The Night Vision Story

[JoeHeugh]

Thanks lads. Funny how things have moved on since I posted this. I have been working on a revised version (well it's more like a book) which includes thermal and takes in some of the newer developments such as AI. Also a lot more on the history, here as a teaser is what the Brits were bringing to the table in 1944 (these are not post war pictures)


Tabby BR/T2 on silenced Sten


Tabby BR/T2 helmet mount. Now how exactly do you think this one worked (it was not a success!)

 

[HappyFish]

Following on from this thread my little write up on night vision is now complete (well let's just say I'm past checking through it yet another time!). Thanks also to everyone who took the time to tell me their story.

It runs to 18 pages with illustrations and is attached here as a .pdf file.

Introduction​

The Early Years
IIT - The Image Intensifier Tube
The Sporting Use of Tubed Night Vision
The Transition From Tubed to Digital
Amateur Builders
Clip-ons vs Add-Ons
Illumination and Signal Processing
The “Day / Night” Scope
A Swan Song for Tubed Night Vision
The Rise of the Pard
Digital Night Vision Comes of Age?
What about Thermal?
Meanwhile, back at the Barracks

Comments and corrections are welcome or just write whatever you like about night vision here. It will be interesting to see whether any of my predictions come to pass.

All the pictures are in the public domain on the internet and the text is free to use as you wish.

Enjoy.

This was a very helpful primer, thank you!

I have a second hand DS35-50 LRF awaiting a rifle to mount it too. I’m pretty impressed with its sensitivity and latency, especially at dusk.

 

[Vitesse]

Following on from this thread my little write up on night vision is now complete (well let's just say I'm past checking through it yet another time!). Thanks also to everyone who took the time to tell me their story.

It runs to 18 pages with illustrations and is attached here as a .pdf file.

Introduction​

The Early Years
IIT - The Image Intensifier Tube
The Sporting Use of Tubed Night Vision
The Transition From Tubed to Digital
Amateur Builders
Clip-ons vs Add-Ons
Illumination and Signal Processing
The “Day / Night” Scope
A Swan Song for Tubed Night Vision
The Rise of the Pard
Digital Night Vision Comes of Age?
What about Thermal?
Meanwhile, back at the Barracks

Comments and corrections are welcome or just write whatever you like about night vision here. It will be interesting to see whether any of my predictions come to pass.

All the pictures are in the public domain on the internet and the text is free to use as you wish.

Enjoy.

Hi. Just found this and read the full article. Very interesting. Long while after submission I know. I bought a second hand Yukon N450s possibly on impulse with great ideas after a friend was organising some shooting which has so far not materialised. ( hope I'm not breaking any rules with that statement) I was just wondering if it is worth setting up the sight and leaving on a rifle for daytime shooting or is it better to just use normal telescopic sight rather than have the extra weight, even with a bipod. I have had it on a rifle and played about with settings in the garden but not taken it to the range to see how I get on at longer distance.

 

[JoeHeugh]

Looking at the specs it's an x4 base magnification going to x16 digital dedicated night scope but that might be ok during the day, really you'd just have to see how you get on with it. The question would be why? For daytime shooting almost any glass scope is going to beat it hands down optically, be much lighter and won't be dependent on batteries. If you have 2 rifles then one for day and one for night might be the best solution especially if you want to go over x4 during the day.

I'd take it to the range and compare it side by side against another scope at x4 and x16 and then see how you feel about it.

 

[Ratman72]

Hello, The person who started us all on night vision with the old AGF was Ken ??, I am sure he rejoined here but do not see any posts

 

[GaryC]

I think I was one of the first few to hunt with NV in UK. Back in the days of Soviet Bazaar and the infamous "Sid"
Started with a x4 gen 1 ex Soviet which I blew up in the warehouse before I ever used it because I left the lights on. Fisheye as hell.
Sid upgraded the tube to Gen2. Really nice with a laser illuminator. From there to a Gen 3 Maxi kite which when seen in AGW got me a visit from MPs.

 

[Gummage]

Thank you,will give this a good read

 

[doric]

w this on YouTube - some interesting history on night vision

Cheers

Bruce

Greatly missed, Bruce was a leading authority on all things NV and thermal. In the early days his man cave inventions kept us his shooting chums well ahead of the game. I well remember him bringing his home made kit out foxing and being blown away by how much better it was than what was on the market then. I had at the time a top end unit that looked like a toy by comparison to his Brucie Vision kit.
Prior to thermal we like everyone else progressed from lamping to IR and his contraptions were for the time unbelievable. His lighthouse as we named it was a contraption and a half, it was colossal and sat on top of his Landcruser. Huge spotlight, huge IR spotlight home made IR vidio camera all remotely controlled from the comfort of a warm truck. Nothing like it on the market, It was mind blowingly good. I gave him some ideas and he built the contraptions. I had put it to him that a camera fitted to remotely operated pan and unit would save us freezing holding our hands out the truck window.
I had a spare remote comtrol go light which he took away, later in the week we had a full remote control IR camera and spotlight for our foxing.
When thermal cameras became available the golight morphed in to the first pan and tilt thermal unit. We were using these over twenty years ago and it is only recently that these have become commersialy available.
I still use my one regularly along with the thermal scope he had made me. Though up to date units have surpassed the optical quality of Bruce's one it still puts foxes down and was mind blowing at that time.
Bruce along with Billy and Russ did much of the R&D for the top companies that lead the market today.
I never tired of foxing or clearing rabbits with Bruce and Albert as each evening out was entertaining with Bruce's technical innovations and Alberts funny stories, happy days.
RIP Bruce much missed by all at Ythan Field Sports and by his many friends here in Aberdeenshire and further afield.