(Compiled Information/Suggestions)
1. Always remove the battery when not in use. 
2. Use a lanyard to tether it to your helmet.
3. Don't stare into beacons, lasers or very bright light.
4. Keep it moving and don't look at 1 spot for long periods of time. 
5. When you turn it off, make sure it's off by a simple visual check.
6. If auto-gated, still avoid using it in bright light when possible. 
7. Avoid weapon mounting if possible. (depends on weapon I suppose)
8. Don't be afraid to use it.
9. Involve others to generate interest. (wife/gf/ect)


(Summary of Poster SOT_Solutions)
-Mounts-
Use only high quality shrouds: Ops-Core, Wilcox, Norotos (Not USGI Plate) all come to mind. Never use airsoft shrouds. There are a lot of good lowering arms now. Your PVS-14 probably already includes a USGI J-Arm. A RHNO II (not RHNO) is a good inexpensive start and may serve you well as you get some experience. Time will tell you what you want in a J-Arm/Lowering Arm combo - then you can upgrade if you need.

A lot of people will tell you that you need to spend $700 on an arm before you start. I am not one of them. Most of those guys were crippled with the old RHNO or worse, and still have such a bad taste in their mouth from it that they can't think straight. There used to only be the crap option - now we have crap, good and excellent choices available (with commensurate pricing).

If you use the stock J-Arm then determine if you have the old ball and socket or the new square pin type. If you have the ball and socket type then disassemble the J-Arm and chamfer ALL of the position locking sockets to get the balls to seat properly. Once this is done the adjustments you make will be more solid and secure. It will also increase the life of your J-Arm. A small piece of foam tape inside the shroud cavity will help dampen vibration if the lowering arm is loose in the cavity.


-Power Options & Safeguards-
Now that you are ready to use the MNVD you need power. Pick an MNVD that uses a single battery. The battery cartridge for the dual battery units is fragile and easily broken, especially when reloading in the dark (that is the whole point to this, right?). Standard alkaline batteries work and are an acceptable alternative but I have been using Lithium AA batteries in the MNVD and have been well served. You will experience longer operational life of the battery across all temperature ranges. 

Further, the lithium batteries rarely ever leak, and when they do they tend to create less damage. A few have complained of permanent damage to the MNVD by alkaline leakage. I am not sure if the terminals were permanently damaged from corrosion - the voltage level at the juncture is quite small and therefore easily encumbered. Others have posited that the corrosion may have invisibly breached the seal and attacked the main power supply board.

Rechargeable batteries can be used but, due to their chemistry, tend to have a lower nominal voltage and don't power the MNVD across the designed capacity of the battery. Also, when the rechargeable batteries are fresh from the charger a temporary elevated voltage may be present that is enough to potentially smoke your MNVD. Unless you are an expert user of rechargeable batteries avoid their use in the MNVD. 

In short: use lithium batteries. Amortized across the life of the PVS-14, the cost of lithium batteries is below the noise floor. The PVS-14 is supremely efficient at battery usage.


-Accessories-
If you are on a budget, use parachute cord for your lanyard with a small Surefire flashlight style carabiner to attach to the D-Ring on the MNVD.
If you are not on a budget use the NARP scissor lanyard (also with SF style carabiner).

If you need the bungees for stability then use them. If you don't need them then don't use them. Be (insert expletive here) careful with them - they will hook your (insert expletive here) eye. Look over your arm for good places to hook them. Some guys just hook them together and pull the joined loop around the front of the MNVD. Some guys drill holes in the lowering arm for good bungee points. Once again, if you don't need them then don't use them.

(Task lights/helmet mounted)
There are a few good task lights on the market. I recommend someone start a side conversation on this subject. I chose the Petzl STRIX because it integrates well with my other gear, performs so many functions so well - and it was engineered from the ground up with light discipline in mind. I keep the light on low-power blue when I'm donning and that is enough for me to rummage through my pack to ready any of my gear, including the MNVD

Surefire M1: It's a workhorse low-powered spotlight rated by Surefire to run 480 minutes on one battery. If you load a fresh battery before use then you can run it all night. Use a pivoting mount so you can point it straight upwards. That way you can reflect light off of a ceiling in a closed environment. This allows you to get diffused light over the entire area without getting a bunch of splash-back, and prevents you from dazzling someone else in the room with you. Further, one person can light the whole room for everyone instead of everyone using directional lights. I like to keep this on my dominant side to make room on my non-dominant side for other lighting.(You can't put it all on one side because you'll side-load your neck.) 

SolarForce L2M or SolarForce LC-IR module inSurefire 6P housing with click switch: This is a high-powered floodlight rated by SolarForce to run (I forget 1 or 2 hours) on a set of batteries. Battery life is not staggering so you cannot run it all night and IR output can sag if the ambient temperature is high during constant duty use. Be careful with this one as I suspect eye damage is possible if not used properly and you can certainly dazzle another MNVD user in close proximity. I like to have this light on the non-dominant side so I can get to it in a hurry and so I can turn it on/off/on repeatedly without hassle. I'm assuming the readers are all using MNVD's in conjunction with a long arm - if not then modify as desired. 

Petzl STRIX: Mounted on the rear/slant section of the non-dominant side ARC rail, this light is rated for just short of infinite battery life and can be pivoted to shine pretty much anywhere with low-signature blue/green/red lighting up through medium power white lighting that can be used for navigation if your MNVD fails. I like to use the IR task light on the STRIX more than the built-in IR on the MNVD because I can aim it where I want it, and I don't like to place unwarranted use on the on/off switch on the MNVD, especially when I'm beat to all hell and I tend to crank every knob and switch way harder than is needed. 

(Weapon Mounted Lights)
I want to cover weapon-mounted lights. There are a lot of selections and I will cover a few but I definitely would like some feedback for this topic from some others. Points to consider are the total luminous flux, pattern design and spectral spread. The following are lights that I have used to good effect, or have been advised regarding their performance by reputable individuals, but there are many other good lights: 

TNVC Torch Pro II 
LDI SPIR 
Surefire M952V 
Solarforce LC-IR 6P drop-in 
Ultrafire UF T20-IR 
  

-Eye Dominance-

Most end users are RH/RED (right-handed/right-eye-dominant) and most of the rest will be LH/LED (left-handed/left-eye-dominant). A small remaining fraction will be CED (cross-eye-dominant). In my limited experience training with users that are not RH/RED, I have not seen any serious limitations on their performance (notwithstanding the many weapons systems that may be combined with MNVD use exposing weakness in my statement). That having been said, I want to cover orientation of the head-mounted MNVD for rifle use.  The most popular current configuration is to mount the MNVD on the side opposite of the rifle. For RH/RED users this is the left eye. Most users experience some uneasiness about this - they want the MNVD over their dominant eye because mounting it over the non-dominant eye forces them into cross-eye-dominance since the aided eye now provides more information to the brain. For this reason I suspect CED users more easily adapt to cross-eye-usage. The nuts and bolts of why this configuration has become so popular is mostly related to physical conflict between the MNVD and the rifle - mounting the MNVD on the left allows you to mount the rifle on the right without them smashing (too badly) together. Many users mount the rifle lower for MNVD use to further avoid the physical conflict but many experienced users still like to keep the rifle high on the shoulder for long distance engagements because they have spent considerable time building a solid standing shooting platform and they don't want to lose this stability. Some users move the butt of the rifle towards the sternum for MNVD use. I suggest you try it all and find what works best for you. I personally like keeping the rifle high - in line with my dominant eye. This allows me to run CED with the MNVD/LASER and instantly switch to RH/RED when I transition to white light/red dot - the flood of white light causes the dominant eye to re-assert itself.  Be sure to be able to adjust the J-Arm from right to left. In the event that you suffer eye strain, you may need to switch the MNVD to your dominant eye for relief. Mounting the rifle to the sternum helps to avoid conflict if this is necessary. Eye strain will be particularly prevalent when you are using magnification in conjunction with the MNVD.

