Night Vision Athlon Cronus ATS PRO 35CL Clip On.

[Magsz18]

Anyone at Shot Show have any info about this?

It's price very aggressively and the specs look decent. Retail seems to be about 3k.

17 ounce weight, pic mount, 12 UM, 640X480 sensor and 1280X960 oled screen. The built in LRF is pretty damned awesome too for a clip on.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Athlon really stepped up with their new thermals. We think you'll be quite pleased with the all around quality and they are priced below others with similar features

 

[Magsz18]

Athlon really stepped up with their new thermals. We think you'll be quite pleased with the all around quality and they are priced below others with similar features

What else can you tell us about them?

Shipping dates? Your own thoughts on the UI, sensors etc?

I'm particularly interested in this clip on.

 

[Jkoehle1]

Interested in this too

 

[CuddlyCat]

What else can you tell us about them?

Shipping dates? Your own thoughts on the UI, sensors etc?

I'm particularly interested in this clip on.

They appear to be the new guide sensmart just rebranded for athlon and with a lower resolution screen for some reason. Guide is who OEM'd the steiner C35. They have a 1280 sensor version with a 50mm lens coming out that looks REALLY interesting, but unfortunately like the C35 gen 2 it doesn't appear to have a picatinny mount.

 

[Bevo]

They appear to be the new guide sensmart just rebranded for athlon and with a lower resolution screen for some reason. Guide is who OEM'd the steiner C35. They have a 1280 sensor version with a 50mm lens coming out that looks REALLY interesting, but unfortunately like the C35 gen 2 it doesn't appear to have a picatinny mount.

I wonder what the max magnification will be on that 1280 sensor before it pixelates too much?

I bet adoption would be much better if thermal vendors figured out they should ship clip-ons with a 1.54" FTS mount.

 

[Magsz18]

They appear to be the new guide sensmart just rebranded for athlon and with a lower resolution screen for some reason. Guide is who OEM'd the steiner C35. They have a 1280 sensor version with a 50mm lens coming out that looks REALLY interesting, but unfortunately like the C35 gen 2 it doesn't appear to have a picatinny mount.

Does that unit follow the same form factor as these new units or is it something else? I assume it's something else given the 50mm lens but I figured id ask.

 

[smcfarland]

Anyone use one of these yet? Pretty good deal on Expert Voice right now I couldn’t pass up.

 

[Magsz18]

Anyone use one of these yet? Pretty good deal on Expert Voice right now I couldn’t pass up.

Did you end up ordering? I guess you will be the first buddy. I saw the expertvoice pricing and was like..woah...

 

[smcfarland]

Yes. Ordered this morning. Once arrives I’ll try to get a quick hunt in to test it out and let others know.

 

[david walter]

I don’t see how it clips on?

 

[smcfarland]

Picatinny mount. Will likely need an upgrade but don’t think ADM making one for it yet.

 

[Overwatch260]

Mine was supposed to be here today but got delayed until tomorrow now (dammit UPS )... Specs looked great, looking forward to trying it out & comparing notes with @smcfarland soon

 

[MK20]

With a 6.4x mag how will this affect using the reticle of the day scope it is used with? I thought clip on had to demag to 1x to have your reticle be true?

 

[Overwatch260]

With a 6.4x mag how will this affect using the reticle of the day scope it is used with? I thought clip on had to demag to 1x to have your reticle be true?

After looking at the spec sheet & quick start guide downloads I was a bit confused on this as well. I called Athlon & they're saying the unit is straight 1X so no digital zoom, and their "eyepiece magnification" listed is actually meaning the max mag for the day optic behind the clip on. They should all be good to 9.5X day optic magnification according to them (sounds like the 6.4X might be a typo on the CL 640). Didn't see anything in the controls section of the manual on digital zoom either, just a menu zoom option listed as 1x, 3x or 6x.

