BarabinoSr
sage
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 316
Loc: Slidell La
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Hello Everyone! Have you ever thought about the path you took to get your classic? Who was that person that said 'Hey look at this scope!'or hey man check this out ?,and you managed to beat out many bidders to get it,or amazingly a good deal was there for you? Many of us found them on our own,but there are those persons that helped some of us along. I'd like to give kudos to CNer and protege Mel Dawson who have linked me to many of my accessories and has been directly responsible for me to beat out many bidders on the bay to obtain an excellent STAR LINER GEM with 2 inch steel shafts,that is part of a soon to be constructed 12 f/5.6 telescope system as an example. Other items I got include the the TASCO 11TR and CELESTAR 8 Fork Mount. Someone in the Pontchartrain Astronomy Society who knew my affinity for classics gave me his childhood TASCO 9TE Starbright 60mm,(pic)and I have helped Mel as well. Who helped you when you were not in position to get a special instrument or rare accessory?G
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12"GSO f/5.3" Newtonian Reflector 10" Meade LX-50 Fork Mounted Schmidt-Cassegrain
8" Hardin f/6 Newtonian reflector
6" Konus f/8 Refractor,Yulin 5"f/9 refractor,
4.5"TASCO Luminova f/9 Newtonian Reflector 4.5"TASCO 11TR(Lunagrosso) Red reflector
90mm Meade f/11 refractor,Tasco 10TE 76mm 1200mm f/l Refractor
60mm TASCO 7TE-5 1000mm f/16.7 Refractor 60mm TASCO 9TE 700mm f/l refractor
60mm TASCO 9TE-0 710mm f/l Refractor 50mm-TASCO 6TE-5 600mm f/l Refractor
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tim53
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 1443
Loc: Highland Park, CA
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I can't think of any specifics like that, that I've experienced...
but it did occur to me as I woke up this morning that, if Royal Astro Optical had made a folded refractor, Mayflower could have badged it "The Mayflower Compact" 
-Tim.
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"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
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woodsman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 1072
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO
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James Elser for alerting me to the Sears 90mm that I now own. It was a terrific find, but someone else would own it had it not been for James finding it first. Thanks James! 
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artisticwoods
C-14 Orange Tube, C-8, C-5, C-90 Astro Model, C8 Schmidt Camera 8" f1.5, C5.5 Schmidt Camera f1.65, SPI 42mm f/19 Refractor, Sears 90mm f/15.56 Ref, Sears 80mm f/15 Ref, Swift 77mm f/13 Model 831, Scope 60mm f/11.7, Sears 50mm f/12
Unitron Model 140 75mm/1200mm, Unitron model 128 60mm/900mm
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akman1955
sage
Reged: 09/07/09
Posts: 362
Loc: Alaska, USA
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 i just kept buying and reading astronomy magazines and druwld over ad's in early 70's. then bought small tasco like 2nd one preston sold. alway's admired unitron and around 1980 bought 4" compact refractor so i guess i was self starter 
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Posts: 4034
Loc: ohio
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Jae: 6333-A
Jae: 9TE5
Jae/Preston: 7TE5
Scott: Comet Catcher
Brian: 11T
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102mm Celestron C102HD
Tasco 7TE5 60mm Classic
Tasco 9TE5 60mm Classic
Celestron Ultima 2000 SCT
Remains of an 8 inch dob
Celestron Comet catcher(orange tube)
1960 Edscorp Space Conquerer 6inch f/8
10x50 Bushnell Binoculars.
11T 4.5 inch Tasco reflector Lunograsso?
60mm Telescope Club
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woodsman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 1072
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO
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Quote:
I can't think of any specifics like that, that I've experienced...
but it did occur to me as I woke up this morning that, if Royal Astro Optical had made a folded refractor, Mayflower could have badged it "The Mayflower Compact"
-Tim.
Very clever!
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artisticwoods
C-14 Orange Tube, C-8, C-5, C-90 Astro Model, C8 Schmidt Camera 8" f1.5, C5.5 Schmidt Camera f1.65, SPI 42mm f/19 Refractor, Sears 90mm f/15.56 Ref, Sears 80mm f/15 Ref, Swift 77mm f/13 Model 831, Scope 60mm f/11.7, Sears 50mm f/12
Unitron Model 140 75mm/1200mm, Unitron model 128 60mm/900mm
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Preston Smith
Military Observer
Reged: 04/24/05
Posts: 3437
Loc: Eureka, Pa
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Quote:
...but it did occur to me as I woke up this morning that, if Royal Astro Optical had made a folded refractor, Mayflower could have badged it "The Mayflower Compact"
-Tim.
