Thermal..... Again!

[Darren24]

How comes you need a digi spotter when you have a thermal ??????

[Fox Hunter]

How comes you need a digi spotter when you have a thermal ??????

Ok you got me, I don't really 'need' it but would like one

The idea is I'm often spotting something but I'm dubious at times being 100% sure. There's sheep and rough cover everywhere I shoot so often times heat sources are obscured by cover, humps tumps and dips etc. The thermal is amazing at detecting the heat sources but I often find myself switching to nv to 'check'. On doing this on numerous occasions I've struggled to spot with the nv so my thinking is...
Spotter by the side of the thermal looking at exactly the same image so not only do I get a detailed image of the heat source but I can see every detail in the lay of the land so when I switch to the gun I can use landmarks to get me on target quickly. If I then struggled to spot with the gun only a quick glimpse at the thermal screen and digi screen would get me back on target.
It wouldn't be used everytime just on those sitting out sessions when I'm not after any in particular..

[some bloke]

How comes you need a digi spotter when you have a thermal ??????

Ok you got me, I don't really 'need' it but would like one

The idea is I'm often spotting something but I'm dubious at times being 100% sure. There's sheep and rough cover everywhere I shoot so often times heat sources are obscured by cover, humps tumps and dips etc. The thermal is amazing at detecting the heat sources but I often find myself switching to nv to 'check'. On doing this on numerous occasions I've struggled to spot with the nv so my thinking is...
Spotter by the side of the thermal looking at exactly the same image so not only do I get a detailed image of the heat source but I can see every detail in the lay of the land so when I switch to the gun I can use landmarks to get me on target quickly. If I then struggled to spot with the gun only a quick glimpse at the thermal screen and digi screen would get me back on target.
It wouldn't be used everytime just on those sitting out sessions when I'm not after any in particular..

That sounds like a brilliant idea. dunno if you are awarwe that a lot of reversing monitors have two inputs: You'd get full screen on the @forward deriving one, then power up the reverse cam and it auto -switches over to full screen as well.

[Fox Hunter]

How comes you need a digi spotter when you have a thermal ??????

Ok you got me, I don't really 'need' it but would like one

The idea is I'm often spotting something but I'm dubious at times being 100% sure. There's sheep and rough cover everywhere I shoot so often times heat sources are obscured by cover, humps tumps and dips etc. The thermal is amazing at detecting the heat sources but I often find myself switching to nv to 'check'. On doing this on numerous occasions I've struggled to spot with the nv so my thinking is...
Spotter by the side of the thermal looking at exactly the same image so not only do I get a detailed image of the heat source but I can see every detail in the lay of the land so when I switch to the gun I can use landmarks to get me on target quickly. If I then struggled to spot with the gun only a quick glimpse at the thermal screen and digi screen would get me back on target.
It wouldn't be used everytime just on those sitting out sessions when I'm not after any in particular..

That sounds like a brilliant idea. dunno if you are awarwe that a lot of reversing monitors have two inputs: You'd get full screen on the @forward deriving one, then power up the reverse cam and it auto -switches over to full screen as well.

I was recently made aware of the two inputs but I 'think' I'd prefer two separate screens so I could look at them at the same time. I was thinking of screwing the two screens to a piece of ply I can just about manage that bit
What I'm not sure of is how good these DIY spotters are. For the sake of a few pounds more a recon or the like seems like much less hassle..

[Darren24]

This shooting lark is getting to complicated. The check list before I go out is unbelievable , thermal,3 set batts for thermal, set batts for laser and archer, gun, bullets .243 55grain, tobacco lighter papers,shooting tripod sticks . Fox pro caller, remote for caller, bipod, small torch ,phone, wife only joking

And now you want a digi spotter come on do you really need it.
I've had not a lot of experience at digi spotters only seen one and was not that impressed but was impressed by the digi drone pro. Won't having a digi in the field light everything up giving the game away. I've got an archer gen 3 with a pre n1000 laser and can id a rabbit at 700 yards on a good night this has been laser range finder comfimed . Eye shine on sheep not sure what sort of shine you get. Muntys fallows can sometimes catch you out but there no mistaking the fox eye shine in gen 3 spotter. I've a kitchen sink for sale if your interested

