Night Vision 101: The Basics

[@scoe5908]

*Bravo Six, going broke*

[@echodelta2172]

next time you call me out like that, I'm getting my lawyer

[@Joshua-hz3cl]

Nice

[@ethanh3421]

Same...

[@rogeliomuniz9146]

NO ONE LIKE THE COMMENT. LEAVE IT BE

[@Heywoodthepeckerwood]

@@rogeliomuniz9146 let me guess. The count was 420?

[@ChandlerThomasvoon100]

I went from buying my first handgun for $200 to trying to figure out what personal possessions I need to sell in order to finance a NVG setup all in the span of 2 years. This shit is wild bro

[@skyeharrison4865]

Go over to Night vision universe. That guy has a 1 year layaway you can use if that helps you guys??? Its what im doing lol

[@jasong5913]

Two years?? What took you so long? This shit is as addictive as losing one's virginity (almost).

[@kade1172]

@@skyeharrison4865 thank you. See you in 1 year with my research. Find me when I got some facts on KZbin. Forsure have my page growing on it by then hopefully

[@kade1172]

@@skyeharrison4865 I’ll remember ya 😂 and thank you for your knowledge with mine

[@1991aj2]

Welcome to the tacticool world. We welcome you. Your kids collage fund will now fund ammo, armor plates, vest, NVGs, a big boy rifle, and all the fixins there of. You may live in a trailer but damn if you don't look sexy!!!

[@Munroe031]

You call this a "basics" video. But as an end-user who both owns and works with night vision on a near nightly basis... I still got a lot out of this. Seriously, you've answered several questions I've had for years. Thank you!

[@cjr4286]

This is the clearest and most straight-forward "night vision 101" video I have ever seen.

[@DeepCFisher]

Easily the best introduction to night vision I've seen. You've cleared up a lot of questions I didn't even know I had

[@The-um7pz]

^Agree. This is awesome. Your vids get better and better...thanks Hop

[@deviatedseptum748]

Poor man's NODs: wear an eyepatch and switch eyes when it's dark

[@bradleyweiss1089]

Jack Reacher.

[@kyrem1281]

bruh im dead😂😂

[@Heywoodthepeckerwood]

Arrrr matey.

[@karas3248]

Hop is going from the cheap carry handguns guy to the tacti-cool operaytor. that tfb fame got to his big beautiful head

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Not to flex but to me he went from the vintage and bargain barrel videogame reviewer to the cheap carry gun reviewer to the tacti-cool oper8er.

[@Hoplopfheil]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD Damn, that's OG

[@concernedmom4204]

@@HoplopfheilI just realized where I heard your voice before. Had a faint suspicion but after rewatching the receiver 2 review you did it's unmistakable.

[@karas3248]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD damn I did not know that lool

[@JustIn-op6oy]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD crap, I want to like your comment but it's currently sitting at 69 likes...

[@hypemilitaria6447]

Awesome vid! Just wanna point out that automatic gain control does protect the microchannel plate in the tube since it actually reduces MCP voltage and physically cuts down the number of electrons going through the MCP and striking the phosphor screen. Also, pretty much all tubes after the very first Gen 2s have bright source protection mechanisms that reduce photocathode sensitivity when bright lights enter the field of view. Quality of BSP will determine how much abuse the tube can take. I have a non-gated tube that can take up to 50,000 lux, where my gated Gen 3s are rated to ~5,000 lux.

[@Mrgunsngear]

solid basic info

[@BurkeSchneider]

Hop, love your videos! This was an excellent high level overview of an "entry level" PVS14 setup. I'm really looking forward to future videos on this topic. I'm about the same age as you and also enjoy video games and PC hardware, so the references make perfect sense. Keep up the great work!

[@KaLuno21]

Good shit. The knowledge of night vision capabilities should be known by every firearms enthusiast.