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Preston
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26
SV115T,NHII,SV70,SV50 and Tele Vue Ranger
Vintage Refractors: Asahi-Pentax, Edmund Scientific, Tasco, Unitron
60mm Telescope Club
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Preston Smith
Military Observer
Reged: 04/24/05
Posts: 3437
Loc: Eureka, Pa
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It all started here.
I started reading and then.....
Tony White hooked me up with a Unitron 114
Jae hooked me up with a Tasco 10TE OTA
I sorta learned about the Tasco 7TE-5 and started going after all of them!
Jon Siple has been my faithful scout. Because of his alerts I must of bagged at least four scopes.
And of course, going after and getting my father's Unitron back from the college. 
And now I'm selling off some of mine! Time to bring more converts into the fold!
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Preston
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26
SV115T,NHII,SV70,SV50 and Tele Vue Ranger
Vintage Refractors: Asahi-Pentax, Edmund Scientific, Tasco, Unitron
60mm Telescope Club
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aa5te
Genial Procrastinator
Reged: 08/30/08
Posts: 427
Loc: Clinton, TN
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Craig Slist helped me with my two.
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Shane
Binos: Apogee 25x100 / Burgess Optical 25x100 / Pentax 20x60 PCF WP / Tasco InFocus 10x50
Tripods: Sunpak PlatinumPlus Ultra 7500TM / Quickset Samson
Refractors: Meade DS-2102AT-TC 102mm f/7.8; Sears Discoverer 3 (4454) 80mm f/15; Jason 313 Discoverer 60mm f/15.2
Reflectors (Dob): Hardin Optical DSH10 10" f/5
EP's: Zoom: Zhumell 8-24mm & Circle K 7.5-22.5mm 0.965"; 9-52mm Plössls; Zhumell 2x barlow
Kodak Z760; Orion SteadyPix camera mount; Orion LaserMate Deluxe Collimator
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JamesE
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/22/07
Posts: 1112
Loc: Westbank, BC, Canada
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I bought my first scope ever (a 60mm Mayflower) from a garage sale just over 2 years ago. Did a Google search for my model and found CN.
From there I learned.......
- That the condition of my Mayflower was abused (AUGH)
- how to repair/restore my abused Mayflower (Oh yeah)
- What scopes everyone was raving about (Ooooh)
- Started frantically searching on the Net (YES!)
- Could only post here as shipping would kill me (AUGH again!)
- Saw fine folks like Rich get fine scopes (jealous but happy)
- Realized, that I could not own every classic scope on the earth (depressed)
- Finally Found a rare classic scope that I can truly call my own (Zen)
Sincerely, it was this forum and the generosity of most of the folks here that got me hooked. As always, I am in your debt and I hope that at some point I can return the favor.
Nice thread BTW.
Cheers,
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James
(Thanks to Attilla for the Clear Sky charts)
Current Projects : Tasco 15TEA - 3 inch pier mounted planetary scope
Priorities : Wife, Kids
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woodsman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 1072
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO
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James,
How's the 15TEA coming? When you get a chance post some photos of the progress. We're all getting anxious!  
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artisticwoods
C-14 Orange Tube, C-8, C-5, C-90 Astro Model, C8 Schmidt Camera 8" f1.5, C5.5 Schmidt Camera f1.65, SPI 42mm f/19 Refractor, Sears 90mm f/15.56 Ref, Sears 80mm f/15 Ref, Swift 77mm f/13 Model 831, Scope 60mm f/11.7, Sears 50mm f/12
Unitron Model 140 75mm/1200mm, Unitron model 128 60mm/900mm
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akman1955
sage
Reged: 09/07/09
Posts: 362
Loc: Alaska, USA
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 Jame's ,I hear you on shipping Getting all my scopes from out of state. (my case seem's too be out of country) When time come's too sell i'll take a beating  just shipping out of here. BUT, been mighty enjoyable hobby and friends john 
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JamesE
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/22/07
Posts: 1112
Loc: Westbank, BC, Canada
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Hey Rich,
Well, unfortunately, it's not coming along right now. The last post I made on it was the last time I have had a chance to work at it.
