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Posted: 4/24/2008 6:12:01 AM EDT
| Ok, I was wondering what all you really gained with a gated gen 3 vs standred power supply all specs being equall? I know high light performance is better but how about low light anything else? The reason I ask is I bought a Pinnacle Autogated system good specs Sn 27-- 72lpmm and so on. I already have several gen 3 alpha select A units with Sn from 25 SN to 29 SN and 64lp/mm to 72lp/mm. When compareing my newest Pinnacle Autogated system to my other select A's I am really not seeing much difference at the farm. In fact they are all so close performance/image wise to the same it's like they are twins and could be used in dual tube unit like matched tubes. I do see a very tiny little in edge in brighness with my new Pinnacle Autogated unit at low light but it may just be that it has a brand new tube and is at full performance level right now compared to my other tubes which may have a few hundered hrs on them. Maybe I was expecting to much difference? |
The only time I hear the whine is when I am wearing electronic ear muffs turned up and the unit is shinning at a bright light source. The ITT unit seems to have a bit more whine than the Northrop unit, but barely. The sound one barely hears is like when a mosquito fly's in your ear. I've used my Pinnacle on LE training exercises numerous times with K-9's present and have been on many, and many hunts with no issues from animals. I've been working with a few 5th Group Fort Bragg gents lately to say the least and also an ex-SF, former ITT trainer, now a major OEM to the largest optics company out there...None of them have ever had an issue with animals or any other creature while conducting activities with an autogated unit. I've also been trained from some of the FINEST (IMHO) ex-SF folks out there and no one has ever cautioned me or any others on a AG safety noise issue. I can also give MANY examples of surveillance activities I have been on with no issues. Here is one from several years ago.... I was laying in a dirt field 100m back off a store dock watching for drug interdiction, all g suited out, doing the ninja blah blah blah thingy....At approx 1100hrs or so (no moon) in comes "Joe I cannot sleep, let me walk my BIG German Shepard." He and the dog had to have walked no more than 10 feet in front of me. I actually thought I might have to shoot the darn dog if he smells me and started chomping!  Needless to say, everyone got to go home safely that night as neither the dog, owner or anyone else heard my AG unit. Do you truly believe if the DOD and everyone else that was involved with testing and proving this technology over the years would miss what would turn out to be a monumental issue such as this if it even existed? I really don' think so and after a hundred thousand pieces out there to the military, prove this technology solid. BTW, what SF community are you referring to? I'm curious. High light environments are the biggest advantage with an AG unit as their resolution stays constant as the units dims for bright light compensation. In these situations, there is much more than a 5% res increase. Vic |
| After owning a Pinnacle PVS7, the only devices I would buy with another one would be ones that have variable gain. My goggles bloomed in urban areas because they were just too sensetive. With a PVS14 you can turn the gain down and make them useable-otherwise you are stuck. |
I think the only real time I've actually used much of the variable gain on a PVS is in a snow covered area, but then I think a day scope would have worked. 
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| I think the gain control is absolutely essential for a head-mounted unit. I use the gain control every time I turn it on. I find that it it`s best to keep the gain turned up only as much as is neccesary to get a good image, this makes for a better balance between your dark adjusted eye and the intensified eye, your eye will adjust to the dimmer light level just as it does in the dark. also I am sure you all have noticed that the signal to noise ratio increases exponentially as you turn the gain down, making for a cleaner less noisy image, with 3/4 moon and the gain turned down 50% you probably get a sig.to noise of around 100/1. I always keep mine turned down just a little, as the full brightness is hardly ever needed, and it makes for a better image. even in very dark conditions sometimes it helps to turn it down a hair to calm down the scintillation, even if the image is a little darker, your eye will adjust to a certain point. |
Great post....I find this technique most helpful with a PVS-4 as well. |
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