Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Imaging Monocular Review

Written By Annalena Wood

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Thermal monoculars are extensively used in most of the professional and semi-professional applications due to the functionality of it.

Scouters, hunters, hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, enforcement professionals, rescue teams, trainees in the military are widely utilizing thermal imaging monoculars for their distinct applications.

And currently, these thermal monoculars are used by civilians for multiple personal purposes like moisture detection, electrical leakage detection, and so on.

In the field of producing quality thermal imaging monoculars, Pulsar made a revolution.

In particular, the Helion series from Pulsar gaining most of the compliments from the experts, and users in the tactical field.

Learn here about the Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular designed by the Pulsar embedded with updated features.

Let us move on to the detailed review of Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Imaging Monocular 

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste
Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38
Magnification: 3.5 – 14x

Main Features

  • Sensor Resolution: 384×288 pixles
  • Sensor Pixel Size: 17 Micron
  • Sensor Type: ULIS Core
  • Magnification: 3.5X – 14X
  • Refresh Rate: 50 Hz
  • Detection Range: 1475 yards
  • Field of View: 16.3° X 12.3°
  • Thermal Imaging Palette: 8 palettes
  • Display Type: AMOLED Display
  • Objective Focal Length: 32mm
  • Optical Magnification: 3.1X
  • Digital Magnification: 4X
  • Onboard Storage: 8 GB
  • Operating Time: Up to 8 Hours
  • Operating Temp.: -13F to 122F
  • Water Resistance Level: IPX-7
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste
Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38
Magnification: 3.5 – 14x

Main Features

  • Sensor Resolution: 384×288 pixles
  • Sensor Pixel Size: 17 Micron
  • Sensor Type: ULIS Core
  • Magnification: 3.5X – 14X
  • Refresh Rate: 50 Hz
  • Detection Range: 1475 yards
  • Field of View: 16.3° X 12.3°
  • Thermal Imaging Palette: 8 palettes
  • Display Type: AMOLED Display
  • Objective Focal Length: 32mm
  • Optical Magnification: 3.1X
  • Digital Magnification: 4X
  • Onboard Storage: 8 GB
  • Operating Time: Up to 8 Hours
  • Operating Temp.: -13F to 122F
  • Water Resistance Level: IPX-7

Design

The device is built with rugged, lightweight, and quality materials to provide strength.

And this material consists of the IPX-7 rated water-resistant aspect to protect the device from worse damages caused by the weather.

By the water-resistant characteristic fo the monocular, it can be acted as the submersible thermal monocular in 3 ft. of water for up to 30 min.

Thermal Sensor

The Helion 2 XQ38 is configured with a high-quality thermal core sensor with a resolution of 384×288 pixels. This thermal sensor has a pixel size of 17 microns.

Like other thermal monoculars from the Helion series, the Helion 2 XQ38 is equipped with a 50Hz of refresh rate.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular

With this proper and high refresh rate, you can comfortably view the object even in dynamic or rapid motion.

There is a qualified stadiametric rangefinder comes with the monocular unit. You can be detecting the object with the aid of accurate distance given by the rangefinder reticle which is actually fitted with estimated heights of observed objects.

This estimated object distance is very reliable, repeatable, and easy.

Optical System

With the aid of QD germanium lenses, you can easily adjust the focal length to 32mm while detecting the target in both night and day time.

But you can’t swap or remove the lenses which are the disappointment of this lens system. To view the object closer the device is designed with the magnification range from 3.5X to 14 x.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular

Magnification

When it comes to thermal monocular, the magnification range is one of the important features to consider.

This Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular has the variable magnification, the magnification range of this monocular is from 3.5x to 14x; due to this range, you can easily detect the object up to 1475 yards.

The optical lens of this thermal monocular has 3.1x magnification, and the digital zooming is 4x, it will help you to see the zooming image of the target.

Due to this magnification range, you can get a crisp and clear view of the long-distance target.

The magnification range is the only difference between the Helion 2 XQ38 and Helion XQ38F monocular from Pulsar.

