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Posted: 12/6/2012 4:29:27 PM EDT
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As a general rule of thumb, based on only the battery option of 1AA vs 2AA, what would a person expect to find on the tubes Omni rating? I know the single battery model is newer, but what is the break off point on the Omni rating as a general rule?
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The lower housing can be replaced so readily it would be foolish to judge based on that. One of my main selling upgrades was always to replace the lower housing. WHY ?? because it was what people wanted. Without going into detail the single battery lowers came out about 5 years ago.
I am going from memory and not looking at facts. Again, I find it minor as I know many have been replaced. Seen old tubes with new single battery lowers many times. Easy method to get more for a scope if you can do basic repairs. I see this all the time so I lend it little credit when trying to determine what tube the scope may have. I would not use this as supporting evidence without other tell tale signs as to what tube is in the scope. Just my .02 |
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Hey! Thanks for that info! I was just basing it on a recent purchase of a single AA unit I made that had an Omni VII in it with a slight blem. It's a fantastic unit! I just had an opportunity to purchase another, but it has not been opened to get the numbers off the tube, and I hesitate to do so and loose the purge. I was just trying to get a good 'guesstimate' of what tube was likely in it, without opening it. It all looks original as far as matching outer wear goes.
Does anyone have the dates of when each Omni level became effective? Thanks! |
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Quoted:
Hey! Thanks for that info! I was just basing it on a recent purchase of a single AA unit I made that had an Omni VII in it with a slight blem. It's a fantastic unit! I just had an opportunity to purchase another, but it has not been opened to get the numbers off the tube, and I hesitate to do so and loose the purge. I was just trying to get a good 'guesstimate' of what tube was likely in it, without opening it. It all looks original as far as matching outer wear goes. Does anyone have the dates of when each Omni level became effective? Thanks! http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/317705_.html |
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Yes, I downloaded that info long ago, but it's not real date specific on the different Omni levels. (unless I'm missing something?)
What I'm looking for as an example would be something like this, the dates in the example are bogus of course.... Omni IV classified> Aug 2009 Omni V classified> Sept 2010 Omni VI classified> Feb 2011 Omni VII classified> Jan 2012 |
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Quoted:
Yes, I downloaded that info long ago, but it's not real date specific on the different Omni levels. (unless I'm missing something?) What I'm looking for as an example would be something like this, the dates in the example are bogus of course.... Omni IV classified> Aug 2009 Omni V classified> Sept 2010 Omni VI classified> Feb 2011 Omni VII classified> Jan 2012 There is a row on the table that reads "year". It doesn't have month, but do you really need month? |
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Loosing the purge is minor. If it has not been purged in a year or more I doubt any nitrogen is left inside. They all leak over time. The nitrogen is not needed anyhow. You just want a sealed environment inside with low humidity so as not to get internal fogging. As mentioned canned air is very effective and I use it all the time. The scopes are not pressurized with nitrogen other than to test for leaks under vacuum. The nitrogen just floods the scope and displaces any moisture laden air.
You can do the same thing with canned air and wine preservation canisters work well too. To be honest one of those desiccant packs taped inside the housing would also do the trick. Purging is good but many scopes are not even designed to purge. The PVS-4 is not purged and probably one of the best scopes ever made. I have the pro purge kit with vacuum and nitrogen bottles. I still almost always use canned air. Works and is cheap. Any inert gas is fine with the exception of helium. Never use helium. It won't stay in the housing and can also poison the tube. Argon is best IMHO but nitrogen is fine and is cheap. Many high end optics are purged with argon. It has a larger molecule than nitrogen and that makes it last longer. It is harder for argon to get past the seals due to the larger molecule size over nitrogen. |
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Omni V and VI can be autogated and Pinnacle as well. On a milspec tube you really need the contract number and specifications for that contract. Many times tube replacements are made new, years after original contract. We have a lot of very late made MX-10160A Omni IV tubes that are not autogated. The contract is key and dates will screw you up every time. Last Lancer is the best at determining all this. A few of us are pretty good but he is really the go to guy.
Okay, I'll refine my original question a little bit. Are all PVS-14 units that are Auto Gated, and Pinnacle, rated at an Omni VII? |
Thanks for the info! The 14 is on the way, and not here yet. It's supposed to be a Auto Gated Pinnacle Alpha, but I was curious as to the Omni rating. I was hoping I could get a feel for it without looking inside, but it looks like if I want that info I'll just have to take a look after all.
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Quoted:
Thanks for the info! The 14 is on the way, and not here yet. It's supposed to be a Auto Gated Pinnacle Alpha, but I was curious as to the Omni rating. I was hoping I could get a feel for it without looking inside, but it looks like if I want that info I'll just have to take a look after all. Select Alpha tubes were not autogated. Commercial tubes are much harder. If it whines you know it is autogated. Tube identification is more art than science. Contract and serial numbers come into play. Some folks data mine these numbers. Only after years of collecting data can you always be sure what you have. Many times I am wrong. One thing I can tell you is that using build dates alone will always screw you up. Usually a combination of information tells the tale. There is no tube database that folks can look at. All published information is from enthusiasts who like to track this information. I track it a little but usually am to busy with other things to update my records so they are incomplete at best. Tube manufacturers have this data but they almost never release the information. If they do it is limited at best. Takes a good detective with time on his hand to piece it all together. One massive jigsaw puzzle !! 
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