• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Night Vision Opinions on the Wilcox SkeetIR Bridge Setup for PVS14/Thermal or Dual PVS14s?

I do run the wilcox wired setup. Don't really use the buttons though. Live in somewhat rural area so no need to kill them quick. Sometimes when I'm walking out of the woods into a lit area I turn the switches on the units off and then hit the buttons just to be sure, mainly because they are there.

Different brand arms also impact how close or far the ocular sits from the face. I have never owned anything else and have no complaints about mine, but for weight/counterbalance I have wondered how much it would impact the feel of the helmet on the head if I had different ones. Ex: J arm that has ocular a bit farther away allows the G22 (in my case) to be run a bit closer in to the helmet reducing leverage. Just been too lazy/poor to try it out.

The Mod Armory arms have the dovetails more centered on the device. I don't know if they will snap into the wilcox sockets though. If the spring loaded tab that locks them in is in the front they should work. If its in the rear like a knights Jamr and I'm assuming the bridge it might not work.
 
basically. Even worse than a box and a circle, you have a canted box and a circle.

I see what you're saying now. I've never paid attention to that because I've only run dual 14s. What thermal did you run and how bad was the cant?
 
Last edited:
basically. Even worse than a box and a circle, you have a canted box and a circle.
Ah. Yeah. I could see how that would be annoying :S. Thinking about it, there is no way around it given how the D14 requires moving the arms apart to get ipd right so each person will have it be a different amount of canted. Genuinely not sure how annoying it would be but I'm sure it depends on the person too
 
I really didn't like the IC bridge when I tried it. I don't like thermal and NV together anyway, but at least the KAC bridge makes sure the thermal screen is tits on square. With the IC you can get it all cattywampus.
This was my experience as well.
 
So having had my nox 18 out I can offer a better opinion. I don't think the bridge is really the deciding factor. If ghetto fusion works for you the box being a little canted doesn't matter. If you struggle with it I think that and a lot of other things will annoy the shit out of you. I guess I got lucky. For me it acts like a coti but with a high definition square in the middle instead of the circle. I need to play with the brightness on the nox. Under canopy my 14 gets dimmer and the box dominates your view. With ir light on its almost seamless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WhereNow&How
I don't like thermal and NV together anyway,
It is definitely an "acquired taste". I can and do do it, buuuuut,

I prefer the COTI on a set of bridged 14's.

It will let me know something alive is out there and then I can throw better Thermal or NV + Magnifier + Supplemental IR if I want to count whiskers or freckles.
 
It is definitely an "acquired taste". I can and do do it, buuuuut,

I prefer the COTI on a set of bridged 14's.

It will let me know something alive is out there and then I can throw better Thermal or NV + Magnifier + Supplemental IR if I want to count whiskers or freckles.

I've been underwhelmed by my Coti especially now compared to the NOX. Are you the one that posted a guide to the menu and what the different setups do? I can't seem to find it now. I've played with them a little but haven't had the time to really dig into it. During early night there's way too much clutter. I live in a heavily wooded area and the coti has trouble with tree's giving off heat in the first few hours darkness. The nox is able to look through the trees easily in the same conditions.
 
I've been underwhelmed by my Coti especially now compared to the NOX. Are you the one that posted a guide to the menu and what the different setups do? I can't seem to find it now. I've played with them a little but haven't had the time to really dig into it. During early night there's way too much clutter. I live in a heavily wooded area and the coti has trouble with tree's giving off heat in the first few hours darkness. The nox is able to look through the trees easily in the same conditions.
Yes that was me. Was trying to help you out. Will resend.

The NOX and COTI are two completely different critters with 2 completely different roles.

Check your mail.
 
Thanks thats the one. I suck at the message thing. I definitely want to try to sort it before I decide to sell. Got it for the wife but she much prefers a 14 on her head and the nox as a handheld. That leaves me with a 14 and the coti. I'm not sure where to go from there. If I get a second nox for a head mount it kinda makes the coti redundant but being discontinued I'm hesitant to get rid of it. Keep an eye out for the my wife stole my nox thread.
 
Well, you might want to think about a Breach. It is a much better thermal than the COTI and has warranty and support. I have 3 Breach setups. The Breach's match up very well with PVS 14's with the Mod Armory Bridges. While they are not as good as the NOX, the Breach is probably the best cost/benefit/performer out there in the Helmet Mountable Thermals IMHO.




1618788553783.png
 

Attachments

  • 1618788547612.png
    1618788547612.png
    4.5 MB · Views: 42
Why was the coti discontinued?
Same reason as the 1969 Fastback Mustang.

