Anyone have experience with using a device like this (or in this price range)? http://www.tactical-store.com/ts-as-hs-heatseeker.html Or does anyone have experience with one that is an actual thermal imager that isn't $12,000? What I'm looking for is something that shows the actual heat signature, not just gives an indication that a heat source has been located.
You won't touch a weapon grade thermal sight for less than 25K, you can get viewers for less, but they are around the 10K to 15K. Sorry, but this isn't one of those items that you are going to find on a budget.
Cheapest one that you can get that will do thermal imaging might be a fluke unit. I believe might be the fluke units.... Ti20 is one of them for around 6.5k Don't expect to do anything much beyond looking at motors, components and the handprint on the wall. The optics and components needed to perform like the FLIR you see on footage are in several tens of thousands.
Besides being very expensive, thermal imaging devices are "restricted", and you'd have to just about sign your life away to be able to get one. The heat seeking devices work, but not always as advertised....and no matter how much they'll tell you about how "their" units won't give false readings, it's all hogwash. I have one, but since I haven't used it in quite awhile, I can't think of the brand name. It works best in remote areas, where there are definite differences between the cold/cool spots and warmer items/animals. I use mine in the desert, usually only late at night when the rocks have cooled down, for they will give off false readings. It's fairly easy to calibrate and use, and I've tracked coyotes with it several times....once to one of their dens. The bar graph and audible alarm systems went wild when I got to that den! It even works on snakes, but since they slither around so much and are relatively thin/small, it's difficult to track them. A couple of years ago, I thought that I was getting a false reading on some bushes that were about 50 yards away, but there was a small kit fox under the bush that blended in even up close.
In what way? They are completely legal to own, it's export laws that make them illegal to ship outside the US. They are considered exactly the same as NV.
He might be talking about exporting it. I know of several cases where people sent restricted surplus parts off to other countries against the restrictions and they really did go after them. There are a few things you can buy off the shelves here that you can't just mail off to other countries. Encryption programs are another restricted item. I think export permited are limited to 64 or 128 bit key.
I use a fluke Ti20 at work. It's a nice unit for diagnosing problems and it easily paid it's $7k price tag off in the first day of use. I sometimes use it to spot deer, coyote, and turkey sometimes. Unfortunately this is on company property. Reading the description of this $160 unit, I can't imagine it would be very useful for visualization or hunting. Heres a thermal weapons sight for $12k: http://www.opticsplanet.net/atn-elcan-specterir-thermal-riflescope.html http://www.elcan.com/ELCAN_News/DownloadCentre/ELCAN_video_SpecterDemo.wmv Old or weird andheld ones like this go for $1200-$2500 on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320196365534
There was a guy that as selling Thorne EMI thermal sights on eBay for awhile, but the problem was that they needed a cooing tank that was hard to get and fill. Almost got one for a grand once, but was taken out at the last minute by some commie.