I actually have to clear a few things off my plate before I can work on it. And I have to get my 10TE's case back in order, to make room for the 15TEA, and that alone has a few issues I need an extended period of time to to troubleshoot.
I know I have left everyone hanging and I apologize, I feel a bit bad, but that is life for me right now. Don't worry, I will be sharing my progress as I do this but unfortunately, I have had to put my time into other areas.
Thanks though for the continued interest.
Cheers,
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James
(Thanks to Attilla for the Clear Sky charts)
Current Projects : Tasco 15TEA - 3 inch pier mounted planetary scope
Priorities : Wife, Kids
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Happy-Idiot
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/06/06
Posts: 2802
Loc: 3rd Rock
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Years ago i placed an ad on a local radio station for a telescope. I had one phone response from a Gentleman, i will call him Bill W as to keep him "anonymous" ,he said he had a telescope and wanted $50 for it. He told me it was old and he didn't know its worth. I told him i was at work but would like to meet him later that afternoon to see it, so we agreed to a 5 o'clock meeting. I would have to take a ferry to the island he lived on so it was a bit of an adventure. As 4 o.clock rolled around i realized i was running late with work and i was going to miss our 5pm transaction, so i called him. The conversation started off with an apology, he understood, and being the talker that i am we wound up on jobs, spouses, kids, and troubles. Before i knew it 30 minutes had passed and the conversation was directed strictly on my troubles. He told me he needed to come into town later that night so he would be taking the ferry over anyway so we could meet at 8pm and he would bring the scope plus he said it would be free. I insisted on paying him
even though i wasn't even sure what kind of scope it was yet.
I met him on the dock at 8:05, he had the scope in his Jeep and brought it out on the hood to get a better look. He was right it was an old scope, i was looking for a newer scope with more apeture but i didn't want to insult him.
To distract him from my dislike of the scope i struck up another conversation. We talked for another hour about many things, and after the night was over i had a new friend, actually millions of new friends.
Bill W gave me the telescope and a new life. Even though i haven't talked to Bill for many years he helped me with my troubles and will always be a friend, myself and my family owe him a lifetime of gratitude.
The scope he gave me was a 4" dynascope, that scope brought me to CN's years later and the rest is history. I am now a happy healthy guy with many classic scopes. Even though it wasn't the greatest performing scope with somewhat fuzzy views it help me see some problems clearer. Now i can focus on things that are important to me. (i hope i didn't pour it on too thick)
I know this little story may seem confusing but i don't want to offend anyone or break any TOS, so please excuse my vagueness. Great topic for a post and thank you for letting me share my "who hooked me up with my first Classic".
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Brian
A small scope that gets used often is a better investment than a big scope that stays in the closet.
Unitrons, you spend more time looking at them than you do through them.
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wfj
sage
Reged: 01/10/08
Posts: 259
Loc: California, Santa Cruz County
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For a while it was a bit like "The Maltese Falcon", but slightly different - "Everyone keeps giving me scopes".
I'd clean and fix them, then move them on. After a while CL became a source of broken scopes to acquire parts to fix with, which led to many interest people and stories. And having many more little scopes than I could ever imagine using before.
Enjoyed your story Brian. I too have spent many an hour learning and listening.
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Doug76
Postmaster
Reged: 12/05/07
Posts: 5543
Loc: SE Louisiana, future Texan
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Patricko kept telling me about them, and so I started looking, then found Sheldon had parts to build them, so it was my two best buds here, Patricko & Sheldon.
And I've been enjoying the scopes ever since.
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Doug
Truckstop Astronomer
The Universe, the light of God, in all it's majesty
6 achro refractors 50mm-150mm
1 apo refractor 90mm
1 SCT 8inch
UO Abbe Volcano Tops
Faworski Ortho's
Panoptic 24mm
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Preston Smith
Military Observer
Reged: 04/24/05
Posts: 3437
Loc: Eureka, Pa
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Quote:
...And I've been enjoying the scopes ever since.
So Doug, do you wanna buy that scope now? 
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Preston
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26
SV115T,NHII,SV70,SV50 and Tele Vue Ranger
Vintage Refractors: Asahi-Pentax, Edmund Scientific, Tasco, Unitron
60mm Telescope Club
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akman1955
sage
Reged: 09/07/09
Posts: 362
Loc: Alaska, USA
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 Good story Brian! That's what all hobby's are about..the comradery and friendship. (hope i spelled that right  ) After years of listoning in background on cloudy nights I have learned alot. Also marveled at scope's and acomplishment's /story's all you told  Thanks too all! John..
