Thanks Randy. I'm happy to answer any questions you guys have, but know I'm a thermal newb so you might have to dumb down the tech. I will do the blitz tour since it arrived Weds right around 5.
Had it mounted to the QR and buzzed the entire menu/setup in maybe 30 minutes. Cheek weld is super solid and firm just like with my day glass and eye relief just right so no complaints with the adjustability of the mount/height I don't feel as if anything has changed in my setup compared to my Vortex. I moved the Pulsar one set of QD holes further forward than the pic you saw above ultimately. I use the LaRue RISR to get my face up a bit I was wondering how it would all sort out.
Zeroing. Dunno yet. Crazy lightning during the storms yesterday didn't stop until about 8.
Contrast/brightness. This will be a learning curve for me to find what's right. Reticle choices are neat and the white hot/black hot options are both nifty and quick. Think I like the white hot for now. I think by the end of the night I was on the right track. Contrast was on 9/20 and brightness a 5 out of whatever max is....mode I can't recall, but it was good enough. Like the green, but have no point of reference. My glasses are -7.5 vision is horrible, astigmatism and about 2 years from cataract surgery. No issues going back and forth, no eye strain and really until I typed this article I just thought about what a non-issue it was to look through the scope last night. Might be dif with a super long night will have wait and see.
Saw part of the cattle herd at maybe 800. I might be off a bit here b/c my night time range estimation is obviously new. Having said that I know ranging all over the property b/c of shooting locations lasered to trees, water troughs etc so I'm not off too terribly much.
I spotted a couple of other sounders b/f I shot at these and they spooked when I green lighted them. Was way down wind of them the area of the property I was in has shot at that bunch too much with greenies. I tried the suggestion of lighting up above them and it still got their attention I even had my way less powerful light last night. Saw the shooter bunch at b/t 5 and 600, but would have liked to have seen how much farther out it could have been since the instant I turned north into this field they appeared. Closed to maybe 200 and parked the truck. Walked in with a bolt 308 and scanned until the moon light was sufficient. Took bigger hog right away made a big jump and dropped 5 feet later. Smaller took off running right at me and shot at maybe 20 yards right in the top of the back looks like it came out askew through right shoulder. Dropped instantly thinking I hit some neuro hardware.
Saw a ton of deer and the last few I saw really surprised me where they were laying up. I see you fellers! Battery longevity is awesome I was only out maybe 2 hours not sure how much scanning, but batt shows about 80% left no number just visual.
I can't imagine wanting or needing anything more for my first thermal or likely any thermal really the way our property is laid out. Of course if I looked through one of these Bentley $5k thermals I'd go crazy, but this is a pure hunting tool for me to get rid of hogs in addition to trapping. I needed capable, not 'the best'......I think that's what I have with the Core RXQ.