Category: Gear & Stuff
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Cool!
I am always impressed by the Folks that can do stuff like this! Grumpy
Israel recently introduced Othello-P, a new GDS (gunfire detection system) that can be vehicle-mounted or used from a stationary position on the ground. Othello-P uses acoustic and infrared optical acoustic sensors along with new software to instantly locate where the gunfire or an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) is coming from. One Othello-P system provides 180-degree surveillance while two Othello-Ps provide complete (360-degree) surveillance. Othello-P detects the flash, blast and shock wave of a projectile day or night no matter where the shooter is, including higher elevations or even from aircraft. Rifle fire can be detected up to 400 meters distant while RPG rockets can be detected up to 2,000 meters away. Not only are nearby troops instantly alerted, via the new Israeli battlefield communication network, but also headquarters for operations in the area who can quickly call in air or artillery strikes. Othello-P can also be mounted on unmanned vehicles, which Israel had been using for over a decade and current models can be used in urban or open terrain. These vehicles already use visual and audible sensors to detect threats.
Gunfire detection systems have been around for over three decades. The first practical system was developed because a French scientist applied techniques used by ships and submarines to detect submarines to gunshot detection systems. Details of this breakthrough spread through the scientific community and in 1992 a California based seismologist (earthquake detection specialist) working for the United States Geological Survey developed a gunshot detection system he believed could accurately detect the location of gunfire in urban areas. He did this as a public service because nearby Menlo Park had a major problem with gun crime and the police were looking for a practical solution to detecting the location of such incidents quickly. The proposed system was installed, tested and it worked. These systems have gotten cheaper and more effective since then and are widely used in cities with a lot of illegal gun use. Police were able to show up at the scene of gunfire quickly and that, combined with growing use of surveillance cameras, reduced gunfire incidents by identifying and prosecuting many of the shooters. There is still illegal use of firearms, but a lot less of it compared to cities without the gunfire detection systems.
As Israel recently demonstrated, the greatest advances in gunfire detection technology have come from the military. One of the first, and most useful, of these military gunfire detection systems was developed in a few months in 2004, in response to a U.S. Department of Defense request for an affordable acoustic sniper detector. Testing delayed it from entering service immediately but by 2005, the system was being used in Iraq. This is another example of how wartime urgency speeds the development of new technology.
Acoustic gunfire (sniper) detectors have been in the field for two decades and have gotten better each year. Over 60,000 sniper detectors were shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan, where they have been heavily used and increasingly popular. Sniper detection systems provide directional information about where the snipers are. New generations of these systems show up every few years. Since 2004 the usefulness of these anti-sniper systems steadily increased as manufacturers reduced the number of false alarms and improved the user interface. There are other reasons for all this progress, including major advances in computing power, sensor quality, and software development. A decade ago, it was possible to instantly pinpoint the location of a sniper and quickly inform troops of that location.
British, American, French, and Israeli manufacturers have produced most of these systems, which are also sold to police organizations. The systems have varied greatly in capabilities and price. Some of the first ones cost over $200,000, but prices have been dropping rapidly over the first decade of use as the technology matured.
Some of these early systems were light enough (183 gm/6.4 ounces) to be worn. The most popular wearable system (SWATS) comes in two pieces. One is the sensor, which is worn on the shoulder, while the cell phone size controller, with small LCD display, is worn in front, where it can be quickly glanced at. SWATS calculates (from the sound of the weapon fired) direction of fire in a tenth of a second. SWATS was very popular with troops and costs about $2,000 each. SWATS could also be mounted on vehicles and still work when the vehicle wass moving at speeds of 80 kilometers an hour.
As the capability and reliability of these devices has improved, the troops have come to depend on sniper detectors. Without these devices there would be many more casualties. That’s because, with a sniper detector, troops can quickly turn on the enemy shooter and deliver accurate fire of their own. American infantry are much more accurate shooters than your average Islamic terrorist gunman. That first shot from an Islamic terrorist gunman usually misses, which is even more likely once American infantry return fire.