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mustgobigger
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/12/07
Posts: 2421
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and on the lighter side:
PAYPAL
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RV-6
Meade 826
Meade 880 Deluxe
Unitron's 114,128,140,142,150,152,155,160
4" Jaegertron
4.5" A.E f/14 Refractor
4" f/15 Edmund's Refractor
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akman1955
sage
Reged: 09/07/09
Posts: 362
Loc: Alaska, USA
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Yes that too 
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deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2926
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My Dad, Christmas 1970, I was 10 Sears Discoverer 76mm.
-drl
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Littlegreenman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/09/05
Posts: 1364
Loc: Southern California
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CN member Davela. Around 1992 I received in the mail my choice of a fee subscription to one or 3 magazines for some reason. On a whim I picked Astronomy. My first impression was that it had a lot of promotion for equipment. Oh, if I only knew. The more I read the more I thought I should get a telescope. As a boy I had had a Gilbert reflector. I didn't see much more than the moon and the sun on a paper projection funnel, and an eclipse! But it was fun.
I had a friend who introduced me to CN member Davela. Davela had been a serious amatuer astronomer as a boy. He sold me an orange C8 around 1995-6. At the time I picked it up he also showed me a Tasco refractor. 60 or 76mm? At the time Tasco had a poor reputation, and older Japanese refractors had poor reputations. But, Davela knew....in fact he told me that one they they would become collectible!
He steered me around 2001 to buying a Tasco 60mm F/15. Since then I've owned several 60mm, 80mm, and even a Vixen 90mm achro. All have been sold-off to buy the next toy.
The Vixen 90mm, an f/11 if I remember right, was an eBay find around 2003. I it sold to a fellow CNer. I think it was branded Vixen, but could have been branded Orion. Although read on. It was white with green trim, and took 0.965 diagonal and eyepieces. That would argue against Orion, who tended to want at least 1.25" by the time they were the Vixen distributor. I was able to find a 1.25" piece that threaded right in. Based appearance and style, my guess is this was late 80's to early 90's, another argument against Orion, which started carrying Vixen around 1994 to early 2000's. The mount was also green, and represented the missing link between the larger EQ mounts and the Vixen Polaris. Which also is a point against Orion, who would have probably matched this with a Polaris mount. Okay, pre-Orion. The tube was very lightweight. That is one thing I think Vixen does right, is keep tube lightweight. This allowed for a lighter mount. Wish I still had it.
I guess I will just have to do with my Vixen/Orion 4" Fluorite. Sigh
Optically that 90mm was very nice, one of the best acrhomats I ever looked through.
Although a 60mm f/20 I looked through had zero color on planets.
Littlegreenman
Edited by Littlegreenman (10/29/09 02:18 AM)
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dawsonian2000
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/26/06
Posts: 552
Loc: Riverview, FL, USA
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Hello Stargazers,
Though Gary Barabino credits me for pointing him to a few of his classics, he was instrumental and pointing me in the direction of my most recently purchased Tasco 7te-5 refractor on CN. He was also helpful in providing me with a cradle for my Tasco 11te-5; a hard to find item.
Mel
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Clear Skies, Forever!
The Vega Sky Center
10" (254mm) F/5.65 Home Built Fork Mounted Newtonian Reflector
5" (127mm) F/9.4 Home Built Refractor (under construction)
3.5" (90mm) F/11.1 "Vixen-Spec Modified" Konus Refractor
3.1" (80mm) F/6 Scopos ED APO Refractor
4.5" (114mm) F/8 Tasco 11te-5 Newtonian (under restoration)
2.4" (60mm) F/16.7 Tasco 7te-5 Refractor
2.4" (60mm) F/15 Jason Discoverer 313 Refractor
http://www.vega-sky-center.com
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grendel
sage
Reged: 04/12/09
Posts: 243
Loc: Canterbury, Kent, UK
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I think it has been this forum and you guys here who have been instrumental in getting my interest going, I have always liked small scopes and it seems the older ones are the better quality, so here I am.
Grendel
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RLTYS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/18/04
Posts: 2149
Loc: New York (Long Island)
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My parents, a Tasco 6TE-5, Christmas 1967.
Rich (RLTYS)
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10" F4.8 Refl.
