So, that's absolutely the oddest thing... Since the video is being recorded as a Digital signal, both cards should produce exactly the same quality. Period.

The only thing that makes an sense is the the recording detects the lack of bandwidth and determines that it has to lower the sample rate.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

This was my thinking as well, based on my super thin knowledge base of digital signal architecture I assumed that a digital signal is pure and while it could vary in bandwith it hits the signal processor on the DVR and is encoded (containerized) in a SD card.

The "container" in my assumption was irrelevant so long as it had ample room (capacity) for the encoded video file.

The odd thing about the guys test is a can nearly perceive a discernable difference in quality between the two videos so therefore I wonder if cheap SD cards versus HD cards retain only so much information when the data is dumped in the container or perhaps the data is whole but the contacts for reading from the storage container are lower quality therefore the video is effected there.

I think I just talked myself into believing that it could be a quality matter from card to PC/MAC.

HTXH

Tyler -

That is what Dremel tools are for

Scott,

How will we get the software when is comes out if we have the cable?


Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I'm assuming a quick pass with a milling machine would easily fix that?

...but why not just go with one of the other several mounts that work with the IR Hunter series if oh don't love the Larue?

They had an ARMS dual lever mount....


Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Hey, tried to send you a PM, but your box is full.

I have a FLIR 307.  I see you have a 307 and an IRH 35mm 640 unit.   How would you compare the ability to identify targets b/t the two?   i.e.  calf vs pig vs deer at longish range?

I can honestly say I can ID targets at range better than I can with the 307.  Especially when conditions are less than ideal for thermal. (Windchill, high humidity).

The image in the mk2 is very sharp, and much easier to see small details in whatever animal your watching.  I've spent quite a bit of time going back and forth with the 2 units looking at animals at range. After using the mk2 for awhile you think there is something wrong with the 307 because of the discrepancy between the two units image quality.

Here is a pic I snapped on a pipeline where I was working. I had my Leica range finder during the daylight hours ranging various spots for reference at night. The deer on the left is between 165-175 yards and the deer to the right are 150 ish. The gate in the back ground is a bit over. 250 yards. Again this is just a pic snapped with my iphone behind the unit. The image threw the unit is much better.

</a>" />

Thanks!

I had the opportunity to use the IR hunter MK II for the first time this weekend.  First, I'm very pleased with the quality of the unit.    I was able to see armadillos out in a coastal field 300 plus yards away and identify what they were with clarity.    3 of those down.    I saw deer very clearly.   Hogs could be located at the very end of the field 300 yards away.    I was able to get some shots off but only killed one hog way back in the woods.    I didn't go after it.    Battery life was good.   I set it at 60 hz for range use initially.   I then converted over to 30 hZ.  That got me two range trips.  playing around with it at home and 1 1/2 night use.  I turn it off between shots and scouting.

I am happy with the unit.   If I had some gripes, it would be the horizontal lines that form in the unit which kept requiring a re-calibration.   That fixed the problem but they would eventually return.    Also noted is that you have to let the thing turn on for 10 seconds with cap on to cut down on the lines.   Don't know why but I found if I opened the cap too soon, I would get them.    I made several shots.   Probably 8 in total.   Shots caused the horizontal lines.   One shot, the last shot, was at a hog back in the woods.   I shot, then the periphery of the scope went black with a central area of peppered light.   I could only get one shot off and could not get another because the scope blacked out.    I assume this was because I did not screw the cap in as far as it would go on the battery compartment.   I turned it until it has resistance but not fully.  I can only assume that the recoil of the rifle cause momentary separation of the spring with the battery and caused the black out.  I'll have to use it more to determine if that's the cause.

I also noticed that the unit would freeze up if I moved the turrets too fast.   I see others have experienced this.

I wish photos could be taken outside of the 1x zoom.  I assume it defaults to 1x when the photos are snapped.  I took several at 4 x and they didn't show as 4 x.  

