Quoted:
Hi, I received two unfilmed WP PVS14 last week. I have inspected them, but that's it. Before I wreck them through my inexperience, I have a few questions. The white dot painted on the screw by the on/off switch is intended to show the selected setting? Should I default to using the sacrificial shield? Should I default to using the demist shield? Should I plan to buy more sacrificial shields? The gain is the only adjustment? How do I determine the correct gain? Anything else that isn't completely obvious? Thanks.
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IIRC, the white dot should be a tamper evident purge indicator and have nothing to do with settings for the goggle.
Using the sacrificial window can help protect your lenses from scratches and debris, however it can also slightly degrade image quality (you are after all introducing an additional lens to the system)—the same will apply for the demist shield.
What I will say is that I prefer not to use the demist shield, and only use the sacrificial window in specific circumstances (like around helicopters in sandy environments or while doing force on force training).
Gain is a personal thing to some extent, depending on the conditions with a monocular it is sometimes useful to reduce the gain to bring both aided and unaided eyes closer into equilibrium so that one eye does not overpower the other, however it’s really ultimately a personal comfort issue—obviously higher gain will mean your NV works “better”’in terms of being able to see into the darkest darks, however some people find a slightly darker image to be more comfortable—it really depends on you as an individual and what you’re doing. I wouldn’t go reducing the gain too much if there was a chance of someone ambushing you from the shadows intending to kill you... if not though, slightly darker images can be easier on the eye and more comfortable during wear.
Beyond that, the device will have both objective lens focus (front) and dioper focus (rear) that should be adjusted front-back-front to get the best possible image, under most circumstances, focused for infinity—nearby objects (inside about 3 feet) will be blurry, but anything beyond that should be clear.
Otherwise, the biggest other things would be:
Don’t leave your goggle stationary looking at bright light sources, which includes any visible light sources, but can include IR as well.
Momentary light exposure generally won’t hurt the tube, so things like street lights, car headlights, and flashlights are a non-issue, though you may get some MCP oversaturation (temporary gray “streaks” in the image that will fade in a few minutes).
The exception to this and the other big thing to look out for is lasers—lasers being highly concentrated pinpoint light sources, they can damage a tube pretty quickly if used carelessly. Obviously most people know not to shine lasers
into their NVGs, however highly reflective surfaces like mirrors and puddles can also potentially cause damage, so they are something you need to stay aware of in your operating environment.
Hope this helps, and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions, and we’re always available by phone or e-mail as well!
~Augee