4" F5 Refr. (Genesis)
3" F4 Celestron FirstScope
50mm F12 Refr. (Tasco #6TE-5)
12x63 and 10x50 Binoculars.
"I want to do more then just look."
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Doug76
Postmaster
Reged: 12/05/07
Posts: 5543
Loc: SE Louisiana, future Texan
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Quote:
Quote:
...And I've been enjoying the scopes ever since.
So Doug, do you wanna buy that scope now?
Nope. Got the 60mm f/11.7 Carton, the 60mm f/16.7 Carton, and the 80mm f/15 Carton. Down the road I will add the 100mm f/13 Carton.
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Doug
Truckstop Astronomer
The Universe, the light of God, in all it's majesty
6 achro refractors 50mm-150mm
1 apo refractor 90mm
1 SCT 8inch
UO Abbe Volcano Tops
Faworski Ortho's
Panoptic 24mm
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4567
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Quote:
Hello Everyone! Have you ever thought about the path you took to get your classic? Who was that person that said 'Hey look at this scope!'or hey man check this out ?,and you managed to beat out many bidders to get it
I'm accumulating quite a few (don't tell Miss Dorothy), and, frankly, they just seem to walk into my life. I ain't paid a dime for one yet, including my RV-6. People see my website, or call the club and get my name, or contact the Physics Department and get directed to me with these poor little orphan scopes that need a good home. Is it a blessing or a curse? I ain't sure yet.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Chuck Faranda
super member
Reged: 03/31/07
Posts: 140
Loc: Florida
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[quote
I'm accumulating quite a few (don't tell Miss Dorothy), and, frankly, they just seem to walk into my life. I ain't paid a dime for one yet, including my RV-6. People see my website, or call the club and get my name, or contact the Physics Department and get directed to me with these poor little orphan scopes that need a good home. Is it a blessing or a curse? I ain't sure yet.
Okay now, as a person who hunts then pays handsome ransoms for these things, this post was just totally out of line and unnecessary!
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Regards,
Chuck Faranda
See my vintage scopes at http://ccdastro.com/vintage.html
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tim53
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 1443
Loc: Highland Park, CA
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Quote:
Quote:
Hello Everyone! Have you ever thought about the path you took to get your classic? Who was that person that said 'Hey look at this scope!'or hey man check this out ?,and you managed to beat out many bidders to get it
Uncle Rod:
I'm accumulating quite a few (don't tell Miss Dorothy), and, frankly, they just seem to walk into my life. I ain't paid a dime for one yet, including my RV-6. People see my website, or call the club and get my name, or contact the Physics Department and get directed to me with these poor little orphan scopes that need a good home. Is it a blessing or a curse? I ain't sure yet.
Do you have call forwarding on your phone contract?
-Tim.
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"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
Edited by tim53 (10/29/09 08:07 PM)
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Posts: 4034
Loc: ohio
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Quote:
Is it a blessing or a curse? I ain't sure yet.
depends on what yah do with them, if you find good homes for em , and give em back for the same thing you payed for, em nothing, then its a blessing.
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102mm Celestron C102HD
Tasco 7TE5 60mm Classic
Tasco 9TE5 60mm Classic
Celestron Ultima 2000 SCT
Remains of an 8 inch dob
Celestron Comet catcher(orange tube)
1960 Edscorp Space Conquerer 6inch f/8
10x50 Bushnell Binoculars.
11T 4.5 inch Tasco reflector Lunograsso?
60mm Telescope Club
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Steve_M_M
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 06/09/04
Posts: 976
Loc: Moorpark, CA
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Clint Whitman hooked me up with the 6" f15 Goto Observatory scope. If someday you meet Clint, and have A LOT of time, be sure to ask him about the story. Quite interesting.
My prior herd of scope was all acquired prior to CN...ahh, the old days...lots of inexpensive acquisitions. But wait! There was No one to talk with them about. Hey, I love Cloudynights!