Nitpicky things:  

1. The scope doesn't feel comfortable with the rubber eyepiece.  I removed that.  You also have to get pretty close to the eyepiece to get the best field of view but that puts my head a little close and I did have a headstrike with recoil.  Nothing serious, but a soreness over my eye.   I lengthened my stock position about that seemed to put me at a disadvantage to getting close to the scope for a more comfortable view.
2.  The battery compartment is in the way of the charging handle on my AR-10.   I could solve this by either getting a larger charging handle (mines stock from the factory) or moving the scope forward on the rail.   I could probably to this but it would put the scope farther away from my eye position and natural shooting.  
3.  The IR hunter wasn't comfortable  scanning on a rifle.   I thought I'd get away with getting the MK II and using it to scan instead of a handheld unit.  Rifle scope combination is heavy on an ar-10 and as the night progressed, I had back pain.    I went off and forgot my primos shooting stick, which I bet solves this.   I was a little upset I went off and left it.  It would of helped a lot with shots and balancing the rifle.

all in all, I'm very pleased with my first time use.  It's a great night hunting device.   I did feel that I was at a disadvantage at closer ranges for hog shots.    I don't think it's a good solution for shots inside of 30 yards.   I plan on mounting an IR laser on the end of my rifle for those closer shots so I have the best of both worlds when I'm wearing my PVS-14.  

wants:
1.  battery extender (which will be available soon)
2.  X,Y coordinates for the reticle.  I"ll keep saying this until its added.

Actually, yeah, now that you mention it:

I have been getting a fair amount of "frozen" menus...  What I mean by that is that when you move through the menus, there are times when they stop responding or leave the prior menu partially in place.

The lines... I've seen that too:  try this -> turn the scope on and leave the lens cover down... In 5-10 minutes you'll see lines...  I find that if you leave the scoping running, you don't need to calibrate as much later.  Anyone find his to be true?  Of course, you chew through batteries doing that...

I've got it on an AR-57 at the moment... So no real recoil...

This has been my experience too.

While the frozen screens is obnoxious, and obviously I don't think the product should do this, I can live with it since it's never cost me a shot. My job is to hunt predators that cause issues for a corporate ranch operation. In my area, that primarily means hogs, coyotes, wild dogs, and the occasional cat. Not once since receiving the scope in Dec has it left me hanging.

I have not experienced the recoil blackout issue, but I put the cap on about 1 turn past where I start feeling the resistance of the o-ring. On mine, that seems to be tight enough to hold the batteries in place. Of course the caliber I use the most (6.8 SPC) doesn't have much recoil to begin with so your mileage may vary...

Turning the scope on/off and calibration. I believe this is nothing more than the scope reaching thermal equilibrium. If you turn the scope on and give it enough time to stabilize it's temp, that greatly reduces the need for calibration.

On some nights we will hunt several parcels of pasture that are ~45 miles apart. Once we reach the new location, it doesn't mater whether the scope was left on or not, a calibration will be required as the heat of the truck cabin will have changed the operating temp of the scope (mid 30's outside with the cab probably around 65-70). Once we move back outside the truck, we'll have to go through several calibrations until the scope reaches it's new stabilization point.

Does the scope love to eat batteries...yes. Will the battery life be increased by running at 30 hz instead of 60 hz...yes. But for us, we find 60hz is easier on the eyes if you're scanning. The added delay with 30hz operation can get tiring after several hours of operation. Of course the corporation pays for the batteries so it doesn't hit our pocketbook

We just start out with a clean set of batteries each night and carry an extra set with us. Since the scope isn't on all the time, we rarely have to change batteries in the field. Having said that, once the battery extenders are available and verified to be working properly, we'll add that to the scope and completely eliminate having to swap batteries in the field.

Agree with all of the above.

I've found more of the menu problems to show up when the batteries are getting low as well.  Or when it's cold, 30-40F, which would also mess with the battery output.

I see you guys are running them more than me.  I turn mine one.  Scan for heat sources and turn it off.  Head in that direction with my pvs-14 setup.  Get close, crouch down and wait for a 10 second startup and flip the cap.   I see the temps are probably not normalized at any time I'm using mine.  I was on my first date, so I didn't know how the batteries would last and I only had one extra set for two nights of prowling.    Having purchased more and maybe an extender, I think things will work out.     Still not sure what the issue was with the blackout though.  Eithe the cap wasn't tight enough or my batteries were at end range.  I do remember putting in the second set soon after that shot, So maybe that was it too.   Can't wait to take it out again.  

What caliber rifle are you guys using for hogs?  Mine is on a 308 and it's heavy to hold.  Of course I did forget my shooting stick, but I'm wondering if I should go to my 223 with a barnes 70 grain.  or just stay 308.  any thoughts?

I thought thermal is only capable of putting out a 30 hz frequency, meaning the 60 hz options are just gimmick?  You shouldn't be seeing any difference between 30 and "so called" 60 hz?




I believe UNV is working on an adapter for an external, USB, rechargeable battery packs as commonly found for cell phones and tablets today.  That maybe a better option.

no, it works.  It's magic.

