Telescope Reviews: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more!

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Equipment Discussions >> Classic Telescopes

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The Planetman
sage

Reged: 01/27/06

Loc: Western KY

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: Datapanic]
#5420278 - 09/14/12 12:18 AM

Man, you California guy's get all the good stuff!

Nice find!!!

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: The Planetman]
#5420283 - 09/14/12 12:25 AM Attachment (17 downloads)

Here's the mirror, dirty:

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5420285 - 09/14/12 12:25 AM Attachment (21 downloads)

And clean:

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5420290 - 09/14/12 12:27 AM

It's not perfect, by any stretch, but it doesn't warrant a recoat any time soon!

Stats:

12.5" f/7, 88" FL
M727336, April 17, 1972

A youngster compared to the 6"!

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5420293 - 09/14/12 12:28 AM

Now keep your fingers crossed while I put it back in the tube!

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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/17/09

Loc: Tucson, Arizona

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5420298 - 09/14/12 12:44 AM

Quote:

And clean:

Much better - you can even see the rabbit ears antenna in the background! Rabbit Ears?

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Nave
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/23/10

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: Datapanic]
#5420824 - 09/14/12 12:12 PM

Quote:

Quote:

And clean:

Much better - you can even see the rabbit ears antenna in the background! Rabbit Ears?

Vintage, baby!
Seen his truck?!

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GeneT
Ely Kid

Reged: 11/07/08

Loc: South Texas

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421175 - 09/14/12 04:00 PM

Congratulations. These telescopes were too expensive for me when I was a kid--but I read all the ads each month in Sky and Telescope at the Ely Nevada City library.

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GeneT
Ely Kid

Reged: 11/07/08

Loc: South Texas

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421182 - 09/14/12 04:03 PM

This mirror looks great!

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: GeneT]
#5421183 - 09/14/12 04:03 PM

Hi Gene:

I've been to that library! I read my first sky and telescopes as a kid in the Fountain Valley public library in the mid 60s.

-Tim.

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Jim Curry
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/29/07

Loc: STL

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421458 - 09/14/12 07:34 PM

Wow, you know an amateur astronomer is out of control when he needs a crane to move his scope around. Very cool.

Jim

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: Jim Curry]
#5421531 - 09/14/12 08:17 PM

One of these would be perfect for that truck!

Pickup crane

Only I'd mount it on the right side behind the cab, since the side gate can fold out of the way.

-Tim.

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421533 - 09/14/12 08:19 PM

...though I might tip that poor VW over loading something really heavy from the side! So, back corner of the bed would work, too.

-Tim.

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gelkin
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 09/22/10

Loc: Western, MD.

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421534 - 09/14/12 08:19 PM

Tim that 12" and 2" mount is so sweet. The envy is overwhelming.

Can't wait to see the Jupiter images you squeeze out of it soon. Congrats, what a deal!!

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jwaldo
Smart Mime

Reged: 04/26/04

Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: gelkin]
#5421542 - 09/14/12 08:23 PM

Dangit, I must be browsing some sort of awful parallel-universe L.A. Craigslist, I never see any of this stuff show up

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: gelkin]
#5421543 - 09/14/12 08:23 PM

I'm going to go clean the secondary next.

I'm slightly bummed, though. With all that gyrating loding it, unloading it, and putting the OTA on, I managed to pull the wire apart that goes to the dec slow motion. It's happened before, too, as there's some black electrical tape where a splice was made at some point.

The RA light is missing, not broken. As is the little cover over it. And one of the wire's solder joints is broken. So, I've got some solering to do anyway. I'll try to get to that today after I clean the secondary up.

I have to localize Curiosity tonight, but was planning to take the "day" off for the most part, since I've been working pretty steady with only 3 days off since we landed. But since I'm finally getting into the swing of Mars time, I'll be up all night anyway, so it'll be a good opportunity to take the 12.5" out for a spin.

-Tim.

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421547 - 09/14/12 08:26 PM

Oh yeah, better figure out which ladder I'm going to need for the thing and put it in the garage next to the scope so I don't wake up the fam getting out of the basement!

-Tim.

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421656 - 09/14/12 10:00 PM Attachment (15 downloads)

So I took the secondary out and cleaned it. While I was taking it out, the mirror end was pointed out into the light...

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421658 - 09/14/12 10:01 PM

That's the mirror cell and the great outdoors viewed through the mirror, in addition to the reflection (such as it is) of the sky end of the tube and the secondary.

Oh well, it'll need a recoat after all at some point!

-Tim.

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tim53
Postmaster

Reged: 12/17/04

Loc: Highland Park, CA

Re: Only had 2 Caves, so bought 2 more! new

[Re: tim53]
#5421660 - 09/14/12 10:02 PM Attachment (11 downloads)

I was thinking I need to take the clock cover off and adjust the clutch, since the scope moves a bit too easily in RA.

The RA circle is on backwards, LOL

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