I really wanted to like the ATN X-Sight 4K Pro...

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10mikemike

Member
Oct 24, 2020
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GA, United States
... Unfortunately the X-Sight 4K Pro does not want to like me. Allow me to count the ways:

  1. Unreliable performance on start up. Will it turn on? Will it just give me a black screen? It's seriously a 50/50 chance that damned thing even starts up properly.
  2. Enough bugs in the system to make me wish they threw a can of Raid in the box instead of an IR illuminator. From the compass that does not work, to the angular sensor that thinks planet Earth is constantly 10 degrees off center the stupid thing just has niggling issues that should not be present for what they charge for the scope.
  3. Firmware updates. See numbers 1 & 2 above. I would not call that a resounding success. 😒
  4. Resolution anywhere north of 10X could be better.
  5. Reticles that don't really tell you any hold-over information of value. ATN offers you a plethora of reticle shapes and colors which all pretty much do the same thing. Honest to goodness MIL-Radian or MOA marks would be MUCH more useful.
    [/LIST=1]

    I just slapped a cheap Bushnell red dot on my 700 mm Impact MKII .30 just to have something topping the gun with which I can take aim until I figure out what to do with the ATN. Part of me wants to send it back to ATN and replace it with a new unit that has all the bugs worked out (and I heard they ship with actual MIL/MOA reticles now). Issues 1, 2, and 3 above are deal-breakers for me, while I can work around issues 4 & 5. The other part of me wants to return it to Optics Planet and get a traditional scope.

    Like I said: I really want to like this optic. The idea of a day/night optic topping off a .30 cal Impact MKII tipped with a DonnyFL Ronin is super appealing. Hell, watching folks on youtube pesting at night is super enjoyable to watch! Sadly reality sometimes never meets expectations.

    Anybody on here run an ATN X-Sight 4K Pro? If so, what has been your experience?
 
I have 2 ATN's, 3x14 and 5x20 and never had a single issue on either one. The smart mil reticle and ballistic laser work like a charm for me. the key to the smart mil is to enter in all information correctly. The scope assumes you are shooting powder for one. secondly if you use the built in rangefinder you must set that part every time. That part messed me up. The other thing is when using the rangefinder the reticle will simply adjust and not give you the holdover. if using the smart mil it will highlight the holdover.

A few tips you may or may not know about. Just trying to help...

In regards to the firmware updates, make sure you never try to open the .bin file, ever ever ever. It will get corrupted and will cause issues even though it might load. Also make sure your sd card is to spec. slower rw speeds will cause issues. Another thing is to reformat the card after a firmware update. simply deleting the .bin file has been reportedly caused issues. Also the compass calibration needs to be done afterwards as well, but off the rifle as you need to turn it on a center. I have noticed that the compass is sensitive to interference like cell phones and even power lines. 

Format the sd card only on the device, not on a computer. If it was a used sd card, totally wipe it with dban (freeware) first. 

You might consider doing a firmware update directly from the computer. 

Recoil activated video will not work with air rifles, even the big bores. 

Did you get a refurb or new? is the correct device selected? After a firmware update all settings have to be set again. makes sure to backup your profile! 



Just a few ideas. Again, mine have both been flawless after the learning curve.






 
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First off I made sure I had a compatible XD card that was not a Chinese knock off of a Chinese product. So in other words I did not buy it, at a bargain price, off of eBay because it's really hard to say what you are getting there. Then I formatted it while in the scope. I then put the latest update on the card and updated the scope. I have never had a problem. I think there are many problems that arise from poor quality cards or not doing the updates correctly.

If you have too many apps going at the same time it puts a huge load on the processor and it will make the unit perform very slowly. I enable only the very minimum of apps needed, for my needs, and once again have never had a problem.
 
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I've gone through 4 ATN 4K Pro 3-14 - all 4 have had issues. For the price the night vision is very nice, but there's no question ATN scopes are plagued with issues. I would never recommend them to anyone looking for a hassle free setup, but for the $$ it works well enough for backyard ratting.

Just be prepared for constant, unexplained freezing.
 
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I own the ATN X-Sight 4 / 4K Pro 5-20 with the 1000 ABL. Latest Firmware installed on this scope = 3.1.12.510

A common issue for this scope is that the user receives the message "SMF" or strong magnetic field which interferes with the compass function. This would obviously impact ballistic calculations for windage so I wanted this resolved. I could not get the SMF to reset even with doing the calibration procedure (rotate in 3 axis) on the rifle - I could not get to the "Cal" message and the scope always indicated SMF.

Finally I had success. Here are the steps:
  1. Remove the scope from the rifle
  2. As you are booting up immediately swing the scope (don't drop it!) in multiple directions wildly. This forced the scope into "Cal".
  3. Once you see Cal, then do the 3 axis rotation immediately = Forward flip, horizontal flip and then rotate on the axis.
Once again I have my magnetic compass back!
I will see if this holds once I put it back on my rifle. I can give an update at a later date. Hope this helps some of you out there. The night vision and ballistic calculations on this scope work very well. (I replaced the IR torch with a stronger torch).
 
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Swiggs said:
I own the ATN X-Sight 4 / 4K Pro 5-20 with the 1000 ABL. Latest Firmware installed on this scope = 3.1.12.510

A common issue for this scope is that the user receives the message "SMF" or strong magnetic field which interferes with the compass function. This would obviously impact ballistic calculations for windage so I wanted this resolved. I could not get the SMF to reset even with doing the calibration procedure (rotate in 3 axis) on the rifle - I could not get to the "Cal" message and the scope always indicated SMF.

Finally I had success. Here are the steps:
  1. Remove the scope from the rifle
  2. As you are booting up immediately swing the scope (don't drop it!) in multiple directions wildly. This forced the scope into "Cal".
  3. Once you see Cal, then do the 3 axis rotation immediately = Forward flip, horizontal flip and then rotate on the axis.
Once again I have my magnetic compass back!
I will see if this holds once I put it back on my rifle. I can give an update at a later date. Hope this helps some of you out there. The night vision and ballistic calculations on this scope work very well. (I replaced the IR torch with a stronger torch).
Click to expand...
I attached the scope to my rifle near a large metal safe and file cabinet and computers and I saw SMF again, but as soon as I walked out to the backyard it showed the correct compass directions. This did not happen before I did the 3 steps above. I think its fixed!
 
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