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Posted: 10/4/2012 9:07:16 AM EDT
| Been sifting through the archive here and elsewhere about the PVS-4. I'm looking at the possibility of picking up a housing and a tube separately and assembling them myself. My question is: Can the MX-9644/UV be used with the standard PVS-4 optics? The information I'm reading seems to indicate the tube was primarily for the Stinger night sight which used optics of a different magnification/configuration, and the tube itself has a different focal point as opposed to the MX-9644 or MX-11620. Or I might just be misreading all this. Any help would be much appreciated. |
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The tube you are thinking about is a Gen 3 tube combined with a Gen 1 tube that results in shockingly high gain. It has a different lens so the tube is set up for a different focal length. I have a MX-9644/UV in my AN/PVS-4, works fine! Some of the other 3rd Gen tubes that fit in the MX-9644 envelope also have different focal lengths (mostly those that apear in some of the Star-Tron/OSI long range viewers).
You should be good to go to make a AN/PVS-4. |
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A few years back I had a 25mm Gen 3 tube out of a Strar-tron. I was ecstatic to put this in my PVS-4. My excitement quickly faded when I found out it would not focus. Not enough focus travel in a PVS-4 for the glass input tubes. The Star-tron body (which looks just like a PVS-4 body) modified the tube contact slider to have more focus travel. An easy way I use to check tubes suitable for a PVS-4 is to simply look for a glass input window as opposed to fiber optic.
If it is glass I know it won't focus in my PVS-4. The tube in my Star-Tron turned out to be quite the find. It was a Gen 3+1. It has such high levels of gain that it will kick the crap out of my best modern tubes. Resolution is not as good but in low light levels it is king. |
Ah, now the all important question... did I get a good deal on my tube.  As I already own a PVS-14 with an Omni VII tube I regard my current projects more of a grins and giggles thing so I'm actually not terrible concerned, but it's fun to know. So, functioning 1987 manufacture. Estimated value (hard to gauge without getting it assembled and seeing the image, I know)?
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n149/Yaivenov/Other/KGrHqVHJC0EbEtVUtWBQZecOEdg60_12.jpg http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n149/Yaivenov/Other/T2eC16dwsE9suwywRBQZecgihg60_12.jpg http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n149/Yaivenov/Other/KGrHqNHJDUFBWYOoLBBQZecmK9PQ60_12.jpg ETA: Fairly certain this is the gen 2 version of the MX-9644/UV. Ja? |
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Called up WhataCountry and chatted up one of their fellas for a while. Seeing if they're willing to put a price on a PVS-4 assembly sans tube. Waiting for the bossman to make a decision and get back to me. Will keep an eye on the EE though. WhataCountry will usually sell you one. It will be minus the mount (which are a little tough to find) and sometimes does not have the battery adapter. You have to factor these things into the cost. Fair price ? $600 without the options I mentioned and $700 with. Some will try to squeeze 800 bucks out of you which I think is steep. I can find a complete unit for $1200. |
| Already dug up sources for mounts and battery adapters (part of the conversation with Damon over there was about configuration and ancillary items for the PVS-4's they have in stock). Only question now, is do I want it to run on CR123's or AA's. My personal logistics pile is already geared to both of those. |
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Already dug up sources for mounts and battery adapters (part of the conversation with Damon over there was about configuration and ancillary items for the PVS-4's they have in stock). Only question now, is do I want it to run on CR123's or AA's. My personal logistics pile is already geared to both of those. I like the CR123 adapter but the AA is fine. More personal preference. |
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I took mine apart today as it was kind of gritty in the focusing. Has an mx-9644/uv like the one above. The center of the tube is a bluish color. I didn't notice the mfg. date but the warranty date was 1991. The you tube video made it real easy. I'm going to set the infinity focus stop is a couple hours and be done with it.