Steve
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1956 Goto Optical 6" f15 Observatory Refractor
From the Titan Observatory as featured in S&T 1957-1959
&
1961 Nishimura 6" Reflector
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BarabinoSr
sage
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 316
Loc: Slidell La
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Perhaps Clint could tell us who directed or aimed him toward some of the great scopes in his collection or how he finds them.I've always admired the ones I've seen in his posts.Gary(G)
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12"GSO f/5.3" Newtonian Reflector 10" Meade LX-50 Fork Mounted Schmidt-Cassegrain
8" Hardin f/6 Newtonian reflector
6" Konus f/8 Refractor,Yulin 5"f/9 refractor,
4.5"TASCO Luminova f/9 Newtonian Reflector 4.5"TASCO 11TR(Lunagrosso) Red reflector
90mm Meade f/11 refractor,Tasco 10TE 76mm 1200mm f/l Refractor
60mm TASCO 7TE-5 1000mm f/16.7 Refractor 60mm TASCO 9TE 700mm f/l refractor
60mm TASCO 9TE-0 710mm f/l Refractor 50mm-TASCO 6TE-5 600mm f/l Refractor
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Dan /schechter
sage
Reged: 12/21/06
Posts: 365
Loc: Long Beach, Calif.
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My daughter`s soccer teamate`s dad. I was standing next to him at a soccer match just talking and I found out he made his living going to swap meats and antique shows while he wasn`t managing his antique mall. At the time, I only knew of one significant antique telescope maker, Alvan Clark and Sons, and told him that if he ever came across a telescope with that label, buy it and I`ll buy it from him. Well, wouldn`t you know it, the very next week he said he saw one. The owner wanted $1000 and he did not feel comfortable paying that much for a telescope he did not know was genuine or not. He offered $600 and the owner turned him down. It was sold before the next swap meet. I decided I needed to learn more about Alvan Clark and Sons telescopes so I could educate him on what to look for. That led to me buying and reading the Clark bible, "Artists in Optics". By the time I finished that book, I decided I wanted to own one and that led to my journey of watching Ebay, joining Cloudy NIghts and the Antique Telescope Society. I learned a lot along the way and this knowledge led to the many different telescopes I now am proud to say I own. I also read the book, "The Man Who Loved the Stars" which is John A. Brashear`s autobiography and by the time I finished it, I wanted to own a Brashear telescope.
The moral of the story is to talk to soccer dads. You`ll never know where that leads to.
Dan
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Siderea
Astronomess
Reged: 11/21/05
Posts: 2066
Loc: Left Coast
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Quote:
Bill W gave me the telescope and a new life.... myself and my family owe him a lifetime of gratitude.
Now i can focus on things that are important to me. (i hope i didn't pour it on too thick)
Great topic for a post and thank you for letting me share my "who hooked me up with my first Classic".
Brian, This has to be one of the most heartening astronomy stories Ive heard. An hour with the stars and a small scope eases the cares of the world better than most diversions, and astronomers are some of the sanest, smartest and most genial of souls...
I purchased my first classic scope off of Ebay, then wandered in here......
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lc Carol
..."Then the blue above grows darker and a million stars erupt
From the places where they hide throughout the day
Into pictures in the heavens even we cannot corrupt
And the vastnesses of time can't wash away..."Jeff Green
60mm Telescope Club
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Happy-Idiot
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/06/06
Posts: 2802
Loc: 3rd Rock
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Thank you Carol. I know the story is a bit confusing and i kept him anonymous but giving him the name Bill W wasn't a random thought. Google or Wikipedia "Bill W" and maybe the story will make a little more sense.
BTW he turned me on to classics but it is the great members of CN's that kept me hooked.
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Brian
A small scope that gets used often is a better investment than a big scope that stays in the closet.
Unitrons, you spend more time looking at them than you do through them.
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SATMAN
sage
Reged: 12/02/07
Posts: 276
Loc: NJ 39.7 lat., -74.3 long
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Steve aka littlegreenman,
I have one of those Vixen Custom 90 Alti-az mounter refractors, I believe Celestron advertised and imported them around the time of the Gulf War 1991, I got mine from Orion I believe at the time Orion was selling them for about $500.00 They were all metal the only plastic was the focusing knobs ( I replaced mine with Metal ones, after market ones from Orion) ( you can also still get the screwin 1-1/4" eyepiece adapter from Vixen) I still have the origional order / shipping form ,Sept, 1991,
My first exposure to a classic was as a grade school kid , A guy in Beach Haven New Jersey used to keep a 4" Tinsley Refractor on his second floor porch I remember seeing it every day from the school bus. Years later I aquired this scope from the mans son who I used to work with, It was in horrid shape, The lense was shot and the metal and tripod had seen better days, I was left outside exposed to the elements. I broke down the assembles stripped the paint off repainted it and installed a new Edmond Scientic 4" objective, the only eyepieces i had were Edmond RKE's This was all done in the dark pre internet days of the 1980's, Sky & Telescope and the library,s copy of Amateur Telescope Making helped fill in the information I needed , I will post about this scope in the Classics forum I have recently found the Digitised Photos that I took in 1983.
