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Driving Blacked Out

5,750 Views | 35 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Aggie Hunter
Aggie Hunter
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AG
Now that I have my thermal hunting set up I would like to start getting a night vision helmet set up for driving around blacked out. What night vision set up are you guys running? Mono or bi? Helmet and mount?

Mostly will be driving a side by side around checking fields, feeders etc.
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
I thought this was about leaving the chicken. Was about to say just call a Lyft man.
SockDePot
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Weve been experimenting with mounting thermal mono outside the cab of the truck on the roof, and streaming to an iPad or iPhone.

Our next step is to put it on top of a rotating spotlight on the roof.
Kenneth_2003
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AG
My first thought was full window limo tint.

Guess that would be the better assumption on the auto board.
The Fife
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I thought this was going to be about blacking out while driving, and I was going to say you need to get checked out by a doctor sometime soon. The accident my dad got into because of that nearly killed him a few months ago.
D206
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AG
The thermal mono with a screen as mentioned above is probably easiest. If you are going to do a helmet get a bump helmet because they are lighter and you'll want a battery Pack on the back as a counterbalance. You'll also need IR lights on the vehicle.

Monocle will leave one eye adjusted to the dark if you need to grab stuff in the truck or dismount but you are losing depth perception. You'll need to practice driving roads on brighter clearer nights because it's weird.
BenderRodriguez
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AG
Budget? Experience using NV?

It takes a fair amount of $$ to get set up for helmet mounted NV stuff, especially if you need to get guns set up as well.

Might do that and get used to wearing and using NV while walking around before trying to drive with it on.

Supplemental IR lights for vehicle are a really good idea.
AnScAggie
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AG
Checkout the pig hunters that use a NV/thermal capable utv to hunt out of. Awhile ago someone posted a video on OB of them driving through fields shooting pigs like I imagine the buffalo hunters did back in the day.
Aggie Hunter
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AG
No budget I want it to be right. All my guns are set up with thermals so I'm good there. Leaning toward a Wilcox mount on a Wendy helmet. Just can't decide on the NV.
Furlock Bones
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AG
waiting for skelso to chime in. he has a sweet helmet setup for driving.
BenderRodriguez
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Aggie Hunter said:

No budget I want it to be right. All my guns are set up with thermals so I'm good there. Leaning toward a Wilcox mount on a Wendy helmet. Just can't decide on the NV.


Yeah, once you have a helmet mounted NV set up you're going to want to get guns set up for it too, trust me.

No budget? Sweet. BNVDs that can be run as duals or as a mono, COTI or ECOTI and you'll have NV and Thermals on your head.
Strongweasel97
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Aggie Hunter said:

No budget I want it to be right. All my guns are set up with thermals so I'm good there. Leaning toward a Wilcox mount on a Wendy helmet. Just can't decide on the NV.
Thats a good start. I use the Wilcox breakaway---riding in an elevated hunting rig or even the back of a truck, I want my nods (PVS-14s, grn) to breakaway, not my vertebrae if a limb catches me

Team Wendy is worth the premium if you want it to fit like a glove/no hotspots, the xfil non-ballistic/bump is what I use.
Aggie Hunter
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AG
Pvs 14 is all I have ever used which was borrowed from a friend. Leaning towards mono so not blinded when lift it. Recommendations on green or white phosphors
Strongweasel97
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AG
I have greens, but WP gives you better detail and contrast in my opinion.
OneMoonGoon92
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AG
Go with white. Your eye(s) will adjust to it much better. I can tell you that driving around like that is going to be a challenge unless you get more lights for the vehicle. Im looking to do that for my setup as the IR on my helmet just isnt enough to do it effectively and be confident I wont drive into anything. You can spend a fortune on helmets and mounts which I just found not necessary. Yes..you do need a good mount tho. TNVC website has everything you need. Using thermal on your guns while using the helmet isnt the way to go. Can you do it...yes. However, youll find that lining up a shot with that helmet on and looking thru a scope is a challenge. Get yourself a good laser/illuminator and use that instead. Use a scanner in thermal to find them...but then go after them in NV. Its fun as hell. If you have any questions as to how I have my stuff setup Ill be glad to share my experiences. I got my PVS14 from EYEguy and so far its been great.
Nealthedestroyer
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AG
Shoot me an email, OP. I can help you out. username at Gmail.

