FLIR OTM

[MadMadHoosier]

So I have a FLIR Scout III 640 ($2300), and an older FLIR Scout (not with me, so not sure of the model number), and have been happy to have them for coyote hunting and finding down deer. Much easier to use the handheld to watch for coyote to arrive, than continually swinging a gun with a thermal or night vision scope around. Once spotted the ATN Thor 4 gives a great image for the shot.

But it might be worth comparing the Burris BTH 50 3.3-13.2x Thermal Handheld. My business partner bought one and we were comparing them to the FLIR the other evening. They actually looked better than either of my FLIR, and can be found on sale for around $1050.

 

[omicron1792]

So I have a FLIR Scout III 640 ($2300), and an older FLIR Scout (not with me, so not sure of the model number), and have been happy to have them for coyote hunting and finding down deer. Much easier to use the handheld to watch for coyote to arrive, than continually swinging a gun with a thermal or night vision scope around. Once spotted the ATN Thor 4 gives a great image for the shot.

But it might be worth comparing the Burris BTH 50 3.3-13.2x Thermal Handheld. My business partner bought one and we were comparing them to the FLIR the other evening. They actually looked better than either of my FLIR, and can be found on sale for around $1050.

Those are my thoughts exactly. I went with a more expensive, handheld, and a cheaper used rifle mount. I use the handheld 90% of the time.

 

[yoderjac]

I still don't have a ship date...so nothing to report on the OTM yet.

 

[yoderjac]

Finally, I got an email today indicating a shipping label was created. It is supposed to be 2-day shipping...We'll see. Hopefully I'll get it in my hands and can provide feedback soon.

 

[yoderjac]

UNBOXING AND FIRST LOOK-OVER:

It arrived this evening. It came with a nice, but big, case. I'll probably only use it for longer-term storage.

It also came with a thin brick:

Now this is kind of weird. It is not mentioned in the documentation anywhere. They did not charge me extra for it. It came with the unit. It comes with a USB cable for charging, but the connector is the small end of the USB cable is not USB-c like the Scion uses. You can only use that cable to charge the brick. Evidently to use the brick, you need to get a USB to USB -C cable.

Now here is the first thin I don't like about the new Scion OTM compared to the old Scout PS32. The old Scout has an internal rechargeable LI battery. I just keep it plugged into the charger until I'm ready to use it. The new Scion OTM comes with a CR123A battery tray:

You can use 2, 4, or 6 CR123A batteries. It says you can use the rechargables but they don't last as long. The manual says they have to be removed to put in a charger. This is not hard to do, but it is a pain in the butt compared to just plugging it in.

They also offer an internal rechargeable battery pack but it is an extra $200.

I did not have any CR123A batteries handy and did not have the USB-c cable to use the external battery pack, so I have not yet turned the unit on and tried it. I'll report back when I get a chance to do that.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[bjseiler]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before, but these may not be legal in all states. They are not in Indiana. From eregulations -

"

Infrared Sensors/Electronic Calls​

The use of infrared sensors or electronic deer calls to locate or take deer is illegal. It is also illegal to hunt or to retrieve deer with the aid of an infrared sensor or to hunt deer while possessing an electronic deer call."

 

[yoderjac]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before, but these may not be legal in all states. They are not in Indiana. From eregulations -

"

Infrared Sensors/Electronic Calls​

The use of infrared sensors or electronic deer calls to locate or take deer is illegal. It is also illegal to hunt or to retrieve deer with the aid of an infrared sensor or to hunt deer while possessing an electronic deer call."

Yep, you need to read your state regulations, especially when using new technology.

 

[Bszweda]

Just wait till the FLIR and car lobbyist get to the politicians, will get to hunt 24/7 and those 3 am big buck photos will actually mean something! No need to wear bright Orange either as you'll show up orange in the scope.

 

[yoderjac]

Just wait till the FLIR and car lobbyist get to the politicians, will get to hunt 24/7 and those 3 am big buck photos will actually mean something! No need to wear bright Orange either as you'll show up orange in the scope.

...As I said previously, I don't use mine for hunting and wouldn't legal or not. It is a great tool for recovery and great for off season surveys. There are lots of things that are legal in my state like hunting deer with dogs that I won't do.

 

[omicron1792]

I took some cool pics and video in the field today. I’ll try to get them posted soon.

 

[yoderjac]

I stole a usb-c cable from my phone charger and tried hooking up the thin brick they sent to the usb-c port on the Scion OTM. Well it was enough to turn it on and start to play with it for a bit, but after a few minutes use, it shut off. I'm guessing (hoping) not enough power from the brick. I tried plugging it into my computer and that did not provide enough power for it to turn on. After recharging the thin brick, I was able to operate it for a few more minutes.

I have not yet begun to go through all the setting and modes. It has much more that I'll likely ever use. I called about the battery pack. They say you can recharge it through the USB port which is the equivalent of the older Scout except it's battery is not replaceable by the user. I broke down and ordered one. It should be here on Monday, so I'll mess with it next week.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

A bit more info from a dumb new user. Well, when I looked at the shipping receipt, and it it was "complementary". When I try to use it with the FLIR, it boots up partially and I see the scene. It take a little time for it to finish booting so I can see all the controls (azimuth, elevation, etc). As soon as it gets that far, it just reboots. It seems the thin-brick has insufficient power.

Now for the dumb user stuff. As I was going through the manual, I saw where you can hook a strap to it. I did not see one in the package, so I decided to look in the pockets of the case. While I did not find it, I did find the USB-C cable for it along with 6 CR123a batteries. So, I was able to power it up. It works fine with the batteries and does not periodically reboot. I have not had time to play with it any more. Maybe next week.

 

[yoderjac]

Another update:

The new battery and charger came in. It turns out the guy I talked to at FLIR was wrong. He told me you could charge the pack either inside our outside the Scion. That is not the case. It turns out you can only charge it inside the Scion, but that is what I wanted.

I was able to compare the old PS32 to the new Scion OTM. First here is the difference in footprint:

You can see the Scion OTM on the left is considerably larger than the old PS32.

The first day I used them side by side, it was a rainy/cloudy day. Everything was cool and there was little temperature differences since there was no sun that day and no radiant heat to heat different surfaces at different rates. Everything was washed out in both units with little detail. I saw no animals so I can't compare that. I was able to look at a distant house. The Scion OTM clearly showed more detail there, but it is higher resolution, so that was expected. I found the screen to be much brighter on the scion. I have not attempted to make any changes to the setting yet. It seems to work better at longer distances. Today, it was partly cloudy with off-and-on rain. Again I saw not animals. There is a place where my neighbor had done some clearing and it created a cold spot at a couple hundred yards. With the old PS32, I could not really see it even when I looked for it. With the Scion, it popped right out. For closer objects, there was not anything obvious. The 60 hz frame rate is nice compared to the old 9 hz, but not really necessary for my applications

Again, I have not used the new unit on animals, but right now, I see no obvious advantages that justify the price difference for deer recovery or ensuring I'm not bouncing deer when I exit my stand. Of course the reason I went with the OTM was for my third application, off season surveys where I expect it to shine. There may be some advantage identifying antler configuration in the summer, time will tell, but the real advantage to me is the on-board recording capability. I have not used any of that yet.

As of now, if you are planning on using it for deer recovery, I'd suggest looking at the less expensive Scout line rather than the Scion line.

I hope to update this thread as I play with the unit and get more experience with it.

Thanks,

Jack