-Visual Purple-
Visual purple is a chemical used by the human eye during scotopic (low light) conditions. For many years it was widely held that red light was the best light to aid vision without destroying visual purple (and hence your natural night vision). The reality appears to be that red light was chosen because there was already a culture of red light being used for this purpose in the field of photography. Photographers, however, were not using red light for the reasons that we have been - they chose red because it reacted less with their photo-reactive chemicals. Some modern experiments have shown that green and blue are better suited to our purposes. The US military believed enough in this that they installed blue lighting in cockpits and issued blue-cut filters for the BNVD's. For ground use the blue light looks like reflected moonlight to an adversary. 

Here's a fun experiment: 

Fully dark adapt yourself and expose only one eye to bright light, temporarily destroying your natural night vision. Next, view your environment and pay close attention to what you can and cannot see and how long it takes for you to regain full night adapted use of the eye. That time-lag is the time that your eye takes to produce visual purple to replace the batch that you destroyed by exposing your eye to the light. 

Maximizing utility of the MNVD involves not only mastery of your environment and the tools at hand, but also your own physiological limitations.


-IR & White Light-
Outside of Augee (See below in OP), I did not get a lot of feedback regarding weapon mounted IR lighting so I'm going to keep it brief due to my limited knowledge. I don't like to reference lights as being good for "X" amount of distance because factors such as reflectivity of terrain, the amount of gain you are running and the capability of your NVD all come into play, hopelessly complicating matters. Here are some benchmark lighting solutions and my subjective opinions of them, some of which you may be able to compare: 

Solarforce LC-IR 6P drop-in: Cheap and easy to obtain, this little workhorse, though not as reliable as a premium unit, dumps massive IR. It tends to flood the area and overdrive the NVD on close targets so this is for medium range only. If you are on a tight budget and have nothing, then this is a good starter. You may be able to flash coyote eyes with this. 

Surefire M952V: This is a decent quality unit that provides both IR and white light. It works well for close to medium engagements. You should be able to flash coyote eyes with this. 

Ultrafire UF T20-IR: This is an economy long distance, adjustable beam light. Quality is not superior but it does reach considerable distance. The pattern is square and blotchy and never appears in-focus. Still, at the price, it does have good reach and will flash coyote eyes. 

TNVC Torch Pro II / LDI SPIR: These fill the same niche so I'll describe them together. These are high quality adjustable beam lights that work best at long distance. The SPIR provides a beam that will reach further but the Torch Pro II has replaceable pills that make it more versatile and maintainable. The battery latch on the SPIR is of the variety that have given me durability issues in the past, though I have never seen a SPIR battery latch break. The Torch Pro II battery cap is extremely ruggedized and the body is compatible with many Surefire battery caps / switches. Both of these lights will flash coyote eyes. I give the edge to the SPIR in performance and the edge to the Torch Pro II in usability / mountability / maintainability. For hunting, I would pick one of these. 

Pay attention to how lights that you see in daily use behave to get a feel for how your lights will behave. Experiment with your lights and use the least amount of light necessary for the task at hand.  Ideally you would never want to use any artificial light for light discipline reasons. That is the target condition but it's not necessarily realistic. Before we jump too far ahead let's break artificial light into a a few categories. We could make more categories but my main idea here is to get everyone thinking about the light because you need to think about your light use in the field. 

                   IR:
                   1) Minimal IR task lighting such as the on-board illuminator on the MNVD 
                   2) Medium powered focused lighting such as a Surefire M1 
                   3) Higher powered IR flood light such as the Solar Force IR 6P module 
                   4) Very high powered IR source such as the TNVC Torch Pro 
                   5) Ridiculous power IR such as the Surefire Hellfighter 

                   Visible Light:
                   1) Minimal visible task lighting 
                   2) Higher power visible lighting for area lighting, spotlights and everything else.
                   (I group all of these together because, at this point, you have zero covert nature.) 

Hopefully everyone can draw some conclusions from the pattern of given examples. A discharge of a low power IR task light is much different from a discharge of a high powered visible light. We need lights for a lot of different reasons. Next we'll explore some of those reasons we need light and how to minimize our footprint.


-NVG Setups(usage)-
The MNVD is typically employed in one of two ways - helmet mounted with a weapon mounted laser as an aiming reference and weapon mounted behind some sort of optical aiming reference. Using the laser is fast and comfortable and allows you to stay mobile because you're not sucked into the optic and you have the PVS-14 always at the ready for mobility, navigation and scanning for targets. This is the nigh time equivalent of running a red dot - fast and nimble. Running an MNVD behind an optic is more of the low key benchrest equivalent. You can get behind the aiming reference and scan for your target without losing the laser dot on the horizon or getting laser splashback because you accidentally lased a nearby object (and it is passive - footnote Benghazi). 

The takeaway: There are two fundamentally different styles of shooting with the MNVD. The laser is fast, versatile and popular. Weapon mounted is low-key, in most applications slower and is less popular (but is potentially more accurate and is passive). 

Recoil: Different tubes are differently susceptible to damage. I have an older tube that I have been led to believe is somewhat ruggedized and that is what I use for weapons mounting. The new tubes are still "rated" for 5.56mm in the M-4/M-16 package but I am aware of several tubes getting splattered even when used as advertised. I typically keep weapons mounting to a minimum for this reason, but the PVS-14 is what I always have with me, so it is what gets used if I'm not humping a weapon scope. 


-Use of Glint & Navigation-
If I'm covering a lot of ground, problem solving, searching for things, etc. then I like to keep some IR glint on hand for marking trails or objects like breadcrumbs to help me navigate home. I have these configured the standard way with Velcro but I also have a bunch with magnetic backing that I can stick to fence posts, etc. I have some para-corded Velcro tabs so I can hang glint on a tree branch or whatever and then I just stick the standard squares to them. We use glint on the helmets to help increase visibility when we are working as a team. I have extra Velcro inside my helmet where I stow my glints when I want to go fully passive. You don't need to go crazy with it. If you are not worried about IR discipline then you can use the regular glint that is available cheap at the sewing stores. It's way better than the real thing.  

If I have a real opportunity to get lost then I may landmark a location with a strobe. I does not need to be anything fancy. The Phoenix Jr. does the job. The same goes if I'm ditching a ruck - I strobe it. If you need to run strobes for IFF, they don't necessarily need to be exposed. You can keep them in a pocket or a pouch and the IR will usually blast its way through the fabric. (Don't rely on this -test it.) If I'm marking myself for IFF then I like to use the IR Glo-Toob in CR123A version because I like to be able to turn it off. The Petzl STRIX has an IFF beacon but it's lower power and you can't just ditch it like a strobe that's made for the purpose. 


-Field Use & Training-
Get the MNVD ready for use and mounted to your lowering arm while you are sitting cross legged on the ground so when you fumble your MNVD it drops two feet into your lap and not six feet onto the concrete. Adjust lowering arm and J-Arm per manual.

Set your diopter focus per the manual and set the objective focus appropriate to the task at hand. If you are setting an FFP that means you will want to set your focus so you can view things directly in your hands. If you are going to be moving or shooting then you can set your focus for infinity - at that point everything as close as 15 feet and as far away as the stars are all roughly in focus. 

This will be disconcerting at first because as you are moving you will want objects near you to be in focus. Treat it like driving a car in traffic - analyze hazards at a distance, scan the field ahead of you, continue analyzing hazards as you approach them - by the time you are about to walk into a cactus or step off of a cliff you have already determined that they were there and made accommodations to provide a safe-zone between you and the hazard. As you are passing the hazard you do not need to see any real detail - just the general location.