Snipers have been forced to adjust their tactics in response to systems like SWATS and the French SLATE (Système de Localisation Acoustique de Tireur Embusqué). To survive a sniper must “shoot and scoot”, which greatly reduces the usefulness of snipers. In many cases Islamic terrorists choosing to try some sniping, without thinking it through, were killed shortly after they taking their first shot at sniper-detector equipped troops. This sort of thing is usually witnessed by other Islamic terrorists, which makes sniping less popular. This is particularly true as more accurate and reliable gunfire detectors were introduced.
The France SLATE system is vehicle mounted and quickly detects where the sound of a gunshot is coming from. SLATE is linked to the remote (from inside the vehicle) weapons turrets (armed with a 12.7mm machine-gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher). SLATE has an operator option that will automatically turn the turret and the operator’s gun sight (a video camera with zoom) to where the gunshot came from. The operator can then decide whether to open fire.
Hunters and shooters alike have long wished for the ability to better share the moments leading up to the perfect shot. Not only would these moments provide bragging opportunities but they could also be a great training aide for evaluating what caused any missed shots. Aiming to capture what the user sees through their optic, TriggerCam designed their 2.1 action camera to mount on the rear of traditional scope in a way that does not obstruct the users’ field of view. Utilizing a see-through mirror, the TriggerCam 2.1 accomplishes this well.
First and foremost, the TriggerCam 2.1 can record in 4K at 30 frames per second, 1080P at 120fps/60fps/30fps, and 720P at 240fps/120fps. It can also take pictures and comes with a 128Gb SD card. Battery life is listed as 2.5 hours for recording and 10 hours on standby and I found these numbers to be pretty accurate throughout my testing. A neat feature is “advanced video stabilization technology” which “assists in optimal quality videos minimizing recoil effects.”
This feature can be turned on or off and is found on other cameras such as GoPros which help to create a smoother video that is easier to watch. While I have yet to record without the image stabilization turned off, the feature seems to work well as you can see in a video I posted to my Instagram page HERE.
Coming in the box with the camera is a tool for adjustments, a cable, and 8 different shims for fitting your optic perfectly. While designed to fit optics with eyepieces ranging from 32mm – 48mm, using the proper shim perfectly aligns the center of the camera to your scope. While it can be frustrating trying to remember to bring all the shims if you plan to record through different scopes, knowing it will fit perfectly once mounted up makes this acceptable.
To mount the TriggerCam 2.1 to your scope, you need to first slide on the slotted shim over your eyepiece with the flared edge facing forward. When installed over the eyepiece, the slotted shim needs to maintain a small gap so the cut edge does not touch or make a complete circle. After the proper shim has been selected, the camera will slide over the eyepiece as far forward as possible and then be tightened down to clamp to the scope. When installed, the setup will remove about 1” from your eye relief.
The biggest downside I have seen to this design is when it is used with scopes that have a single-piece eyepiece where the whole ocular bell rotates when adjusting magnification. Zooming in or out causes the TriggerCam 2.1 to cant left or right depending on what magnification is being used.
To get a perfect horizontal video, the user will be stuck with one specific magnification where the camera is pointing straight up. For testing on my Eotech VUDU 5-25 scope, I tightened the camera down to be perfectly aligned at around 16X. The workaround I found was to tighten the screw until the camera was snug instead of tight, and that would allow me to rotate the camera to be aligned with whatever magnification I wanted. This was a hindrance if I was trying to shoot quick, but if I was just doing bench rest stuff then it wasn’t a big deal.
The only other downside associated with this rotation was the fact that the camera would hit the raised portion of the eyepiece designed for threading in a throw lever.
This limited me to use only the bottom 60% of the magnification range for both my Eotech VUDU 5-25 and VUDU 1-10. However, a scope such as the Khales K525i would eliminate all of these issues since the back of the ocular bell is fixed, and the magnification ring is decoupled so any rotation is in front of where the camera is mounted. While one of these scopes would pair perfectly with the TriggerCam 2.1, I had to make do with what I already had.