[@mabs9503]

mmm yes hop guide me on the path to spending _more_ money

[@LoopyChef95]

For anyone wanting articulating dual tubes check out the Nocturn Industries UANVB Katana housing. Similar to DTNVS but lighter and it has built in IPD stops for $1699.99. Before I found out about the Katana, I was planning on going RNVG with filmless tubes then upgrade to DTNVS later on.

[@mikemike6443]

Absolutely fabulous video! To the point and super informative. Thank you! 🇺🇸👍

[@chancesare2624]

Good info! Please more on all things night shooting, especially nightvision/thermal pros and cons, and switching to white light in between. I do a lot of predator hunting, and am looking to get into a system for night use, but don’t have a $5-10k budget for some of the nicer thermals or NV. Love your videos and sarcasm! Keep it up.

[@yellowdog762jb]

I use an ATN Xsight 5x20 for hog hunting. ATN has a newer scope out called the Xsight 4k that I don't know much about. With the 5x20 and using the factory IR I've shot hogs at 200 yards. The passive night mode is not that great without the IR on though. One of these rigs will get you into night hunting for about $600. You can use the scope during the day as well. These scopes are basically senitive cameras that see in the 840nm IR range. When on, the 840 IR illuminator itself is slightly visible to the human eye as a faint red glow if you look right at it. They are very different technology from what's featured in this video, but they cost a lot less.

[@patricksmith5699]

Great vid! would love to see a breakdown of all the required parts for nightvision so I could build my own.

[@kylereese9191]

Hop...excellent info as always!..I am rewatching all your Nvg content to gain better knowledge in preparation to make as best an informed decision/purchase as possible. I know that with tech purchases, some next gen device comes out and renders previous generation "old technology"..that gives me pause on the purchase..

[@kylereese9191]

Do you have recommendations for best/trusted retailers?

[@rexactive5856]

I already know a bit about nvg's but i stil watch this video just because i like your content

[@caleballen9765]

Thank you, trying to break in the game and everyone just automatically knows everything.

[@richardthompson3871]

If you needed anymore reasons to buy good nightvision, here's one you probably didn't think of. Bitches LOVE stars, and you can see a fuck load of stars with a gen 3 tube, especially WP ones. Anytime we go somewhere at night, my gf's like "I wanna see the stars! Did you bring the thing?".

[@maxk5038]

I actually find this helpful unlike Garand Thumbs gucci stuff that I could never afford

[@BurkeSchneider]

Agreed. Hop did a great job going over a budget option that can do 99% of what a more expensive setup is capable of. Can't say it enough, what makes the difference is training. Training, training, training.

[@dlachioma]

Garandthumb has great advice. I got a job and moved out of moms basement. Then I stopped being scared of woman. Then I bought DTNVS. I love his advice!

[@vcr4497]

@@dlachioma DTNVS? The new ones? They look cool did you get the white phos tubes?

[@sgrombus3447]

@@dlachioma did you pay $400 extra for the ipd stop?

[@dlachioma]

@@sgrombus3447 they came with baby!

[@rwcowell]

I appreciate you breaking down and briefly explaining the NV components and mounting accessories. Very basic, but very helpful to folks new to NV. Thanks and Cheers!

[@notshared2543]

Earned a sub. Looking forward to more cost effective NV content. Some content I'm interested in Hardware helmets/ mount/ arms/ battery, 1st hand experience/capabilities/limitations of mono PVS-14, Driving with NV, PVS14 vs Sionyx pro (I'm waiting for the next gen from Sionyx).

[@mortalmonke8844]

Some of the best footage ive seen thru tubes

[@brandonisthetrivium1]

Didn't watch it yet and gave it thumbs up lol. I already know this is going to be a good video

[@NOLATAC]

Amazing video dude. SOlid basic info. I learned a good bit.

[@Tommymad1]

God I love your videos so much. I've already got a pretty decent nods setup but I wanna watch this anyways just cause I love your videos LOL

[@1BXB]

Lots of good info here, thanks for making this.