I like to adjust my infinity ring such that I can screw my objective lens all the way in and achieve focus on the stars - that way even if conditions are overcast, I can still get a quick focus and if I have distant radio beacons available then I can use those to confirm it. Avoid reaching for the objective to focus all of the time. Get used to analyzing threats under less than optimum focus because if things get squirrely you won't have time to screw with it.

Constantly scan the box - look far left, then down a bit, all the way to the far right, up, all the way back to the left, repeat. The pattern is not important - you just need to defeat the limited FOV of the MNVD and scanning is what does that for you. In the beginning walk only in safe areas. I like to have stepping stones that I can use for judging footwork. That way I can tell where my feet are hitting relative to where I thought they were going to hit but if I miss the stepping stone I just step on the dirt, etc. Eventually you'll be avoiding stepping on big rocks and into holes. Save that for later.

Set your near focus, sit on the ground and disassemble something and reassemble it - it doesn't matter what it is - you just need to get used to working under MNVD. At close range you will suffer more from the optical effect caused by your vision input being determined several inches from your face at the objective. At distance this effect is diminished. Some guys run the MNVD a little away from their face and angled upwards so they can look down and view close objects with naked eyes and look back up into the MNVD.

You've been donning and doffing your gear and MNVD in the dark for several days now prior to your nightly manual dexterity exercises and you've been walking around your controlled area. You're reasonably competent at all of the tasks that you need to perform for your job function, so now you head to the field. Your DP (depth perception) and your FOV (field of view) are crippled due to the single eye nature of the MNVD. Your unaided eye is pulling in some photons and you feel a little distracted by the dual input that your brain is getting, so you reach for your pirate patch to block the unaided image but stop yourself at the last minute because you remembered that I told you to be patient - that the discomfort will pass.

As you begin to relax a little you become cognitively aware of marked differences in the two images and eventually come to realize that you are experiencing CR (contrast reversal). One foot leads the other as you very slowly start walking across open terrain. As you continually scan and your visual purple begins to build in your unaided eye, you start to realize that you are attaining a renewed sense of DP - it's crippled and slightly parallaxed, but sure enough it's there and you realize that it's due to CR.

You start moving a little faster and realize that a rock cluster you missed is right on you and you are moving too fast to avoid having to riverdance the gaps. Slow down, stud, you don't own the night - despite what everyone told you. A user's ability with an MNVD is directly proportional to his training with it - as much as it is with a carbine. You relax and move a little slower realizing that the critters hear you stomping through the local terrain. You need to move more slowly at night.

A lot of things like twigs you will initially take for granted - until you step on one and watch your quarry bolt from cover 25 yards ahead of you. You feel like an idiot until you remember Teddy Roosevelt talking about how the man in the arena is the only one that matters - the critic is insignificant. You are now the man in the arena, stumbling and bumbling like a fool. None of that matters. You continue this trek every night for two months and look back and laugh at your beginnings because you will have become a warrior with the MNVD because you persevered.

Once you've made your way to your FFP you need to get yourself comfortable. Discomfort means fidgeting and fidgeting means noise - you are already going to be making all sorts of stupid noises from mistakes that you'll be making due to operating under I2. Nobody's perfect - just try to keep it to a minimum. Though I have bottom-mounted lights in the past, I generally like to get them on the same horizontal plane as the bore. In the field, you'll be operating in an environment where a lot of detritus gets in your way and a higher mounting point will help a little. Be wary of splashback, even from the weeds. 

I like to get in a seated position (sighting above the weeds) in an overwatch from elevation, if possible. I use one of the super-tall Harris Engineering bipods (part number pending) that lets me sit on my pack and keep my rifle comfortably at-ready for long durations. Experiment a little with how you like to get your rifle situated for shouldering. A perfect cheek-weld is not necessary. Some guys use a chin weld or other index and some use no reference. Find what works for you. If you need to cheek-weld then you may want to remove your day optic to avoid hitting it with the MNVD. This isn't National Match so you get to decide what's best. If working as a team, use your laser as a pointer to indicate points of interest to your partner. Pick landmarks ahead of time to help minimize necessary communication in the event the spotter sees activity. Work the laser on the terrain to get the feel for how it behaves. THERE WILL BE CONDITIONS WHERE YOU WILL LOSE THE DOT. Get used to tracking the dot to minimize this. If you need to operate in a flat environment the you will need to "walk the dot" - place the dot low and converge it to your target. Attempting to scan horizontally across a flat, level environment will result in you losing your dot on the horizon, constantly having to reacquire it. 

Magnification on the MNVD can help detect targets, but typical military models are 3X for a reason. Excessive power will hamper the high-speed nature of target acquisition/tracking. The military afocal magnifiers are excellent choices and are conveniently slipped on and off of the MNVD using the friction ring, or the friction ring can be removed and the magnifier can be directly threaded to the MNVD. True military models are the highest quality. If purchasing a knock-off be sure to get one made in Singapore - avoid Chinese manufacture of this item as the lenses are not at par for the application. 

The 3X afocal lenses are big and heavy, especially pronounced due to the leverage they place on your neck over the long term. For this reason, many of us use 2X telephoto lenses. Do not bother with anything over 2X in a telephoto. A true 3X telephoto (many are poorly designated) approaches the size and weight of an afocal lens and telephoto lenses have less DOF. This loss of DOF is pronounced at 3X and is more manageable at 2X. I typically use a 37mm lens with a 37mm/30mm step-down ring though I do have one 30mm telephoto that directly mounts. 


-Light Footprint & Situational Awareness-
Provided we are discussing a serious application of the MNVD, we need to consider two locations: your starting position and your FFP or AO. The crux of the issue is that you need to get from Point A to Point B and then operate at Point B. The entire distance might be covered on foot or in combination with a vehicle - either way, you will be making use of light - whether it be the Sun, the Moon or headlights - so consider how approaching your FFP will impact your environment, potentially flagging your position.

Something as simple as cardboard visors can radically alter the cast of headlights prior to reaching a debarkation point. Assuming you are in a controlled environment such as private property, disabling your tail lights has a huge impact on your light footprint - just make sure you are not being stupid, doing this on public roads (unless there are exigent circumstances - enemy invasion, etc.). Driving under IR is a whole different animal and should be covered in a separate thread.

Typically, you will have no need to use the MNVD during twilight but, in the event that you do, you can limit the amount of incoming photons using a ND (Neutral Density) filter or a limiting aperture. I prefer the aperture because you get the added benefit of increasing your DOF (Depth of Field or Depth of Focus). If you are donning your MNVD in the deep dark then a low powered task light is in order. Legacy red lights are not nearly as good at preserving visual purple or maintaining light discipline as many insist. I do not wish to debate this here but modern research is leaning towards green and blue being better in this respect - with blue blending the best with ambient moonlight for light discipline reasons.

Now that you've donned the MNVD and gotten it tethered, it's time to get moving. Any NVD of any generation, a lot of digital cameras (footnote Benghazi) and even some critters are sensitive to IR, so if light discipline is a real concern then you need to minimize all discharges of light, including IR. You can gain a lot of experience points by working around others that are using IR sources under NVD but you can fake it by practicing with a partner and a flashlight. Watch your partner shine a low powered flashlight as he performs a task, changing your perspective to see how perspective affects your perception of the flashlight. You will find that looking across the beam or on the same vector as the beam that the light pours into the surrounding objects - but that directly viewing the beam head on will reveal an intense spot that acts like a beacon. 

