Tweet
Figured I would make a quick post describing and showing what was needed to helmet mount a PVS14 night vision device.
Been a lot of new folks buying lately and as the saying goes "you don't know what you don't know." I normally hate that phrase but it's very true in this circumstance.
You WANT to helmet mount your NV if at all possible. We have other threads here on the NV and technology forum describing why you DON'T want to weapon mount a PVS14- read them. Bottom line upfront- it's not ideal and recoil can damage your tube over time.
"What about a skull crusher?"
Well, for one, it's nicknamed a "skull crusher" for a reason... Unless you have a smaller head AND have all the adjustments just right, it's going to really suck to wear if it fits you at all. Two you won't be able to flip the NODs up. Three, there is very little adjustments in a skull crusher to compensate for up and do, angle, etc. Four, they totally suck. We literally stopped including skull crushers aka Head mounts in with our PVS14 kits because no one wanted them and the ones that did end up complaining about them.
Helmet mounting is clearly the better way to go and once people get out and actually TRAIN with their equipment, they figure this out. However if your just stockpiling stuff and never USING any of it... well I guess then on Day 1 of the apocalypse you'll figure this out...
On to helmet mounting-
You need several components-
1. A helmet. If you have some old skewl PASGT helmet you've been holding on to since "Gunny Highway" stormed Granada, well to be blunt it's time to modernize. Most of the old skewl helmets like that were NOT set up for night vision. Yes there is an old skewl rachet strap type NV mount for the really old helmets that don't come with holes pre-drilled for shrouds or that already have shrouds on them. The problem with those old strappy mounts was that they were designed as a work around. If they are not adjusted and tensioned just right, the NODs could fall off the helmet. So you end up dropping your $3K investment on the ground because you decided to be cheap and try to stay with an old uncomfortable helmet. Bad move IMO. Also the old strappy helmet mounts are getting really hard to find these days.
On a more modern helmet and we will consider the ACH helmet as the minimum here- it will either have a hole (or holes) pre-drilled in the front of the helmet for a "shroud" or mounting bracket OR they will have the shroud already built into the helmet itself- see pic of Ops Core FAST bump helmet below.
So you need a helmet AND a shroud for the helmet. These OPS CORE helmets HAVE the NV shroud, the rails, better padding and suspension system, etc. so they are "mission configured" and ready to go, keeping you from having to make 47 modifications to try to make it work.
Even though it should be obvious, for clarity the helmet is the FIRST item in the pic going left to right, the "shroud" is the piece front and center.
NOTE FOR PLANNING PURPOSES- top quality helmets from Ops Core/Gentex usually have a 4-6 month lead time. When we have them in stock they sell out fast, try to move fast on in stock units to avoid a long wait time.
2. The Helmet mount itself- this can be any number of models of helmet mounts. Norotos and Wilcox are the two big military contractors. NOTE- mounts are sold with different interfaces, principally these are BAYONET (aka "horn") which is what the standard military PVS14 J arm uses or DOVETAIL which is what most dual tube NV sets and dual bridges use. You can also buy J arms that are DOVETAIL J ARMS like the AX PRO 14 arm.
Usually what happens when people buy Night vision is that they start with a single PVS14. Then usually a while later they either buy a 2nd PVS14 and dual bridge them (requiring a dovetail mount) or they end up buying a dedicated dual tube set. Both of these require a dovetail interface. If people PLAN AHEAD they will buy a mount like the Norotos Lo sto mount that we ship with BOTH the standard bayonet (aka "horn") interface and also the dovetail interface. What this does is allows the user to mount EITHER STYLE of NV interface on ONE mount and keeps them from having to buy multiple mounts and keep track of which one does what and goes with what, etc.
If I was just starting out now in Night vision, I would buy a Norotos Lo sto mount and that would likely be the only mount I would ever need instead of having multiple mounts in my gear like I do now...
Note- we ONLY sell this mount in the "force to overcome" variety. What does that mean? "Force to overcome" literally just means when you want the mount and NODs up you just push them and they go back on the helmet, no small button to find in the middle of the night to release the mount. "Breakaway" models like the G24 require you to push a little button before you push your NODs up and out of the way. Having seen students 11 hours into our NV training classes, cold, tired and hungry struggling to find the little buttons on those types of mounts, or forgetting that had to use the button- we decided we would just not offer any that required a button to use. I've SEEN this cause a lot of consternation to new users, especially under pressure. So we make it VERY CLEAR in that listing that the Lo Sto mount we sell is the FORCE TO OVERCOME version and not the "break away" version requiring the button.