[@bravoman2011]

Looking forward to the next one

[@coltcomphbar]

excellent explanation for new users. thanks

[@SmaugBoi]

Thank goodness, I work on these for a living and know what to look for.

[@Redmanfms]

Cover the perst modules I've seen in your videos, please. Not very many reviews out there, but the cost to advertised performance makes them very interesting.

[@highdragguns]

Great video! I'd love to see a video of basics of handling NV. I'm getting my first set and there's 10000 videos on which set to buy, but very little on handling your first set. Ex: I've heard many guys store them without batteries inside so they couldn't be accidentally turned out and get burnt out? Or how much light is safe for the NV set?

[@demsexploitingdeadkidsforp3635]

Looking at the quality of those tubes makes me really happy I went with the TNV/PVS-14 L3Harris Gen3 un-filmed wp, I understand that it's probably a moonless and very dark night in a lot of your shots but from what I've seen of the L3Harris gen3 wp is its clarity is phenomenal. Not to mention, TNVC is also hand-picking a high-spec wp tube for me, only problem is it's a 20-24 week wait time on semi-custom units and I'm only a little over a month in to my wait... At least my MAWL gets here today :)

[@perchowski3021]

Get your monocular yet? How do you like it, and how does it compare?

[@plmkoo6772]

Very good explanation

[@H83r4Life]

Maybe you could do a video on IR illumination. It's something that I wish I knew more about when I started.

[@DadBodShaman]

Dude, you have to review the somogear "airsoft" lasers. Marketed for airsoft but seem to perform on par with some actual IR laser devices. Would like to see your thoughts

[@zacharycastor7967]

Very informative once again... thanks Hop.

[@alexanderchung6402]

Looking forward to the rest of this series

[@m103904]

Good video been looking into nvgs my self. I was looking at the sionyx aurora pro it looks pretty good for the cost.

[@Hoplopfheil]

It isn't. I'll talk more about why in a video soon.

[@michaelkennedy996]

Very nice intro to NV, thank you.

[@BigDaddyD72369]

Nice vid Hop! Great idea foe a series 😎

[@robertalford1321]

Great video, thx for the clear cut information.

[@chrisellis1718]

Solid video looking forward to future content

[@bubblewhip382]

I hope we are about 5-10 years for digital night vision taking over and hopefully before ITAR can catch up

[@BurkeSchneider]

I think it may even be longer until digital really gets to the same level of performance. The refresh rate alone really gets ya.

[@bubblewhip382]

@@BurkeSchneider it didn't take that long for VR to fix that issue in it's primitive form. The aurora looks like the DK1 of this generation of digital night vision.

[@Robomann]

I've also noticed a difference in endurance Analog night vision tends to last way longer on one battery

[@Hoplopfheil]

The Aurora shows just how far there is to go. It has an extremely short battery life, very poor low light performance, and LVF latency that makes it hard to use.

[@bubblewhip382]

​@@Hoplopfheil With electronics, it might not be that far off. The Aurora feels like the Oculus DK1 or the Tesla Roadster which is the inflection point where things rapidly start to get better. The Aurora is offering Gen 2ish performance but with some significant drawbacks. I can see 5-10 years from now with enhancements in Black Silicon sensors, and with latency processing solved we can get gen 2+ or gen 3 levels of performance with several benefits such as never expiring, image stabilization, and color night vision at the expense of battery life. I feel like Digital Night vision is like Ray Tracing, at some point it will replace analog, but the question is when will it get there.

[@xfilion]

Hi, can I ask two questions. If someone wearing NVG was walking towards me and I didn't have any NVG would I see a light coming from him/her? Also with NVG with IR can they be used in caves?

[@Hoplopfheil]

When running NODs passively, they don't emit light forwards. But they do cast a lot of light backwards onto your eye. If you have an active IR illuminator you can use night vision in pitch black environments like caves or indoors.

[@xfilion]

@@Hoplopfheil Thank you very much. Very helpful.