The takeaway is that light discipline is complicated and dependent on the way that the light is used, and not just the type of light that is used. If you use a low power light source, keeping it pointed away from a potential adversary, he may never see it. Pointing a light source directly at an adversary, no matter how low power you judge that light source to be, highly increases the risk of detection. If you are in a depressed area, out of long lines of sight, you are in a much safer position to be able to use artificial light. If you shine a light along a wall there is a good possibility that someone looking in the general direction of gaps in the wall will never notice the discharge - and if he does he will still have trouble targeting the source. Use your imagination, watch people use visible lights - especially night hikers - and get a feel for how light behaves.

Pay special notice to how light sources "disappear" from your view when you know that they are still active and emulate this with your light sources under MNVD.


-Emergencies & Safety-
Speaking of working as ateam: NV does not make you bulletproof. ALL OF THE STANDARD RULES FOR FIREARM SAFETY APPLY AT NIGHT. Keep track of everyone and stay safe. Everything is harder at night. Everything is more dangerous at night. Take it slow. Make sure you understand clearance procedures for the most common stoppages for your weapon system inside-out and backwards because it's even less fun in the dark than it is in the daytime.

Don't forget, if someone does get hurt then you have to treat them in the dark. I have only had to deal with one trauma case in the deep dark but that is one time too many. 

Sidenote: Have contact numbers and radiofrequencies handy for anyone nearby that has medevac capability, even if you don't think they'll divert assets for you. A lot of the Marine bases have ready-teams on-call 24/7. They get given make-work fairy tale missions to keep them busy. If you have a trauma case then they MAY divert assets for you if they can. Do not rely on the 911 operator to take care of everything for you. She may sit on her hands (It happened to me.) Stay on it. If nothing appears to be happening then send a mayday call elsewhere. Start with agencies that are directly responsible for your welfare and work your way out from there (but
have contact info with you at all times). 


-Ocular Pathology and use of the MNVD-
Use of corrective lenses can present difficulties with the use of the MNVD - so can non use. Use of an additional lens that is not native to the MNVD can cause focus issues. If you have an ocular pathology that can be corrected by the use of the diopter ring then I recommend that you do so. If you are an avid user of the MNVD and suffer eye strain in the unaided eye because light levels are high enough to cause it to attempt to focus, then I recommend you consider using a pair of glasses with the lens removed that would be behind the MNVD. If you go this route, then I recommend you go full-tilt and get a set of BCGs (birth control goggles). They will provide a better field of view and better eye protection than smaller lenses. Alternately you can block the unaided eye altogether with a pirate patch - this is not recommended but it does work to some extent. Do not use the MNVD for extended periods with the unaided eye closed - this is not a solution. 

Use of a single contact lens is probably a better route if you are a contact lens user. Eye protection is still recommended for the unaided eye. 

Some ocular pathologies are not correctable by using the diopter ring so you may just have to work around it the best you can. Do not rely on the diopter ring being calibrated properly - many are not. Frequent rest and exercise of the eyes is in order for those with ocular pathologies to get the most benefit from the MNVD. (Really, it helps ALL of us.) 

This is one arena where the BNVD shines - many can independently provide correction for each eye. All of this is based on opinions from other MNVD users with ocular pathologies. I am not an expert in this segment but I wanted to add what I think I know because it at least gets you to a starting point.


-Laser Zeroing System-
LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation 

The following section relies on a carbine being equipped as I have chosen to do so. Your results will vary from mine depending on your own configuration. That having been said, my system has served me well and, hopefully, I can provide some insight. None of this is written in stone. 

Assumptions: 
                          1) A carbine with a barrel length of 16+ inches 
                          2) Railed fore end (handguard) of 10+ inches 
                          3) Flip-up iron sights 
                          4) Your favorite NV compatible dot sight 
                          5) LASER 
                          6) MNVD with weapon mount 

The barrel length was chosen based on the assumption that we are out in the open and we need to maintain substantial terminal velocity over significant distance. 

The railed fore end was chosen to allow forward mounting of the laser. The laser should be mounted as far forward as is reasonably possible. Depending on your grip and stance, body parts or gear may tend to obstruct the beam if the laser is mounted too far to the rear. 

Flip-up iron sights were chosen to avoid interference with the MNVD and sight picture when passive use of the MNVD is required. My iron sights do not see very much day-to-day use but they are rock solid and form the kingpin of my system. 

There are a lot of good dot type sights available. They all have their drawbacks. Pick one, preferably in an NV compatible model. Dot sights are fast and provide a substantial, unobstructed field of view compared to iron sights. They also provide an aiming reference if you need to run the MNVD passive. I leave 7 rail slots between the red dot and the rear sight to allow room for mounting the MNVD with a 2X telephoto lens. 

Typical civilian-legal IR lasers are 0.7mW output power and may be accompanied by a visible beam. If a dual beam laser is chosen the "slaved beam" option is convenient and can save some range time. The 0.7mW IR beam can be used to approximately 200m under optimum lighting conditions. Under overall brighter conditions or when aiming into a brightly lit area the beam may wash out. Under low light conditions the beam may cause blooming. Overlaying some supplemental IR lighting can calm excessive blooming. Under many conditions the user may choose to ignore blooming and just "shoot through it". Experience will play a big part in this. The visible beam of a dual beam laser may provide further engagement distance for you, if necessary (at the expense of invisibility). Lasers can cause immediate and irreparable damage to an I2 tube so avoid shining them on other NVD users or reflective surfaces that may redirect the beam at your own tube. 0.7mW lasers are typically considered eye-safe but I recommend that you still treat them responsibly. The assumption is that the laser is mounted to a firearm so the basic caveat applies: 

                Do not point the firearm or laser at anything you do not wish to destroy. 

I follow a complete system oriented approach to the zero process: 

1) Zero the iron sights. 
2) Leave the iron sights in the "up" position and zero the red dot sight to the iron sights. Flip the iron sights to the "down" position and validate zero for the red dot sight with live fire. 
3) In a low light environment, set the red dot sight to its NV compatible setting and mount the MNVD to the weapon. View the projected laser dot through the MNVD. Using the reticle of the red dot sight as a reference, zero the laser. Remove the MNVD from the weapon and head/helmet mount it. Validate zero of the laser by live fire. 

Periodic field validation of zero is easily done without live fire. 

1) Check the red dot against the iron sights. 
2) Check the laser against the red dot. 

If any sighting system deviates from the others then I know that I have a problem. If all 3 sight systems are aligned then I assume that I still have a solid zero. The likelihood of all 3 sighting systems being knocked off of zero to the same arbitrary point is nearly nonexistent. If the laser fails to function or fails to maintain zero then the MNVD can be weapon mounted for passive use as a backup. 

I personally run a "true-cowitness" EOTech and a LaRue LT114 PVS-14 weapon mount. This mount causes the MNVD to ride a little high when run passively behind the EOTech but it is extremely workable, especially in conjunction with a high quality 2X telephoto lens.


(Contributions from AUGEE on IR Lights)
IR weapon lights are kind of a red herring when it comes to "tactical" use--I don't have much of a background as a hunter so I can speak much to those applications. 

At the end of the day, the AN/PEQ-2 family with the integral Class IIIB laser based targeting illuminator has been on line coming up on two decades, and for long range military IR illumination purposes is simply head and shoulders superior to any even currently available IR-capable weapon lights, to say nothing of what was available when they were first introduced. 

In military use, IR weapon lights have mostly been used for "fill lighting," whether you're talking about the IR filters on old-school incandescent lights, or the USSOCOM spec'ed and issued WMX200 of today. They give wide and diffuse short range area lighting--usually because the user already has a standard power LAM mounted on the weapon that is focusable and gives target illumination. IR weapon lights have often been used mostly as "task lights," for navigating rooms and structures, SSE, etc., without requiring the user to mess with the adjustments of their targeting illuminator or mess with filter covers, which have been a major deficiency of L3/Insight LAMs, the filter covers snap off with annoying regularity, especially if you fuck with them a lot. Using IR weapon lights as "search lights" is pretty much a non-starter as well, especially these days, for the IR light discipline reasons you and others have mentioned--a flashlight is a flashlight is a flashlight, and using one too much is generally a poor idea when there may be folks around trying to kill you, so learning to rely on one tends to be a bad idea. 

