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We get this question from time to time. Someone called with it again Saturday while I was doing work for our other business and not exactly where I could talk (hanging 30 feet in air).
Figured I would make a post about it.
Autogated night vision tubes- which encompasses basically all MODERN night vision 3rd gen and Photonis tubes are autogated. Really, there would be zero reasons to buy a tube that is not autogated in this day.
Remember the terms- AutoGATING is different from autoGAIN- see the post about terms to know when shopping for NV.
Modern autoGATED tubes can and usually do have a slight hum when in use. It can and usually does get louder in HIGH LIGHT conditions.
Just like tubes specifications, blemishes, etc. ALL NIGHT VISION TUBES ARE DIFFERENT, EACH AND EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE NEXT. In the same token with autogating- some have more of an audible hum than others. THIS IS NORMAL.
If your playing with your NODs inside your house (high light environment) your more apt to hear it versus out in the woods (lower light environment).
The hum from the autogating is normal. Sometimes a tube will be loud, sometimes you won't even hear it. I've had calls that ranged from "I have very sensitive hearing and I can hear this" to someone freaking out because they DIDN'T hear a hum and thought the tube wasn't autogated- which is of course is stupid because the data sheet clearly shows this under "Gated" with a yes by it. But some people tend to call and freak out before they are bothered with reading what came with their unit....
Does this have anything to do with a particular tube style or manufacturer? NO. The hum can be experienced with any of the tube manufacturers tubes- Elbit, L3, Photonis- I've seen quiet tubes and tubes you could hear the hum with in ALL of the manufacturers, none is "better" than the other in this regard.
"I bought three units from you and two don't make a sound but one does." Again, perfectly normal. Tubes are not identical as we point out quite regularly and you could buy 2 tubes of the same grade, same manufacturer, etc. and specifications, blemishes, and yes even the hum of the autogating could be completely different in all three. That's the reality of an analog product.
Figured I would make a post about it.
Autogated night vision tubes- which encompasses basically all MODERN night vision 3rd gen and Photonis tubes are autogated. Really, there would be zero reasons to buy a tube that is not autogated in this day.
Remember the terms- AutoGATING is different from autoGAIN- see the post about terms to know when shopping for NV.
Modern autoGATED tubes can and usually do have a slight hum when in use. It can and usually does get louder in HIGH LIGHT conditions.
Just like tubes specifications, blemishes, etc. ALL NIGHT VISION TUBES ARE DIFFERENT, EACH AND EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE NEXT. In the same token with autogating- some have more of an audible hum than others. THIS IS NORMAL.
If your playing with your NODs inside your house (high light environment) your more apt to hear it versus out in the woods (lower light environment).
The hum from the autogating is normal. Sometimes a tube will be loud, sometimes you won't even hear it. I've had calls that ranged from "I have very sensitive hearing and I can hear this" to someone freaking out because they DIDN'T hear a hum and thought the tube wasn't autogated- which is of course is stupid because the data sheet clearly shows this under "Gated" with a yes by it. But some people tend to call and freak out before they are bothered with reading what came with their unit....
Does this have anything to do with a particular tube style or manufacturer? NO. The hum can be experienced with any of the tube manufacturers tubes- Elbit, L3, Photonis- I've seen quiet tubes and tubes you could hear the hum with in ALL of the manufacturers, none is "better" than the other in this regard.
"I bought three units from you and two don't make a sound but one does." Again, perfectly normal. Tubes are not identical as we point out quite regularly and you could buy 2 tubes of the same grade, same manufacturer, etc. and specifications, blemishes, and yes even the hum of the autogating could be completely different in all three. That's the reality of an analog product.