What is this viewing device being used in the mid-'70s from a helicopter?

FloridaMike67 · December 9, 2023

Edit: Well, I kept searching and found a page online about them with plenty of pics. It's here: https://www.monocular.info/soc10x20x50mark1610.htm. I suppose this can be deleted if so desired. Thanks for accommodating me. Best regards, Mike.

Okay, I know this is a screenshot from a tv show, but it's from the no-nonsense or fantasy gadget show ADAM-12 and I can pretty much guarantee it's a real, functional item used by Los Angeles law enforcement helicopter personnel back then since the show's producers worked closely with L.A. law enforcement. The episode is from 1974. The helicopter pilot character referred to the device as "binoculars" and mentioned battery and gyro, the latter of which presumably means it had some type of internal mechanism including a gyroscope that enabled a steadier view at distance. I suppose that answers the basic question in the title, but it would be nice to have that confirmed and I'm also curious about the details and am wondering if any of you know everything this does; if maybe it's a camera as well as a magnifying device (it was being used in daylight), who made it, when it was brought into service, how long it was in service, how much it helped, that kind of thing. Maybe even if any of you actually used one. I was born in '67 as my username hints at and watched the show as a kid and streamed some recently and saw this item. Hope I'm not breaking any rules or guidelines with this. Thanks for your help.