What it is best for

The Asp-Micro TM-160 is the easiest way to get into thermal imaging. It is built for short-to-medium-range night scanning, blood tracking and game recovery after the shot, watching wild boar move around feeders or fields, and general night-time awareness around a property. It is a handheld observation device, not a rifle scope, so it complements your existing optics rather than replacing them.

Key features and specifications

• 160×120 uncooled VOx thermal sensor with under-35 mK NETD for clean contrast in its class
• 6.2 mm F1.1 lens, roughly 15.6° x 11.7° field of view
• Detection range up to ~250 m on a person-sized heat source
• 720×540 LCOS display with a smooth 50 Hz refresh for steady panning
• 1x base magnification with 2x and 4x digital zoom
• Four palettes: white hot, black hot, red hot and fusion
• Hot-spot tracking and built-in distance measurement
• 8 GB onboard memory with photo and video recording
• Wi-Fi hotspot with the AGM Connect app for sharing and remote viewing
• USB-C charging, internal rechargeable battery (around 7 hours), IP67, ~270 g, 3-year warranty

Trade-offs and who it is not for

A 160×120 core is detection-grade rather than identification-grade. Beyond roughly 100 m, you will clearly see that something warm is there, but telling a boar from a deer gets harder, and digital zoom trades away resolution. The battery is internal, so you cannot hot-swap a spare in the field (you can run it from a USB-C power bank instead). If you need to identify game at long range or scan large open areas, consider moving up to a 384 or 640 model.

Pairs well with

• If you a step up in resolution: AGM Taipan TM15-384 Thermal Monocular
• If you see the full range: Thermal Monoculars
• If you not sure which sensor you need: thermal monocular buying guide

FAQ

• How far can the AGM Asp-Micro TM-160 see? It detects a person-sized heat source out to around 250 m. Comfortable identification of what you are looking at is realistic within roughly 100 m.
• Can you use a thermal monocular in daylight? Yes. Thermal works day or night because it reads heat, not light. Contrast is simply lower in the middle of a hot day when surroundings warm up.
• Is a 160×120 sensor good enough for hunting? For short-range scanning, game recovery, and observation, a 160×120 sensor is good enough. For identifying game at longer ranges, you will want a 384 or 640 sensor.
• Does the TM-160 record video? Yes. It records photos and video to 8 GB of internal memory, and you can stream or download via Wi-Fi and the AGM Connect app.

budget thermal monocular for hunting

thermal monocular for wild boar

160×120 thermal monocular