[@donaldsteele6276]

Just don't look at a buddy smoking in the dark your eyeball feels like you saw a stick wielder and it's bright .

[@DreadVill510]

Duel tubes are where its at. great video

[@talltale9760]

5:50 an appeal to heaven

[@manditosteeze]

Huge question. With setups like in the video, if using a two eye open shooting technique. With the dominant eye on an LPVO, and the non dominant on night vision, is it possible to shoot passively while retaining night vision awareness?

[@fujimi715]

No. I thought I could but it doesn't work.

[@MichaelStroup]

Operator lesbian aunt going dark. That CRT tv comment hit me good as well. Damn.n

[@5jjt]

Sorry if you answered this elsewhere, Hop, but how do you use your pin hole cap? Cary it in a pocket? Wear it all the time?

[@yourlocalidiot7733]

The "Autogating whine" you referenced in the video isnt rlly true, it can be indicative of Autogated tubes produced by Litton or ITT for Aviation use or just being old tubes, but almost all modern L-3 tubes will have a near completely silent operation regardless of being autogated or not. The whine simply comes from the running of the power supply, which when u turn on ur NV is working on turning 3v DC input to several thousand volts DC to power the internals. I have a set of matched US SOCCOM contract L-3 Green tubes in my 15s, and all but one Gen 3 tubes ive owned have been L-3 produced. They make a very quiet but brief whine on startup and once powered on will produce a whine almost completly undetectable unless you put the device straight up to your ear.

[@Hoplopfheil]

Of the devices we've played with one PVS-14 has an older tube and has noticeable whine in operation. The newer PVS-14 is silent as far as I can tell. But then again, I'm old and half deaf.

[@yourlocalidiot7733]

@@Hoplopfheil Its a VERY faint whine so dont worry if you cant hear it lol, if you're wanting to find the make of your tube you can shine a flashlight through the eyepiece at the edges and if youre lucky you can read the label if one is there.

[@joshuasaltsgiver6586]

I was looking for this comment, thanks bud!

[@wcsdiaries]

@@Hoplopfheil whatd you use to record night vision video? Asking as a videographer

[@overlordisgoogle8431]

That was very informative.

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

The getting everybody on the same page video.

[@dexm2010]

How does this channel only have 16.1K subscribers?

[@elijawilliamson8668]

Correct me if I'm wrong but you would only use an illuminator if you are in a pitch black area with absolutely no light because all night vision goggles need a little bit of light to work and that's what the illuminator does sorry I'm need to guns let me know

[@sgrombus3447]

have you experimented with bindon aiming concept shooting with night vision? i've only ever heard chupacabra outdoor mention it, and i don't have a place to shoot at night to do it myself. also i'd like to see a comparison of lower end IR lasers and illuminators in the future

[@Hoplopfheil]

I've tried it a bit. Maybe my eyes are screwed up but I can't make it work for me.

[@sgrombus3447]

@@Hoplopfheil seems to me that it would get wonky if your head isn't completely square to the gun, since your aided eye's pov is like 5-6" forward of where it is normally. such is the life of poors who spent $2k on nods and then can't afford a laser or optic with decent light transmission

[@tomh.648]

03:35 - Ahahaha! I lol'd.

[@snakebite210]

Excellent work

[@julian23561]

I know a bit about nightvision, but I'll watch because it's hop.

[@asmcinn]

Do you think that owl hoots with "boooooog boooog"?

[@donaldsteele6276]

I am thinking about buying this for my AR15 and using my Bering optics pvs14 monocular I swapped the gen1 tube with a gen 3 filmed tube it works good but no way to adjust the brightness . But it is my first entry level monocular. I am saving up for a nicer gen 4 that's 6500.00 and wanted something to beat up on thats under 2000.00 to learn with.

[@outdoor044]

Bought my pvs14 second hand. Works great for my needs. But wondering, it has a AA battery compartment that holds two batteries. Does anyone know what series that is? It also has a domed front lens I was told gives a wider field of view, potentially to aid in night driving or something. Maybe they're all like that?