The magnification range of the Helion XQ38F monocular is 3.1-12.4x; due to this magnification range, the minimum focus distance is 3 m.

The detection range of this thermal monocular is 1475 yards.

The magnification is not a big deal for these thermal monoculars, because the detection range is the same for these both thermal monoculars.

Both the Helion 2 XQ38 and Helion XQ38F Thermal Monocular from Pulsar are the best choice for the outdoor use.

Integrated Gyroscope & Accelerometer

An integrated accelerometer enhances the accuracy of the viewing and it gives the appropriate detecting angles which are greater than 5°, thus you can’t miss your target.

On the other hand, the monocular comes with a built-in gyroscope that fitted with an arrow for indicates the degree of sideways tilting and direction of the target.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular

If there are any increased angles, that are denoted by the supplemental arrows.

There is possible to disable the operation of the unit when the horizontal angle is higher than 30° or the vertical angle is higher than 70°.

The important thing about the accelerometer is that it will be disabled if it used at excessive angles continuously.

PIP Mode

It comes with the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) mode, it allows you to receive the wide field of view when you zoomed-in the image and gives you a narrow range field of view while you zoomed-out the image.

The sight picture simultaneously shows both the zoomed-in and zoomed-out images.

Pulsar Helion series is the first-ever thermal monocular produced this kind of innovative image enhancement.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular

This PIP window includes 1/10 of the device’s display to the FOV, and this delivers unobstructed PIP & entire FOV viewing simultaneously in its remaining portions.

Image Process

The high sensitive thermal images are captured in the optical temperature ranging from -13 to 122 Fahrenheit.

And those images are highlighted by the appropriate color which depends on the color palette you choose.

Images show the hot/cold peripheral conditions are varied by the 8 robust thermal imaging color palettes.

With the highly sensitive detector, you can view the target at a distance of 1475 yards.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular

The Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular consists of AMOLED type display which has a frost-resistant feature.

The display is fitted with thermal imaging sight to provide flawless performance even at extreme cold or extreme heat conditions (-25° to +50°С).

Interface and Accessories

Using the free Stream Vision mobile application provided by the Pulsar company, you can link to this Helion 2 XQ38 thermal monocular with other iOS/Android-based smartphones.

Also, you can connect the monocular with Wi-Fi enabled electronic devices like tablets.

When you connect the thermal monocular with other devices via software of Wi-Fi or USB you can transfer the footages in real-time mode.

Besides, you can stream the footages and images captured by the Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 online.
The unit comes with the rechargeable IPS5 rated 5.2A-h B-Pack power system, with this the whole monocular unit can powers up.

If you operate this thermal monocular in maximum mode, it can run up to 8 hours continuously.

The manufacturer also recommends using CR123A type battery, IPS10 battery packs (high-powered), AA battery, which are provided a perfect power solution to this thermal imaging monocular.

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste
Pulsar Helion XQ38F
Magnification: 3.1 – 12.4x

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste
Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38
Magnification: 3.5 – 14x

Final Words

The thermal monoculars from Pulsar Helion Series are equipped with upgraded technologies, specific design, and innovative features than Pulsar’s very popular Quantum thermal imaging monoculars.

Pulsar Helion 2 XQ38 Thermal Monocular is constructed with a blend of features such as strong stadiametric rangefinder, PIP mode, quick detachable germanium lenses, swappable batteries, a heat sink (for better image quality), smartphone apps, onboard recording, wifi capabilities, and wifi capabilities.

Using this thermal imaging monocular, you can make your hunting experience as an adventure.

About Annalena Wood

Annalena is carrying her rifle with passion and pride for her love of the outdoors and the experience of hunting. Her most memorable hunting season was back in 2015 when she and her dad were drawn for special elk tags. That allowed them the chance to fill their tags with an actual bull elk rather than a spike. That year both her and her dad came home with their first trophy elks, with hers a 6 by 6 pointer and her dad’s a 6 by 5.

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