Gary
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CELESTRON/VIXEN C102 GP REFRACTOR
CELESTRON SUPER C8 PLUS
VIXEN 90 CUSTOM REFRACTOR ALTAZ. MOUNT
QUESTAR 3.5 STANDARD POWER GUIDE II ON TRISTAND
CORONADO PST DOUBLE STACKED
BRANDON 94mm f/7 ON VIXEN POLARIS MOUNT
VIXEN PORTA MOUNT, QUARTER HALF HITCH MOUNT
BRANDON EYEPIECE SET (circa 1986) 8,12,16,24,32, 2.4X DAKIN BARLOW
VARIOUS NAGLERS 3-6 ZOOM,7,9,11,13,16,24PANOPTIC
ETHOS 6mm, 10mm
ZEISS 10X40B/GA T*P* BINOCULARS
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David E
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/25/06
Posts: 3020
Loc: North Carolina
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Quote:
Quote:
...And I've been enjoying the scopes ever since.
So Doug, do you wanna buy that scope now?
I've bought two classics from Preston, both Tascos. I can tell you he sells great stuff! 
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David E
If you keep a stack of old Orion catalogs in your bathroom, you might be an astro-redneck.
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BarabinoSr
sage
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 316
Loc: Slidell La
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James, that's a great story!I can remember that as a child back during the mid-1960's more accurately the summer of 1965 in New Orleans,my brother Leon and I,a skinny 11 year old kid, used to spend most of our days in Audubon Park which is in the part of N.O. we called 'Uptown'(BTW Audubon Park is still there and thriving even today).At the time we lived about a mile from the park,and one evening while we were on our way home,we passed a house that had a small alt azimuth spyglass type scope mounted to a ball and socket and wood tripod standing on the front porch,and I told my brother that I wanted to come back and speak to the owner about it.My brother Leon,13 at the time chose not to come back with me so I went back by myself.I spoke to the owner about how I wanted a telescope .He looked at me for a minute,and I guess he pitied me a poor kid of the era,and gave the scope to me.It was like I got all the riches in the world!This was my very first telescope and helped jumpstart my interest in this great hobby.My parents and four sons and two sisters lived in a small one bedroom apartment so I had no place to put my scope so I wrapped it and put it under the house.I had a chance to examine the gift that man gave to me. Basically it was a spyglass mounted to a tripod,and yielded around 15x.My first look through this scope was at the Moon,and I was more familiar with it than any other sky object.Though I had a casual interest in astronomy,it was the gift from that gentleman so long ago that got the fire started.To that stranger and gentleman,I will be eternally grateful!!G
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12"GSO f/5.3" Newtonian Reflector 10" Meade LX-50 Fork Mounted Schmidt-Cassegrain
8" Hardin f/6 Newtonian reflector
6" Konus f/8 Refractor,Yulin 5"f/9 refractor,
4.5"TASCO Luminova f/9 Newtonian Reflector 4.5"TASCO 11TR(Lunagrosso) Red reflector
90mm Meade f/11 refractor,Tasco 10TE 76mm 1200mm f/l Refractor
60mm TASCO 7TE-5 1000mm f/16.7 Refractor 60mm TASCO 9TE 700mm f/l refractor
60mm TASCO 9TE-0 710mm f/l Refractor 50mm-TASCO 6TE-5 600mm f/l Refractor
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akman1955
sage
Reged: 09/07/09
Posts: 362
Loc: Alaska, USA
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:jump, great story..thanks,john
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Bonco
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/17/06
Posts: 2297
Loc: Florida
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Ahh, Great stories!!