Does anyone know where to get a hard carry case for this scope? |
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Already dug up sources for mounts and battery adapters (part of the conversation with Damon over there was about configuration and ancillary items for the PVS-4's they have in stock). Only question now, is do I want it to run on CR123's or AA's. My personal logistics pile is already geared to both of those. I like the CR123 adapter but the AA is fine. More personal preference. Possibly dumb thought: With the dual battery Israeli PVS-4 housing, could I get both adapters and just use which-ever batteries are convenient at the time (obviously not putting batteries in both at the same time)? |
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Already dug up sources for mounts and battery adapters (part of the conversation with Damon over there was about configuration and ancillary items for the PVS-4's they have in stock). Only question now, is do I want it to run on CR123's or AA's. My personal logistics pile is already geared to both of those. I like the CR123 adapter but the AA is fine. More personal preference. Possibly dumb thought: With the dual battery Israeli PVS-4 housing, could I get both adapters and just use which-ever batteries are convenient at the time (obviously not putting batteries in both at the same time)? If you have the PVS-4A housing that uses AA by design you need no adapter. If you have the older PVS-4 housing having both adapters is fine but not needed. The PVS-4A does not use an adapter. |
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Holy shnikeys. Got word back from What A Country. The owner was asking $1200 for an assembly either sans tube or with a broken one. Double ewe tea eff. Guess it's back into the EE for me. EE or eBay are your best bets. Yeah, talking with Dawg about his housing he has up. Should make for a fun project. My PVS-14 and PVS-2 were pretty much a buy-and-play deal, getting to actually build/repair a unit from separately procured parts should be interesting. So far have arrangements for the tube, reticle, battery adapter and hopefully the ocular optics/battery housing/electronics. Now I just need to procure a replacement objective lens assembly and possibly a new reticle illuminator. |
| You might check with coltrader on eBay. He has lots of parts, especially for the PVS-4. His email is [email protected] |
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There is an objective lens on gunbroker. It is spendy, but it looks complete?
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=309939006 |
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There is an objective lens on gunbroker. It is spendy, but it looks complete? http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=309939006 Thanks, got that tabbed up to keep watch on it. Currently waiting for response from a couple other sources about their obj assemblies before I make any decision. |
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Just got the MX-9644/UV in the mail. Looking at the photocathode, the color differs from the picture. It's a dark blue/black around the outside with a silvery grey in the center, unlike the photograph which showed a sepia like color around the outside. Can't wait for the rest of the parts to trickle in. Probably another couple weeks for the ocular and housing, and a week or two for the objective.f
ETA: Did a basic power up test in a dark room. Unit illuminates and the gain adjustment works. Noticed one very bright speck emission point (helps to read the glossary) near the center of the phosphor screen, other than that everything seems copacetic. |
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I really don't like someone right now. I had found a hybrid MX-9644/UV up for sale and was the leading bidder for four days. Then in the last 15 minutes (while I was at work) someone sniped me. Grrrr....  Thats how ebay works. The automated bids and live bidders dont make a move until the last 5-10 minutes. Even clicking "watch item" to bookmark it, puts it on the "see what others are watching" list at the bottom of the search results page. If you see something you want, you have to write the item number down and hit the page 20 minutes before the aution ends. Expect a 50%-100% price increase in the bids the last 5 minutes. |
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Or........ You could get a program like Auction Magic, and snipe it yourself automatically at any time of day or night without having to be at the PC, or laptop. I'll keep that in mind for next time. Like I said, was at work, couldn't do much from there. I'm actually not too heartbroken over it because looking at some of the bid history there were signs of shilling going on. I figured I'd get the hybrid tube and compare it with the tube I have now, and just keep the better of the two. As it sits I'll just be sticking with the gen-2 tube I have. Another couple weeks before all the parts get to me, the wait is interminable.
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Shill bidding is why I went to it. As far as being at work, you set it with the the auction info, how much you want to bid, and let it run. You could be a thousand miles away, and as long as your PC is running, and you're connected to the Internet, it's all automatic!