Beyond that, the preference of most for "true" CQB where weapon lights are often employed has been to switch to white light when you go "full kinetic," your NV gives you the stealth to move into position, but once you start breaching doors, shouting commands, and shooting guns, many prefer to go to white light which is faster and more efficient, at least until NVD technology improves to the point of autofocus, color and contrast, natural FOV, etc. Devices like the GPNVG are still niche and specialty items that are used in specific circumstances, and are available to only a very narrow range of users who primarily choose to use AN/PVS-31s and/or FGS in all but those narrow circumstances. 

Adding to the increasing preference for more power white lights, and the fact that "useful" IR illumination usually requires a sacrifice in white light illumination (take IIRC 5-600 lumens for the Surefire M600U, versus I think the "upgraded" versions are 350 lumens WL on the M600V--I know that lumens aren't an "absolute" measure of brightness/power/beam, but it still serves to illustrate). Nevertheless, many organizational users are using about 200 lumens of white light or less (M600C, WMX200, M952V, AN/PEQ-16B), but that's neither here nor there--most folks who are using standard power LAMs with on-board IR illumination and using their own lights tend to be preferring the use of dedicated WLIs rather than IR-capable versions, and simply using their LAMs for IR illum, often supplemented by helmet mounted IR task/area lights like the various Princeton Tec models, as well as the Surefire HL-1, which crappy as it is, is still quite prolific. 

For users that have "tactical" needs, whether real or imagined, that otherwise have had no access to standard power LAMs, LED-based IR illuminators are less than satisfactory, both because of their large size and bulk, dedicated nature, and visible spectrum signature when used. 

For those folks, IR-capable weapon lights were briefly popular before second generation civilian legal LAMs like the DBAL-D2/I2/A3 and ATPIAL-C became available, because first generation devices tended to be aiming laser-only devices, and therefore requiring a supplemental device if you wanted IR illum for target engagement. Even for that use, IR weapon lights were kind of a "gotta take what you can get" kind of situation, not an ideal one, because there wasn't a good way to activate both the illuminator and the aiming laser at the same time, you had to activate each device one at a time, or somehow synchronize your button pressing to press two buttons at one time (whether we're talking about native to the device, or a remote switch setup). 

This was also exacerbated by the fact that most "popular" IR weapon light options had primary momentary controls, so depending on how you were doing things, you might have to flash the light, and then it would go off when you hit the laser (e.g., if using a dual switch), or you had to keep mashing down a light button while you turned on a laser button, or you had to use a click cap (the Surefire SL dual function tailcap for the popular Scout light series was not yet available, forcing you to choose between a native click cap that was "hypothetically" capable of momentary activation, but easily "pressed in" to constant under stress, or a remote switch--either a momentary only version that came with the light, or an SR that had both a click and momentary, but would cost you an extra $80, if you wanted a dual switch, you were stuck with momentary only again), turn the light on, then turn on the laser (or vice versa). 

Meanwhile, if you were using a dual button switch, either the Insight or Surefire SR-D-IT, and trying to push both buttons at once, the on-board device logics do not necessarily co-exist well, if your fingers "stuttered" on the buttons, you might end up turning your laser on constant (double tap) or accidentally turning it off, whichever would be most inconvenient, while you were trying to keep your momentary-only light and laser on at the same time. 

Even if you did overcome or didn't care about these limitations, e.g., if you were using head-mounted NODs and an NV capable optic as your primary aiming method, so that activating the IR laser simultaneously was not as much of an issue, most IR/WL capable lights still require you to switch or turn something in order to make them go from IR to WL, meaning that if you need another setting "quick, fast, and in a hurry," you didn't have much recourse, i.e.--if you were doing a rapid transition to kinetic, white light engagement after conducting movement to the OBJ under NODs. 

Obviously, this kind of stuff would only apply if you were wanting to use both the illuminator and the laser at the same time, which might not be 100% of the time, but compare any of the above to using a LAM with on-board IR illum, where all it takes is a turn of a dial and the press of a single device control that uses the exact same switchology and logic. The TAPS-Pro does allow you to program logic into the controls, as well as slave two devices to a single button, which is a nice touch and can solve these problems--but it didn't help the guys a couple years ago who were stripping wires and soldering switches because they were stuck with an OTAL or CQBL-1 and an old-school M620V or something before the TAPS-Pro was available. At the same time, now with the availability of second gen, power limited laser based illuminators, specific IR weapon lights have become even less relevant, as while "civilian-legal" versions do have somewhat degraded capability relative to Class IIIb standard power ("restricted") devices, they are still more than capable for most civilian and even "tactical" use--the biggest complaint from me is the inability to "focus" such devices (versus the power level), but even so, this isn't really a downgrade from most IR-capable weapon lights, either. 

Unless there's some sort of "next great leap" in one of the technologies, my advice is usually to simply go with a LAM that offers on-board IR illumination, and then choose a white light that best matches your requirements and preferences, if it happens to be IR capable, cool, if not, not a big deal--and certainly don't choose a white light you like less just because it has IR capability. 

Again, the "rules" for hunting applications might be totally different, someone may be able to chime in on those, and lights that are suitable/effective for those uses better than I. 


(Contributions from Augee on Lasers)
The above procedure, while similar to mine, relies a little too much on one's weapon being configured nearly identically to the weapon described. 

A lot of folks have dumped iron sights completely, and/or prefer to run their sights at a lower-1/3 height or higher, also, you didn't specify a distance at which to collimate your various sighting devices at--I say all this not to nit-pick you, but because I can see someone trying this procedure with lower-1/3 sights, then lining up all their sights across their living room with the lights off, then wondering why the hell everything is so off. 

Co-alignment/Boresighting/Co-axial Zeroing method: 

0. HAVE A GOOD DAY ZERO. 
1. Pick a point, preferably between 100-200m away that you can see and identify both through the day optic, and with the naked eye/NVD. 
2. Align the day optic on the selected aiming point. This can be done at dusk all visual (if you have a slaved VIS laser), or it can be done at night using the NVD to look through the day optic, including magnified optics. 
3. Align the aiming laser to the selected aiming point, it can help if you have a buddy to help you so one of you can adjust the laser, while one of you holds the weapon steady on the aiming point. 
4. Confirm that both the laser and day optic are co-aligned. 

In order to aid in this procedure, my preferred target is a boresight panel of my own [semi] design, this is a "prototype" that I used before building one with a less... "used trash" vibe : 

 

The panel is approximately 3'x2.5', and has an intersecting pattern, which allows the size of the aiming point to be "0." In the center is a 1.25" reflector. 

At 200m, the panel is visible without magnification, and you can make out the intersecting point through your day optic, while the reflector will cause your laser to "bloom" (again, day or night) when the laser is properly aligned to it. It makes it very simple to simply have one person keep the weapon steady on the panel through the day optic, while the other moves the laser on to the reflector until it blooms. Confirmation can be checked by moving the weapon off, and moving it back on, and insuring that everything is still aligned. 

Some of the theory behind all this, and why I generally recommend a distance of between 100-200m: 

If you align your sights so that they are co-aligned at any given distance, they will not be perfectly aligned at any other distance, due to differences in mechanical offsets/axes/heights, and direct LOS versus parabolic movement (ballistics) versus LOS radiation. I am a fan of co-alignment (versus constant offsets), but you need to pick a distance that makes sense based on your day battlesight zero, which for most people is either a 25-300m, 100m, or 50-200m. 

