ATN MO4-1 Monocular

This is a true "2nd Generation" night vision (NV) device. Please see my entry below regarding generations of night vision equipment. The MO4-2 is a spotting scope (monocular) that amplifies existing light in dark conditions, allowing the user to see. The scope measures 7.5 inches long, 2.5 in wide, and 3 in tall. It weighs in at a little over a pound and uses a pair of 123 three volt camera batteries. It is both impact and water resistant, to a point. The hand strap on the right side of the scope makes gripping it easy and it places the hand in position to easily reach the three control buttons (on/off, IR light, proximity sensor). It offers 5x magnification. The built-in IR light is sufficient for illuminating small areas out to about 30-40 yards or so. Beyond that, the beam is too dispersed. The IR is most useful for checking out unlit interior spaces, which tend to be much darker than outdoors. Outside, the 2nd Gen intensifier tube works very well under all but the most challenging conditions. The field of view is flat, with no geometric distortion as seen in 1st Gen scopes. The image is considerably brighter than 1st Gen, also. The proximity sensor is a handy battery saving device that senses when the scope is raised to viewing position and turns it on automatically. When the scope is lowered the sensor turns it off. Very nice feature, as the batteries for this scope are expensive (about $15/pair).

This scope is much more capable than the 1st Gen gear, but is accordingly more expensive. If your NV needs call for better performance than 1st Gen can offer, this is a good candidate. Personally, I use it for astronomy and it excels in that role.

NV Generations Background

Night vision equipment (usually abbreviated "NV") is vastly different from what most of us use as daytime optics, such as spotting scopes, telescopes, binoculars and rifle scopes. The magnification is usually low, less than 5x in almost all cases, and rarely above 3x. And few, if any, NV scopes offer zoom magnification which is popular on daytime optics. What's important in NV is not how large the viewed object is, but how clearly you can see it in dim light. The single biggest factor in NV performance is the intensifier tube. NV optics work by amplifying light through the intensifier tube and then sending the amplified image to the eyepiece. Most NV scopes are powered by 3 volt camera batteries or a pair of AA cells. Some have an additional battery for an attached infrared (IR) lamp. But, be aware that the tube is very sensitive to bright lights and should never be turned on during daylight hours without the protective lens cap in place. These intensifier tubes are available in four different levels of performance:

A) 1st generation, which is what was used in Vietnam in the 60's and early 70's. This is the lowest priced, most readily available NV. Those on the market are usually Russian made, and quality varies greatly. If you're thinking of buying a "1st Gen" NV scope, you'll be much better off if you can actually look through the scope you're buying before you
purchase it. There are quite a few poor quality 1st gen tubes out there. "1st Gen" allows you to see well in places where it's not all that dark to begin with. The image is usually slightly distorted towards the edge of the field of view. These NV scopes benefit greatly from infrared illuminators, which are usually built into the scopes. The IR light is invisible to the naked eye, but shows up very well in a NV scope. Without an IR illuminator, most 1st gen scopes are very limited in what they can see.

B) 2nd generation, developed in the 70's and issued to the military in the 80's, is a big step up from 1st gen equipment. The image is much brighter and more well defined than anything in 1st gen. The distorted edges are gone. They allow you to see considerably further in less light than anything in 1st gen. 2nd gen scopes are also much less
dependent on IR illuminators, but most include them for use in pitch black conditions, such as inside unlit buildings at night. Accordingly, 2nd gen scopes cost about three or four times as much as 1st gen. Most 2nd gen scopes have US made tubes.

C) 3rd generation, developed in the 80's for the military, is currently the best that's readily available to the public. The 3rd gen scopes are much more efficient than 2nd gen and cost two to three times what a 2nd gen scope will. These scopes offer a very clear view in even very dim conditions. In fact, under most outdoor conditions, the use of the IR illuminator is unnecessary. Even in unlit rooms at night, the IR only needs to be used for seeing details unless the room has no windows. Lighting up the IR illuminator of a 3rd gen scope is like turning on a
bright light when you get up in the middle of the night: it's uncomfortably bright at first.

D) 4th generation, developed in the 90's. These scopes are available to the public on a limited basis. They represent the state of the art in civilian night vision scopes and are a step up from 3rd gen by providing an almost daytime view, even in the middle of the night. However, these scopes are not easy to find, and those that are available will cost thousands of dollars. This makes them out of reach for most potential users. But 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen scopes will do the
job quite well for most of us.

I should probably mention that there is also a so-called "Zero Generation" of night vision devices. These are the WWII infrared scopes that were entirely dependent upon IR light shining on the target object in order to form an image. This "0 Gen" gear isn't sold on the commercial market and is only available as WWII collector's items.