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....but I couldn't put a Telrad on my XX12i Dob because the upper tube is a little too short. I went with a Rigel.

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You can always drill more holes in the base to fit short spaces. A couple of my bases look like Swiss cheese. For my old Orion Dob, I used the Scopestuff Telrad mount for the Orion finder shoe. It just slips in and replaces the Orion finder. No holes to drill.

An auto shutoff might be nice, but I have accidentally left my Telrad on for a day or two and the batteries were still pumping out juice when I discovered the problem.

Ron

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Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.

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The extra length was originally needed to hold the D cell batteries....Today if you are short on space you can saw the "box" down to size to fit a 9 Volt

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We've probably talked about this before. There isn't as much free open space in there as one might assume looking at it from the outside (even without the blinker circuit I have in mine). That area behind the target emitter has to be left clear. One D-cell would fit but would not provide enough voltage for a good range of led intensity. Seems unlikely to me the current model ever had D-cells, though there's mention in the other topic linked above that suggests perhaps models sold before the plastic molds were created did. Would be neat to see one of those.



One can certainly chop the front off and either go with a button battery or hang batteries on the side or string a wire to a remote power source.

Mike

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Meade 8" LX10
Orion ED100 + Losmandy GM-8 + Berlebach UNI 24
Meade 12" LightBridge

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it's a classic that does what it does very well.

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That pretty well describes our beloved Telrad.

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Carol


AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35

DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2

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Now if someone would combine the ruggedness of the Telrad with the compactness and blinking feature of the QuickFinder and add built-in dew prevention...
VOILA!!!

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From what I understand the origional Telrad design was patented and the person who came up with it passed on prior to finallizing the design. The family then sold the patent with the caviet that no changes could be made to the design. For that reason we are stuck with a working prototype design and not a well refined design.
Just what I have heard so may not be correct.

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Yep That was the impression I got too... and I love the looks of my Telrad...

I mean it looks CLUNKY ...

NOBODY in their right mind would add one to their Telescope UNLESS

It was EXTREMELY efficient ...
It was EXTREMELY easy to Use...
It was free ...

Guess 2 out of 3 is reason enough for many of us use a Telrad...

Bob G.

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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter

39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W

The sky over my head....

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From what I understand the origional Telrad design was patented and the person who came up with it passed on prior to finallizing the design. The family then sold the patent with the caviet that no changes could be made to the design. For that reason we are stuck with a working prototype design and not a well refined design.
Just what I have heard so may not be correct.

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Is there actually a patent on the Telrad? If there were it seems to me that the very similar Rigel would infringe on that patent.

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it's a classic that does what it does very well.

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That pretty well describes our beloved Telrad.

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I'm with John and Carol. It's a classic and will always occupy a place of honor on my scopes.

Dew prevention? That's why they invented shirt sleeves.

Ron

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Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.

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it's a classic that does what it does very well.

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That pretty well describes our beloved Telrad.

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I'm with John and Carol. It's a classic and will always occupy a place of honor on my scopes.

Dew prevention? That's why they invented shirt sleeves.

Ron

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Hi all,

Now that I have your attention, why has there never been an upgrade to the Telrad? I understand that *if it ain't broke don't fix it*

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There have been a couple of variations on the theme, from Chinese clones to the Rigel Quikfinder. Some are pretty good, especially the Quikfinder, but none is as good as the original. The Only Enemy of Good Enough is More Better.

--------------------
Uncle Rod

Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!

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Now, that's a thing of beauty!! Oh, the scope isn't bad either!

Seriously, what a beautiful setup you have, Wow! And our beloved Telrad looks great on that fantastic scope.

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Thanks.

This rig is the best I've had for simply "getting out of the way" and letting me enjoy the stars. And the Telrad has been my finder of choice since I came back to the hobby. I think it looks pretty good sitting up there.

Thanks again,

Ron

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Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.

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Is there actually a patent on the Telrad? If there were it seems to me that the very similar Rigel would infringe on that patent.

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From what I understand the origional Telrad design was patented and the person who came up with it passed on prior to finallizing the design.