The long and the short of it is that the easiest way [in my experience] for people to shoot with an IR laser is to have the IR laser match their day zero as closely as possible, as they often are already familiar with the distance offsets that they use, and it's not terribly difficult to translate that back into the aiming laser placement. Ultimately, the laser is not a precision sighting system, so there's a little bit of "fudge factor" that rarely causes practical issues, and that is generally unavoidable regardless of zeroing method. 

Basically, when using the co-alignment method, versus the constant offset, at the muzzle of the weapon, your offset from your various sighting systems and muzzle will be at their exact mechanical distances, about ~1.5" high and ~1" right for an ATPIAL (this is a rough estimate, as I don't have my notes for the exact mechanical offset in front of me). These offsets will generally dwindle (accepting, again, the fudge factor of your direct LOS on two different vertical planes from your optic and laser, versus the projectile curve of the bullet) to 0 at whatever distance you coalign them to. You want this distance to be as close to the "point blank" range of your day zero because that's probably what you're already used to, and it won't be difficult to adjust using the same vertical offsets you're already used to. 

At the boresighting distance, all your sights and bullet will converge, and then start moving "away" from each other in the opposite directions--you're already used to this with vertical offsets because it's what you do with your day sights, however, most aiming lasers, unless they are centered, and mounted at the 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock, will add a horizontal offset as well. What this means is that at twice the distance you boresighted at, your offset will be the same as your mechanical offset at the muzzle--just in the opposite direction, then continuing to open up as you get further out from the point you boresighted at. 

What this means practically is that most people using "civilian legal" IR LAMs generally consider 200m to be the maximum effective range for both identification and engagement using an IR laser, while standard power military LAMs are rarely used [for target engagement] beyond 400 or so meters. Meaning that getting a boresight at 200m would mean that your laser aiming point would never be greater than your offset if you used a constant-offset zeroing method out until 400m. Depending on the ranges that you expect to be firing, battlesight zero, and space available, a 100m boresight isn't so bad, either, particularly for a civilian shooter, and you can "slide" the range based on what distance best corresponds to "point blank" for your weapon and battlesight. 

Basically, this procedure, while it might be a little bit more complicated to explain, can be done with a piece of cardboard, some spray paint, and a $0.50 road reflector, and works with just about any optic/laser combination, as long as you have a good day zero. 

~Augee


--
(Original Post)
Before making this post, I did read a majority of the stickies and older threads.

I'd like to ask for a nice rundown of things to avoid and things to try with NVG.
My 14 is still inbound, so it will give me some time to get prepared.
I mostly don't want to screw it up.

It's purpose/duty is mainly job related wildlife depredation along with general use.
I'd like to take some night courses in the future.
It will be helmet mounted.

If I've overlooked some important thread I'll nuke this and continue reading.
Thanks!

Avoid bright light as much as possible. Aside from that enjoy your scope.

This topic can probably bear to be revisited. I'll send some recommendations tomorrow.

Always remove the battery when not in use.
Use a lanyard to tether it to your helmet.
Don't stare into beacons, lasers or very bright light.
When you turn it off, make sure it's off 3 times.
When in use keep it moving and not look at 1 spot for long periods of time.
Just because it's autogated avoid using it in bright light when possible.
Avoid weapon mounting it if possible.
Use it as much as possible and practice adjusting the settings, mounting it, adjust the mount settings, changing battery in a no light scenario.
Show your wife how to use it, look throuh it to see how nice the stars/galaxy looks under NODs which will hopefully give you a good enough reason that she'll agree to buy you a binocular set up.

_Get into dovetail a soon as possible. Avoid investing into bayonet j-arms.


_Never plan on using your PVS14 behind your RDS. That's how we all talk ourselves into how "cheap" NODS can be! lol. I won't need a mount or helmet or laser! Lol.


_Even if you live in the city. Try to use it by going to the dark woods. astronomy is awesome with NODS. You can look up when certain satellites are traveling overhead and can make it a very awesome cheap date.

LOL

Well... I know someone that did this. He was stoked until he woke up in the morning and both of his PVS-14's were gone... and so was she.

I would have agreed with this until the advent of the RHNO II.

Installment One

Use only high quality shrouds: Ops-Core, Wilcox, Norotos (Not USGI Plate) all come to mind. Never use airsoft shrouds.

There are a lot of good lowering arms now. Your PVS-14 probably already includes a USGI J-Arm. A RHNO II (not RHNO) is a good inexpensive start and may serve you well as you get some experience. Time will tell you what you want in a J-Arm/Lowering Arm combo - then you can upgrade if you need. A lot of people will tell you that you need to spend $700 on an arm before you start. I am not one of them. Most of those guys were crippled with the old RHNO or worse, and still have such a bad taste in their mouth from it that they can't think straight. There used to only be the crap option - now we have crap, good and excellent choices available (with commensurate pricing). If you use the stock J-Arm then determine if you have the old ball and socket or the new square pin type. If you have the ball and socket type then disassemble the J-Arm and chamfer ALL of the position locking sockets to get the balls to seat properly. Once this is done the adjustments you make will be more solid and secure. It will also increase the life of your J-Arm. A small piece of foam tape inside the shroud cavity will help dampen vibration if the lowering arm is loose in the cavity.

Installment Two

Get a photography tripod D-Ring 1/4-20 mounting screw to replace the J-Arm thumbscrew. The short one is too short, the long one is too long. Get the long one and cut it to the right length. Assuming you are right handed/right eye dominant and you are using the MNVD over your left eye, you now have a solid, compact D-Ring for your lanyard at a convenient location atop your PVS-14 (zero weight gain). Left eye use is the current vogue for the most versatile use of the MNVD. We'll get to that later (Please, advise if you are southpaw.) If you are on a budget, use parachute cord for your lanyard with a small Surefire flashlight style carabiner to attach to the D-Ring on the MNVD. If you are not on a budget use the NARP scissor lanyard (also with SF style carabiner). Get the MNVD ready for use and mounted to your lowering arm while you are sitting cross legged on the ground so when you fumble your MNVD it drops two feet into your lap and not six feet onto the concrete. Adjust lowering arm and J-Arm per manual. If you need the bungees for stability then use them. If you don't need them then don't use them. Be (insert expletive here) careful with them - they will hook your (insert expletive here) eye. Look over your arm for good places to hook them. Some guys just hook them together and pull the joined loop around the front of the MNVD. Some guys drill holes in the lowering arm for good bungee points. Once again, if you don't need them then don't use them.

Fundamentally, this is the best advice you will get from this thread. The rest is all details. I think part of the problem is that most people do not have an impending need or operational requirement for use of the MNVD and they are not creative enough to develop a training program for themselves so it goes unused. Thinking you own the night because you bought a PVS-14 is like thinking that you are going to clean-sweep a 3-gun match because you bought some fancy guns (and never trained).

Installment Three

Now that you are ready to use the MNVD you need power. Pick an MNVD that uses a single battery. The battery cartridge for the dual battery units is fragile and easily broken, especially when reloading in the dark (that is the whole point to this, right?). Standard alkaline batteries work and are an acceptable alternative but I have been using Lithium AA batteries in the MNVD and have been well served. You will experience longer operational life of the battery across all temperature ranges. Further, the lithium batteries rarely ever leak, and when they do they tend to create less damage. A few have complained of permanent damage to the MNVD by alkaline leakage. I am not sure if the terminals were permanently damaged from corrosion - the voltage level at the juncture is quite small and therefore easily encumbered. Others have posited that the corrosion may have invisibly breached the seal and attacked the main power supply board. ranges. Further, the lithium batteries rarely ever leak, and when they do they tend to create less damage. A few have complained of permanent damage to the MNVD by alkaline leakage. The metal shell of the battery is one of the electrodes and is consumed by the battery chemistry during use so the batteries are most vulnerable to leakage at the end of life. If you need to use alkalines then use fresh ones. Rechargeable batteries can be used but, due to their chemistry, tend to have a lower nominal voltage and don't power the MNVD across the designed capacity of the battery. Also, when the rechargeable batteries are fresh from the charger a temporary elevated voltage may be present that is enough to potentially smoke your MNVD. Unless you are an expert user of rechargeable batteries avoid their use in the MNVD.

