Night Vision M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

[Controlled Chaos Arms]

had a guy bring a box of these up to me the other day at the shop and he wants to sell them. he's not sure what he has, nor am i.

every one of them does work in that, their is a red dot and when you depress the pressure switch it turns off. i'm assuming the dot goes IR or whatever and the beam from the front operates. i have no way i'm aware of to verify this however...

can you guys advise on what this stuff is and how much it is worth?

 

[Silent]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

Sight Homepage I dont know much about them but I tracked that down for you hopefully it helps.

 

[xray9]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

Here's one in the Seattle area, $900

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/spo/2287149392.html

 

[christian77]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

I've had a couple of these units and value them at about 1000 bucks in great condition. The one you have pictured looks as if it's seen more than a few miles and I wouldn't value more than 800 on a good day (actually a great day).

I would pass on the lot...their are much better lasers available, several PEQ2s at great prices somewhat recently.

 

[IR-V]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

It is a "MARS" (Multi-Purpose Aiming Reflex Sight) reflex sight + aiming laser device. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) use them on their Tavor bullpup rifles, and the U.S. Army has procured them in the past for use with M16 rifles. The red dot is co-aligned with the aiming laser (which emits from an aperture on the front face of the unit). As with the EOTECH holographic sights, the MARS red dot is visible only to the operator.

The accessory package typically includes a remote switch.

The acronym MARS is now generic nomenclature for devices of similar function. ITL is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Fraser-Volpe now has license to manufacture the MARS in the U.S.

The LDI EOLAD and Insight ISM-IR are more current, improved variants of the MARS theme. IR laser illumination capability in addition to the IR laser aiming capability are among the improvements.

A brand new Fraser-Volpe MARS runs about $1,000 - $1,200. In heavily used condition with the extensive wear to the lens and finish (on the aluminum alloy body), as in your photos, the units would be worth about $150 each if in good working order. You should verify the laser function as there are MARS units that use a visible laser in place of an IR laser.

If you do not have a night vision gear to confirm proper functioning of the IR laser, take the devices in a dark room and use a cell-phone camera (such as on a Blackberry or iPhone) to view the laser aperture, when the laser is turned on. Of course, view from a safe (side) angle and not directly head on to the laser; or take a camera snapshot. Cell-phone cameras usually have inferior IR filtering and can pick up flashes from IR light in the near infrared range.

IR-V

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: septic-tank13</div><div class="ubbcode-body">had a guy bring a box of these up to me the other day at the shop and he wants to sell them. he's not sure what he has, nor am i.

every one of them does work in that, their is a red dot and when you depress the pressure switch it turns off. i'm assuming the dot goes IR or whatever and the beam from the front operates. i have no way i'm aware of to verify this however...

can you guys advise on what this stuff is and how much it is worth?</div></div>

 

[Controlled Chaos Arms]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

thanks guys. too cool...

i'll probably have to verify the working order of these units and go from there. even if the IR doesn't work, can i assume they are reliable to serve the same purposes my EoTech and Aimpoint do?

 

[IR-V]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

No need to assume that the IR doesn't work, just let an actual test prove it for you. With a dark room and the cell-phone camera trick I shared with you in my previous message, you'll be able to confirm, in a couple minutes, whether the IR laser is producing output or not.

On the red dot, if you can see the projection and the elevation + windage adjustments work, yes the red-dot on your MARS devices will work as they do on your Aimpoint or Eotech. The MARS device uses a holographic projection, so it is much more close to the Eotech in how it operates and performs - and as you already know the Eotech can still provide aiming with even a severely damaged or scratched viewing window.

The red dot projection on the MARS is not from an LED, it is from a laser diode. You can generally expect about 20,000 hours lifetime from a laser diode. So, one thing to consider is how much use these devices have sustained, and how much life is left in the laser(s).

Since you have a box full of them, it would be interesting to take the more worn and beaten-up ones and experiment with refinishing the housing - made of aluminum alloy, various spray-on resin or ceramic coatings should work quite well. Cold cure resin would probably be preferable to the heat cure ceramics as heating over 300 degrees will not be good for the electronics. The rail mounts will look like new to simply be disassembled and parkerized. The scratches on the lenses are what they are.

IR-V

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: septic-tank13</div><div class="ubbcode-body">thanks guys. too cool...

i'll probably have to verify the working order of these units and go from there. even if the IR doesn't work, can i assume they are reliable to serve the same purposes my EoTech and Aimpoint do? </div></div>

 

[Controlled Chaos Arms]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

that was the kind of information i was hoping to get. many thanks guys. i'll do some testing...

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

Re: M.A.R.S.??? - i need some help

Based on the part number on the label, you have the IR laser version and not a non-working red laser model.