It's not magic...

At 60Hz the screen refreshes 60 times a second, and at 30Hz, 30 times a second.

The human eye can tell this, usually after prolonged use. Which can cause eye strain...  This is why most LCD type monitors used a minimum of 60Hz for the refresh rate.

Now, this rate can apply to the whole system, where the sensor is only being read at 60 or 30 samples per second, which could also have the same overall impact / effect.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Ok, so I was bored this afternoon.  Two weeks ago, I went out to the deer lease and sighted in the MK II on my 308.  Got zero at 100 yards with a hand warmer.  

This afternoon, I wanted to record this zero with an image capture so I can dial it in at a later date if I want to mount the MK II on my 300 blackout, this coming weekend.  So, I wanted to both mark the crosshair and label the photo.  So this is what I came up with.  mK II is on my Caldwell rest in the garage on the top of my table saw.  The black dot you see in the photo is a soldering iron placed on top of a chair in the kitchen about 40 feet away.   Door between kitchen and garage is open.   The soldering iron is my heat source and it is pointed towards the rifle.    The label, is made with an ice cube on the glass of the dinning room.  Pretty slick huh?  This is my 100 yard zero on my 308.   After I sight in my 300 blackout, I'll repeat this.   Gotta label these things, or I'll forget.

Very slick!

Brilliant idea for how to label it!

Here is another idea for moving the MK II to another rifle.    I removed the scope with Larue mount off my 300 blackout.  Beforehand, I confirmed my IR laser on the 300 blackout was zeroed to the red dot on my vortex razor scope.    I then put the MK II on the 300 blackout.   I heated a case and put the MK II on the heat signature of the case. The rifle was held on the heated case by my Caldwell rest.  



I then went down range, marked the IR laser dot.(need pvs-14) With another case.  Heated both with the torch and took a screen capture.






In the pictures above, one black hot and the other white hot, I moved my reticle to the IR signature mark(from upper left to to lower right).   I now have a rough bore sight using the MK II to my vortex razor I removed.   I then can go to the range and confirm the zero for my 300 blackout with a closer zero than Had I not bore sighted it to the IR laser.   Same can be done if you are at the range.   Heat a nail.  Put MK II on that nail.  Take three shots.  Put second nail at the cluster.  Heat the nail. Screen capture.  Move reticle.  You don't have to take three that's but it's probably better then just one shot zero.  No IR or visible laser needed.  I just did it this way to get the MK II as close as I could before taking a shot.

I can always go back to the upper left black signature to be back at my 308 setting or some other picture for the 308.  I bet I am within 3 inches of my 300 blackout zero this way and would feel comfortable just taking a shot on a hog as is.

Thanks again for another informative post!

 

Hey folks, any dates on the battery extenders?

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

My son and I went on our first ever pig hunt this past week. We used an IR Hunter MkII 35mm rented from UNV as our primary thermal scope, and mounted it on my Son's rifle.  What follows are my observations as a novice pig hunter, but one with a little experience using thermal gear (personally own a FLIR LS64 and have used thermal in the .mil).  Location was the panhandle of Florida.  I'll start with lessons learned:

1.  The IR Hunter MKII has a superior sensor and display that combine to produce an outstanding image.  It's display was able to positively identify targets that my FLIR LS-64 could only detect.  That saved us a lot of walking.
2.  The IR Hunter MKII is very voltage sensitive.  We didn't pay close enough attention to this until Tyler from UNV pointed it out in the display (just above the battery indicator).  When the voltage is low, the device gets quirky.
3.  Battery life is as advertised at 60hz.  We didn't try 30hz.
4.  The IR Hunter MKII is not as good as the FLIR LS64 with InstAlert for detection.  The FLIR was able to "see" things in all our weather conditions, especially in brush/treelines and high humidity that the MKII couldn't.  Conversely, once properly targeted the MKII could ID things that the FLIR didn't have a prayer of displaying.  Together they make a devastating combination.
5.  My son and I both need to hit the gym more, or realize that we're low speed, high drag and get shooting sticks.  He only weighs 130lbs and with his suppressor, grip pod, 20 round mag, and IR Hunter on board his rifle was HEAVY for a 4 hour hunt.
6.  If you're used to using BUIS on your AR, it is difficult to get proper eye relief with the IR Hunter MKII.  A bare flattop is much better, in my opinion.
7.  I developed a love-hate relationship with the rubber eye cup.  With it off, there was a noticeable amount of light pollution.  With it on I got some fogging of the display on our high humidity nights.  My son also knocked it off twice while transitioning from the MKII to his sling and NVG.
8.  If you want to try before you buy, UNV makes the rental process easy.