The controls are simple and easy to use. There are two buttons on the left-hand side that power the unit up, start/stop taking videos or pictures, and can turn on onboard WiFi to link up with a compatible smart device such as a cellphone. Once these controls are figured out, the only other thing to do is focus the camera.
The focus is located under the forward cap on the top of the camera. The cap can be removed with the provided tool, a flathead screwdriver, or even just a piece of brass. To focus the scope, you will have to be connected to the TriggerCam 2.1 camera via a smart device with the “TriggerCam 2.1” app downloaded. Once connected through the app, you will see a live stream through your optic. From here it takes some adjustment to fine-tune the clarity to a specific distance.
One thing I didn’t catch my first time out shooting was how narrow the focus was. I dialed it in for 200 yards which was crystal clear, but when I videoed transitioning from 200-500 yards the further targets showed up more and more blurry. There was around a +/- 150 yards that was pretty clear from where the focus was adjusted to. So focused at 200 yards the image looked good from around 100-350 yards.
This can be frustrating since you need a smart device to fine-tune the focus out in the field, but if it is set to an infinite focus the image is clear and acceptable from infinity down to around 150 yards.
The second cap on the top of the camera is used for charging the device, exporting videos, or removing the memory card. The housing is solid and waterproof per IP64 standards. Utilizing aircraft-grade aluminum, the TriggerCam 2.1 comes in at just under 16 ounces which definitely adds some heft to a hunting rifle setup. All you ultralight backcountry hunters counting up ounces may be worried, but having the ability to record your shots connecting is something that makes it worth it for most situations I personally find myself in.
When mounted to a scope, the camera is almost non-intrusive which is vital for maintaining an effective platform. Light transmission through the mirror the camera uses is good, and I can hardly notice it’s there. The housing does add thickness to the sidewalls of the scope to remove a little bit of your field of view outside the glass, so use on an LPVO isn’t ideal but still works just fine for training or running drills. Recording while practicing or hunting is a great opportunity to hold yourself accountable. There is nothing like watching your reticle in slow motion after shooting to see if you jerked the trigger, or had perfect follow through with the shot breaking when the reticle was perfectly aligned to the target. Shown HERE is a video through my LPVO while I take some shots and run around just a bit.
Overall, I think this is a nifty design that allows for recording and sharing hunts or training that traditionally was not possible. While heavy, it doesn’t really hinder performance, especially when shooting while prone or from a bench/blind. In the end, utilizing the TriggerCam 2.1 is situation dependent and can add some cool capabilities. This camera comes in with an MSRP of $565 and can be found at a few dealers within the US or ordered directly from TriggerCam’s website.
Specifications:
| Dimensions L x W x H | 100mm x 50mm x 93.2mm |
| Weight: | 453 grams |
| Rifle Scope Eyepiece compatibility: | 32mm – 48mm |
| Smart Phone APP: | TRIGGERCAM 2.1 APP is available on Android, IOS & Huawei operating systems. Live streaming capability, video gallery, camera control, download and edit videos. |
| Memory: | SD Card up to 128G, Class U3 or Above. |
| Wi-Fi: | Integrated Wi-Fi with live streaming function and instant downloading of videos |
| Quick record: | Switches on power and record function for instant recording |
| Optics: | Multi-coated optical lens for optimal performance. |
| Video stabilization: | Advanced video stabilization technology assists in optimal quality videos minimizing recoil effects. Function can be switched ON/OFF |
| Waterproof: | IP64 rating |
| Battery: | Integrated lithium ion battery with 2.5 hours recording time, and 10 hours standby time |
| High definition slow motion video replay: | 4 x (1080P 100/120fps) / 8 x (720P 200/240fps) |
| True sound microphone: | Able to record high-quality sound 360 degree true sound, able to switch on and off |
| Resolution: | 4K 30fps |
| 1080P 120fps/60fps/30fps | |
| 720P 240fps/120fps |
| USB: | C-type USB, |
| HDMI: | Micro HDMI for TV output |
| Video output: | PAL/NTSC |
| Recording Timing Alarm: | Off/3min/5min/10min |
| Input Voltage: | 5V |
| Other features: | Auto low light function |
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