NVG compatible

I'm looking to build a laser pointer that I can use at night while wearing NVGs. I need one to point out objects, specifically landing zones to the pilot, everyone is on NVGs. Naturally I'm thinking of an IR laser, I mean it makes the most immediate sense, everyone is on NVGs and that way only we are seeing the laser. I'm worried about the laser blooming on my goggles, and I have no idea what wavelength would be best or how much power I need. I'd like the beam to be visible for a minimum of 500 m.

So, that being said, I'm wondering if a red laser would work as they seem to be easier to come by. I have no idea what a red laser would look like under NVGs compared to an IR one, would it be as bright?

Jesse5730 said:

...specifically landing zones to the pilot

Click to expand...

Pilot of what?

Pilot of a military helicopter.

Better not point it at the helicopter. How is the pilot only using IR goggles. That seems crazy to me. I wouldn't use IR. Most IR lasers available have terrible divergence from my experience. Use a 300mw 532nm.

No, no pointing at the pilot, I'm also in the helicopter. By the way we treat all lasers like a gun, very safe. I have access to a very powerful laser mounted on a gun, when we carry them, but we don't always. We do search and rescue, sometimes I need to direct the pilot where to look, where to land, and a laser is the fastest and easiest way to do that, instant situational awareness. Again not pointing the laser at anyone. Thanks for your advice on the power and wavelength.

10k lumen spotlight would probably work better.

I smell BS. Why would a military pilot (with access to bleeding edge technology) need something as primitive as a pointer to find a landing point?

Replace the word stars with trolls; that's LPF lately.



It's the I'm a newbie with questions troll.

"Bleeding edge technology", Your an idiot. Life isn't like all the movies you've seen.

When pilots wear NVG's, they can see where they are landing, don't need a laser to point at the spot. The military already has IR marking lasers, why do you want one, I don't think they would let you use one of your own like that for air operations. Please tell us more so we can understand. I was heavily challenged when I first joined the forum with IR questions myself, but we have had a guy coming in here off and on under various member names asking questions about IR laser pointers, but all of his questions tend to appear insincere.

Everytime I see a new member with a name + 4 numbers I immediately think troll. Or for all we know this guy is a radical, looking for military type equipment for some less than reputable activities. If not, I apologize. But IR would probably be the best wavelength for NVG. 532 green may be too bright, plus anyone not wearing NVG would be able to see it as well. And if covert ops is your thing, a bright green beam would probably not be in your best interest, nor blue or yellow. Red at lower outputs is not very visible beam wise, like under 50mw. Unless in pitch blackness. I have 250mw red laser, and the beam is fairly visible in pitch black, but my 80mw 532 green is 2-3 times as bright. So if you cant find a low power IR, go for red. Just my 2cents

I am guessing red would be picked up as well as this green:

Awesome, thanks for the info. Not a radical, I do combat search and rescue for the military. Yes I have an insanely high powered IR laser attached to my helicopter mounted gun, but don't always have it and would much rather use a lower powered laser attached to my vest, especially in a real scenario with people on the ground. Again, using the laser to just point, not to call down an air strike! I guess it may seem weird to some that I want a laser to point out a survivor or landing zone but trust me, even with all of us on NVGs on a dark night it's harder to see than you might think, especially if it's in the middle of nowhere and I need to find a place to land without hitting any trees, bushes, and the like. If I see the LZ instead of talking the pilot around it is really much easier to mark it with a laser, especially if there is more than one helicopter. A laser is also useful to mark gun targets on the range as an instructor while we're flying past them. I just didn't really know how a red would look vs the IR that I have seen, or what power I can get by with, or what wavelength would work the best with NVGs.

Thanks again for the info, it gives me a place to start.

You tube shows lots of videos with IR and NVG's, IR works fine from 800-905nm, not sure about much higher. 808nm probably would show up brighter on the NVG than 905nm. Not sure if 1064nm could be picked up very well with them, as that wavelength is getting a bit long. I'd research the type of light amplification tube you are using and see how well it responds to different wavelengths, then make a decision.

980nm shows up fine in some infrared toy nvg I have from Jakks pacific.