Noisefighters Panobridge MK3

Description

Panobridge™ is a first-of-its-kind night vision bridge mount that provides up to 75 degrees field of view with milspec AN/PVS-14s, yet it weighs 25% less than a single milspec J-Arm. Introducing an entirely new way to see more of the dark. The patent pending Noisefighters Panobridge provides a panoramic night vision image by exploiting the brain’s ability to merge split images from two outward-angled monoculars into one cohesive picture. The so-called tube effect that is traditionally experienced with single or dual intensifiers is eliminated. With our innovative AFOV (Adjustable Field of View) mechanism and resulting wide-view image, you can enjoy vastly improved situational awareness and the feeling like you’re not even looking through image intensifying tubes. Whether it’s driving a vehicle and seeing through nearly the entire windshield or clearing a building and not missing an unexpected visitor coming down the stairs in your periphery, the Noisefighters Panobridge will open up new possibilities for efficient and safe work at night, allowing you to focus more on the task at hand and less on panning and scanning for threats or points of interest. Importantly, users can switch back to traditional straight-ahead tube orientation when desired. No specialized training is required and no other equipment is necessary. Simply attach two standard AN/PVS-14 monoculars to this featherweight bridge, snap the complete assembly into an industry-standard dovetail helmet mount, and start seeing everything you were missing before. The Noisefighters Panobridge weighs only 1.5 oz total, making it the lightest bridge mount ever offered. This is approximately 70% less than the KVC® Universal Night Vision Bridge with OSS shoe sets installed, approximately 40% less than the IC® Dual PVS-14 Light Weight Mounting System, and almost 1/2 oz less than a single milspec J-Arm. We have optimized rigidity, strength, and durability while following the Marine Corps adage of, “Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.” With lightweight monoculars attached, like those with Nightline, Inc. NL914C Power Packs installed, it is possible to achieve panoramic night vision with a total weight of 22.5 oz with two CR-123A batteries installed. This is lighter than many binocular goggles that do not include panoramic viewing, including one configuration of the current USSOCOM-issued PVS-31A (approximately 24 oz with remote battery pack), and only 2-3 oz heavier than the popular ActInBlack® DTNVG (approximately 20.5 oz with battery) and even the newer ActInBlack® DTNVS (approximately 19.5 oz with battery). The Noisefighters Panobridge also changes the game by introducing the ability to peer through the gap between laterally-rotated monoculars with an unaided eye to use a handheld thermal imager, or aim pistol sights, or view a scene using ambient light to better gauge distance, texture, color, or lighting. This is similar to the technique provided by using a single PVS-14 on a J-Arm, but it is now available for multi-tube use. In addition, both monoculars attached to the Noisefighters Panobridge may be individually swung upwards, out of the line of sight, without disturbing the adjacent device’s positioning. For extended periods when one eye must view scenes unaided by night vision or instead aided by a thermal vision system, this added articulation feature is crucial. This feature also allows the PVS-14’s to better hug the helmet when the entire assembly is folded back in the stowed position, leading to a more balanced center of gravity and a reduced possibility of impacting door frames or other objects above the head. The choice of a high performance Arkema® polymer produces a nearly indestructible bridge mount. The highly impact-resistant material chosen for the Noisefighters Panobridge should absorb shocks and bounce back into shape instead of fracturing when dropped, bent, or otherwise stressed. For extra peace of mind, we added fasteners made of only high-strength, corrosion-resistant stainless steel and anodized, aerospace grade aluminum. We also offer a super durable Cerakote® ceramic finish as an option for specific color requirements. A no-questions-asked, transferable lifetime warranty is included. The patent pending Noisefighters Panobridge is proudly made and assembled in the U.S.A. and was designed by a Marine Corps combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. Adjustment mechanism details: An intuitive, friction-based adjustment mechanism allows users to laterally rotate (or pan) monoculars outboard to nearly double the horizontal field of view. The monoculars are not tethered together and can rotate independently. The amount of lateral rotation may be perfectly matched to each user’s eyes. Users may also orient the monoculars straight forward if so desired. Hard stops prevent the monoculars from rotating too far outboard or inboard. A similar, friction-based adjustment mechanism allows users to swing individual monoculars upward (helmet mount design permitting) and downward to orient them properly in front of the eyes or out of the line of sight. This same mechanism permits the proper adjustment of interpupillary distance between 55 and 75mm. Both adjustment mechanisms are pretensioned at the factory and should never need to be adjusted, but a simple hex key wrench may be used for adjustment as necessary. Considerations to account for: 1. Due to the nature of night vision optics, all known binocular and quad-tube goggles have a very narrow non-visual central zone directly in front of the device where the user cannot see objects with either eye. The width of this zone is only a couple of inches at its maximum, and the depth of this zone is typically around 6 inches / 0.15 m for goggles with traditional 40 degree field of view lenses and an interpupillary distance of 65 mm. When monoculars are panned outboard on the Panobridge, however, the length of this zone varies due to the geometry involved. With both monoculars