[@L4zyN1nj4]

Why does hop sound like a Canadian oxide

[@Hoplopfheil]

I'm pretty sure I'm older than Oxide, so he sounds like an American me. Except I'm also American.

[@L4zyN1nj4]

@@Hoplopfheil ah shi-

[@andreivaldez2929]

Why would you buy a $2k tube when you can get one for $100 on Wish?

[@bigbenis9631]

Found one for $5

[@andreivaldez2929]

Buy 20 of those and sell them for 20$ each. Stonks.

[@FlyingTigersKMT]

Isn't the Wish version of the NVG just a $1 plastic flashlight with a sheet of green cellophane paper over it?

[@WickedCrispy]

"The night is dark and full of blemishes." I need this on a t-shirt with a moons out goons out operator graphic.

[@cliccclacc6561]

🤓

[@Thee_Jadex]

Heya this is a dumb one but was just wondering why does low in general cause the film effect on everything. You can get it too in just normal vision when its particularly dark but obviously goggles accentuate it by a ton. Any clue?

[@harrybalzonya1173]

Great video 👍!

[@The-um7pz]

Can't seem to find you on Patreon or Subscribestar...

[@adams2922]

... Because if you are sign me up bro

[@TheFoxalot]

Ty sir! Great info

[@viewatyourownrisk]

With shooting while using night vision what happened to the technique where the red dot is used with the eye that doesn't have the monocular?

[@josephkidd3622]

Can I walk around with the daycap on during the day outside while the pvs14 is stowed on the helmet?

[@jasong5913]

This was helpful. Thanks.

[@5jjt]

Hop, if you had to, could you use your irons with NV if the red dot went dead?

[@Hoplopfheil]

Nope

[@maymayman0]

Damn, so is that classic splinter cell nvg noise supposed to be the sound of the auto gating???

[@Ralmeister112]

What determines the quality of the image from the intensifier, why is one grainy while another has a pretty clear image

[@ragedashboard6374]

The sparkles are a biproduct of the gain knob. Crank up the gain and the image is brighter, but you also have sparkles everywhere. Generally if it is extremely dark outside (no moon) the image quality is poor with lots of noise. But add IR light and the images becomes clearer. Very expensive "supertubes" can see more light without needing as much gain, hence a clearer image

[@Hoplopfheil]

Each tube is measured on a bunch of performance characteristics, one of those stats is effectively "resolution." The tube in the NVM has a lower resolution than the tube in the PVS, and it also requires more light to produce a usable image.

[@BurkeSchneider]

Each imagine intensifier tube has a unique set of specifications. As Hop mentioned, usually the absolute best tubes are reserved for .mil contracts, whilst civilians get contract overrun tubes sold by vendors. Tubes with better specs can often look much better. A lower quality tube can require you to crank up the gain (brightness) resulting in a very sparkly image. If you can afford a super tube it's amazing, but most folks can't tell the difference unless they are side by side.

[@Лукапрофета]

Hi i need your help 🙏 I have an opportunity to buy 2 different monocular 1) armasight Sirius gen2 quick silver withe phosphore 2) Atn nvm14 gen 2 white phosphore PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ME ABOUT THESE 2🙏🙏🙏

[@bopeton]

What's your opinion about dominant/non-dominant eye placement?

[@jonguy8496]

damn good video! thanks for schooling me on the subject

[@armenius7553]

Got $3000 for nods any recommendations for getting a single tube with gen 3 green ik I can't afford white phos

[@cadeemj]

How would you rate ATN’s PVS 14s 4K price range vs TNVCs 4K price range. Thank you

[@radari7180]

Спасибо за контент

[@arunkassel6754]

What kind of helmet you rockin in this vid Hop?

[@someonehere4763]

is "Automatic Shut-off System" an auto-gate?

