Question for you Thermal Guru's.....

B

Bocephuss

New member
I'm new to the thermal world. Watched a video online, and had to have one. So I impulse bought one after doing minimal research. I will say, I absolutely love this thing, and do not have any buyers remorse.

With that said, there are a few questions I have, that I probably should have done my research on.

The weapon sight I bought was an Armasight Zeus 336 3x12, 60hz, 42mm.

Now for my questions.....

1 - this thing eats, absolutely eats batteries below 20 degrees. Last night it was close to 10 degrees, and I bet I got 15 minutes out of it. Now I can warm the batteries up, and put them back in and get 15 minutes again, but that is a pain. Anybody else have this issue? If so, what did you do to fix that.

2 - We got a bunch of fresh snow yesterday, and combine that with bone chilling temps, the picture quality was horrible. Animals still stood out like they should, but it was easy to get lost as I was just in a world of gray wash with my surroundings. That is the first time I have had that happen (mind you I've only owned this for a week or two now). So my question is, do really cold temps like we are experiencing in SW IA right now, effect these that much? Or do I have something else going on.

3 - What in the heck is manual NUC? My scope will do this periodically on its own, but I also have the option to do it manually. What is this for, and why would I every do it manually if the scope does it on its own?


Thanks in advance,
Bryan
 
I am not a big thermal guy so I could be wrong but a buddy I hunt with on occasion runs thermals and he told me to manually nuc mine every few minutes to keep picture quality up. When I did the pic go CLEAR! that's about the extent of my thermal knowledge
 
that won't help with the battery life but it's a good bit of info to have.
My experience with thermal is just what I have been exposed to when running with Skinney.
One piece of advice comes from general electronic knowledge. It's not ONLY the batteries getting cold that you have to worry about.
When your electronics get cold...they have to work harder to function, hence more battery use.
When your batteries are cold...they lose power faster...which is why you seem to get more use after you warm them up.

You can either attempt to keep your gear warm longer, or you can get extra/external batteries. (depending on your equipments features)
I know the gear we run will last for hours in sub zero with no issues at all...but this is with external battery packs.

Hopefully Skinney will be over shortly
 
Originally Posted By: BocephussI'm new to the thermal world. Watched a video online, and had to have one. So I impulse bought one after doing minimal research. I will say, I absolutely love this thing, and do not have any buyers remorse.

With that said, there are a few questions I have, that I probably should have done my research on.

The weapon sight I bought was an Armasight Zeus 336 3x12, 60hz, 42mm.

Now for my questions.....

1 - this thing eats, absolutely eats batteries below 20 degrees. Last night it was close to 10 degrees, and I bet I got 15 minutes out of it. Now I can warm the batteries up, and put them back in and get 15 minutes again, but that is a pain. Anybody else have this issue? If so, what did you do to fix that.

2 - We got a bunch of fresh snow yesterday, and combine that with bone chilling temps, the picture quality was horrible. Animals still stood out like they should, but it was easy to get lost as I was just in a world of gray wash with my surroundings. That is the first time I have had that happen (mind you I've only owned this for a week or two now). So my question is, do really cold temps like we are experiencing in SW IA right now, effect these that much? Or do I have something else going on.

3 - What in the heck is manual NUC? My scope will do this periodically on its own, but I also have the option to do it manually. What is this for, and why would I every do it manually if the scope does it on its own?


Thanks in advance,
Bryan

I suggest getting a rechargeable battery pak......(web search for best price)

http://www.armasightstore.com/armasight-extended-battery-pack-for-zeus-thermal-sights

There is no single setting to use every time you hunt. I am not sure what adjustments are on that scope but ambient temperatures are constantly changing. Check your settings for brightness, contrast, focus, etc. and see what is working best for your conditions each time you hunt. You might check white hot vs black hot for the best setting in whatever terrain you are hunting.

If your scope has auto NUC just use that and forget about recalibrating with manual NUC. You should hardly notice it with a 60Hz processor. If you have the option to run at 30Hz it will extend your battery life. You don't really need 60Hz processing speed.

FYI....The lens needs to be covered for a manual NUC. Most guys use a scope cover and just hold it down to recalibrate then release it.

You might want to get a recorder at some point also.....It' nice to go back and watch your hunts.

http://www.armasightstore.com/armasight-recorder-dt


 
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Thanks all for the replies.

Just an update. I put on my betty-homemaker shoes and built a "coat" for the scope, and I have been shoving two hand warmers inside there, and that has completely cured the battery life issues.

Gman - I do have the DVR recorder. Its a pretty neat feature. First night ever filming with it, I got to watch a bobcat chasing a deer. Was a pretty cool video.

I have got to pull the trigger now on 3 yotes, annnnd missed every single one. They were all moving, and I feel I'm probably not leading them properly. When I take this to the range, I'm dead on. So the only variable would be nerves, or not leading them properly.
 


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