posted May 01, 2000 10:48 AM         

Basically flir operates much like a black and white video camera. The video camera is sensitive to the amount of light coming off each thing in its view, and the more light coming off, the whiter the image is. No light causes black, and much causes white.

Same with flir. No ir coming off causes black, a lot causes white.

Neither black and white video (or film) distinguish much between colors except as to their brightness.

As to photography, the light is reflected. For flir, the light it sees is beyond eyesight range, and the sum of both reflected and that created by the glowing target.

For this reason camoflage against flir is complicated, and not what one would anticipate. Ghille suits are spotted easily unless modified.

For flir, a target cannot escape being seen. It must escape recognition. To do that its image on the flir screen must appear to be normal clutter similar to other stuff in the view.

This requires that any camo must mimic both the surface radiation characterists as well as the temperature of surroundings, as it breaks up the form so its not recognizeable.

Too complicated to explain here, but an excellent post which you ought to archive before it gets "gone" is this:
http://pub7.ezboard.com/fplainsmanscabintheburbs.showMessage?topicID=35.topic

I'm not yet familiar enough with this forum to make this a link, but if someone would post the link, thank you.

This is a rare subject, and good info on it is very hard to find.

Do archive it, even if you don't need it. A friend may need it very much one day.

Because flir is just beginning to be put on rifles now as upgrade from night vision scopes, it will become more pervasive in a very few years. It works in day as well as night.

The cost is rapidly dropping, and many police departments have it now.

posted May 02, 2000 05:55 PM            

And in the city I've seen them hide under a car (heat rises), behind bushes outside of an apartment complex (DUH!), and in trees (Double DUH!).

The best way to avoid FLIR is to avoid the helicopter altogether. But that's not always possible so then the second best way is to get inside a large building (mall, underground garage, stadium, etc) and make you escape through one of the many exits with the masses of people as your camoflauge.

Pulling a ninja turtle move down a sewer is something cops don't see every day, and thus is unexpected.

You don't want to follow the lead of every other dumb criminal by trying to outrun the copter, you can't hide behind a bush, below a car, or in a tree.

Underground or indoors is your only real chance.

Outthink, not outrun.

posted May 04, 2000 04:36 PM            

Although this is deffinatly something you wouldnt want to run in (heat stroke) it could be helpfull when you try to "hole up" somewhere.

Another idea that should help, is that FLIR systems are as sensitive as night vision optics. Where as a brighter light source on night vision systems temporarily blinds them (a camera flash works well) a FLIR system when around a large amount of heat, is also blinded. Therefore a 12 gauge flare gun could be usefull in temporarily blinding a chase helicopter while you change possition.

I know, i know... sending up a flare to blind a helicopter is going to help ground police zero in on you, but its just an example of a heat source blinding the system. Any heat source if hot enough will white out the screen they view. White phosphorous grenades would no doubt work equally well.

I think you get the idea.

Hope some of this was usefull.

BaDSeeD

posted May 06, 2000 05:26 AM            

Perhaps a lining of reflectex (?spelling)insulation would cut your heat down enough to avoid looking hot enough to be worth looking at.

It's a double foiled polyetylene bubble wrap type material sold in hardware stores for insulation. It reflects 50-98% of radiant heat, depending on placement in relation to the heat source. I have an entire roll of the stuff, I'll scan in a picture of it later so you can see what I'm talking about.

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"The knowledge that they fear is a weapon to be used against them."

posted May 09, 2000 06:59 AM            

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"The knowledge that they fear is a weapon to be used against them."

posted May 10, 2000 01:05 AM            

Maybe different layers of insulations could get the radiated heat down even lower. Loke combine the space blankets with that stuff.

God damn would it be hot to wear though.

BaDSeeD