| jrbarnett |
| (Eyepiece Hooligan) |
| 07/03/09 12:20 AM |
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New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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I received via UPS this afternoon a parcel from Texas Nautical Repair. Inside was a brand new Mewlon 210. I was expecting the new Mewlon between the end of June and the end of July, but I certainly was not expecting it today. Why? Because I haven't yet paid for it.
I ordered the Mewlon from OPT a month or so ago and applied a store credit from a return (about $900) as a down payment. I was, therefore, shocked when the Mewlon arrived at my door. I've sent an e-mail to Mike at OPT asking for the final balance amount, which of course I will pay gladly, but I'm still flabbergasted as to how a $3000 scope gets delivered without having been paid for.
The scope is beautiful. Much larger and heavier than I had expected. The focuser action (moving mirror primary) is like "buttah." It will likely see first light during the O.F.L.I. (local club) annual public star party and dessert social at the Farm. I plan on using it on the glorious deep sky objects of Sagittarius. Man, I hope it's reasonably collimated.
I'll get some pictures up soon. I'm blown away by the build quality. Every bit as nice as a Takahashi refractor.
Regards,
Jim
| Benjamin B |
| (Pooh-Bah) |
| 07/03/09 03:49 AM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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That sounds just like Tak, great quality! I have been looking at this scope for quite some time instead of buying a sct. I hope you can give us a first report soon!
| plyscope |
| (sage) |
| 07/03/09 09:39 AM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Wow Jim!
Looking forward to your thoughts on this one. Clear skies to you!
| hfjacinto |
| (Almost got me) |
| 07/03/09 02:28 PM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Jim,
What is a MEWLON?
| lionel |
| (member) |
| 07/03/09 02:44 PM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Congratulations Jim, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy my Mewlon 250 which I also bought from OPT one year ago. I've had the scope out about 90 times since then (I keep a log) and I still marvel at the quality of the views.
As a guide to mounting requirements the M210 with finder weighs about the same as a C9 (20 lb) and the M250 with finder is the same weight as a C11 ota (28 lbs). I do visual only and I find the M250 is very steady on my Sphinx SXD even in a light breeze.
Looking forward to your first light report.
Lionel
| roadi |
| (professor emeritus) |
| 07/03/09 03:07 PM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Quote:
Wow Jim!
Looking forward to your thoughts on this one. Clear skies to you!
Me too..
By the way, my µ210 rides sturdy and comfotable on a Vixen GpDx mount.
| jrbarnett |
| (Eyepiece Hooligan) |
| 07/03/09 05:38 PM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Howdy.
A "Mewlon" is Takahashi's model name for a proprietary flavor of Dall-Kirkham reflector (a Cassegrain variant). What I really like about the Mewlon is the lack of a corrector plate. This helps with dew prevention and with cool down.
I'll use mine on either an Orion Atlas EQ-G or a Celestron CGE. I'm a purely visual observer and wanted a little more aperture than my old (excellent) Intes-Micro M715 provided because the difference between the 180mm MCT and the 140mm TEC apochromat wasn't really enough. On the other hand, I still wanted something truly portable as I generally travel with at least 2 OTAs and mounts.
I'll update the thread with pictures and hopefully a first light report shortly.
Regards,
Jim
| Jeff Young |
| (Post Laureate) |
| 07/04/09 09:14 AM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Jim --
I think you'll find the CGE overkill for visual. I use my 250 on an AP600, which is more in the Atlas EQ-G class.
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
| hfjacinto |
| (Almost got me) |
| 07/04/09 10:56 AM |
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Re: New Cat and a Whole Lotta Trust...
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Jim,
I look forward to reading your first light report. Have you looked through a regular CAT? I would like to read your thoughts on how the different cats work.