Night Vision Devices:
See what you’re missing

Bertram–Hatteras Shootout Puts Hatteras back on Top

When the topic of night vision equipment crops up at the marina bar, most folks invariably think of spies, covert military operations or movies where a character straps on a pair of night-vision goggles on a moonless night to find someone or something in a pitch-black cave or creepy house.

As night vision technology becomes more affordable, cruisers are also discovering the benefits of having a night vision device (NVD) aboard, for both planned and unexpected nocturnal perengrinations (navigating a narrow channel, anchoring in an unfamiliar harbor, etc.). Here’s a look at how they work and what to look for when buying one.

NVDs are electronically enhanced optical devices that allow you to see in near-total darkness. They can be divided into two types–image enhancement (amplification of available light to the point an image can be easily seen) and thermal imaging, which captures the upper potion of the infrared light spectrum emitted as heat by objects (warm bodies, engines, etc.). Image enhancement systems are what most people think of when talking NVDs, so that’s the focus of this article. ...

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