885B55DF0_zpsc12539b3.jpg I actually ordered that exact connector from Binder... however, my video out is a MCX port. Do you have multiple pin inputs in your video out port? Mine only has 1 pin. Like this: http://www.gpskit.nl/images/mcx-conn.jpg |
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SlugO the OTS uses a different type of eyepiece system and its not threaded like the PVS14. Our Odin however is a PVS14 with a thermal core and any PVS14 accessory would work just fine with it.
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Quoted: This happens when you are so close to a hot object that takes up the majority of the sight picture. It's overwhelming the system's contrast. I guess if you were planning on hunting at a distance of 10 feet it would be a real concern. In my experience once you get outside with the unit you wont notice it. Here's an image of the same issue happening when I was arms-length from a pig. http://www.thermaloutfitters.com/uploads/3/9/7/6/3976953/6621645_orig.jpg View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Hey, that looks like mine . If your like me it's only a matter of time before you order the 2X or 4X lens as I can only dream of how nice the extra mag would be for viewing more open areas. Being able to change lens totally out is a huge plus the OTS-X has in its corner. The more I use and compare my 314 to other thermal thermal viewers in its price range the more I respect it's construction and performance. It would be great if SachalATN had a lens or two for us to review. ;-) This happens when you are so close to a hot object that takes up the majority of the sight picture. It's overwhelming the system's contrast. I guess if you were planning on hunting at a distance of 10 feet it would be a real concern. In my experience once you get outside with the unit you wont notice it. Here's an image of the same issue happening when I was arms-length from a pig. http://www.thermaloutfitters.com/uploads/3/9/7/6/3976953/6621645_orig.jpg It worth noting that this not necissarly an issue with the FLIR core, but an issue with the settings of the FLIR core. You can fiddle with the settings and not have it do this, but you will lose out in other situtions with different scene content. These settings can be very confusing and complex and it isn't any wonder that ATN sets them at the factory and doesn't give access to the customer. I'm hoping in the future the multi pin devices will let you get access to some of these complex settings for advances users who know what they are getting themselves into. This is a video I made for a FLIR tech to describe some changes we were looking to make to the FLIR Tau on our UAV. In the end it took a lot of testing and fiddling and candles and cups of cold water to get to optimal settings. |
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heres a good question, can you make a jarm work with this? hands free would be awesome.
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UNV, thank you for all the info - very helpful.
I hope this thread is helping to inform anyone who might have been on the fence about buying one of these. I'm going to send my device back to the factory to get the firmware updated and the port swapped out to the newer 8-pin style - thanks Sachal. |
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I asked this question a while back, but wanted to get your opinion. Do see the need for a small external battery pack for your OTS-X, or are you happy with the battery life you are getting from CR123s? View Quote I'm sitting on about 250-ish CR123's, so I'm satisfied with using CR123's. I also am not sure I would want a small external battery pack for the OTS-X if it took CR123's - that would get really expensive. I could see a benefit in an external pack, however, if it took 4 AA's and extended my overall usage time. AA's are easy, and it would be great to have the opportunity to use rechargeable, especially if someone were using this type of setup regularly in a commercial setting. |
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Quoted: I'm sitting on about 250-ish CR123's, so I'm satisfied with using CR123's. I also am not sure I would want a small external battery pack for the OTS-X if it took CR123's - that would get really expensive. I could see a benefit in an external pack, however, if it took 4 AA's and extended my overall usage time. AA's are easy, and it would be great to have the opportunity to use rechargeable, especially if someone were using this type of setup regularly in a commercial setting. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I asked this question a while back, but wanted to get your opinion. Do see the need for a small external battery pack for your OTS-X, or are you happy with the battery life you are getting from CR123s? I'm sitting on about 250-ish CR123's, so I'm satisfied with using CR123's. I also am not sure I would want a small external battery pack for the OTS-X if it took CR123's - that would get really expensive. I could see a benefit in an external pack, however, if it took 4 AA's and extended my overall usage time. AA's are easy, and it would be great to have the opportunity to use rechargeable, especially if someone were using this type of setup regularly in a commercial setting. |
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I feel the same on a external pack for my OTS-X. Yes one 123A battery goes pretty fast but when you buy them bulk like me its around $1 a battery and if I used 1-2 in a night say 75 nights a year that less than $100 a year for me. I thought about a extended tube that screws into the OTS-X battery housing makeing it hold two 123A"s? Your not saving any batteries but it would require less battery repalcement in the field.
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Thanks for your reply. It would be a rechargeable battery pack with no removable batteries inside. This way it's a one time purchase and you eliminate the residual costs of batteries. The packs are designed to be stable in voltage drop to align with the battery indicator, and a protected circuit. You might have to replace the external battery pack a couple years after heavy use, but it would be a small fraction of the cost of CR123s. The small pack we are using on the ThOR external power adapter runs it for 15 hours. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I asked this question a while back, but wanted to get your opinion. Do see the need for a small external battery pack for your OTS-X, or are you happy with the battery life you are getting from CR123s? I'm sitting on about 250-ish CR123's, so I'm satisfied with using CR123's. I also am not sure I would want a small external battery pack for the OTS-X if it took CR123's - that would get really expensive. I could see a benefit in an external pack, however, if it took 4 AA's and extended my overall usage time. AA's are easy, and it would be great to have the opportunity to use rechargeable, especially if someone were using this type of setup regularly in a commercial setting. That helps, but from a usability perspective, I would find more value in having that same rechargeable pack filled with 4 high mAh AA batteries that I could replace on the fly, if needed. |
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Yep I like AA's also. The Pulsar HD19s thermal I have uses a holder with four AA's internal. I put in sanyo XX eneloop 2500mAh high capacity rechargeable batteries ran ithe HD19s several hours last night battery meter barely even moved. I expect 6 hours plus run time with that setup it will make running the HD19s pretty cheap in the long run.
