a power up noise to go with nvg's turning on

[Torak]

Yes, but it's not exactly the sort of thing you notice in a combat situation. Perhaps the Swedish ones are quieter, but they made no more noise than the CRT of a TV.

[Mark McGrath]

I dont know I have been out and about and I can here the Security forces and Army power up from 10-15 feet away (real good ears )

[Torak]

My hearing's pretty good by modern standards (despite being a drummer), but Mamma's is even better - she can actually hear the bats at home.

Anyway, here's the NVGs used by most of the Swedish military: http://www.soldf.com/gn1.html

[woofer]

The first night optics I used used to make a hell of a noise.

At that time the British Army called them IWS (individual weapon sight - I can't find a photo).

It could be mounted on a SLR and latterly the SA80 series but made them a little too heavy to fire accurately without a rest. They have been replaced by the CWS

But those things were noisy. They emitted a high pitched whine when used, and could be heard quite clearly in (or approaching as an 'enemy') ambushes.

But on the up side you could see a lot further with them than the CWS