Basejumper.com - archive

Hi folks,

How useful do you think a small thermal imaging camera could be in a BASE environment?

I'm looking at some that you can plug into the bottom of most smartphones and thought it might be worth a play.
http://obtain.thermal.com/product-p/ut-aaa.htm

So far, I've come up with:

* Standard night-vision camera
* See if there are people inside those security cabins at construction sites
* Spot the infra-red lights coming off night-vision security cameras
* Find someone who is missing in the trees in the dark (perhaps in the valley when it's getting dark and someone is missing?)
* Check an area for someone who might spot you
* See if high power electrical equipment is on (?)

$250-$300 for something that plugs into an iPhone/Android isn't prohibitively expensive if it's useful.

Maybe the money is better spent on booze and BASE gear (or half a skydiving helmet) but I'm interested to get some opinions

Thats some 007 shit.....and skydiving helmet lol...

The idea is sound, but I don't think a budget friendly product like that will do what you want. In my business, we have Flir thermal cores that are a minimum of $10,000 and it would be hard to do those things well with them. But then again, it's only $300. Might be worth it just to see how well it actually works.

Very nice! That's awesome

I've got an old Sony PC100 that has an IR mode. I used it recently to discover and avoid an IR camera. But it didn't pick up the sensor that switched on a big floodlight and lit me up. I guess that sensor was operating outside of its sensitivity. It adds value, but it's not perfect.

I'd be interested to hear your results with this.

Regular motion sensors on outdoor lights are passive, ie they don't emit any light on their own and you can't detect them with just an IR sensitive camera. In the right environment you might be able to detect them based on their heat signature, but not with just a $300 FLIR One.

How do they work if they are passive? I like to understand tyhis and if there is any way of defeating them? cheers

.
It has to emitting something . but all depended on what nm frequency of light is being emitted and what is compatible to your devise to pick up an image.
You might be able to with your CamCorder with night record, if it is maybe (example) in the 500-600 nm frequency or other that is close compatible.
But if it is in the higher like 850 to 940 nm you might need a pvs14 or other NV NOD to see image emitted out the sensor .
.

Most sensors attached to "a big floodlight" are gonna be PIR sensors (https://en.wikipedia.org/...sive_infrared_sensor). Those are completely passive.

Only reliable way to defeat them is to go when the ambient temperature is the same as the clothes on your body, 92-95F. Next choice would be to construct a directional IR or near-IR emitter that can slowly increase its output from 0-100% until it blinds the sensor. Or you can try a huge piece of foamcore (http://www.officedepot.com/...d-Sturdy-Board-Foam/) and walk past it very slowly. I'd buy a cheap commercial unit on eBay to test these out on if you're serious about it.

-
So it like a very low resolution thermal core being used as passive sensor ?
-

Old high 8 cameras with night vision are good for finding ir motion sensors, just set it to night, and cover the ir light on the camera.
~981

A friend has a FLIR scout 32:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm7THzHJkcA

Ir really detects heat and although I have a night vision scope I don't think it will be of any use in detecting 700-1000 nm lighting. I.e. night vision lighting. It really detects the heat differences of various objects.

His Scout sells for about $2500 and its really handy for scouting out anything living at night. That being people, deer, other animals. Thats a really cheap price(your imager) so it won't have the resolution to determine what you're looking at at longer ranges. Longer being over 150 yards, I think 1800' or 600 yards would be wildly optimistic.Thats what that the Seek CompactXR states it will do.

The scout will detect heat at that range but with its "320 x 240 VOx microbolometer detector" you can't tell what kind of animal it is at that range. At about 250 yards you can tell by how its moving if its a human, animal and identify what kind of animal it is.

But if your checking out to see if there is a car, person, dog, etc. guarding a site it might save you some trouble. You could also use it for night navigation or walking in the night without lighting.

Very interesting remarks from everyone - thanks folks.
I figure it's not worth the investment.

Patient observation with unadulterated eyeballs has worked fairly well so far

Agreed, thanks for the explanations. To defeat PIR I'm thinking a big stick with a sheet of tinfoil at one end, or a towel, or something similar haha

I was out last night with a thermal unit and I thought back on this Thread . It can not see any nm frequency of light transmission from IR senors . But if it is a security sensor that is 'passive' . It Certainly does detect it , and you see it .
I looked at a lot of electrical devises from cell phones to high-voltage and if anything that has electrical circuitry and if it is turned ON & operational . It makes Heat and pops image on the thermal .

It was cold last night so 'Almost Anything' would pop a image with a tiny amount of heat .
So if the ambient surounding air and object were of a close Temp. with the passive security sensors . Then you would be blind to it . As it would all be washed in a similar Temp. and would not standout on your thermal for you to see .
.