So, I just received my Pulsar HD19A, and I have a question about the calibration.

There are apparently 3 ways to calibrate the device: Automatic, semi-automatic and manual. Is one way better than another?

I only have a few hours messing with it, but so far I am a little disappointed. The image is very "muddy," with not a lot of contrast between objects. But I'll continue to mess with it. It's probably operator error!

I like the semi auto mode on those

Manual calibrate with the lens cap on. I say this because on my older HD38 this is the only way to do it and it works well.


Manual Brightness and contrast are your friend Is all I can say on the dull appearance you need to tweak them.

I have mine on auto, keeps the image clear and only seems to calibrate when it needs too

with the different settings , woods home ect I notice I have to turn the gain down to get a clear picture.

from one setting to the next, can always get a clear picture though

have never had any issues with mine,

How does this "Semi Automatic" work?  Do you just set to "H" leave the cover open and hit the Cal button whenever it need cleared up?

In semi-auto cal mode no need to close lens cover because it has an internal shutter.

Yes, in semi auto mode it uses the internal shutter every time you hit the calibration button. I leave mine on auto but I still hit the calibration button once in a while if the image starts looking degraded and it hasn't calibrated its self yet.

I messed with it some more last night. I tried the semi-automatic mode, but ended up just leaving it on Auto, even though it was annoying to have the image freeze for a couple seconds every minute.

Sometimes the brightness and gain made a difference, sometimes not in the image quality. I have read that the temperature and humidity levels can affect performance.

I was able to spot...something...moving across a field about 500 yards away. No idea what it was. Probably a deer. It was pretty cool, er, hot, er, nevermind!

Can anyone tell me the differences between the "city," "forest," and "identification" modes? I toggled through them for a while, and each one sort of had me messing with the brightness/contrast to get the best picture, but I couldn't really tell a difference. I left it on the "forest" mode, mostly because I live in the woods in the country, so it seemed appropriate, I guess.

Maybe I can figure out a way to post some video. Then you guys can tell me if it's supposed to look like that or not!

Btw, mine is the new Quantum XQ38 and my first thermal.  Out in the farm land the setting "forest" gives me the cleanest best image.  I've only had it for a week and as the weather has cooled the image got way better. There's a huge diff between 90° and 60° ambient temp when spotting yotes.  First night out I clearly spotted and identified a pack of four from 500 yards.  On my property "Forest" works way better.  Figuring out the best "Cal" has been my only real issue/question.

I use the full manual because it is completely silent. You can simply rotate the lens cover "iris" closed, or just cover with your hand, press the button, then open back up after a sec. I actually spooked a deer doing the semi cal with the whining of the little stepper motor inside that shutters the sensor. Also I don't like auto as it always seems to cal on me right when I'm trying to see something moving. Manual for me.

ETA to add I use the forest mode almost exclusively. Don't forget to adjust the brightness/contrast with the knob for best picture. That is an awesome feature that lets you tweak for the temp and humidity conditions.

So are the different modes anything other than preset brightness contrast? My older unit lacks these whiz bang features.

That's all they are. You can achieve the same picture in any mode by adjusting the brightness and contrast. It's a useless feature.

Good to know, I consider the manual adjustment to be the best feature of the pulsar.

Good info, Thank you!