RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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There are certainly others, but that should provide a pretty good sampling. (Note that I seem to cut circular holes in most of my scopes. Go figure.) 
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Ron Ravneberg
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plyscope
sage
Reged: 11/23/06
Posts: 326
Loc: Perth, West Australia
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Thanks for sharing the photos Ron.
Your work has certainly been an inspiration to me.
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Andy
6" f15 refractor
90mm f16.7 refractor
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RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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So how's Perth doing? I've never been on the West Coast of Oz, but have spent multiple wonderful times with fellow amateurs around Alice Springs and the Sydney area. In fact, my scope "Alice" was named for Alice Springs, and was built for my first trip down under. She sports a contrasting wood map of Oz on the mirror box cover (visible in the "ready for travel" image and possibly in the below image taken on my first trip in 1991.
And four of the six 10" f/5.6 scopes we named for places in Oz, including Uluru, Kakadu, Kaputar, and Darwin.
My current 10" f/5 is called "Wiruna," which is the name of the Astronomical Society of New South Wales observing site and is an Aboriginal word meaning "sunset."
Always glad to hear from Oz.
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Ron Ravneberg
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AV in CMH
sage
Reged: 11/07/05
Posts: 461
Loc: Columbus Ohio
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Very nice work.
I really like them all.
The second generation of the Alice scope, 10" F5, is very interesting.
Regards,
Tony
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RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Tony,
You've used it, haven't you? Do we need to meet some night and put her through her paces (once the weather gets warmer, of course)?
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Ron Ravneberg
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Undermidnight
Pounder of Brass
Reged: 05/25/04
Posts: 2421
Loc: Hilliard, Ohio
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Always a treat to see em. Looking forward to the next outing.
Jason
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WO Megrez 90 on EZTouch Mount
WO Zenithstar 66 on Microstar Mount
PST
8" F/4.2 Ball Scope, "Marilyn"
12.5" F/4.3 Ultralight, "Ada II"
11x70 Oberwerks
6" F/6 Polishing
Pans, Orthos, and Naglers
"We who cut mere stones, must always be envisioning cathedrals." - The Quarry Workers Creed
http://www.undermidnight.com
http://undermidnight.blogspot.com
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RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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So it's you, Tony and me some warm night?
Got that 12" ballscope finished yet?
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Ron Ravneberg
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o1d_dude
o1der than dirt
Reged: 10/03/07
Posts: 2114
Loc: The TV/SV Wolfpack
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I never tire of the image of you peering though the eyepiece with the green laser pointing off into the Milky Way.
That's what I think about when I think of stargazing.
Thanks for putting these photos up, Ron.
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Kit
'Don’t worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God’s wondrous universe.' - Thomas M Back
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NHRob
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 3148
Loc: New Hampshire
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Ron,
Awesome scopes!
So, what projects are next?
Rob
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Rob
**********************
Canon 12x36 IS binos
TEC-140: #433 on CGEM
Faworski orthos (7,10,16.7mm)
stuff ...
no free time ... lots of clouds !
" Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" !!
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RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
So, what projects are next?
Who knows? Each time I finish a scope, I'm pretty well tapped out and sure it will be my last. This was particularly true when I built six of the 10" f/5.6 twin-strut scopes at the same time. It was too much like work. In fact, it was six years before I headed back into the basement to start another project.
I'm motivated and energized by that next interesting challenge, not simply to build another telescope.
The red 17.5" was spurred by Coulter's offering of such a large mirror for the first time. Up until then, 14.25" was all you could get and they were pretty expensive.
"Alice" was built because I wanted to have a telescope to take with me to Australia.
The six 10" scopes were built when a mirror-maker friend said he'd make me a mirror if I'd make him a scope. Well, as we would be making two scopes already and much of the work is set-up and preparation ... why not make six? Absolutely nuts!
"Brutus" was born when a friend gave me his bulky 8" scope. He simply didn't want it any more, because it was too big and heavy. I "chopped it down" opened the tube, cut holes in the rocker, added a finder, painted it scarlet and gray and returned it to the donor. He's loved it ever since.
The 6" f/6.8 was built around a mirror originally started by Dave Kriege and a desire to have a pretty traditional 6" Newtonian.
The 10" f/5 came as a result of a request for assistance in making a 10" scope from a junior member of our astronomical society. It was an opportunity to build a couple of scopes that addressed some issues I wanted to change from the earlier twin-strut design (i.e., 45-degree focuser board, wrap-around curved secondary support/light baffle, digital setting circles).
The RFT resulted from locating a really cheap little scope at a star party flea market.
The 4.5" refractor (my latest project) was born out of a pile of mismatched, incomplete, antique components that included tripods, tube assemblies, and an excellent 4.5" f/15 J.W. Fecker objective. (Some assembly required, of course.)
If I never build another telescope, that will be OK. But if that next interesting challenge appears this afternoon, I'm doomed to return to the basement.
Time alone will tell.
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Ron Ravneberg
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Olivier Biot
Amused
Reged: 04/25/05
Posts: 16319
Loc: 51°N (Belgium)
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Hi Ron,
Congratulations, and thanks for posting these pics! 
