QTNVG Quad Tube Night Vision Device Housing, Assembly Included

Upon placing your order and completing our ITAR compliance forms, we'll mail you protective packaging and prepaid postage for your MX10160 image intensifiers. From there our service department will be with you each step of the way until the fully assembled device is safe in your hands.

Feedback on optimal arrangement of intensifiers will be provided during assembly as we clean and fully calibrate your device.

 

The Housing:

The night vision market has a FOV problem. Virtually all commercial sales are limited to a small number of dual tube units with the same 40-51 degrees of vision. While quad tube units are nothing new, manufacturers have long restricted sales of these products to military and elite law enforcement. It is our view that civilians and regular law enforcement officers have a legitimate right to this technology—this is the primary reason behind our pursuit of the QTNVG.

So why do I want more FOV? Why would I select the QTNVG over a traditional dual tube unit?

Short answer: To increase instantaneous availability of visual data.

Vision System	Field of View (Degrees)
PVS-14	40
Dual Tube Binocular	40-51
QTNVG	120
Human Eye	135

Long Answer:

When using a monocular or dual tube solution, it is essential that the operator overcome the field of view (FOV) limitations by constantly scanning their environment. In practice this is tedious and prone to error; even with modern dual tube NODs 'tunnel vision' is very real and very deadly threat. While scanning does work, it places a high cognitive burden on the operator leading to fatigue and mistakes.

Even with perfect scanning discipline, certain situations are inherently dangerous with the limited FOV imposed by conventional NODs. Perhaps the most notable is clearing rooms. When you're kicking down doors the perceptual delay imposed by scanning is significant—greatly reducing your window to safely respond to threats.

What if I’m not a high-speed operator taking down structures rapidly with my team of cool guys?

But you probably have a car, quad, hoverboard, hang glider, or some other way to get around the world, right? While driving is completely possible with monocular or a binocular unit, only a quad tube unit will give you the full picture. Go sit in your preferred means of conveyance and hold a toilet paper tube about a half inch away from your eye. Now, try to look at the rear-view mirror, side-view mirror, or any other control that is outside the immediate 40-degree field of view on the ToiletPaper-14. When you are walking around on your two legs, the option to stop and scan your FOV is usually there. However, if you are flying down dirt roads at 40mph can you really afford to be swinging your head around?

Okay, I get it, I can drive really fast and take down structures like a cool guy. What else can I do?

Aside from the driving and CQB benefits, quad tube units provide a couple other pros over monos and even some dual offerings. Among the most important is a dramatic improvement in passive aiming. Over the last decade, adoption of night vision has rapidly accelerated in almost every segment of society. This proliferation of low cost, high reliability NODs means that if you're using an aiming laser or IR illuminator, odds are someone else can see you. In the '90s it may have been a different story, but it's 2022 now and Joe down the street with his Sightmark Wraith™ HD digital rifle scope  can kill you just as dead as anything.

Passive aiming (being able to aim without giving off an active IR signature) becomes extremely easy with quads. While possible on monos and passable on duals, quads make it dead easy to naturally aim down red dot or holographic optics. Throwing an Aimpoint T2 on a Unity Tactical FAST Micro Mount allows you to have a fantastic day/night zero with very little in the way of ergonomic shifts as the sun goes down.

Additionally, we have found that some people suffer from motion sickness under conventional FOV NODs. In our experience this usually happens when tracking moving objects—specifically when the user's eyes exceed the available field of view offered by the device. When this happens, the disconnect between what the brain is expecting (continuity of vision) and what it gets (complete darkness) leads to nausea. With the QTNVG, this is effect is greatly reduced as the 120° panoramic view closely matches the 130° God gave you.

But I’ve heard that most quad units sacrifice features over duals!

This is true on some legacy units, however this is not the case for QTNVGs. With QTNVGs, you get every feature you would expect on a proper dual tube night vision unit. The QTNVG has full adjustment to suit the end user, including pupillary distance (PD) and diopter adjustment ensuring perfect usability with the widest possible range of users. Auxiliary features include built in IR illuminators which assist in admin tasks such as reading maps, operating doors, identifying ammo cans, or selecting the correct flavor of Fanta (orange) from the cooler.

The QTNVG also makes use of standard MX10160 style image intensification tubes, enabling easy upgrades and interoperability. Many pano users also choose to swap tubes around as they age and wear with use, balancing blems to the outer edges of their vision.

Four tubes? Doesn’t that mean one quarter the battery life?

Not a problem! The QTNVG has an onboard CR123A battery providing up to 25 hours of run time. If this isn't enough for you needs, it also supports an optional helmet mounted battery pack to further increase battery life in excess of 100 hours. This modularity allows you to decide how you want to run the unit based on the situation: as light as possible or maximum on time.

What about X, Y, or Z units?

The sad reality of the quad tube night vision market is that you don't have many choices. Let’s take a look how the QTNVG stacks up against some contemporary options:

Unit	Weight	Available	Tube Type	Diopter Adjustment	FOV	Cost
QTNVG	30 oz	Yes	MX10160 Standard	Onboard	120°	$13,500+
ANVIS-10*	28.8 oz	Out of Production	Proprietary (Rare)	External Lenses	97°	Second hand only $15,000+
GPNVG-18	28.8 oz	MIL/LE Only	MX10160 Standard	External Lenses	97°	$38,000+

 *No warranty support, spare parts, or repairs available to civilians.

 

Warranty and Return Policy:

The QTNVG carries a one-year manufacturer limited warranty on the housing. This warranty covers failures due to manufacturing defects, and premature failure during normal use. Outside of this warranty period, repairs and replacements will be assessed on a case by case basis. The unit boasts a modular construction which makes most repairs fairly easy.

The unit as a whole is covered by KommandoStore's standard 30 day return policy, plus free return shipping. We will also facilitate servicing and support of your night vision, including warranty repairs if needed.

 

Specifications:

Housing:

Weight	30oz
Battery Type	C123A
Battery Life	User configurable 25-125 hrs
Material	Glass filled nylon construction
Glass Type	Custom quad overlap glass
Battery Connector	QTNVG Specific
Gain Control	Auto
Auto Gated	Yes
Assembly	Professionally tested and assembled Collimated and nitrogen purged
Dust Resistance	IP6 - Dust Tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust-tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on airflow.
Water Resistance	IP7 - Immersion, up to 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) depth Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) of submersion for 30mins).
Warranty	1 year limited on housing, 2 year limited on intensifier tubes