So they could sell em a new "improved model" like a 1979 Ford Mustang. :LOL:

On a serious note, I guess so they could "sex up" the new model with 640 and all that electronic tracking Gismo.
 
Same reason as the 1969 Fastback Mustang.

So they could sell em a new "improved model" like a 1979 Ford Mustang. :LOL:

On a serious note, I guess so they could "sex up" the new model with 640 and all that electronic tracking Gismo.
Figures haha. Is the successor a worthy alternative to a Breach in a bridge config?
 
The coti clips on to a pvs14. It can be run on a single tube or with dual 14s or on some models of binos.
Right. That part i know, but wasn't sure it identification and the utility it provides would be better than a Breach. The new Cotis seem to cost a ton unless I'm looking at the wrong thing.
 
Last edited:
Figures haha. Is the successor a worthy alternative to a Breach in a bridge config?
Different critters for different roles.

A COTI or ECOTI should be set to White Outline and adjusted to not light up until it detects a live critter or at least (95% or more of the time a live Critter)

Expecting any COTI or ECOTI to compete in the same role as a regular Thermal that is not designed to project thermal through a NV device is basically akin to comparing a F250 truck to a Lincoln Continental IMHO.

Different critters. But you can always be packing both and have the best of all worlds. :)
 
Figures haha. Is the successor a worthy alternative to a Breach in a bridge vonfog?

Right. That part i know, but wasn't sure it identification and the utility it provides would be better than a Breach. The new Cotis seem to cost a ton unless I'm looking at the wrong thing.
The real utility of a COTI or ECOTI is really on the two way range. That was what it was designed for.

You can somewhat "double duty" it for hunting hogs, coons, yotes etc, but it does not excel at that. There are many better options.

Yeah, the ECOTI is an expensive SUCKA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: commandernavi
Yeah its not really a replacement for a dedicated thermal. It really shines on a single pvs14 or light weight binos giving that thermal/nv combi without the weight penalty. Mines been a bit finicky but wherenowhow sent me instructions on how to tune it. If I can get it to work as he describes I'll probably go with a pvs14 with the coti and a nox 18/35 as a handheld/weapon mount/sometimes head mount. My wife really likes the nox as a handheld.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: WhereNow&How
The real utility of a COTI or ECOTI is really on the two way range. That was what it was designed for.

You can somewhat "double duty" it for hunting hogs, coons, yotes etc, but it does not excel at that. There are many better options.

Yeah, the ECOTI is an expensive SUCKA.
Out of curiosity how is a coti/ecoti better than a bridged Breach/Nox for mil applications? Not disagreeing. Legit just genuinely curious.
 
You cannot move as fast (when you need to) with a bridged HMT and PVS 14 as you can with a set of dual NV with COTI attached.

COTI is for when you are on the move. Breach/NOX is MO BETTA in static/stopped mode.

You want a NV scenery that only lights up with a thermal image when its a live critter or your scenery is (too busy with false positives)

In Outline Mode it is easy to lay your laser point in the Outline. You cannot do that with a dedicated normal thermal.

Those are the basic reasons COTI excels in a 2 way environment over dedicated thermals.
 
  • Like
Reactions: commandernavi
You cannot move as fast (when you need to) with a bridged HMT and PVS 14 as you can with a set of dual NV with COTI attached.

COTI is for when you are on the move. Breach/NOX is MO BETTA in static/stopped mode.

You want a NV scenery that only lights up with a thermal image when its a live critter or your scenery is (too busy with false positives)

In Outline Mode it is easy to lay your laser point in the Outline. You cannot do that with a dedicated normal thermal.

Those are the basic reasons COTI excels in a 2 way environment over dedicated thermals.
Thank you. That makes a lot of sense
 
  • Like
Reactions: WhereNow&How
Joe is already trained on a pvs14 and has been issued one. Clip a coti onto Joe's 14 and now he has thermal (don't let joe do this because the mount is fragile and he will break it). Hopefully also take the time to program properly( again don't let joe do this cause he will find a setting that put purple outlines around people's privates)
 
Back to a question about the Wilcox bridge. The pvs shoes have a wire running through them to turn off the pvs. From my understanding that was supposed to fit on top of the button on G24 and similar mounts. However, when you have two PVS14s and dual shoes as a result, there is no place to put the second one except on those little risers that come out of the shoes. Are those off switches even useful there?
 
Well most all of the "auto shut off" systems seem to be plagued with problems/malfunctions with the exception of the the Night Vision Devices BNVD iterations and L3 PVS 31's.

All that being said, I disable any "auto shut off" features on a PVS 14 and much more prefer to manually do it myself.

