MGA (Manual Gain Articulating Night Vision Goggle)

Video | What’s Included | Specs | Pictures | FAQ | Restrictions

The MGA (Manual Gain Articulating) Night Vision Goggle is a manual-gain version of the AB Night Vision RNVG-A. Made from the same 7075-T6 aluminum, it offers exceptional durability while staying lightweight and providing a compact, easily stowable footprint.

Like the RNVG-A, the MGA offers individual pod shutoff, adjustable pod tension, and an onboard IR illuminator. The MGA provides more battery life with the manual gain feature, which allows it to last up to 30 hours on a single CR123. As with all of our night vision, these units will come ready to go out of the box with batteries and a 10-year warranty from Nocturnality.

But the big question is: Why aren’t we offering hand-selected tubes? Put simply, we provide tubes that meet our performance standard, and working with Nocturnality means we are getting hand-selected tubes in the first place. Picture a graph with tube specs along the bottom and performance along the side—the line will increase dramatically at first, but then it will level out with a marginal increase. 

All the tubes we are selling are either L3Harris Filmless or Elbit Thin-Filmed White Phosphor. Elbit offerings will be their Mil-Spec grade tubes, YH, VH, or PH. These tubes have a 1600 FOM minimum and an SNR of 25 or higher. Our L3 offerings will be a mixture of 18UM, 20UM, and 22UM tubes, but they will all be held to the 20UM standard (i.e. a minimum FOM of 1792).

In our experience, going beyond these tubes, you are at the point of diminishing returns where the line starts to level out. There is next to no discernible difference in any of the tubes we are offering when it comes to what you are able to accomplish with them. We know this is an investment, but our goal, past, present, and future, is to curate products that take the guesswork away from the customer. If you still want to hand-select based on individual technical specifications, then we are not the solution for you. You’ll want a custom solution instead, and it just so happens we know a guy.

OVERVIEW VIDEO

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WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 1x AB Night Vision MGA (Manual Gain Articulating Night Vision Goggle)
• 1x CR123 Battery
• 1x Alpen Design Works Padded Dual Tube Night Vision Pouch
• 1x Spec Sheet(s)
• 2x Daylight Caps
• 2x Lanyard Rings
• 2x Articulation Tension Tools

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TUBE SPECS

BATCH SPECIFICATIONS

We aren’t offering hand-picked tubes. All of our Elbit offerings meet or exceed OMNI VIII Mil-Spec minimums, and our L3 offerings meet or exceed the L3Harris 20UM standards.

To better represent these units, we will be listing batch specifications. These will be updated with each new batch we receive. You will receive the original Elbit Systems or L3Harris spec sheets with your order.

ELBIT SYSTEMS

L3HARRIS

Image intensifier tubes can have visible imperfections, either from the manufacturing process or, in the case of used tubes, blemishes caused by damage. Tubes are graded based on the severity of these imperfections and in which zone of the optical field they are visible. Tubes sold by T.REX will not have imperfections in Zone One.

TERMINOLOGY

FOM (Figure of Merit)

Figure of Merit, most often referred to as FOM, is the result of multiplying a tube’s center resolution (RES) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For example, OMNI VIII Mil-Spec contract specifications require a RES minimum of 64 lp/mm and an SNR minimum of 25, resulting in a 1600 FOM minimum. FOM is often used as a benchmark number for tube performance, and while it is important, it doesn’t tell the entire story, so all specs should be considered.

RES (Center Resolution)

Resolution is the tube’s ability to resolve an image. This is measured in line pairs per millimeter and is measured with a bar chart on standard night vision test sets. For this specification, higher is better, and as mentioned previously, this number is multiplied by SNR to achieve a FOM rating.

SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio)

Understanding the signal-to-noise ratio is easier when we better understand what signal and noise are separately. Signal is the true light being picked up by the photocathode within the tube; this is the image you see when the tube intensifies light. Noise is the “scintillation” or electronic noise found in a tube. This is a faint, random, sparkling effect throughout the image area. It may be obvious at this point, but SNR is the ratio between these two figures. The higher the SNR, the more signal there is compared to noise within the tube, making a higher number better.

EBI (Equivalent Background Illumination)

EBI is the amount of light that the tube puts off when the objective lens is completely covered and there is no light entering the tube to be amplified by the photocathode. For an image to be visible through the tube, the light hitting the photocathode must overpower the tube’s natural background illumination or the image will be washed out, which means EBI determines the lowest light levels that an image is able to be seen through the tube. For this spec, lower is better.

HALO

Halo is the ring of light that forms around concentrated light sources when using night vision. Halo is prevalent with streetlights, headlights, or other concentrated light sources. The lower the number, the less prevalent this effect will be, so for this specification, lower is ideal.

UNIT SPECS

FEATURES

• Rotary switch controls power and manual gain adjustment.
• IR illuminator activated by a push-button switch.
• Indicators in the viewing area alert the user to IR activation and low battery status.
• Powered by an onboard CR123 battery with over 30 hours of battery life, or an external battery pack via a 4-pin LEMO-style connector.
• Articulating design allows interpupillary distance adjustment from 47mm to over 80mm.
• Each optical pod can be rotated to allow natural vision from one or both eyes.
• In the stowed helmet-mounted position, optical pods fold flat against the helmet to reduce neck strain and impact risk.
• Optical pods automatically power off when rotated upward or stowed.
• Articulation resistance is user-adjustable using the provided Pivot Spanner Tools or a coin.
• Components are media blasted for a non-reflective matte finish and anodized black for durability.
• FDE units receive a Cerakote coating over anodizing for added toughness and aesthetics.
• IR signaling capability with safety feature for IR illuminator activation
• 10-year device warranty through Nocturnality

Assembled by Nocturnality.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

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PICTURES

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FAQ

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RESTRICTIONS

This product is restricted by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and cannot be shipped outside of the USA.

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