As our hunt was a midweek event (Tuesday through Friday) I had to rent the MkII for 2 weekends.  It arrived via FedEx well packed in a Pelican case on Friday.  Box contents included the Hunter MkII, 6 batteries, a flip-ring of laminated instruction sheets and a return shipping label.  We took the scope out and used it as a handheld for the first couple of nights to get familiar with all the controls and displays.  The image quality of the BAE core is outstanding.  Controls were very easy to interpret and intuitive to manipulate.

But....

Our first and second night out the Hunter was to be mounted to my son's  AR-15 as a standalone optic.  I sighted it at 100 yards using a handwarmer as a target.  The sight in process was extremely frustrating.  While sighting in, after unlocking the reticle and adjusting for windage, the elevation menu display continuously froze.  I had to repeatedly shut the unit down, start it back up, NUC, unlock the reticle, then see where my previous "clicks" had placed it.  Once sighted in it held zero perfectly for 3 nights and 3 sets of battery changes.  

First night with perfect weather we headed to our target field ( 40 acres farmed peanuts previous fall and not yet plowed).  Lots of pig signs through the field during our daytime inspection.  We arrived at 2145 expecting the hogs to be out after 11pm.  I was astounded to look through the LS64 and see a sounder of 10 pigs next to 3 deer about 400 yards away,  As we unloaded our gear  the numbers in the field varied between 2-15.  We began our stalk around the field edge.  When we were about 150 yards from the pigs the deer heard the peanut hay crackle and bolted.  That got the pigs alerted.  I told my son to go prone and see if he had a good shot.  He worked the IR Hunter MKII and took his first shot at 127 yards, dropping a small piglet.  His second shot at 143 yards dropped its mom.  From the pigs reactions it was clear this group hadn't been hunted before (he was using a 16" barrel with Saker 7.62 and 5.56 endcap, which was very effective).  We called it an early night, and after just one hour we were back home.  The Hunter had performed flawlessly and gave my son a lot of confidence.

Night 2 was not as forgiving., with higher heat and humidity.  We arrived earlier at 9pm to set up.  This night we waited until 1130pm to see pigs, but for the 2.5 hours that we sat in the field my LS64 detected but couldn't positively identify deer, armadillo, skunk, multiple raccoons, rats and feral cats.  With the Hunter MkII we were able to identify all these critters at ranges up to 400 yards.  At 1130 a group of 2 hogs came out of the woods and we began our stalk.  We saw the number of hogs in that group grow to 4, when to our other side I heard a group of 5 coming out of the woods toward us.  I told my son to get ready.  He powered up the unit and NUC'd it, but when he tried to target the pigs his display was frozen.  Turns out it was low voltage from nearly dead batteries.  The hogs alerted on our conversation and bolted, so we came away empty handed.

Night 3 was horrible weather.  We received 1.2 inches of rain in just over an hour, and it was rainy and foggy for the rest of the hunt..  We wound up seeing 5 hogs, putting down one at 60 yards.  Again, the FLIR LS64 served as primary detection device and the Hunter MKII was outstanding at identification, even at very high humidity.  I noted some deterioration at the Hunter's detection ability in cluttered areas, such as treelines/brushlines, but even in driving rain it did the job.

Again, I'm a newb hog hunter and have had limited experience with thermal rifle scopes.  My experience with the Hunter MKII has me very interested in an IR Patrol M300W (same core, lighter weight)..  While there are a few bugs in the device, especially related to battery voltage, it did everything I wanted it to do.  My son, who'd never used thermal before, got his first hogs in the first 15 minutes of his first hunt at what I view as a pretty long range shot against a small target at night.  I wouldn't hesitate to spend my money on an IR Hunter MKII if I was in the market for a standalone thermal rifle scope.

Great write up!  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing.   I took mine out this weekend for a second time.   First time around a wasn't pleased with image quality because I had to keep calibrating it.   After I called or defense,  it was recommended that I leave it on and not turn it off and on like I did.  I was told it would chew through batteries faster if I did it that way.  So I left it on most of my hunt on Friday night and it chewed through batteries anyway.   That was with it just sitting there while I was sitting in the tree stand and had a cigar.