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i dont know about you guys, but i think the telrad looks great.

in a time where almost everything is designed to look retro, the telrad looks like it came from the future.



every single replacement part is available (you never throw it away)

its big enough to be serviced in the field with a cordless soldering iron

it has fallen 12 feet on to pavement in the cold and it did not crack (the plastic is good quality)

the batteries last for years

it stays in alignment when removed and replaced

the batteries are cheap AAs (not expensive hearing aid batteries)

you can look through it from the ground when it is on a UTA 20 some feet in the air and it works with no parallax error

they sell spare bases so you can move one unit from scope to scope

tons of aftermarket accessories are available, from chart overlays to dew heaters

every major astronomy software prints the telrad to scale on your charts (great for new comets)

because it is universal, someone can look through your telrad, memorize the starfield, then look at their telrad and find the object with ease



it might be the closest thing to perfect in our whole hobby

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I agree 100%

--------------------
Carol


AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35

DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2

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i dont know about you guys, but i think the telrad looks great.

in a time where almost everything is designed to look retro, the telrad looks like it came from the future.



every single replacement part is available (you never throw it away)

its big enough to be serviced in the field with a cordless soldering iron

it has fallen 12 feet on to pavement in the cold and it did not crack (the plastic is good quality)

the batteries last for years

it stays in alignment when removed and replaced

the batteries are cheap AAs (not expensive hearing aid batteries)

you can look through it from the ground when it is on a UTA 20 some feet in the air and it works with no parallax error

they sell spare bases so you can move one unit from scope to scope

tons of aftermarket accessories are available, from chart overlays to dew heaters

every major astronomy software prints the telrad to scale on your charts (great for new comets)

because it is universal, someone can look through your telrad, memorize the starfield, then look at their telrad and find the object with ease



it might be the closest thing to perfect in our whole hobby

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I agree - with two additional thoughts: It's not overpriced or expensive. You get what you pay for and it works as designed.

Ron

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Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.

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It is indeed, far too big and bulky. It is also quite ugly and unsightly. I do not purchase my gear for looks, and accept to compromise on aesthetics for function's sake, but the Telrad is just not going to happen any day soon.

When the patent expires, or the current rights holders diminish it to a usable size, set it on a standard finder dovetail, and bring in to a less plasticky look and feel, I will be absolutely glad to use one, but for now, there no way I will use it.

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This has already been done. There was a small and slightly more stylish Chinese Telrad being marketed a few years back. Nobody bought 'em. Same goes for every other red dot/reticle sight that's come out. Why? Nobody has been able to get it as right as Steve did. Oh, some have a fair amount of success, but most come and go. And the ugly Telrad keeps on truckin'.

--------------------
Uncle Rod

Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!

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Hi all,

Now that I have your attention, why has there never been an upgrade to the Telrad? I understand that *if it ain't broke don't fix it* but its been HOW looong?! I mean, even the manual looks like it came straight out of the 70's! Sometimes it can stand out as a huge eyesore on an otherwise beautiful OTA. I think it's time for a change!

My suggestions:
1) A 50% reduction is overall dimensions
2) Rounded corners
3) A much larger, oval viewing area
4) Metallic (aluminum?) construction
5) Timer device that automatically turns off in say, 12hrs
6) A nice storage case
7) Built in dew shield
8) Offer different outside color schemes
9) More reticle options (color, pattern)
10) Custom inscribing
11) Waterproof



What are your thoughts? Do you agree? What would be some of your improvements? Should it be left alone?

Thanks for your responses!

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Quote:

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Hi all,

Now that I have your attention, why has there never been an upgrade to the Telrad? I understand that *if it ain't broke don't fix it* but its been HOW looong?! I mean, even the manual looks like it came straight out of the 70's! Sometimes it can stand out as a huge eyesore on an otherwise beautiful OTA. I think it's time for a change!

My suggestions:
1) A 50% reduction is overall dimensions
2) Rounded corners
3) A much larger, oval viewing area
4) Metallic (aluminum?) construction
5) Timer device that automatically turns off in say, 12hrs
6) A nice storage case
7) Built in dew shield
8) Offer different outside color schemes
9) More reticle options (color, pattern)
10) Custom inscribing
11) Waterproof



What are your thoughts? Do you agree? What would be some of your improvements? Should it be left alone?

Thanks for your responses!

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You have some great ideas there. My suggestions for improvement would primarily be (in order of preference):

1. Option for using "standard" dovetail mounts (Orion/Synta, Losmandy, ADM-mini, Vixen) or 1/4x20 threaded socket.
2. Built-in dew heating element (just attach a cable from the Telrad to your dew controller).
3. No plastic (smaller, machined aluminum housing would be nice).

I would keep the reticle pattern the same but possibly increase the window size.

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And, guess what the price would be, on the "new" Telrad. That's another nice feature, is that it's priced reasonably for beginners, and experienced, as well.

--------------------
Carol


AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35

DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2

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And, guess what the price would be, on the "new" Telrad. That's another nice feature, is that it's priced reasonably for beginners, and experienced, as well.

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