3. Next you need some sort of J arm to attach the PVS14 to the helmet mount. See pic this is the third item (left to right).
The standard military J arm works but is not without issues. Most of the time it is simply fitment issues. Most new factory J arms are VERY tight in mounts and have to be "worked in" by pushing and pulling a couple dozen times to "work" in. When we have them, we give a FREE military J arm with PVS14 orders- note "when we have them" and "FREE". However we are very clear that this isn't the IDEAL solution.
A dovetail J arm is often times the better way to go, and will allow for more flexibility in positioning of the 14 when on the arm and usually a much better lock up in the mount.
Something like the AX-14 PRO arm
Downside to ALL dovetail arms- once you move away from the standard military J arm (bayonet connection) to a dovetail you can EXPECT the "auto shutoff" feature on the PVS14 housing to stop working, yes EXPECT IT. Noisefighters who makes the AX14 PRO is very upfront and tells customers the same, other dovetail adapter manufacturers are not as upfront about that. That being said, the auto shutoff feature is the LEAST LIKED and LEAST RELIABLE feature on ANY PVS14 (it's in the housing). So I would highly advise folks NOT get in the habit of relaying on it and just use the power button to turn the unit off as normal. On the side of the PVS14 housing where the J arm screws in, you will notice two little metal looking discs- put a piece of electrical tape over those discs to shut off the auto shutoff feature.
So here is the pic. Left to right- 1. Helmet with NV shroud on it. 2. Norotos Lo sto helmet mount 3. AX14 PRO articulating arm 4. PVS14.
And after having a rather insane guy call yesterday and argue with me that he didn't need a helmet mount (item #2) after telling me he didn't have any of these components, let me be very clear, you need EACH of these components to helmet mount a 14. There are different options for each components but the basic components of 1. Helmet. 2 Helmet mount 3. J arm 4. PVS14 remain the same and just having a 1 Helmet and 3. J arm WILL NOT WORK. If you don't know, just ask, but screaming at me won't get you a nice answer :)
Hopefully the very clear description and pic will help for those that don't understand.
Been a lot of new folks buying lately and as the saying goes "you don't know what you don't know." I normally hate that phrase but it's very true in this circumstance.
You WANT to helmet mount your NV if at all possible. We have other threads here on the NV and technology forum describing why you DON'T want to weapon mount a PVS14- read them. Bottom line upfront- it's not ideal and recoil can damage your tube over time.
"What about a skull crusher?"
Well, for one, it's nicknamed a "skull crusher" for a reason... Unless you have a smaller head AND have all the adjustments just right, it's going to really suck to wear if it fits you at all. Two you won't be able to flip the NODs up. Three, there is very little adjustments in a skull crusher to compensate for up and do, angle, etc. Four, they totally suck. We literally stopped including skull crushers aka Head mounts in with our PVS14 kits because no one wanted them and the ones that did end up complaining about them.
Helmet mounting is clearly the better way to go and once people get out and actually TRAIN with their equipment, they figure this out. However if your just stockpiling stuff and never USING any of it... well I guess then on Day 1 of the apocalypse you'll figure this out...
On to helmet mounting-
You need several components-
1. A helmet. If you have some old skewl PASGT helmet you've been holding on to since "Gunny Highway" stormed Granada, well to be blunt it's time to modernize. Most of the old skewl helmets like that were NOT set up for night vision. Yes there is an old skewl rachet strap type NV mount for the really old helmets that don't come with holes pre-drilled for shrouds or that already have shrouds on them. The problem with those old strappy mounts was that they were designed as a work around. If they are not adjusted and tensioned just right, the NODs could fall off the helmet. So you end up dropping your $3K investment on the ground because you decided to be cheap and try to stay with an old uncomfortable helmet. Bad move IMO. Also the old strappy helmet mounts are getting really hard to find these days.
On a more modern helmet and we will consider the ACH helmet as the minimum here- it will either have a hole (or holes) pre-drilled in the front of the helmet for a "shroud" or mounting bracket OR they will have the shroud already built into the helmet itself- see pic of Ops Core FAST bump helmet below.