In short: use lithium batteries. Amortized across the life of the PVS-14, the cost of lithium batteries is below the noise floor. The PVS-14 is supremely efficient at battery usage.

Just so you know, it's only like $20 a year and you can put all this into one comment..... Just sayin......

Thanks for these replies gentleman.
I'm hoping this thread helps others as well.
Keep em coming.


To some of those questions:
-I'm right handed shooter, but left eye dominance. (sucks)
-I've obtained a DBAL and won't mount PVS behind MRO.
-Previous reading made me purchase a INVG.(buy once..)
-My unit is coming from TNVC, going on week 5 of estimated 8.

LOL...

I don't have time to add all of this in one shot, anyways. Some of the posters here have a vast amount more technical knowledge than I do but practical experience is my forte and I will probably be adding a lot. I have a LOT of hours behind I² tubes in the field engaging in MANY activities.

I'm addressing the issues in an order that makes sense to me. Once you get rolling you'll probably see the logic of the process. I will address eye dominance and lasers when I get past basic use and navigation. I am not going to go too deep into the areas that are flooded with opinion. I'll let the hive sort that out. (They won't be able to help themselves.)

Your contributions are appreciated.

+1. I might not always agree with what poster X says, but I usually learn something.

Installment Four

Set your diopter focus per the manual and set the objective focus appropriate to the task at hand. If you are setting an FFP that means you will want to set your focus so you can view things directly in your hands. If you are going to be moving or shooting then you can set your focus for infinity - at that point everything as close as 15 feet and as far away as the stars are all roughly in focus.  This will be disconcerting at first because as you are moving you will want objects near you to be in focus. Treat it like driving a car in traffic - analyze hazards at a distance, scan the field ahead of you, continue analyzing hazards as you approach them - by the time you are about to walk into a cactus or step off of a cliff you have already determined that they were there and made accommodations to provide a safe-zone between you  and the hazard. As you are passing the hazard you do not need to see any real detail - just the general location. I like to adjust my infinity ring such that I can screw my objective lens all the way in and achieve focus on the stars - that way even if conditions are overcast, I can still get a quick focus and if I have distant radio beacons available then I can use those to confirm it. Avoid reaching for the objective to focus all of the time. Get used to analyzing threats under less than optimum focus because if things get squirrely you won't have time to screw with it. Constantly scan the box - look far left, then down a bit, all the way to the far right, up, all the way back to the left, repeat. The pattern is not important - you just need to defeat the limited FOV of the MNVD and scanning is what does that for you. In the beginning walk only in safe areas. I like to have stepping stones that I can use for judging footwork. That way I can tell where my feet are hitting relative to where I thought they were going to hit but if I miss the stepping stone I just step on the dirt, etc. Eventually you'll be avoiding stepping on big rocks and into holes. Save that for later. Set your near focus, sit on the ground and disassemble something and reassemble it - it doesn't matter what it is - you just need to get used to working under MNVD. At close range you will suffer more from the optical effect caused by your vision input being determined several inches from your face at the objective. At distance this effect is diminished. Some guys run the MNVD a little away from their face and angled upwards so they can look down and view close objects with naked eyes and look back up into the MNVD.

Widespread use of I² MNVD's is still fairly new and interesting solutions are being discovered all the time. The solutions that I am presenting have either worked for me in the past or they served someone else that I know is competent. None of this is set in stone - it is all subject to change at any time. If someone has a better solution to add regarding any of this then I'd be glad to hear it. I don't worship cows and I won't be offended, besides, this is not my own personal thread. Eventually I will be getting to topics that have multiple valid solutions - each working best in certain circumstances for certain people, in conjunction with differing ancillary gear. That is when someone will chime in and say that their idea is best and everyone that does not agree with them is an idiot. The reality is that there is a lot of room on many of these issues for a lot of differing yet equally valid opinions.

Installment Five

You've been donning and doffing your gear and MNVD in the dark for several days now prior to your nightly manual dexterity exercises and you've been walking around your controlled area. You're reasonably competent at all of the tasks that you need to perform for your job function, so now you head to the field. Your DP (depth perception) and your FOV (field of view) are crippled due to the single eye nature of the MNVD. Your unaided eye is pulling in some photons and you feel a little distracted by the dual input that your brain is getting, so you reach for your pirate patch to block the unaided image but stop yourself at the last minute because you remembered that I told you to be patient - that the discomfort will pass. As you begin to relax a little you become cognitively aware of marked differences in the two images and eventually come to realize that you are experiencing CR (contrast reversal). One foot leads the other as you very slowly start walking across open terrain. As you continually scan and your visual purple begins to build in your unaided eye, you start to realize that you are attaining a renewed sense of DP - it's crippled and slightly parallaxed, but sure enough it's there and you realize that it's due to CR. You start moving a little faster and realize that a rock cluster you missed is right on you and you are moving too fast to avoid having to riverdance the gaps. Slow down, stud, you don't own the night - despite what everyone told you. A user's ability with an MNVD is directly proportional to his training with it - as much as it is with a carbine. You relax and move a little slower realizing that the critters hear you stomping through the local terrain. You need to move more slowly at night. A lot of things like twigs you will initially take for granted - until you step on one and watch your quarry bolt from cover 25 yards ahead of you. You feel like an idiot until you remember Teddy Roosevelt talking about how the man in the arena is the only one that matters - the critic is insignificant. You are now the man in the arena, stumbling and bumbling like a fool. None of that matters. You continue this trek every night for two months and look back and laugh at your beginnings because you will have become a warrior with the MNVD because you persevered.

8 week wait for what?

How about this, would it be safe for my pvs-14 if I have my girlfriend using a spot light right next to me? Not looking at the beam, but looking near the same direction. Or looking out the side of a can-am with the headlights on? Trying to do whatever I can to get her involved.

They quoted me 8 weeks on my PVS14. (TNVC)
I'm 5 weeks in now.
@boxofrox

I'm clearly no expert, but why can't she use some IR stuff to help spot. She won't be able to see that though..
Also, if you have you headlights on won't that impede the need for the NVG?

Your posts read like a novel.
Thanks again.

Let me rephrase that. She'll be using a white light spot light so she can see while I'm using night vision, or vice versa. Or one of us will be driving the can-am around while the other uses the nods. It's because I only have one set of nods.

Dang, I'm planning on placing an order today and the last guy I spoke to about wait it was a month. That was back around November.

Guess I've pushed this purchase back for a few years, a few weeks isn't gonna kill me.

I posted a thread asking before purchasing.
TNVC reps on this site estimated 3-4 weeks for the WP unit.

That was also what they initially quoted me when I purchased.
I'd guess with Christmas/New Years, then shot show going on--they've got behind since then.
I purchased on 11/20/2016 and I'm now quoted middle to late February for my unit.
Camo housing/WP tubes (could be why it's much longer).

My understanding is they sold a ton of scopes before and during the holidays and are waiting on the tube manufacturer (L3) for re-supply. Quality tubes are not easy to make. Seems they always run short this time of year. By February I would think it will start to sort itself out.

I'm not bashing to be clear, I've waiting this long and longer for quality stuff before.

