Owner's manual

Operating Guide
32 Elkay Dr., Chester, New York 10918 [phone]. televue.com
Tele Vue
®
Visionary
600mm f/7
2-ELEMENT APO REFRACTOR
Thank you for purchasing the Tele Vue- 85. We hope it brings great enjoyment to your observing
experience. The wonderfully versatile hand-built 3-1/3” aperture telescope features a diffraction limited,
600mm focal length, f/7 APO doublet objective which delivers razor sharp images sure to please you
for years to come and wherever you observing interests lead you.
WARNING: NEVER try to look at the sun or point the telescope toward or near the sun without
professional solar observing equipment rigidly secured in front of the objective lens. When
observing the sun with the proper filters, use only the Tele Vue “Sol-Searcher” (SSF-1006) for
finding the Sun. Remove any other finding devices such as Starbeam from the telescope. Instant
and permanent eye damage may result from viewing the sun directly, even during a solar eclipse, or when
viewing through thin clouds, or when the sun is near the horizon.
Standard features of the optical tube assembly (O.T.A.) include: sliding dew shield, screw-on cover, 2”
rack and pinion focuser, and custom padded carrying bag. The Tele Vue- 85 package also includes a
2” Everbrite diagonal, 2” to 1¼” adapter, Ring Mount, Telescope Balance Adapter, and Plössl eyepiece.
Mounting - The Tele Vue Ring Mount permits mounting to the Tele Vue Gibraltar, Panoramic, and
Tele-Pod mounts, or heavy duty camera tripods. Tele Vue also has adapter plates to allow attachment on
specific equatorial mounts (consult your Tele Vue dealer).
Finders - For night use, we recommend the Starbeam reflex sight (SFT-2003) to complement the wide field
of the telescope. The Starbeam attaches to the Ring Mount and can be left in place when the scope is
stored in its case.
Use the Qwik-Point (part # QBT-1006) for daytime spotting. It’s beam is bright enough for use in
even bright sunlight. However it is too bright for nighttime use.
Terrestrial Viewing Considerations - Indeed, the Cornell Ornithology Lab comparison reported the Tele
Vue-85 as having the finest optics for birding.
The Tele Vue 55mm Plössl or 41mm Panoptic in a 2” diagonal will provide a 4.4° true field. This
can serve as a finder, for rich field viewing or for terrestrial use. (Image is upright, but left-right reversed
using diagonal mirrors.)
Tele Vue developed the 1¼” 60° Everbrite Diagonal (part# DPC-6012) specifically for terrestrial
observers who appreciate the highest levels of image performance. The 60° angle is far more comfortable
for terrestrial observing than the standard 90°, and the 99% reflective Everbrite dielectric coating gives the
truest color rendition of any mirror or prism, and is sharpest at the highest powers.
For correct left-right viewing, use the Tele Vue 45° erector (part# AMI-0011). Barlows, Powermates
and Bino Vue are not recommended with the 45° erector. For 1¼” diagonals and prisms, the 32mm Plössl
or 24mm Panoptic offer the maximum field. 2.6° at 19x and 25x respectively.
If you use the telescope in a harsh environment such as at a beach where sand, mud and salt spray
are present, or for birding, you may wish to use a 95mm clear filter for protection, while using the telescope.
It is available from camera dealers, and simply screws onto the lens cell in place of the cover. These filters
are generally not used for astronomy as they can degrade optical quality.
Tele Vue -85
®