[@Hoplopfheil]

Usually that refers to a system that will turn the device off if it's exposed to bright light for a long period of time.

[@chrisleskanic4484]

Good video! So if you wanted to with no modification "really" you could switch the tube from your atn nvm14 and put it in your pvs14 housing? They use the same type tubes

[@chrisleskanic4484]

And I would definitely be interested in a video of you comparing those 2 devices that would be awesome i havnt seen one anywhere on here about them compared

[@BurkeSchneider]

Yes, that's correct it is possible to change image intensifier tubes from one housing to another. However it's not what I would call simple, there's some online guides that can help. I wouldn't trust myself to do it. It's nothing as easy as assembling a desktop computer for example.

[@Orangejuice864]

What adapter are you running on the NVM14? Not the Jdapt but the sexy one pictured in the opening? Thanks.

[@Hoplopfheil]

That's a MOD Armory swing arm. I don't really recommend it because of how loose the bayonet connection is. They make a dovetail version that might not have that problem though.

[@Orangejuice864]

@@Hoplopfheil Thanks for the fast answer!

[@nataliepoole4411]

I have the opportunity to purchase mill spec BNVD 51 or 40 auto gated white phosphor 1800 FOM. Both have one tube with small organic spot. I can’t get them for $5500. Seller recommends 40 because it edge clarity. I’m new to NV………is this enough information for you to make a recommendation or to tell me if this is a good deal?

[@Hoplopfheil]

Sounds kind of like AGM duals with photonis tubes? Doesn't seem like a great deal.

[@nataliepoole4411]

@@Hoplopfheil wow. I should read my text before hitting send. Obviously meant “can” not can’t get for $5500. These aren’t AGM. They are made by a defense contractor for the military. Owner is selling to me at cost……or so he says.

[@knowtheplan472]

Are PVS-14s compatible with PVS-7 tubes? The one in your 14 looks exactly like my 7

[@Hoplopfheil]

Nope.

[@samuelcouvin7206]

The pvs7 tube is bigger but if you need a monocular housing for it you can get a wolf 14

[@MrRice1841]

Too complicated and expensive. I’ll just not see in the dark.

[@Hoplopfheil]

You can probably afford a AA maglite and a bag of carrots.

[@That_Guy5575]

@@Hoplopfheil What’s funny is the story of how the carrot myth started. Shoutout to the British trying to keep radar a secret during WWII.

[@RealTomw]

love the owl

[@charliehotelromeo284]

Can you explain why lasers are harder to see without the light system too?

[@BurkeSchneider]

I think it's only when you are watching the video. In real life the IR lasers are very bright. The added IR light actually makes the laser a little harder to see in my opinion. However, the IR light does an excellent job of illuminating the target much like a flashlight in the visible spectrum.

[@josephrobison8886]

any experience with add on focusing devices like the Tarsier Eclipse? worth the monies?

[@Hoplopfheil]

I highly doubt it, if you need a wider DoF you could punch a bigger hole in the lens cap and put that on if there was enough light.

[@gotemfishing2190]

1:51 you can see Orion’s Belt and Orion’s nebula.

[@jackryanacuna1763]

What's your take on the Russian made Wolf14 nl3, performance wise? I'm curious..

[@Hoplopfheil]

Video soon.

[@maxwellgreenfield4117]

can you use two monoculars at the same time????

[@ethanwiley7605]

Do you recommend a specific site to shop for night vision?

[@DecentRecruit]

Setting up my Broke Team 6 gear

[@readingthebible5413]

The Holosun 510c is just as good as an EOtech. I purposely bought a new Eotech because that’s what “experts” on the internet told me. The image on the Holosun was a tad different shade and maybe..... maybe performed 5% less than the eotech but it was absolutely serviceable in all environments I tried it in. Once you consider the fact that Eotech are junk (mine was buried right out of the box), it’sa no brainier.

[@StarOasis26]

thats a sharp tube

[@JillForJesus]

thank you. 07 march 2024.