We use Elbit WP RNVGs with ANVIS glass while driving. The glass cuts down on the light coming from the dash.

Working on adding IR spot and driving lights.
Vae Victis
highvelocity
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AG
my set up once i get around to it will be a helmet mounted thermal on the left and WP pvs14 on the right side with articulating mount so you can flip one side up and one side down. i want the best of the both worlds when looking for pigs. if im ever in a world where money doesnt matter, i'll have a vehicle mounted thermal with a display screen in the cab with me and navigate with a dual WP set up.
Ducks4brkfast
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AG
Naveronski
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AG
Worth reading:
https://www.recoilweb.com/nighttime-shenanigans-with-trucks-ir-lights-and-night-vision-151252.html

Pressburg knows a thing or two about this stuff.
Aggie Hunter
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AG
Last time I drove around with a pvs 14 green phosphorus on a Polaris ranger I had zero issues. I was driving around 20-25 mph. This was all done in south Texas. Am I missing something?
BenderRodriguez
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AG
Aggie Hunter said:

Last time I drove around with a pvs 14 green phosphorus on a Polaris ranger I had zero issues. I was driving around 20-25 mph. This was all done in south Texas. Am I missing something?


Weather, terrain, amount of ambient light can all make stuff super easy or super hard to do at night.

I don't know many folks who recommend setting up to drive "blacked out" without supplemental IR, even if its not needed every time.
one MEEN Ag
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AG
Serious question, what is the value in NV for driving if the noise of the car is going to scare off any wildlife anyway?

Do you also need an electric ATV?
Strongweasel97
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AG
You still need to hoof it a ways from the vehicle. Even electric makes a lot of noise (tires on rocks, suspension creaking, motor whine).
D206
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AG
South Texas Caliche roads on a clear night are pretty distinct. A dark night in heavily wooded areas or mountainous terrain, where you really need to see the road well, are challenging.
Aggie Hunter
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AG
I would love to see your setup.
Nealthedestroyer
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D206 said:

South Texas Caliche roads on a clear night are pretty distinct. A dark night in heavily wooded areas or mountainous terrain, where you really need to see the road well, are challenging.
Its the dark nights where the price difference and performance really come out between the Elbit thin filmed and the L3 filmless tubes. Both are great systems but the nod goes to the Filmless for performance with no or little moon.

Unless you've trained a lot with monoculars, i would recommend goggles to give you the best depth perception and FOV possible with driving.
Vae Victis
cz308
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The Fife said:

I thought this was going to be about blacking out while driving, and I was going to say you need to get checked out by a doctor sometime soon. The accident my dad got into because of that nearly killed him a few months ago.
Me too. I half expected to come here and see a picture of my truck lol.
one MEEN Ag
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Strongweasel97 said:

You still need to hoof it a ways from the vehicle. Even electric makes a lot of noise (tires on rocks, suspension creaking, motor whine).
Then I still don't get why you should drive around in the dark. The animals are going to be spooked regardless up until you get to your blind. Why not just have the headlights on?

If its just to feel cool, do whatever suits your fancy. I'm just trying to see what the tangible benefits of NV are for driving out to a stand to hunt.



Strongweasel97
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one MEEN Ag said:

Strongweasel97 said:

You still need to hoof it a ways from the vehicle. Even electric makes a lot of noise (tires on rocks, suspension creaking, motor whine).
Then I still don't get why you should drive around in the dark. The animals are going to be spooked regardless up until you get to your blind. Why not just have the headlights on?

If its just to feel cool, do whatever suits your fancy. I'm just trying to see what the tangible benefits of NV are for driving out to a stand to hunt.




All very good points lol!
OverSeas AG
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AG
Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess
Aggie Hunter
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Could you send me the link of the breakaway mount you speak of?
Strongweasel97
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AG
Wilcox G24
AggieArcher17
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Where we hunt with thermal you can see hogs several hundred yards away with the right weather. They won't spook until you get within a hundred yards or so with a vehicle so you can spot them across the pasture, get out, walk up to them and kill em all. No hunting from a stand whatsoever
one MEEN Ag
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You take out any hogs with a bow + night vision?
Aggie Hunter
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Javelinas are even worse. Can drive right up on them at night.
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