Tele-Vue Ranger and Manfrotto tripod.

[Chaz2b]

Having only just purchased the Tele-Vue Ranger, I tried it out on my Tele-vue Gibraltar mount. It looked as if I fitted a star finder to the mount, it was lost on it!

I have now fitted it onto my Manfrotto 190x PROb with a pistol style grip and it’s a proper marriage.

The peculiarity of the Ranger if you weren’t aware, is the focuser, unlike the usual rack and pinion or crayford type, the ranger has a push pull arrangement for coarse focusing and a helical focuser for fine tuning, I love it!

 I got use to this focuser very quickly and the fine focus is a gem to use. As you turn it, it is smoooth, as one would expect from Tele-vue, I have the 85 and 101np they both have buttery smooth focusers.

The Ranger shares the same optics as the Pronto, I had a Pronto and can confirm this, however the Pronto was a lot heavier so was better suited to the Gibraltar mount.

why buy an old (1990s) type semi-achromat ? Like those who buy fancy cars, the finish and craftsmanship.

chaz

Edited March 29 by Chaz2b
Added photo

[John]

Very nice - just like the one that I used to own 🙂

[JeremyS]

Nice set up 👍🏻

[Nakedgun]

17 hours ago, Chaz2b said:

 

The peculiarity of the Ranger if you weren’t aware, is the focuser, unlike the usual rack and pinion or crayford type, the ranger has a push pull arrangement for coarse focusing and a helical focuser for fine tuning, I love it!

 

 

~

The draw-tube/helical focusing on the Ranger is also present on several Borg scopes I've owned. I never had an issue with the Borgs, but my Ranger's helical was always rather stiff during cold weather.

Unlike you, I never got on well with the Manfrotto pistol grip head no matter what I had mounted on it, so I adopted their #410 mini geared head for lighter weight optical units.  

Always liked the white Ranger better than green.

 

.

[RT65CB-SWL]

54 minutes ago, Nakedgun said:

Always liked the white Ranger better than green.

 

.

I am the opposite… I prefer the green!

[mikeDnight]

 I almost forgot that I also had a nice little TV Ranger for a while around 2004/5. Mine was the more beautiful green version. I seem to remember selling it for around £70. 

[John]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

 I almost forgot that I also had a nice little TV Ranger for a while around 2004/5. Mine was the more beautiful green version. I seem to remember selling it for around £70. 

I sold mine to Roger Vine - it's the one that he reviews and pictures here:

TeleVue Ranger Review (scopeviews.co.uk)

[NGC 1502]

22 hours ago, Chaz2b said:

 

why buy an old (1990s) type semi-achromat ? Like those who buy fancy cars, the finish and craftsmanship.

chaz

I can answer your question “why buy an old 90s semi achromat”.

I have had my Pronto for many years having bought it second hand at Kelling Heath star party.  Then I bought a used SW ED80.  The ED80 has better glass, but as a double star fan I find it frustrating.  On bright doubles the ED80 shows obvious Airy discs but the first diffraction ring is NOT concentric with the Airy disc. For some this may not bother them but it does bother me greatly, once seen I cannot unsee it😳

The Pronto shows an obvious Airy disc but with absolutely spot on first diffraction ring, perfectly concentric. Quite simply it was put together with great care and attention. I find it very satisfying to use and that’s why I love it to bits!!

I wouldn’t mind a TV85 with better glass and with a similar build quality. They are expensive compared with mass produced scopes for a reason😊

Ed.

 

 

 

[John]

One thing I found about the Ranger is that the objective lens is really well polished and figured. It performed as well as a 70mm aperture refractor can be expected to perform IMHO. The colour correction of mine was about the same as a good F/10 - F/12 achromat.

 

[Chaz2b]

8 hours ago, Nakedgun said:

~

The draw-tube/helical focusing on the Ranger is also present on several Borg scopes I've owned. I never had an issue with the Borgs, but my Ranger's helical was always rather stiff during cold weather.

 

I may well have bought a Ranger that has been regreased, okay, I’ve only used it so far indoors and it’s mild weather here, only time will tell if it stiffens up.

I also like it in white! My pronto was in green, I wasn’t a fan of that colour.

chaz

.

 

[mikeDnight]

4 hours ago, John said:

I sold mine to Roger Vine - it's the one that he reviews and pictures here:

TeleVue Ranger Review (scopeviews.co.uk)

I love Roger's Scopeviews reviews. I've sometimes wondered what Scope Views would be like if I did the reviews? The idea even makes me cringe! I suspect the site would need to have the warning "Not For Those Of A Sensitive Disposition"!

[John]

2 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I love Roger's Scopeviews reviews. I've sometimes wondered what Scope Views would be like if I did the reviews? The idea even makes me cringe! I suspect the site would need to have the warning "Not For Those Of A Sensitive Disposition"!

Putting reviews out there can be a fraught business. Ed Ting is getting some flack for his latest on the SeeStar 50 I see 🙄