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Quoted: Yep I like AA's also. The Pulsar HD19s thermal I have uses a holder with four AA's internal. I put in sanyo XX eneloop 2500mAh high capacity rechargeable batteries ran ithe HD19s several hours last night battery meter barely even moved. I expect 6 hours plus run time with that setup it will make running the HD19s pretty cheap in the long run. View Quote Sachal, do the new 8 pin plugs have the ability to provide power to ThORs etc?
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Sachal, do the new 8 pin plugs have the ability to provide power to ThORs etc? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Yep I like AA's also. The Pulsar HD19s thermal I have uses a holder with four AA's internal. I put in sanyo XX eneloop 2500mAh high capacity rechargeable batteries ran ithe HD19s several hours last night battery meter barely even moved. I expect 6 hours plus run time with that setup it will make running the HD19s pretty cheap in the long run. Sachal, do the new 8 pin plugs have the ability to provide power to ThORs etc? excellent question. BushmanLA one of the reasons why we switched to 8 pin connector was due to the face that we are working on a battery pack that would provide power to the scope through that connector. |
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I received my ATN-OTS back from ATN today. I sent it to ATN for a firmware Upgrade and 8 port connector upgrade (so I can use the video capture cable). They received it, did the work, and mailed it out the following day. Very speedy service, and everything looks great. I am absolutely thrilled with this product, and can't wait for my plug to get here from Binder, so I can attempt making a cable.
Thanks for going above and beyond to help my out Sachal. One question - if I make my own USB cable, will my PC recognize the OTS as a disk drive, or do you need special software to view the captured images? |
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UNV has the download needed posted in their industry forum. I bought the 2X lens for my OTS-X I will test it this weekend.
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Quoted: I received my ATN-OTS back from ATN today. I sent it to ATN for a firmware Upgrade and 8 port connector upgrade (so I can use the video capture cable). They received it, did the work, and mailed it out the following day. Very speedy service, and everything looks great. I am absolutely thrilled with this product, and can't wait for my plug to get here from Binder, so I can attempt making a cable. Thanks for going above and beyond to help my out Sachal. One question - if I make my own USB cable, will my PC recognize the OTS as a disk drive, or do you need special software to view the captured images? View Quote As best I can tell the USB transfer cable has a TTL Serial to USB converter inside and possibly another line shorted at the connector to signal the scope that a programming cable is plugged in. Making your own is somewhat risky unless you have the actual pinout.
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well, the bottom diagram is correct. The AV out cable works great. Now I need to order another plug from binder, or make a quick disconnect to a USB cable. Not sure about the top diagram - didn't try it.
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Quoted: well, the bottom diagram is correct. The AV out cable works great. Now I need to order another plug from binder, or make a quick disconnect to a USB cable. Not sure about the top diagram - didn't try it. View Quote The signals coming out of that connector are NOT USB signals. They are TTL or RS232 level serial data. The ATN cable has an converter built into the plug. DONT just connect this to a standard USB cable.
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Quoted: I would love to get a pin out for this. Would ATN be willing / able to provide that? It would also give me an opportunity to make a battery pack for it, and possibly put a QD attachment somewhere in the middle, so I could swap from USB to battery to Video Out. I found these online, and they use the same binder plug. Is the OTS the same pinout? If so, what is on Pins 3 & 4? http://m6.i.pbase.com/g9/17/409217/2/156317866.ckL5X4fX.jpg http://m7.i.pbase.com/g9/17/409217/2/156317877.n5D6Ztpa.jpg View Quote |
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I want one of these BAD. About to sell a couple vintage Fender guitar amps to pay for one. Prob going to get the F330 model...
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BE CAREFUL!! The signals coming out of that connector are NOT USB signals. They are TTL or RS232 level serial data. The ATN cable has an converter built into the plug. DONT just connect this to a standard USB cable. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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well, the bottom diagram is correct. The AV out cable works great. Now I need to order another plug from binder, or make a quick disconnect to a USB cable. Not sure about the top diagram - didn't try it. The signals coming out of that connector are NOT USB signals. They are TTL or RS232 level serial data. The ATN cable has an converter built into the plug. DONT just connect this to a standard USB cable. I made my video cable without issue. It was $22 shipped for the connector from Binder, and I used a plain old Yellow AV RCA cable from an old DVD-Player. It involves soldering 2 wires to 2 tiny pins - so you need a steady hand and a fine point soldering iron. Due to the plug binder sells, it is hard to make this and have it not look professional unless you do not know how to solder electronics and melt everything. The AV cable is actually pretty neat. Total cost - $22. I wasn't going to attempt the USB plug until I got a functional diagram for the pinouts. With voltage coming in from USB Power, I'm not prepared to guess the pinouts. If I can get the correct pinouts from ATN, I might attempt it, because I'd also like to attempt building some other accessories. With the external battery packs, what happens when you plug it in with a battery already in the system? Does it run off the internal battery, or the pack, or both? I was not able to source a location for the USB / 8-pin cable for the ATN OTS for video capture. I checked various sites and couldn't find it. UNV - do you sell it, if so for how much? |
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