[Fox Hunter]

Ok, here's my NEW tripod set up

It's mounted with the thermal and a Yukon gen 2+ spotter for illustration purposes only
That's about the size of the spotter I require, could go bigger or smaller as long as it has a tripod hole to mount it. I'll obviously have cables running from the units to the screens which will probably be mounted to something along with batteries. I usually hide the tripod in rushes or the like so I'm expecting IR reflection at times hence not wanting to leave a tubed spotter on at all times. Also my only option of mounting a screen to the tubed spotter would be directly behind it, that's not ideal as I'm usually a metre or two away from the tripod hence it's got to be a digi spotter..

[Fox Hunter]

This shooting lark is getting to complicated. The check list before I go out is unbelievable , thermal,3 set batts for thermal, set batts for laser and archer, gun, bullets .243 55grain, tobacco lighter papers,shooting tripod sticks . Fox pro caller, remote for caller, bipod, small torch ,phone, wife only joking

And now you want a digi spotter come on do you really need it.
I've had not a lot of experience at digi spotters only seen one and was not that impressed but was impressed by the digi drone pro. Won't having a digi in the field light everything up giving the game away. I've got an archer gen 3 with a pre n1000 laser and can id a rabbit at 700 yards on a good night this has been laser range finder comfimed . Eye shine on sheep not sure what sort of shine you get. Muntys fallows can sometimes catch you out but there no mistaking the fox eye shine in gen 3 spotter. I've a kitchen sink for sale if your interested

If it's white or silver I'll have it

I know what you mean, all my kit is in bino packs so it's pretty much just grab them, the gun and go but it is still easy to forget things. I have no experience of digi either and my pet hate is ANY IR illumination but after seeing the video's I've got to try it for myself.

When you say digi light's the field up were you talking about the IR or the screen?

[Darren24]

The screen

[Fox Hunter]

Got to be honest when nite site and the like came out I thought I'd never go down a screen route because of the reflection. I won't be walking around with this set up and I position myself so I'm out of site so the screen doesn't give off any visible light anyway. Even with a screen lighting up the inside of a vehicle, what seems like a load of light to the viewer is different if you get out and look back at the vehicle, it's surprisingly hardly noticeable. Especially when you turn down the brightness and contrast, not too sure how the nv will perform with those settings though and obviously the darker the night the more visible.
But no, I'm in no way bothered whatsoever by the screen lighting anything because of the way I set myself up.

[Fox Hunter]

Yesterday I was so embarrassed and angry, a fox killed the Mrs's best chicken during daylight We wasn't sure yesterday as we just couldn't find it and thought it may have just gone off broody somewhere. However we found it this morning with the head off and pretty chewed up. It was a pretty miserable wet day yesterday and old Charles knew nobody would be about in that. The chickens roam free but don't go that far and the chicken was killed in the field behind my house. It's always a good place for spotting Charles as it's a good passing place from a wood in one direction and a forestry in the other but also because one of my traps is in it. Having been out on numerous occasions recently to no avail and without knowing for any specific local fox to target I thought I was on top of them. How wrong I was

So... Tonight I set the thermal in my one of my lads bedroom pointing at the dead chicken staked to the ground along with a few dog biscuits scattered about the place. Placed the screen next to the tv for the thermal and sat with my lad on his xbox playing call of duty (with the sound right down) to get my eye in with a sniper rifle . Charlie returns so I grab the gun, get on the landing window and let him have some lead supper (after what seemed like eternity). It's not recommended playing that xbox before shooting the adrenaline kicked right in.

Here's the culprit resting alongside the mauled chicken, I'm so glad this one won't be about in a months time when there's lambs about..


..and here's the thermal vid. Utterly crap quality like I usually produce, but the way it drops is 'interesting'. I also had a trail cam out but there's no footage which I just can't understand. When I just checked the card it shows me setting it in daylight pointing exactly at the chicken. The only thing I can think of is the batteries died

http://youtu.be/M56UeY8fUJo

On another note, does anyone know the best screen to use with the thermal? I've got the cheapo from China and it's ok but I feel there should be much better ones available..