One of your ideas will make it into at least one of my scopes: combining the light shield and secondary mirror support functions 
Cheers!
Olivier
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Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Niels Bohr
Tal-200K (#199) with JMI NGF-Mini2M focuser on GEM3 • Astro-Tech AT80ED • Orion Sirius EQ-G with wireless EQDIRECT • Astro-Tech Voyager • Celestron Regal LX 10x42 • Helios 15x70
ATM 14" f/5 (redesigning) • ATM 10" f/6 Portable Truss (polishing) • ATM 10" f/25 Dall-Kirkham (optics)
AstroForecast
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NHRob
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 3148
Loc: New Hampshire
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I keep thinking of doing a 4.25" Shief someday. They just look so cool and funky.
Rob
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Rob
**********************
Canon 12x36 IS binos
TEC-140: #433 on CGEM
Faworski orthos (7,10,16.7mm)
stuff ...
no free time ... lots of clouds !
" Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" !!
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Art Bianconi
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/06/06
Posts: 4659
Loc: Delaware River Valley, New Jer...
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Columbus is not the darkest place on earth. Where does one with your passion for telescopes go Ron, for the best viewing?
Thanks
Art
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“Everything is on its way to somewhere. . . . . everything!"
____________________ George Malley (John Travolta)
________________________ "Phenomenon"
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RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
Columbus is not the darkest place on earth. Where does one with your passion for telescopes go Ron, for the best viewing?
Viewing? You mean you're actually supposed to look through these things? 
Actually, most of my "real" (i.e., dark sky) observing is done at star parties, specifically Starfest in Ontario, the Winter Star party in the Florida Keys, and usually one or two smaller regional events.
Beyond that, I frequently haul a scope to Perkins Observatory, located between Columbus and Delaware, Ohio), where the Columbus Astronomical Society meets. It's about a 5.0 magnitude sky on a good night, but beats my back yard and is only 25 minutes from home.
My home observing is primarily Questar-based, utilizing an aluminum pier that can be removed for mowing and replaced without losing polar alignment.
Also, I'll often grab the little RFT and check to make sure the universe is unfolding as it should before heading to bed.
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Ron Ravneberg
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Jim Moscheck
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/08/07
Posts: 1619
Loc: Under the SE Michigan lightdom...
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Ron,
Excellent gallery of telescopes. That's is an amazing picture of you, your refractor, and laser.
I hope to make a similar "dob" mount for a future refractor someday. 
Oh yeah, even though I'm a big Michigan fan I'm rooting for the Buckeyes to win the championship.
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Jim Moscheck
Ford Amateur Astronomy Club
ATM truss dob
Stevens 14.5" f4.3
"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open." - Frank Zappa
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zjc26138
Postmaster
Reged: 02/24/05
Posts: 5245
Loc: Mingo Junction, Ohio and Morga...
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Ron,
Fantastic scopes!!!
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Custom AR5
Stellarvue 80/9D
Bosma Goto Mount
Clear, dark skies everywhere,
-Zachary
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RRavneberg
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 634
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
That's is an amazing picture of you, your refractor, and laser.
The picture was taken by Terry Dickinson at Starfest this past August. He does know how to take them, doesn't he? He got it on his first attempt.
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Ron Ravneberg
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plyscope
sage
Reged: 11/23/06
Posts: 326
Loc: Perth, West Australia
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Hi Ron
Perth is hot and windy this time of year and the sky is not as dark as inland areas. I was able to show my brother and nephew a few brighter objects through the 6" last night and they loved it.
I still have a copy of "Making and Enjoying Telescopes" that I bought 10 years ago. I used ideas from the book to make my first telescope, a 4.25" f7.5 reflector.
The description and pictures of "Alice" in the book are often referred to for inspiration. When I finish the mounting for my 90mm achromat I have an 8" f6 mirror that needs a new scope.
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Andy
6" f15 refractor
90mm f16.7 refractor
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Jim Moscheck
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/08/07
Posts: 1619
Loc: Under the SE Michigan lightdom...
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A friend of mine goes to starfest every year and always has good things to say about it. If things work out I'm going to try to make it there this summer. 
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Jim Moscheck
Ford Amateur Astronomy Club
ATM truss dob
Stevens 14.5" f4.3
"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open." - Frank Zappa
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Art Bianconi
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/06/06
Posts: 4659
Loc: Delaware River Valley, New Jer...
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Jim: "A friend of mine goes to Starfest every year and always has good things to say about it. If things work out I'm going to try to make it there this summer."
David Levy's Star Camp, Springfield Astronomers "Stellafane" and now "Starfest" all fall within a few weeks of one another and, strangely enough the locations form a small triangle just a few hundred miles across any one leg.
I am already committed to spending time at the Star Camp and Stellafane. Would be nice to go to Starfest too. It will be a stretch however.
Art
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“Everything is on its way to somewhere. . . . . everything!"
____________________ George Malley (John Travolta)
________________________ "Phenomenon"
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