asaint
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/25/03
Posts: 2021
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Reminiscing with a 20mm Meade RG Erfle
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stevecoe
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2129
Loc: Arizona, USA
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John;
Thanks for a terrific article. I dearly loved my Research Grade Meade Erfles, I had the entire set. I got them with my Meade 8" Newtonian, my first scope in 1979. Those eyepieces got used a lot over the years and finally traded in my 20RG for a 22mm Panoptic. I don't regret the choice, but I did miss the RG's.
I have a complete set of the Meade UWA's. Yes, they are old technology from years past. But I don't see anything for sale in Astronomy Magazine that makes me want to trade them in for the "newest" thing.
Yes, I am old school and proud of it;
Steve Coe
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150mm 6" f/8 Celestron Refractor on Sirius Mount
80mmED 3" f/7.5 Orion Refractor
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
New Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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darkskyfarm
member
Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 24
Loc: PA
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Hello Steve,
I've been looking to fill-in the 20mm mag range in my kit box with a good quality, inexpensive eyepiece. I like the RG much better than the UO Super Erfle I owned; it has a wider AFOV, loger er and larger eye lens - a real treat
considering its type and age.
No, it's certainly not a Pan. I really liked my friend's 24mm Pan but I've never looked through the 22mm. I have come close to purchasing one of those a couple of times but I'd probably want to let go of my 28mm S.5000 SWA due to overlap. But, that would leave me without a 2" ep.
It's fun to experiment, isn't it? The problem is the old tendency to accumulate stuff I won't use; I like to keep it simple.
Thanks for talking shop: John
Edited by darkskyfarm (04/20/06 06:50 PM)
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Derwin Skotch
super member
Reged: 03/11/05
Posts: 132
Loc: PA, USA
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I bought one of those in the 80's and it was a favorite for a long time. A few years ago I sold it to a friend after buying a 16mm Nagler to handle my f3.6 scope.
I recently bought a binoviewer to use with my SCT and picked up a couple of RG 20's on Amart to use with it. They are probably my most used pair of eyepieces.
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Derwin
Celestron 9 1/4" SCT
Meade 6" Schmidt Newtonian
Edmund 4 1/4" Newtonian
Siebert Echelon 35 binoviewers
Denkmeier Dielectric S2 Power X Switch Diagonal
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chazcheese
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/21/04
Posts: 545
Loc: Phoenix, Az
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I bought one from a club member for $25, he was offering a TV Plossel for $50 or the Meade for $25, so far I think I made the right choice plus I'm cheap. The 20mm is always one of the first eyepieces out of my case. It has just the right ammount of power and field of view to start with in my 10" dob, 8" SCT or 4" F10 refractor. Good for aligning the finder, public star parties (barlows well), and just judging how the seeing is at the moment. I'd say if I could only keep 4 eyepieces of the ones I have the 7mm Nagler, 13mm Stratus, 20 Meade RG, and 32 mm Orion Plossel would be my choices. Thanks for the review!
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chuck
10" Orion xt
8" Meade LX200 mount/2080 OTA
C4R on CG5
Vixen ED80Sf on Porta Mount
AT-1010
PST
12X63 mini giants
15x70 Skymasters
Virgo Bino mount on Sanford/Davis tripod
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darkskyfarm
member
Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 24
Loc: PA
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Nothing wrong with looking for good value. Being "cheap", or maybe we'll say pragmatic, is ok with me.
I'd imagine that the RG would be a great bino-view ep. It certainly fits the bill well - light, wide view, inexpensive.
Thanks for the responses: John
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Clive Gibbons
Mostly Harmless
Reged: 05/26/05
Posts: 10335
Loc: Oort Cloud
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Hi John.
I've also got a Meade RG 20mm Erfle and it's one of my favorite oculars. Very light and amazingly sharp across it's FOV when used in an f/9 refractor.
Definitely a "keeper"!
Thanks for the article!! 
p.s.
Mine has "MOP" engraved on the barrel in very small print.
Likely the manufacturer in Japan. Any idea what "MOP" is??
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A few telescopes of dubious value.
Understanding wife and three curious cats.
"Semper ubi sub ubi"
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darkskyfarm
member
Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 24
Loc: PA
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Clive,
I had to call someone who could give me a rundown on the "MOP" engraving. Gary Hand at Hands On Optics is a good source for that kind of info so here's what he said:
The "MOP" stands for "Ministry Of Production." Apparently, the Japanese government gave organizational oversight to industry in the country in earlier years. Gary also said that this particular ep was also sold by Bushnell, Cave, and a few others under different names.
Now we know the rest of the story!
Thanks: John
Edited by darkskyfarm (04/21/06 03:01 PM)
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Clive Gibbons
Mostly Harmless
Reged: 05/26/05
Posts: 10335
Loc: Oort Cloud
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Thanks for the info, John!
And, kudos to Gary Hand, too.
Come to think of it....
the ol' Bushnell Spacemaster 22x wide angle spotting scope eyepiece bears a good resemblence to that Meade RG.
Could be the same lens...
Cheers,
Clive.
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A few telescopes of dubious value.
Understanding wife and three curious cats.
"Semper ubi sub ubi"
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o1d_dude
o1der than dirt
Reged: 10/03/07
Posts: 1432
Loc: The Big Tomato, California
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My sig says it all.
Thanks for the review.
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Kit
"There's only two things that excite a man, expensive toys and real expensive toys." - Red Green
* A bunch of old ATM stuff that cost me next to nothing
* A bunch of new commercial stuff that cost me an arm and a leg
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Darren Drake
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/09/02
Posts: 1043
Loc: Illinois
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One thing I really like about this eyepiece that isn't mentioned is an unusually sharp field stop. For some reason it just looks sharper and contrastier than almost all other eypieces.
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Astronomy educator
Sidewalk astronomer
18 inch f4.42 dob on eq platform w ST120 f/5 finder
8 inch f/6 dob
8 inch f/8 eq planetkiller
William Optics red 10th Anniversary 80mm FD
24lb eyepiece box
Cernan Space Center astronomer
Member of Northwest Suburban Astronomers
Edited by Darren Drake (04/17/08 11:32 AM)
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