Takes me back to my first purchase about 1959. I attended a summer astro course in Dallas. The teenager instructor had just purchased a 4 inch Unitron and wanted to sell his 60mm. Not knowing the product line he showed me a Unitron 114 ad with a Unihex and he said, "It's like this"...That got my juices flowing and I went to his house to buy it. Well it wasn't a Unitron but a Sears 60mm with the old Yoke mount. Disappointed, but I bought it anyway. Hey that little 60mm was sharp as a tack. I still have fond memories of sharp contrasty views of the moon, Jupiter, and awesome Saturn. Money well spent! A year later I saved enough paper route money to purchase a RV6. It's restored now and still provides fantastic views that rivals very expensive modern refractors. Life is good in the Classic world. Bill
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RV6
Meade 2045
6 inch f/4 RFT R. Fagin Optics
TV Genesis
2.4 inch Lafayette Equitorial
3 inch Polarex/Unitron Equitorial
10 inch Zhumell
PST 40mm Solar scope
4 inch F/15 Antares
2.4 inch Unitron Equitorial
Tasco 10K 80mm/1200mm
Towa 339 Restored
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mustgobigger
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/12/07
Posts: 2421
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Quote:
Ahh, Great stories!!
Takes me back to my first purchase about 1959. Quote:
ahh, i was but a rugrat about then.
 
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RV-6
Meade 826
Meade 880 Deluxe
Unitron's 114,128,140,142,150,152,155,160
4" Jaegertron
4.5" A.E f/14 Refractor
4" f/15 Edmund's Refractor
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Jae
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/13/06
Posts: 559
Loc: near Boston
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Hi folks - it is a great thread. I got my first 9TE-5 Tasco probably Chrismas 1966 from Macy's in NY as I recall bringing it in the summer of '67 to visit family in Iowa. That scope went around the block a few times and I was going to toss it when my sister insisted I keep it for my son. He didn't show much interest and somewhere I saw a mint 9TE-5 for sale. On impulse I bought it thinking I would refurbish my boyhood scope. That was the start of getting hooked. I didn't have the heart to cannibalize parts from the new scope so I sold it to Andy (droid) and bought hardware and clean up the old scope. That old lens was even better than Andy's scope which was great.
From there on it was a trip down memory lane. Remembering the 7TE-5 and 10TE-5 that were around $199 and $299 vs the $39.95 9TE-5 I could have. To my surprise you could pick those up for similar prices today.....that was it ! There's no turning back.
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Jae
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Posts: 4034
Loc: ohio
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Hi Jae glad to see you again, note I blamed you for getting me started...lol.
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102mm Celestron C102HD
Tasco 7TE5 60mm Classic
Tasco 9TE5 60mm Classic
Celestron Ultima 2000 SCT
Remains of an 8 inch dob
Celestron Comet catcher(orange tube)
1960 Edscorp Space Conquerer 6inch f/8
10x50 Bushnell Binoculars.
11T 4.5 inch Tasco reflector Lunograsso?
60mm Telescope Club
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Jae
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/13/06
Posts: 559
Loc: near Boston
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Likewise - good to see you. That's a blame I don't mind. I like to share in the pain....
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Jae
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Littlegreenman
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/09/05
Posts: 1364
Loc: Southern California
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Quote:
Steve aka littlegreenman,
I have one of those Vixen Custom 90 Alti-az mounter refractors, I believe Celestron advertised and imported them around the time of the Gulf War 1991, I got mine from Orion I believe at the time Orion was selling them for about $500.00....SNIP!
Gary
There is a thread on this forum going right now, the strangest scope catalog ever, which is about a Vixen catalogue from 1991's. It shows a Custom 90 on Custom Alt/ Az mount and a Super Polaris 90 on, guess (a Super Polaris mount).
Going by my bad memory, I think I had one on an early GEM. Great scope I would have kept but shortly after I acquired a black Celestron branded Fluorite 90mm...
SL
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gnowellsct
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 730
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Quote:
I know this little story may seem confusing but i don't want to offend anyone or break any TOS,
I am totally confused. Stepping Stones in Katonah isn't on an island? And what's the secret of your youthful looks????
But Bill W. was one of the great leaders of the 20th century. I grow more and more skeptical about "classic" scopes (having had a recent bad experience) but that one with this story deserves quite a bit of TLC.
thanks for sharing a totally engrossing story,
Greg N
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"Aperture will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no aperture."
featuring selected astrojunk:
bunch o' widefield eyepieces
bunch o' narrowfield eyepieces
couple o' Barlows
couple o' scopes
couple o' mounts
couple o' tripods
and a pier 'n' stuff
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astrodon
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 1804
Loc: Hillsboro, OR, USA
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Props to Brian for my 10 TE, now I just got to leverage some of those Unitrons!
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Putting Tasco Refractors back on their mounts one scope at a time!
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