 

[MK20]

Yeah, I get the pro deal so I am very interested. I'm calling them now.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Overwatch260]

Hopefully what they told me was somewhat accurate lol, let's see what you find out as well

 

[MK20]

1x digital mag

Their guy told me that they were good up to about 10x mag before it got pixelated.

He said they could identify canine vs deer out to about 750.

Collimation is possible.

Picatinny clamp height is set for AR height scopes.

He said they were using it on their 3.5-12 with no issues.

5 year warranty.

I ordered one.

 

[Jared06]

I messed around with Athlon thermals at Hunt Expo last week. Was thinking on the Cronus scope but after seeing the gen 2 stuff hit EV I ordered the clip on with rangefinder. It gets here Thursday and it happens to be the same day I leave on a work trip for two weeks. I will just have to see how its working out for rest of you.

 

[Magsz18]

Can't wait to hear some reports guys.

I appreciate the large testicular fortitude you guys are showing by being beta testers!

 

[smcfarland]

Got notification mine shipped earlier today. Will likely mess around with it on the 22 in the backyard this weekend to get the buttons and processes down. Weekend after should be able to get out to Ranch and whack some pigs and coyotes with it.

 

[Magsz18]

When you guys get your units, would you mind posting some photos? I'm curious as to how big the unit really is. The product photos don't really give any real perspective.

 

[MK20]

So I called Athlon and asked for a recoil rating because I forgot to ask when I ordered one. I got some guy who told me, "Well, we ran it on a 450 Bushmaster" which does not give me much confidence in how well they have hardened it. I mentioned that I was going to run it on a SCAR 17 and he said "Well, that's a machine gun isn't it?" which didn't inspire confidence, again. I clarified that and then he asked what caliber a SCAR 17 was. I replied. He then said that it should handle 308 recoil just fine. He was completely unaware of the intricacies of SCAR recoil dynamics.

This is the only reservation I have ever had dealing with Athlon is they don't seem to really hire GUN people.

 

[Overwatch260]

So I called Athlon and asked for a recoil rating because I forgot to ask when I ordered one. I got some guy who told me, "Well, we ran it on a 450 Bushmaster" which does not give me much confidence in how well they have hardened it. I mentioned that I was going to run it on a SCAR 17 and he said "Well, that's a machine gun isn't it?" which didn't inspire confidence, again. I clarified that and then he asked what caliber a SCAR 17 was. I replied. He then said that it should handle 308 recoil just fine. He was completely unaware of the intricacies of SCAR recoil dynamics.

This is the only reservation I have ever had dealing with Athlon is they don't seem to really hire GUN people.

Not quite the acid test compared to your SCAR as far as recoil characteristics, but when my unit shows up today it'll be mounted on my fairly lightweight, suppressed 13" 308 gas gun & heading to the range. Probably the worst case scenario of my personal rifles I'll run with this clip on, but still a bit of a test for it

 

[smcfarland]

Expert Voice /Athlon ships freaking fast. Pleasant surprise delivery this morning. Have a 0.5” picatinny riser coming today to line up better on the SBR. Should be fine on my 6.5cm once I get out to Ranch next weekend. Batteries on charger for now but moved some stuff around to test fit in the SBR. Digging setup. Actually not too forward heavy, and buttons line up perfect for my offhand placement for white light, IR laser/illuminator, and the thermal controls. Piggyback red dot even clears the thermal for close in stuff. Will get batts charged up but probably won’t mess with images until this weekend.

 

[MK20]

Expert Voice /Athlon ships freaking fast. Pleasant surprise delivery this morning. Have a 0.5” picatinny riser coming today to line up better on the SBR. Should be fine on my 6.5cm once I get out to Ranch next weekend. Batteries on charger for now but moved some stuff around to test fit in the SBR. Digging setup. Actually not too forward heavy, and buttons line up perfect for my offhand placement for white light, IR laser/illuminator, and the thermal controls. Piggyback red dot even clears the thermal for close in stuff. Will get batts charged up but probably won’t mess with images until this weekend.View attachment 8627332View attachment 8627333View attachment 8627334View attachment 8627335View attachment 8627336

So once again this shows that the athlon reps aren't giving out accurate information regarding this thermal. I specifically asked if the included picatinny mount was of the correct height to line up with an approx. 1.5 inch AR type optic. I was emphatically told that it was. Apparently it is not. I am happy that it is not as this gives more flexibility, but to would be nice to get good info.