Thanks for this thread, some helpful stuff here.

I just called in an order to TNVC and was quoted 3-5 weeks for a pvs Pinnacle, and 8-12 weeks for an atpial. Looking forward to all the long nights to come.

Great thread.

I'd even go so far as to say that SOT's posts should be edited a bit (break up the paragraphs for easier reading) and then tacked as an addendum to the FAQ or likewise.

When I get some free time, I'll break up his posts and enter them into the OP.

It's probably OK provided you are truly in the deep dark. If your image is getting destroyed then your tube is suffering from being overdriven. If you have a good clean image and you don't see any evidence that you are losing image quality due to excess light then you should be OK.

OP has been updated and posts compiled into subsections.
Let me know if I missed anything or it needs to be revised.
I'll continue to add things as this thread progresses.


@SOT_Solutions

Installment Six

Ideally you would never want to use any artificial light for light discipline reasons. That is the target condition but it's not necessarily realistic. Before we jump too far ahead let's break artificial light into a a few categories. We could make more categories but my main idea here is to get everyone thinking about the light because you need to think about your light use in the field.

IR:

1) Minimal IR task lighting such as the on-board illuminator on the MNVD
2) Medium powered focused lighting such as a Surefire M1
3) Higher powered IR flood light such as the Solar Force IR 6P module
4) Very high powered IR source such as the TNVC Torch Pro
5) Ridiculous power IR such as the Surefire Hellfighter

Visible Light:

6) Minimal visible task lighting
7) Higher power visible lighting for area lighting, spotlights and everything else. (I group all of these together because, at this point, you have zero covert nature.)

Hopefully everyone can draw some conclusions from the pattern of given examples. A discharge of a low power IR task light is much different from a discharge of a high powered visible light. We need lights for a lot of different reasons. Next we'll explore some of those reasons we need light and how to minimize our footprint.

Installment Seven

Provided we are discussing a serious application of the MNVD, we need to consider two locations: your starting position and your FFP or AO. The crux of the issue is that you need to get from Point A to Point B and then operate at Point B. The entire distance might be covered on foot or in combination with a vehicle - either way, you will be making use of light - whether it be the Sun, the Moon or headlights - so consider how approaching your FFP will impact your environment, potentially flagging your position. Something as simple as cardboard visors can radically alter the cast of headlights prior to reaching a debarkation point. Assuming you are in a controlled environment such as private property, disabling your tail lights has a huge impact on your light footprint - just make sure you are not being stupid, doing this on public roads (unless there are exigent circumstances - enemy invasion, etc.). Driving under IR is a whole different animal and should be covered in a separate thread. Typically, you will have no need to use the MNVD during twilight but, in the event that you do, you can limit the amount of incoming photons using a ND (Neutral Density) filter or a limiting aperture. I prefer the aperture because you get the added benefit of increasing your DOF (Depth of Field or Depth of Focus). If you are donning your MNVD in the deep dark then a low powered task light is in order. Legacy red lights are not nearly as good at preserving visual purple or maintaining light discipline as many insist. I do not wish to debate this here but modern research is leaning towards green and blue being better in this respect - with blue blending the best with ambient moonlight for light discipline reasons. There are a few good task lights on the market. I recommend someone start a side conversation on this subject. I chose the Petzl STRIX because it integrates well with my other gear, performs so many functions so well - and it was engineered from the ground up with light discipline in mind. I keep the light on low-power blue when I'm donning and that is enough for me to rummage through my pack to ready any of my gear, including the MNVD.

I dispute the premise of making sure the unit is off 3 times if that involves cranking the switch 3 times. I have seen some premature switch failures and they seem to be related to this phenomenon. If you are the kind of person that needs to triple-check, then check through the tube. If you want to be thorough then get a system going whereby you remove the battery when the MNVD is not in use. Store the single battery in a specific location as a validation indicator - if the battery is in its storage location then the MNVD is both unpowered and free from risk of battery contamination. I do not personally subscribe to this practice with the PVS-14 but I do it religiously with the PVS-4 because the On/Off switch is so easy to trip accidentally.

Maybe I need to introduce a "love interest" to keep everyone captivated.

Installment Eight

Now that you've donned the MNVD and gotten it tethered, it's time to get moving. Any NVD of any generation, a lot of digital cameras (footnote Benghazi) and even some critters are sensitive to IR, so if light discipline is a real concern then you need to minimize all discharges of light, including IR. You can gain a lot of experience points by working around others that are using IR sources under NVD but you can fake it by practicing with a partner and a flashlight. Watch your partner shine a low powered flashlight as he performs a task, changing your perspective to see how perspective affects your perception of the flashlight. You will find that looking across the beam or on the same vector as the beam that the light pours into the surrounding objects - but that directly viewing the beam head on will reveal an intense spot that acts like a beacon. The takeaway is that light discipline is complicated and dependent on the way that the light is used, and not just the type of light that is used. If you use a low power light source, keeping it pointed away from a potential adversary, he may never see it. Pointing a light source directly at an adversary, no matter how low power you judge that light source to be, highly increases the risk of detection. If you are in a depressed area, out of long lines of sight, you are in a much safer position to be able to use artificial light. If you shine a light along a wall there is a good possibility that someone looking in the general direction of gaps in the wall will never notice the discharge - and if he does he will still have trouble targeting the source. Use your imagination, watch people use visible lights - especially night hikers - and get a feel for how light behaves. Pay special notice to how light sources "disappear" from your view when you know that they are still active and emulate this with your light sources under MNVD.

I had no intent to hijack this thread. I seem to be the only one still interested. This is not my own personal lecture portal. Unless someone expresses a continued interest in this thread I am going to discontinue posting and let the logarithm kill it. This is the point at which use of the MNVD ceases to be happy fun time and it gets boring - when the MNVD becomes a tool and is no longer a toy.

Just because we're not posting, doesn't mean we're not reading.

I've searched the Internet for stuff and came upon threads 5 years old with good info, right up until the guy giving good info stops posting. This information you're sharing will go farther than just the few dozen guys reading it right now.

Agreed, I read the whole thing and think it's good stuff. I am not planning on getting PVS7 or 14s in the near future but I read posts like this to know what I need to know

Thanks OP




Z

I've read it all. Been busy at work. I'll update the OP with your additional information.

This thread is open to anyone's tips and tricks.
I'll continue to add things to OP as we get more posters.

Expound on this please: "visual purple"

ETA: OP Updated

As long as there is interest I will continue.

Visual purple is a chemical used by the human eye during scotopic (low light) conditions. For many years it was widely held that red light was the best light to aid vision without destroying visual purple (and hence your natural night vision). The reality appears to be that red light was chosen because there was already a culture of red light being used for this purpose in the field of photography. Photographers, however, were not using red light for the reasons that we have been - they chose red because it reacted less with their photo-reactive chemicals. Some modern experiments have shown that green and blue are better suited to our purposes. The US military believed enough in this that they installed blue lighting in cockpits and issued blue-cut filters for the BNVD's. For ground use the blue light looks like reflected moonlight to an adversary.

Here's a fun experiment:

Fully dark adapt yourself and expose only one eye to bright light, temporarily destroying your natural night vision. Next, view your environment and pay close attention to what you can and cannot see and how long it takes for you to regain full night adapted use of the eye. That time-lag is the time that your eye takes to produce visual purple to replace the batch that you destroyed by exposing your eye to the light.

Maximizing utility of the MNVD involves not only mastery of your environment and the tools at hand, but also your own physiological limitations.

Great information Sot I'm still reading.  I would like to add something that I've learned from this forum though.....if you have a pair of sentinels, always let it be known that you have a pair of sentinels in every thread, no matter what the subject matter.  People apparently really need to know that you own sentinels.