Re: Rare Amateur Telescopes
- From: "RMOLLISE" <rmollise@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 30 Dec 2006 07:21:33 -0800
Hi Yellow-Meanie (_sorry_, but what else do I _call_ you? ;-)):
Wow, what a pleasure to read an article that's actually about _amateur
astromomy_! :-)
1. No, I don't see many of the old Cass-dogs any more either--the Caves
and the homebrew classical Casses made with that famous and ubiquitous
Coulter mirror set--but I do see plenty of Mewlons...yeah, I know a DK
ain't a classical Cass...but...in the family, anyway. Not to mention
quite a few of their close relatives, the Ritcheys.
2. The Quantums (any size)? Not that common at star parties or anywhere
else--not that many were made, really--but I've seen several used a
couple, and a buddy of mine owned a mint example at one time.
Admittedly, I probably go to quite a few more star parties a year than
the average bear, of course. Quantums are still out there for those who
want them and want to give them some TLC. That said, your money is
probably better spent on a modern MCT. Once you separate that
bedraggled Quantum from its owner with some $$$ and spend what you need
to spend to restore it (including your time), you probably coulda had a
Titanium Seven.
3. The old Meade EDs? Bad? Their owners _ashamed_? No, not necessarily.
I suspect you probably haven't looked through as many as I have. Most
have fine optics. Surprising for the rather modest price. If there's a
huge fault it's their _focusers_. The focusers on the Synta 6-inch f/8
achromats are worlds better. What the heck was Meade thinking?
4. 60s refractors. These are around. One TSP, I was setup across from a
Unitron 4-inch Photoequatorial and it was setup next to the Meade
analog. The scopes were nearly identical mechanically, but the
genu-wine Unitron seemed considerably better optically. I've got one
(the Meade) sitting in my store room at the (physics) department. I
ought to clean 'er up, drag 'er out, and see what she'll do. Maybe I'll
get around to it this year. ;-) I guar-ton-tee not many Unitrons are
gathering dust in attics if their owners are on the ball. Have you seen
what the above-mentioned 4-inch Photoequatorial will command on the
used market? Sheesh! Nice scopes, and I always kinda-sorta wanted one,
but a modern Chinese APO will leave them eating DUST!
5. Amen. I don't remember the last time I saw a Cave or an Edmund or a
Starliner on a star party field--in their original configuration,
anyway. I occasionally see an OTA that has been converted to a dob or
put on a better mount.
As far as what you DO see...
All that matches what I see, but I'll add that there are still plenty
of truss tube bigdobs out there. They are probably not as common as
they once were due to the escalating prices of big optics, but I still
see plenty of Obsessions, Starmasters, and, especially down yonder in
Chiefland, StarStructures.
Also, I don't know which Nexstars you're referring to, but I know my
NS11 hardly emits the sound of "grinding gears" you refer to. Even
under full slew it is very quiet. That goes even for the little SEs,
surprisingly. At least when they are compared to their Blue brothers.
;-)
Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of:
Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope
and
The Urban Astronomer's Guide
<http://skywatch.brainiac.com/astroland>
Mean Mr Mustard wrote:
Scopes rarely (maybe never!) seen at star parties or in the
classifieds:
1. Any Classical Cassegrain - Occasionally I'll see a CN212, but beyond
that I don't think these things actually exist.
2. Quantum 6 - These are sort of like the old Porsche Spyders. Seen
pics but never in the wild.
3. Meade 178ED and its sibling the 152ED - I think the owners hide
these out of embarrassment.
4. Any of the big long focus 4"+ refractors of yore (Jaegers, Unitron,
EdScorp, Tasco) - Gathering dust in attics.
5. Old clock driven GEM mounted Newts - I use to see these all the
time, but now they are becoming a site.
Most common scopes:
1. Celestron NexStars - These things have absolutely taken over the
battlefield. Just a sea of goto and grinding gears.
2. Orion, Celestron and other commercially made dobs
3. ATM dobs
4. Meade and Celestron fork mounted SCTs
5. Meade ETXs - These seem to be falling out of favor.
.
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