Ain't nothing worse than a tube shutting down when it's not supposed to (while I'm hanging inverted from a limb trying to shoot a mad sow) or folding your NODS back on your helmet and they did not shut off (and the big flashlight in the sky) oversaturate's your Micro Channel plate and or leaves some permanent burn marks in it.

Hecque, Wilcox's J Arm with the Auto Switch does not even work properly and will intermittently shut a PVS 14 down for no reason.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lowdown3
Well most all of the "auto shut off" systems seem to be plagued with problems/malfunctions with the exception of the the Night Vision Devices BNVD iterations and L3 PVS 31's.

All that being said, I disable any "auto shut off" features on a PVS 14 and much more prefer to manually do it myself.

Ain't nothing worse than a tube shutting down when it's not supposed to (while I'm hanging inverted from a limb trying to shoot a mad sow) or folding your NODS back on your helmet and they did not shut off (and the big flashlight in the sky) oversaturate's your Micro Channel plate and or leaves some permanent burn marks in it.

Hecque, Wilcox's J Arm with the Auto Switch does not even work properly and will intermittently shut a PVS 14 down for no reason.
Lol. Thanks. Okay. You've convinced me it's a useless feature. Seems weird Wilcox would bother to even integrate it if most just choose to leave it off. Why was it a mil requirement for the original Pvs14s and J Arms?

How do you disable it btw? Stickers over the pvs14 contact pads?
 
Lol. Thanks. Okay. You've convinced me it's a useless feature. Seems weird Wilcox would bother to even integrate it if most just choose to leave it off. Why was it a mil requirement for the original Pvs14s and J Arms?

How do you disable it btw? Stickers over the pvs14 contact pads?
Government requirements can be strange things. Millions coming across the border but no required closed fence. Yet leadership lives behind protected closed fence. Just one of many examples.

You are correct. Disable by electrical taping over the contacts.
 
Gotcha. Tape it is. Haha kinda detracts a bit from the Wilcox shoes tbh. Seems the buttons would just get In the way or be a liability now
 
I'm not super familiar with the wilcox stuff but there was a thread not too long ago that showed the arms push the devices back further than most brands. This could be an issue if you plan to run a device like the nox that has its own dovetail. Guy posted a pick and the nox was way forward of his 14. Don't know how this would affect a breach or iray. I'd assume wilcox has a breach arm but don't know for sure. The Mod and knights stuff is more centered on the device.
 
I'm not super familiar with the wilcox stuff but there was a thread not too long ago that showed the arms push the devices back further than most brands. This could be an issue if you plan to run a device like the nox that has its own dovetail. Guy posted a pick and the nox was way forward of his 14. Don't know how this would affect a breach or iray. I'd assume wilcox has a breach arm but don't know for sure. The Mod and knights stuff is more centered on the device.
That sounds genuinely annoying if there is no way around that :/ The Wilcox Arms do look a little long
 
I'd at least look into it before buying. Like I said I'm not familiar with wilcox gear and they have a lot of it so what that guy had isn't necessarily what you're looking at getting. If you're not going to run something like the nox that has its own dovetail then it shouldn't be an issue.

By not centered i mean front to back not side to side. Tnvc has lots of pics on there site. Compare where the dovetail sits and not where it screws in. Its towards the rear on the wilcox and centered over the mounting boss on the Mod/Knights/nox.
 
  • Like
Reactions: commandernavi
I'd at least look into it before buying. Like I said I'm not familiar with wilcox gear and they have a lot of it so what that guy had isn't necessarily what you're looking at getting. If you're not going to run something like the nox that has its own dovetail then it shouldn't be an issue.

By not centered i mean front to back not side to side. Tnvc has lots of pics on there site. Compare where the dovetail sits and not where it screws in. Its towards the rear on the wilcox and centered over the mounting boss on the Mod/Knights/nox.
Right on. Thanks!
 
Yes that was me. Was trying to help you out. Will resend.

The NOX and COTI are two completely different critters with 2 completely different roles.

Check your mail.

Got a chance to try this out last night and it makes a huge difference. I'm really liking the the coti/14 on my head nox on a neck lanyard/rifle combo. Covers all the bases without that tank turret head feel.

Do you mind if I post those instructions for public consumption?
 
  • Like
Reactions: stefan73
Got a chance to try this out last night and it makes a huge difference. I'm really liking the the coti/14 on my head nox on a neck lanyard/rifle combo. Covers all the bases without that tank turret head feel.

Do you mind if I post those instructions for public consumption?
I don't mind. This thread has lots of great info I wasn't aware of and would love to learn!