I really am excited about this unit. I bought one. I just wish Athlon wasn't half assing the information release regarding this optic. It is very hard to make buying decisions when the company is contradicting itself and giving out inaccurate info.

 

[Overwatch260]

@MK20 I think maybe @smcfarland has a higher mount... Just got mine off the brown truck & here it is with a Badger 1.4" height 20 MOA unimount for comparison...

 

[MK20]

I stand corrected then. Athlon gave out correct information.

 

[GrandeJake]

Expert Voice /Athlon ships freaking fast. Pleasant surprise delivery this morning. Have a 0.5” picatinny riser coming today to line up better on the SBR. Should be fine on my 6.5cm once I get out to Ranch next weekend. Batteries on charger for now but moved some stuff around to test fit in the SBR. Digging setup. Actually not too forward heavy, and buttons line up perfect for my offhand placement for white light, IR laser/illuminator, and the thermal controls. Piggyback red dot even clears the thermal for close in stuff. Will get batts charged up but probably won’t mess with images until this weekend.View attachment 8627332View attachment 8627333View attachment 8627334View attachment 8627335View attachment 8627336

Sorry to go off topic here, is that LAM staying zeroed okay in what looks like an MLOK to picatinny mount under there?

I need to do a similar solution to an MCMR rail for my clip on and would prefer not to swap for a quad rail if it can be avoided.

Thanks!

 

[david walter]

How’s that flip up objective cover gonna work?

@MK20 I think maybe @smcfarland has a higher mount... Just got mine off the brown truck & here it is with a Badger 1.4" height 20 MOA unimount for comparison...

 

[smcfarland]

So once again this shows that the athlon reps aren't giving out accurate information regarding this thermal. I specifically asked if the included picatinny mount was of the correct height to line up with an approx. 1.5 inch AR type optic. I was emphatically told that it was. Apparently it is not. I am happy that it is not as this gives more flexibility, but to would be nice to get good info.

I really am excited about this unit. I bought one. I just wish Athlon wasn't half assing the information release regarding this optic. It is very hard to make buying decisions when the company is contradicting itself and giving out inaccurate info.

That is a 1.96 mount on the SBR. My other rifle is 1.5 and will likely line up perfectly.

 

[smcfarland]

Sorry to go off topic here, is that LAM staying zeroed okay in what looks like an MLOK to picatinny mount under there?

I need to do a similar solution to an MCMR rail for my clip on and would prefer not to swap for a quad rail if it can be avoided.

Thanks!

Will find out next weekend. Had to move from 12 o’clock to fit the thermal. I never trust LAM zero anyways and always to a quick check before I go out each night.

 

[MK20]

Size wise this thing looks like it will be a winner.

 

[smcfarland]

With 0.5” riser lines up perfectly on the 1.96 mount.

 

[smcfarland]

Image from app. Super easy to set up. 2x base on this scope is great, pretty narrow FOV at 6x but useable. 10x is absolute max. Other rifle is a 4-25 and think the 4x will still show the range reading. Gonna put away for now and get back to work but should have much better feedback after hunting trip next weekend. Overall very impressed so far with size, menus, and image, especially for the price. Will have to see how it does when zeroing and in actual use.

 

[Overwatch260]

Only had time to reconfirm zeroes on my 308 & 6mm MAX since switching suppressors & do a quick and dirty collimation with the clip on so far... I'm pretty impressed with this little unit for sure! I'll echo @smcfarland on the useful magnification range as well, I think 6X is a good spot & 9-10X starts getting pretty pixelated. Collimation took one round of each 308 (1 "click" up & no windage) & 6mm MAX (1 up & 2 right). Super simple & the rangefinder is spot on, ranged 119.3 yards on a verified 119 yd plate. Will download the app now & try to get some images later tonight both from the app & through the scope if I have time.

