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Posted: 2/13/2013 11:31:27 AM EDT
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Forgive me if this is NOT the place to ask, and then please direct me.
I would like to find replacement tubes for my old and noisy PVS-5. Who amongst this crowd knows where I can find these? I can install them myself. Finding the things is the hard part. |
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Quoted: Forgive me if this is NOT the place to ask, and then please direct me. I would like to find replacement tubes for my old and noisy PVS-5. Who amongst this crowd knows where I can find these? I can install them myself. Finding the things is the hard part. Yep, I'd agree with that. Ed Wilcox made a MX10160 adapter IIRC, so that's an option. Otherwise, they don't really make them anymore that I am aware of - You might find some older stock, but I expect it will be cheaper almost to just buy Gen3 at this point, unless you're deliberately restoring them to original condition as a collector? You might even try contact L3 or ITT directly if that's the case - it's always possible they might have something and help if you're a collector. Regards David
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That is what I was afraid of.
Thanks for the info on the Wilcox adaptation. I will keep that in mind, although considering the tiny objective lenses and other drawbacks of the PVS-5 as compared to later units, it makes little sense to me to put the money into that device rather than get gen 3 binoculars. |
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Quoted:
That is what I was afraid of. Thanks for the info on the Wilcox adaptation. I will keep that in mind, although considering the tiny objective lenses and other drawbacks of the PVS-5 as compared to later units, it makes little sense to me to put the money into that device rather than get gen 3 binoculars. The Wilcox Gen3 upgrade used modified PVS-5C objectives so you'd need those too. Ed used to have spare MX9916's, and you might hit up stano as well. If you get new gen2+ tubes I'd get the PVS-5C lenses as well. Performance is comparable to the early omni gen3s. Honestly if you go with gen3 mx10160 tubes, a AVS-6 housing/lenses might be worth the few extra bucks. |
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Quoted:
Thanks, Harlikwin. I will contact both outfits. Stano hasn't crossed my mind in many years. I believe I bought a PAS-5 IR Viewer from Stano way back when for a particular detection-only project. The suggestions are good ones. Its been a long while since I've bought anything PVS-5 related, but back in the day those were the places to try. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks, Harlikwin. I will contact both outfits. Stano hasn't crossed my mind in many years. I believe I bought a PAS-5 IR Viewer from Stano way back when for a particular detection-only project. The suggestions are good ones. Its been a long while since I've bought anything PVS-5 related, but back in the day those were the places to try. Harlikwin has given you great sources to look for tubes. These are the same sources I would have given you. These tubes are getting harder to find in good shape. I see them but not often. IMHO some of the prices are not justified. You can go gen 3 for the same money. As a collector I love the old stuff. I really don't care if it works because I know in time I will find the parts to fix it. Still, it is just for my own satisfaction. I am never going to take a PVS-5 out on a trip when I have Gen 3. I love the old stuff but be realistic when making repairs. I will only pay what it is worth. Some don't like what I will pay. 
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I bet you're exactly right Dino1130, my best hope will be stumbling across a guy with a couple tubes stashed from his Army days.
The PVS-5 always served me well. We had a pallet of them given to us at work after helping the Marines with a fallen comrade, and the local NG guys gave a couple of us a class in repair and purging the units. I still have the purge adapter and a vacuum pump but no longer have N2. Once, I was walking alone near the edge of a bluff when one of my PVS-5 tubes failed. It went black so fast that I spun my head to see who had put a hand over my eye or stepped in front of it. I was still alone, thank Heaven. I had a tube left to finish my job. That redundancy, and depth perception, and the wider FOV is why the binoculars are worth it in my opinion. I will look for gen3 and move into the LATE 20th century. |
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