You're welcome. Hope it helps.

Gen 3 is the best available, no Gen 4 out there. A few companies have Gen 4 listed, it is a BS marketing gimmick, nothing more.

This has been my understanding also..

Amen....

the difference is killing one hog vs. fifteen

LOL...You have such a way with words ! :-)

One more little note for the OP. The N550 is a day/night scope....meaning it will work either day or night. I like that option.

Don't wanna clean 15. 2 or 3 maybe.

Yes you will need IR illumination at those ranges and beyond. Here is a video I took last year notice the difference in the first 5 to 10 seconds with NO IR , and then the rest of the video with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNGuj1Adz3Q

Remember IR is invisible light so the animals remain clueless, through the lense of the Pulsar it is just like spotlighting.

On the horizon is the N750 (Pulsar) which has built in 2x push button magnification and a better screen (display).

OP if you can wait another 6 months you can probably score a good deal on the N550 as people offload those to upgrade to the N550.

BB

so does anyone have any thoughts or experience with the FLIR PS24 and PS32? i realize they could only be used for spotting.

They are entry level monoculars, there isn't anything about the units that makes them a must have.

Basically if you have 1600 dollars laying around and hunt in wide open areas then buy one.

No video recording and small view screens are the drawbacks.

BB

The main advantage to a handheld, like the PS24 and PS32, is simply that it's thermal rather than night vision.

For example, if you were scanning a field that had been clear cut with night vision, you would have to look at each stump to see if it was a "critter"....but a quick scan with a thermal imager would let you know if there was anything "hot".

Like BB said, you can't record with those units but you can capture still images and they also have a video output...so you could record video to a pocket DVR.

Each has an NTSC video out.

This is why i was interested in Thermal. How do they do in brush/trees?

Here is a link to my buddy's company in Rockwall. He has excellent quality NV and thermal.
http://www.identmarking.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=6

If you're in scattered trees and brush, you shouldn't have a problem spotting animals. If it's thick, forget it. Thermal scopes don't look "through" trees or other foliage. As an animal moves through foliage, you will get glimpses of heat but you may not see the entire body. That being said, a flash of "white" is easier to spot in a thermal scope than glimpse of black through a night vision scope. Both technologies have their advantages and disadvantages. One isn't really "better" than the other ... they compliment each other.

thanks. i found in one of the other forums a company here that rents them really cheap so i am going to give one a try this weekend and see how it does.

You're welcome.

If your looking for a PS32 FLIR, I got a few band new ones I need to move. I'll let them go for $2700.00 cash or check price. That will be $300 less than anywhere else.

how would you compare the PS 32 to the TS 24?

They are very similar. The PS32 is much smaller but so is the optical system, the resolution is sharper on the PS32. For most people the PS32 is all your ever need. You can really see a hog out to 600 or 700 yards with it. We use them all the time on our guided hog hunts and it's a real game changer. The only advantage I can see in the TS24 is the ability to record and it has a faster frame rate. To me that's not enough to justify the extra cost in the TS24