Plate pic was the collimation shots immediately after clipping the unit on the rifles, 308 center & 6mm MAX a touch right.

 

[Magsz18]

Hey guys,

I've got a really dumb questions so please, humor me.

Ok, you've got your clip on. You have a 100 yard zero.

You range a target at 200.

Can you use your turrets to dial in order to have the proper dope? Or....what are we doing? lol.

 

[smcfarland]

In my case, dial or hold 0.1 mil elevation (100 ELD VT at 3150fps). There is an Athlon ballistic app but I don’t know if it links to the unit. I need to true it up with my established data on my kestrel. Have a lot of tinkering to do with it this and next weekend. Once zeroed to “collimate” your scope to the projected screen image, you can dial or hold accordingly to make your hits at distance.

 

[Overwatch260]

Took a couple hours last night to look over the fields out back here... Killed the battery before I could upload the pics I saved so I'll get those posted later this evening hopefully. Was able to try the rangefinder on a few critters, from a field mouse at 20 yards to a couple of deer out at 652 yards. Multiple times on each critter were all within .1 yard. The focus knob on the side is much better than reaching out front to adjust as well. More to come later!

 

[MK20]

What is battery life looking like?

 

[XP1K]

This unit looks pretty promising. I want to get into a thermal clip on this year and I've been looking at the DNT hydra and the armasight operator. I definitely like the form factor of the athlon.

 

[MK20]

I was looking very seriously at DNT but ended up going Athlon just on the specs alone.

 

[Overwatch260]

When I started at the range yesterday I had 1/2 battery charge so I would guess between that and the time spent messing around last night it should get about 4 maybe 5 hours on a full charge, really depending on sleep mode/eco settings and how much ranging you do. I also have a DNT Hydra in 384 as a backup clip on option, it seems to be a good little unit so far but it's currently zeroed in weapon sight mode on my 5.56 SBR. I may try the Hydra as a clip on more when I get a QD mount or I might try a FTS mount for the hell of it lol

 

[Overwatch260]

Some images from yesterday and last night... Wasn't really thinking about the 651 yard deer pic being in 1X since I had the scope on 10X but they're there lol

The 394 yard shot there's a deer in the far right edge of the screen in the treeline

My dog happened to walk out around 60 yards so the 282 yd range in that pic was from another deer I just didn't clear it

Last was daylight at the range yesterday afternoon

 

[MK20]

How far out could you discern between animal types?

 

[Overwatch260]

No issues telling they were deer due to animal size & mannerisms (I could tell they were feeding) at 650 with the day optic cranked up to 8-10X... I'd say you could easily discern between deer & coyote/hog sized animals at that distance perhaps a bit further depending on surroundings

 

[Magsz18]

How's the user interface guys?

Nightmare or relatively easy to use?

 

[Overwatch260]

It's pretty straightforward for the controls & on screen menus, there's a lot of options to go through and tweak/ play around with but after a little time on it (15-20 minutes) it's really intuitive. I do love the button location being on the left side for easy thumb operation with the support hand if you're shooting right handed. I did do some left handed scanning with the rifle on my tripod and it's workable for lefties just kinda have to reach over the top and use the buttons with index & middle fingers instead. The only thing I haven't really delved into yet is the ballistics app interface, planning to build some profiles & try that out maybe next week while I'm off work.

 

[Overwatch260]

Also if you go into the menu magnification settings it comes set at 3X, set it to 1X and you can still see the ranging readout all the way up to around 8X on the day scope magnification

Things we think about at work at 2 AM to come home and try out lol

 

[smcfarland]

How did you get into the magnification settings? I’ve been tinkering with it today but can’t seem to get past the basic five items on the menu. Looks like the ballistic app does not synch with it from what I’ve tried so far, but not a big deal.