Anyways, I've come to the conclusion to leave it on longer between shut offs, but I do plan on still shutting it off.   I was able to ID armadillos and racoons at 350-400 yards.  Took 4 armadillos and 3 coons.  Didn't see any hogs this past weekend and was disappointed.   Cameras revealed they were not in the area.  But I had fun.  Image is really good and I did see a heat signature of an armadillo that was above ground that had gone into his hole.  It left a heat make that led me to the hole.

I find sighting ot in was pretty easy.  I tried a new technique where I heat a nail and make a shot and mark the shot with anger heated nail. May taking a screen shot, I got on target pretty quickly.

I will agree that the thing is finicky under low voltage.  At around 3.75 volts, the screen and all menus just froze.  I think that's pretty close to minimal voltage of 3.4 volts needed to turn on and operate the voltage regulator.   It has a nice image.  I haven't really tested mine on lots of pigs.  They are never where I want them to be.  I used it on my 300 blackout this past weekend.  It was my 308 weeks before.  Much more of a joy to carry on a lighter rifle.

Great write up and story, and Congratulations on your son's first hog!  

The more and more you spend in the field with the gear you will get more familiar with the functionality of the equipment.  The more you use it the farther you will be able to ID targets just by the animals movements, spending less time stalking a few deer when looking for hogs.  

I've grown accustom to putting fresh batteries in my unit before every hunt, and I"ve yet to have to change batteries in the field.  However, I don't leave my unit on the entire time while hunting.  When I spot hogs I flip it on before I start my stalk.  I will periodically flip up my googles to check and see if I need to calibrate my unit while I'm stalking.  

The rubber eye cup is a PITA!  I cut the pedals out and like to have it on the unit, however it falls off way to easy.  I've lost a couple of them already.  Next time out there well be some electrical tape wrapped around it.

Second that.  UNV's exterior/rechargeable battery option will complete this line of scopes from IRD; the most necessary accessory by far.

Sounds like UNV's rechargeable battery option will really rectify this problem.

Seriously?  Were you using the 35 or the 19 mm lense?  ID racoons at 350 yds is unimaginable to me with anything less than a 60 mm lense.

We were using the 35mm lens IR Hunter MkII on our hunt and had those type of ID ranges with a side profile on the good wx days.  FWIW.

Congrats to you and your son. Thanks for the write up!

JPK

I have the 35.  And yes, I can tell it's an armadillo.   at those ranges.  It's on the ground in a coastal field.   Image is kind of like a football with a head if I had to describe it at that yardage.   Usually 2x zoom to 4 x zoom.   The racoons look like cats.  Maybe I know that they are racoons since they are either in a tree or under my feeder and I'm assuming thats what they are but they appear as black signatures in the tree or under my feeder at that range.   I can ID the armadillos very easily.    I walked those fields at the end of the night of hunting and take them out with a silenced 9mm sig 226.   I use the MK II to ID them and then I walk in that directions until I see them with my PVS14.   pop them.  A few times, they go into their holes right before I get there, but I can see the heat signature coming from the hole with the MK II and many times shoot right down into the hole and get the armadillo.   Farmer I lease from is happy.  Hates having holes in his coastal field.

"6. If you're used to using BUIS on your AR, it is difficult to get proper eye relief with the IR Hunter MKII. A bare flattop is much better, in my opinion. "


This is one thing that has always bugged the hell out of me. It's a problem with NV scopes I've used. I don't understand why manufacturers don't design their mounts with enough adjustability to get proper eye relief WITHOUT having to remove your rear BUIS. I personally don't want to have to set up a gun to night shoot only. Seems to me it would be easy enough to design the flexibility in the first place.

I appreciate the feedback you are all giving. I'm in the final stages of deciding which thermal scope to purchase. I've been seriously considering the MKII, but proper eye relief is a must.

Yeah BUIS obsession/religion has always bugged the crap out of me too.

Agree.   If only there were multiple holes in the bottom of the IR Hunter to move the mount forward without sacrificing eye relief. Pity.

I wonder how come the gentleman from IRD never answers or give any input about the evident and persisting software issues with both the IRH MKI and MKII units.  It's there it is constantly posted about but I have yet to see him address what is being done about these issues on this forum. Are we to expect the Patrol is going to be plagued with software issues as well?

Some manufacturers don't browse the forums.   If you call them, ask them anything you like.  I've talked with Dave a few times and on my last conversation, he gave me his cell phone and we talked while he was on his way to the NRA conference.  He gave me lots of detail.   I've also emailed the engineers with questions and they have promptly answered all my questions to my satisfaction.   Software issues sometimes have to do with whether or not you are using the unit as you are supposed to and qualities inherent to the thermal products.   Once one issue was explained, I knew how to use the unit and the problem was drastically decreased.   So.  don't sit around waiting for a forum response.   Call them.   Even before I purchased the unit,  I sat talking to Dave for about half an hour about the MK II.  They are very approachable.

