Teradek Ranger Mk II 5000 vs. Teradek Bolt 6 LT MAX

We believe every Bolt 4K or Bolt 6 LT MAX and Ranger HD or Ranger MK II 5000 user ask himself at least once the question, which system is better – Bolt or Ranger?
Well, we did the basic test for you ?

By comparing Bolt 6 LT MAX 1:1 set vs. Ranger MK II 5000 1:1 we tried to answer all the questions as:
Which system is better, more stable, does the price of each device is justified, which picture is better, were are more artefacts, which device re-connects faster, … also comparing weight, dimensions, antenna sizes, various settings, …

The reason why we decided to compare those two units was, the Bolt 6 LT is now state of the art for cine productions in our area and the Ranger Mk II 5000 is one of the most requested broadcast transmission sets.

 
Our transmitter setup:

• 10-2520-V Teradek Ranger Mk II 5000 TX with V-Mounts, 3000ft/914m,
• 2x N-Type 2dBi antennas (Horizontal + Vertical) with 19 dbm EIRP
• 10-2279-V Teradek Bolt 6 LT MAX TX with V-Mounts, 3,000ft/914m
  2x 2dbi antennas (1x flexible H antenna, 1x V antenna)
• Upgrade Innovations Whaley Rail, Clamps, Rudy Arms
• Suction Cups
• Bebob Batteries
• VW Car

Our receiver setup:

• 10-2520-V Teradek Ranger Mk II 5000 RX with V-Mounts, 3000ft/914m,
• 5x 2dbi antennas (2x flexible H antenna, 3x V antenna)
• 10-2279-V Teradek Bolt 6 LT MAX RX with V-Mounts, 3000ft/914m
  5x 2dbi antennas (2x flexible H antenna, 3x V antenna)
• Upgrade Innovations Whaley Rail, Clamps, Rudy Arms
• Suction Cups
• Bebob Batteries
• VW Car
  
  

How we tested:
All transmitter and receives were mounted on the top of the two cars, mounted monitor in the second car to evaluate the signal.
We drove through different environments with different Bolt and Ranger settings, but we kept the Video Quality Setting to Auto.

 *FYI: we used and licensed 6GHz for Bolt and the broadcast frequencies for Ranger for this test.

Tech Specs:

Test Results:

Conclusion:

The Ranger alone makes a very imposing and massive impression with its huge antennas. For driving shots, the Ranger definitely impresses with its more stable connection, less artefact formation and fast re-connection. But we have to mention, that the differences are really small and re-connection differences were in a microsecond range.
In view of the fact that the Bold only works in the “free” frequency band, has much slimmer and lighter design with handy and more flexible antennas, it can definitely keep up.

So it really depends on your production needs and budget which system you should choose.

For more information, please contact Kitty (katharina@cbm-cine.com) a/o Chris (chris@cbm-cine.com).

Thanks to: Gregor Franz, Christian Saure, Kitty Scharinger, MobyDIT, Smart Video Group, Vantage, PSU-4 ...