IR laser use with Digital NV

[Furtaker21]

Hopefully someone here has tried this and can describe if it works. I have a wraith 4K max and use a sniper hog coyote cannon 850nm for night illumination. The sniper hog is of course an led type ir Illuminator. It’s great but heavy as a brick. And really big. I’m wondering if an adjustable ir laser would work as illumination for these digital night vision scopes. I kinda thought the ir lasers were not for illumination but aiming while using gen 2or 3 type night vision. However I think I’ve read that in Europe they often use laser ir Illuminator in conjunction with their digital nv. Does anyone have actual experience using a laser Illuminator with a wraith, xsight 4K, digisight? I like the idea because I’ve read the lasers have a lot of reach but yet very small and lightweight.

 

[Gman757]

The best setup is an illuminator with an adjustable beam along with windage and elevation adjustments. That allows you to co-witness the beam to your scope view.

One of the big drawbacks to IR illuminators is IR feedback from foliage. Being able to adjust the beam down will help eliminate this issue.

I have also run IR lasers with a PVS14. I would not try to use one as a source for illumination. "Blooming" is an issue with IR laser setups and I had to install a filter on mine to correct the problem. If you need more range use an illuminator.

Keep in mind a 940nm unit will be less detectable but also give you less range. The 850nm unit will be visible to a critter as a red glow but will give you more distance for ID and shooting.

I used Luna Optics emitters years ago and they were strong units. You might give them try. Their units are very compact and light.

http://www.lunaoptics.com/accessories.html