The program is cheap too, with free lifetime updates! Saved me the same aggravation! |
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While I'm sitting here waiting for the remaining parts to show up in the mail, figured I'd ask a question that I probably already know the answer to: What's the likely-hood of anyone manufacturing a new thin-film 25mm tube? Yeah, I know, but a man can dream!  About 0. The holy grail of PVS-4 tubes is the filmless L3 tube. Yes, they are real but rarer than a hooker at church. The Gen 3 25mm is the best you can get for a PVS-4 but even those are not a tremendous gain over the Gen 2. The science behind attaching a gen 3 photocathode to a fiber optic plate is way beyond my comprehension but it is why gen 3 PVS-4 tubes perform pretty low. The Gen 3+1 25mm tube is great !! However, due to the glass input it will not focus in a PVS-4. If you got a Star-Tron or stinger night sight you are good to go. Good luck finding one ! 
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While I'm sitting here waiting for the remaining parts to show up in the mail, figured I'd ask a question that I probably already know the answer to: What's the likely-hood of anyone manufacturing a new thin-film 25mm tube? Yeah, I know, but a man can dream! About 0. The holy grail of PVS-4 tubes is the filmless L3 tube. Yes, they are real but rarer than a hooker at church. The Gen 3 25mm is the best you can get for a PVS-4 but even those are not a tremendous gain over the Gen 2. The science behind attaching a gen 3 photocathode to a fiber optic plate is way beyond my comprehension but it is why gen 3 PVS-4 tubes perform pretty low. The Gen 3+1 25mm tube is great !! However, due to the glass output it will not focus in a PVS-4. If you got a Star-Tron or stinger night sight you are good to go. Good luck finding one !
Sorry, just this. 
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| I almost had my mitts on a hybrid 9644, but someone snatched that dream away in the last few minutes of the auction. I also need to decide what I'm going to do with my PVS-2 once it's out of a job living on my M1A. I'm pondering removing that huge hurking external adjustment mechanism and perhaps bolting some sling swivels on in it's place. Should slung six pound spotting scope? I had it out the other night, solid overcast, quarter moon, and I was still able to make out trees clearly at 150 meters using it like an old spyglass. |
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Build update: Got the PVS-4 housing from Dawg180 and installed the MX-9644/UV I have that was made back in '88. Something surprising, even with a third of the primary mirror optic shattered it was still producing a pretty damned good image (perhaps something to keep in mind if you need to cobble together a field expedient NOD from left over parts?). Also (well, to my untrained eye), the image of the tube is pretty nice. There is an emission point just lower right of the center but I doesn't seem to be affecting the rest of the image at all currently.
Needed Info: From what I've read emission points are signs of tube damage. I didn't note any other issues elsewhere in the image, but should I be expecting premature total tube failure or perhaps exacerbation of the emission point at a later time with use? Also, the ocular adjustment is pretty loose. Where is the tension adjustment or lacking that what is the recommended method of tightening it up? |
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While I'm sitting here waiting for the remaining parts to show up in the mail, figured I'd ask a question that I probably already know the answer to: What's the likely-hood of anyone manufacturing a new thin-film 25mm tube? Yeah, I know, but a man can dream! About 0. The holy grail of PVS-4 tubes is the filmless L3 tube. Yes, they are real but rarer than a hooker at church. The Gen 3 25mm is the best you can get for a PVS-4 but even those are not a tremendous gain over the Gen 2. The science behind attaching a gen 3 photocathode to a fiber optic plate is way beyond my comprehension but it is why gen 3 PVS-4 tubes perform pretty low. The Gen 3+1 25mm tube is great !! However, due to the glass output it will not focus in a PVS-4. If you got a Star-Tron or stinger night sight you are good to go. Good luck finding one !
Sorry, just this.
When I find one (and I will !!) I can die in peace. The search continues. To most this is not important but to me it is personal. When I get one it will be given to a friend. I don't need to have it, just find it ! It is really WAY rarer than a hooker at church. Rarer than a Drop Bear in Alaska ! 
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Update: Got the new objective assembly, reticle, misc parts and all put together. Only thing I'm left waiting for is a mounting system to show up in the mail. Looks like that emission point in the tube is floating right over the number 4 on the M14s' drop compensator. In any case, whole thing looks pretty good image wise. Once I get it mounted up on my M1A I'll try to see about some pictures (I'm always forgetting to come back and post those darned things when I say I will )
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