Good to know.  The only "problems" I've had with mine have been directly related to low battery voltage or turning the dials too fast.  So basically nothing that isn't easily dealt with on the user side of the equation.  I suspect, but don't know, is that units with buttons have the same kind of issues as this one does with moving the knobs too fast it's just more noticeable because of the physical movement of the knob vs a button press that didn't respond.  Maybe others with more experience with other models can chime in.  Otherwise so long as I don't play cheapskate with my batteries and put a fresh set in before I go out I have no problems.  I also suspect that the battery extender will solve a lot of the low voltage problems as the voltage of the 3 batteries will never get as low as it does when the current 2 get low.

Battery extender will solve low voltage problems.  But think if it this way.  It has a computer.  The computer runs code.  The computer has to be of low enough voltage signature requirement to be effective yet efficient.  You sometimes can't have both without sacrificing weight.   Bigger better computer, more power consumption.  Bigger battery.   These computers are not top of the line apple iphone cpus.  Probably low production propriatary units.  I'm guessing.    Anything more powerful would be cost prohibitive to the consumer.  Solution,  dial slower, so that the code can load.  Each time you move a dial, a piece of code has to be loaded.  Dial it fast, code comes to the CPU faster and may load up internal memory and you get a freeze.   That's the cpu/ memory side.  The other side is power availability.  the voltage regulator is supposed to supply a consistent voltage.  Like drinking from water fountain.   not enough water, you get no water.   Voltage gets low and is not consistent to the regulator, then there are blips to the CPU.  The CPU is starved and a freeze occurs.  An extender solves part of the problem. The other is solved with how you use it.  If you go to a doctor and tell them that when you do this, your body part hurts, then he says, "don't do that".  Don't turn the knobs to fast.

I think the computer aspect gets looked over a bit because normally you don't relate a scope to a computer.  A conventional scope you just look through and shoot.  Any laptop, iphone, or smart phone in general that I've ever used has froze up at times or required a restart.  Some more than others.

Same with hitting buttons or keys. Sometimes you don't get a response and you have to hit it again. I've experienced a button not responding with the flir rs scopes and also with my 307 ( freeze up on start up).  To be honest I never thought the unit was faulty or pos. it's just the nature of the beast so to speak.

Thank you for the info.  The IRD guy does browse this forum, he commented several times on the page before this one.  I am concerned from having used the MKI units with many software problems that have been documented here by many people.  Some were corrected with the MKII but not all which have been documented here as well. Software issues are not acceptable IMO from a $5-$6+ K unit.  having owned 3 FLIR units with no software issues whatsoever, it may very well be inherent for thermal to have software issues, but it is also possible for the manufacturer to eliminate those inherent issues, which has apparently not been done with the second gen IRD units.  I have a Patrol on order because it has a very specific use for me.  I am going to use it and I want it to work but software issues will be a deal breaker.  I don't want to have to overlook minor glitches on the sight in screen etc.....and I don't feel that is unreasonable to expect flawless performance from a $5,000+ unit.  IRD keeps on selling units with known software issues and that concerns me.  A friend received a new MKI unit last week........went to sigh it in and the sight in bars do not move, the clicks had to be written down dir of travel and number with each adjustment to keep track of what was happening, all three units I have used had this issue if not other issues as well.   Why are they continuing to put flawed units out is my question. Do they plan on just warrantying all these software fixes later on free of charge. Are they banking that most users will not bother with wanting a warranty fix? If they do fix them will it be with no shipping both ways?  IMO that's only fair for something that should have been correct before leaving the factory.  I will give credit on the display of the MKII units they are nice and the menu control system is excellent.  This is why I am on board with a Patrol unit.  That said the these features do not outweigh major or minor software issues that should not play into the equation.  



 

you're right.  for the price tag, you should expect the right performance.   These are issues you should take up with the company personally and not wait and wish to have something said on a forum.  Most companies won't address issues on a forum.  Its a dialogue best done on the phone.  Had I not called and spoke with Dave, I would be a little disappointed in a few things.  Those things got worked out one I understood how it worked.  The turrets allow for fast movement though the menus.  You probably won't get that speed from a flir unit which has buttons.  Just don't expect to crank on them and there not be a freeze.  I've explained why.