So you need a helmet AND a shroud for the helmet. These OPS CORE helmets HAVE the NV shroud, the rails, better padding and suspension system, etc. so they are "mission configured" and ready to go, keeping you from having to make 47 modifications to try to make it work.
Even though it should be obvious, for clarity the helmet is the FIRST item in the pic going left to right, the "shroud" is the piece front and center.
NOTE FOR PLANNING PURPOSES- top quality helmets from Ops Core/Gentex usually have a 4-6 month lead time. When we have them in stock they sell out fast, try to move fast on in stock units to avoid a long wait time.
2. The Helmet mount itself- this can be any number of models of helmet mounts. Norotos and Wilcox are the two big military contractors. NOTE- mounts are sold with different interfaces, principally these are BAYONET (aka "horn") which is what the standard military PVS14 J arm uses or DOVETAIL which is what most dual tube NV sets and dual bridges use. You can also buy J arms that are DOVETAIL J ARMS like the AX PRO 14 arm.
Usually what happens when people buy Night vision is that they start with a single PVS14. Then usually a while later they either buy a 2nd PVS14 and dual bridge them (requiring a dovetail mount) or they end up buying a dedicated dual tube set. Both of these require a dovetail interface. If people PLAN AHEAD they will buy a mount like the Norotos Lo sto mount that we ship with BOTH the standard bayonet (aka "horn") interface and also the dovetail interface. What this does is allows the user to mount EITHER STYLE of NV interface on ONE mount and keeps them from having to buy multiple mounts and keep track of which one does what and goes with what, etc.
If I was just starting out now in Night vision, I would buy a Norotos Lo sto mount and that would likely be the only mount I would ever need instead of having multiple mounts in my gear like I do now...
Note- we ONLY sell this mount in the "force to overcome" variety. What does that mean? "Force to overcome" literally just means when you want the mount and NODs up you just push them and they go back on the helmet, no small button to find in the middle of the night to release the mount. "Breakaway" models like the G24 require you to push a little button before you push your NODs up and out of the way. Having seen students 11 hours into our NV training classes, cold, tired and hungry struggling to find the little buttons on those types of mounts, or forgetting that had to use the button- we decided we would just not offer any that required a button to use. I've SEEN this cause a lot of consternation to new users, especially under pressure. So we make it VERY CLEAR in that listing that the Lo Sto mount we sell is the FORCE TO OVERCOME version and not the "break away" version requiring the button.
3. Next you need some sort of J arm to attach the PVS14 to the helmet mount. See pic this is the third item (left to right).
The standard military J arm works but is not without issues. Most of the time it is simply fitment issues. Most new factory J arms are VERY tight in mounts and have to be "worked in" by pushing and pulling a couple dozen times to "work" in. When we have them, we give a FREE military J arm with PVS14 orders- note "when we have them" and "FREE". However we are very clear that this isn't the IDEAL solution.
A dovetail J arm is often times the better way to go, and will allow for more flexibility in positioning of the 14 when on the arm and usually a much better lock up in the mount.
Something like the AX-14 PRO arm
Downside to ALL dovetail arms- once you move away from the standard military J arm (bayonet connection) to a dovetail you can EXPECT the "auto shutoff" feature on the PVS14 housing to stop working, yes EXPECT IT. Noisefighters who makes the AX14 PRO is very upfront and tells customers the same, other dovetail adapter manufacturers are not as upfront about that. That being said, the auto shutoff feature is the LEAST LIKED and LEAST RELIABLE feature on ANY PVS14 (it's in the housing). So I would highly advise folks NOT get in the habit of relaying on it and just use the power button to turn the unit off as normal. On the side of the PVS14 housing where the J arm screws in, you will notice two little metal looking discs- put a piece of electrical tape over those discs to shut off the auto shutoff feature.
So here is the pic. Left to right- 1. Helmet with NV shroud on it. 2. Norotos Lo sto helmet mount 3. AX14 PRO articulating arm 4. PVS14.
And after having a rather insane guy call yesterday and argue with me that he didn't need a helmet mount (item #2) after telling me he didn't have any of these components, let me be very clear, you need EACH of these components to helmet mount a 14. There are different options for each components but the basic components of 1. Helmet. 2 Helmet mount 3. J arm 4. PVS14 remain the same and just having a 1 Helmet and 3. J arm WILL NOT WORK. If you don't know, just ask, but screaming at me won't get you a nice answer :)
Hopefully the very clear description and pic will help for those that don't understand.
Attached Files
Comment