fully rotated outboard, the narrow, non-visual central zone extends to approximately 18-26 in / .46-0.66 m long. When a user requires a wide field of view but may suddenly need to use both eyes to focus on close-up tasks, we recommend applying a tube rotation angle approximately just past half way outboard, as this will still permit a 60-70 degree field of view with a less noticeable ~12 in / 0.30 m deep non-visual central zone. It is up to the user to decide how much outboard lateral rotation is optimum for the given situation, and it is easy and fast to adjust lateral rotation if a different angle is required. In our testing, we confirmed that this does not affect the ability to naturally acquire reflex sights and similar aiming devices, as the sights are viewed slightly offset from the center of vision and away from this non-visual zone; however, training may be necessary to become accustomed to this optical phenomenon. 2. When both monoculars are rotated fully outboard, there is a loss in visual resolution in the center of view where the two images overlap due to the nature of night vision optics. During movement, this is basically ignored, as one’s eyes and head are never stationary. When in a static position, however, it can be noticed, and this issue can be compensated for by viewing objects outside of the center of view for maximum sharpness by rotating one’s head slightly, or instead by using less lateral outboard tube rotation and allowing the images to overlap more fully. As mentioned previously, it is possible to either orient both monoculars fully forward or increase the level of image overlap, and this will mitigate this issue at the expense of field of view. It is always up to the user to decide how much outboard lateral rotation and field of view is optimum for the given situation, and it is easy and fast to adjust lateral rotation if a different angle is required. A good balance is to use a rotation angle approximately just past half way outboard, as this will permit a 60-70 degree field of view and lead to an ideal amount of central overlap, which produces high central resolution, natural depth perception, and a panoramic viewing experience. 3. There is a technical consideration called collimation that may need to be accounted for when using two PVS-14 monoculars. In the simplest terms, images from two bridged monoculars may not be perfectly in tune. For most users, this is not an issue that can be easily perceived, as the brain can usually overcome this misalignment. If necessary, hire a technician (from a reputable company such as Nightline, Inc. ) to collimate your paired PVS-14s, or read online about how to perform a DIY collimation (done correctly, there is no need to re-purge the monocular). 4. No auto-shutoff system is integrated. Users must manually turn off the monocular when flipping up and stowing equipment on the top of the helmet. 5. This bridge is NOT COMPATIBLE with bayonet-style night vision helmet mounts . You M UST HAVE a dovetail-type night vision helmet mount . The cheapest yet adequate option for a sturdy dovetail-compatible helmet mount is to purchase a military surplus Norotos® RHNO-II (bayonet) mount and modify it to accept the Norotos PVS-15/31 dovetail adapter. Instructions can be found on YouTube here . Our recommendation for a pre-assembled helmet mount with dovetail adapter is the Wilcox® G24. 6. Let us be clear: while the Panobridge brings panoramic night vision to the masses for the first time, this product does not exactly replicate the view that quad-tube goggles provides. Two milspec PVS-14s connected to the Panobridge provides an adjustable 40 to 75 degree field of view from two image intensifying tubes, while the most popular quad-tube goggle provides a constant 97 degree field of view from four image intensifying tubes. However, that quad-tube goggle has a single-source supplier for any repairs, has difficult-to-obtain spare parts, is quite bulky when assembled and requires special plus-sized containers for on-body storage when not in use, is quite heavy, has no independent gain control, utilizes a single (non-redundant) power system, is wide enough to block most peripheral vision of an unaided eye, and is sold for over $40,000. For context, when our Panobridge is used with lightweight Nightline, Inc.® NL914C monoculars, the end user can save significant weight, the entire goggle is small enough to fit inside a cargo pocket, the run time nearly doubles and there is a redundant power supply, and the total price is just a tiny fraction of the quad-tube goggle. We believe that the vast majority of end users will find the difference in field of view compensated for by the extremely high value proposition that the Panobridge brings to the table. SPECIFICATIONS: COMPATIBLE WITH: MILSPEC AN/PVS-14 MONOCULAR, VYPER-14 MONOCULAR, MOD3 MONOCULAR (AUTOGAIN VERSION ONLY) HELMET MOUNTING COMPATIBILITY: DOVETAIL ESTIMATED MAXIMUM FIELD OF VIEW WITH MILSPEC PVS-14 MONOCULARS FULLY ROTATED OUTBOARD: 75 DEGREES INTERPUPILLARY DISTANCE (IPD) COMPATIBILITY: 55 – 75mm MATERIALS USED: HIGH PERFORMANCE POLYMER FROM ARKEMA®; ANODIZED ALUMINUM; STAINLESS STEEL OPTIONAL FINISH: CERAKOTE® HIGH TEMPERATURE, HIGH HARDNESS, CORROSION RESISTANT CERAMIC COATING TOTAL ASSEMBLED WEIGHT OF THIS PRODUCT: 1.5 OZ DIMENSIONS (COLLAPSED FOR STORAGE): 2.75 x 2.75 x 1.25″ ESTIMATED COMBINED WEIGHT WITH TWO MILSPEC PVS-14’S ATTACHED (L3® UNFILMED 11769 TUBE, NO BATTERIES, NO EYECUP RETAINING RINGS, NO RUBBER EYECUPS, NO DEMIST SHIELDS INSTALLED): 23.3 OZ ESTIMATED COMBINED WEIGHT WITH TWO LIGHTWEIGHT NIGHTLINE NL914C MONOCULARS (L3® UNFILMED 11769 TUBE, NO BATTERIES, NO EYECUP RETAINING RINGS, NO RUBBER EYECUPS, NO DEMIST SHIELDS INSTALLED): 21.5 OZ WARRANTY: LIFETIME, TRANSFERABLE PATENT PENDING MADE AND ASSEMBLED IN THE U.S.A. BY A DISABLED U.S.M.C. COMBAT VETERAN OWNED COMPANY ONLY FOR SALE TO U.S. PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES. YOU MAY NOT EXPORT THIS ITEM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.