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asaint
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/25/03
Posts: 1951
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Ultima 2000
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Arief
super member
Reged: 06/02/04
Posts: 430
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1/6th wave is quite high for mass-produced SCTs, right? the number is similar to the standard version of russian Maks.
Is the Ultima2K optically the best C8 ever produced?
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Arief
10" f/6.1 Swayze
7" f/5.5 Raycraft
TMB 115/805 LZOS Triplet APO
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nspei
member
Reged: 01/07/07
Posts: 85
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Arief,
Remember that my figure is an estimate ( I wouldn't stake my life on it). I arrived at 1/6 wave after consulting Suiter, and the most interesting resources at "Astrogeekjoy". Based on the sizes and dispositions of the diffraction rings, and using the "breakout" test a figure of 1/6 wave seems reasonable.
I've seen other U2Ks that have even better corrections, and at least one that was worse (severe turned edge), so I wouldn't say the U2K was always optically the best it could be.
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Midnight Dan
sage
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Brockport, NY
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You have rhapped waxodic! ;-) A lovely review, an enjoyable read, great prose! Thanks!
-Dan
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Celestron NexStar 8
Telrad
Celestron 40mm and 25mm eyepieces
Baader Hyperion 13mm, 8mm, 5mm eyepieces
2x Barlow
Meade 0.63x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener
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edl
super member
Reged: 06/24/04
Posts: 105
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Great review! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks for taking the time to write it.
Best,
Ed L.
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Jerry Hyman
member
Reged: 03/29/07
Posts: 88
Loc: Mesa, Arizona
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A very nice review with an superb writing style. I hope we see more reviews from him!
Thanks!
~jerry
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9.25" Celestron carbon fiber SCT
Vixen Super Polaris Deluxe mount
Vixen Super Polaris mount
Burgess BV24 Binos
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Glen A W
member
Reged: 07/04/08
Posts: 10
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I will tell you, I do not think it is right that products that cost this much should be "old" after a decade and impossible to find parts for. I had a problem with my aged C-14 and Celestron was no help. Now, I like Celestron and have had good dealings with them in the past. Still, I was dismayed that for my scope, which cost me as much as a small car when it was bought, I could not get new motors for it. I mean, back in grandfather's day, something that cost so much was expected to be a lifetime usable item. And the C-14 was in perfect condition otherwise. I guess the electronics are the weak link.
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nspei
member
Reged: 01/07/07
Posts: 85
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Quote:
I will tell you, I do not think it is right that products that cost this much should be "old" after a decade and impossible to find parts for. I had a problem with my aged C-14 and Celestron was no help. Now, I like Celestron and have had good dealings with them in the past. Still, I was dismayed that for my scope, which cost me as much as a small car when it was bought, I could not get new motors for it. I mean, back in grandfather's day, something that cost so much was expected to be a lifetime usable item. And the C-14 was in perfect condition otherwise. I guess the electronics are the weak link.
It is a real shame, I agree. In truth I can't think of another arena where this is such an issue: the problem is that our hobby is saturated by clever products and marketeeers. This is great if we play the game and update/replace every few years. Otherwise it can be somewhat disappointing....
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WadeH237
sage
Reged: 02/24/07
Posts: 286
Loc: Snohomish, WA
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Nice write up.
My first scope was an Ultima 2000 with Fastar and it was as good as the one in the article. When I got it, I had no idea how special the ability to move the scope without losing alignment really was. My second scope was a Nextar 5 as a grab and go. I figured that the lack of this ability was just a bug that they would fix. Now, of course, I realize how cool it really was.
I eventually moved on to a CGE-1400 when I got aperture fever. I also started taking astrophotography more seriously and needed something with a reasonable focal length. So I took the C8 off of my Ultima 2000 and mounted it on the CGE.
That OTA served me well in that capacity for years. I've now moved on to other imaging OTAs, so that C8 from the Ultima 2000 has gone back to visual duty (on a CG5-GT mount) where it's still doing a fantastic job.
I eventually gave away the electronics and fork to a friend working on a project where he was building a device to do sky surveys. I don't know that he ever finished it. The tripod and wedge sat around my basement for a few years and I eventually sold them on Astromart.
Thanks for bringing back fond memories of a great scope.
-Wade
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Stuff
Visual Stuff (shared with wife and kids, 10 & 12): Celestron Nexstar 5, Generic 6" F/8 Dob, Celestron C6 or C8 on ASGT mount, CGE-1400, Coronado PST, 12x70 Binoculars.
Imaging Stuff: Meade 8" LX200ACF with Optec TCF-S focuser on CGE mount, SBIG ST-10XME with CFW8, Astrodon filters, Canon EOS 20D.
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Joe Bergeron
Vendor - Space Art
Reged: 11/10/03
Posts: 822
Loc: Upstate NY
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A very well-written article, a pleasure to read.
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Seven telescopes of a diverse nature.
Multiple chums glittering in the sky. New friends await.
My Web Site
English Lessons for Amateur Astronomers
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RogerRZ
Whatta you lookin' at?
Reged: 01/09/06
Posts: 1985
Loc: West Collette, NB, Canada
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Quote:
A very nice review with an superb writing style. I hope we see more reviews from him!
Thanks!
~jerry
...and he's a real nice guy in person too!
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-Roger Pitre-
1 X 7 binocular
Meade 2080 LX10
5" Celestron SCT
Skywatcher Equinox 66
EQ6 Pro mount (spiffed up with ADM stuff)
8X42 Bushnell binos (pretty decent for 25$)
Canon Rebel XT (AKA 350D)
Tolerant Spousal Unit (AKA The Lovely Mrs. RogerRZ)
----------AJP Observatory----------
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Matthew Ota
super member
Reged: 04/30/05
Posts: 173
Loc: New Hampshire
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I spent a few weeks last year trying to get a friend's Ultima 2000 to work. The manual was poorly written and the only thing that saved me was the manual that I got from Starizona.
Many other seasoned amateur astronomers tried to get the thing to work (but I won't name names). They gave up, frustrated.
I was impressed with the fast quiet slews, but the telescope did have a Y2K bug, not being able to GoTo planets properly.
This is a moot point if you drive it with a computer and software. Celestron issued an updated chip to fix this problem, but a lot of users did not upgrade and second and third owners can no longer get it.
It is an absolute pain in the rear to balance the scope, especially if you add accessories. Just add a Telrad and you have a lot of work to do. Since this is a clutchless telescope, the balance has to be perfect.
When the electronics go bust, it is better to defork the tube and put it on a modern GoTo GEM. No sense in wasting good optics...
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Matthew Ota
10 inch Meade LX250GPS SCT (LX50/LX200GPS clone) f6.3-Orion 80ED, ETX-90 OTA, Coronado Helios 1 H-alpha Solar Telescope
Cassini Huygens Saturn Observation Campaign
New Hampshire Astronomical Society
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WadeH237
sage
Reged: 02/24/07
Posts: 286
Loc: Snohomish, WA
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Quote:
It is an absolute pain in the rear to balance the scope, especially if you add accessories. Just add a Telrad and you have a lot of work to do. Since this is a clutchless telescope, the balance has to be perfect.
It is not clutchless. There are both altitude and azimuth clutches. The altitude clutch knob is on the side of the fork. The azimuth clutch is at the bottom underneath the mount and is a pain to adjust, but you should not have to mess with it unless it's on a wedge.
The clutches don't have a "fully locked" position, but that's why the scope can just be hand pointed to the target and continue to track.
Also, it should have a set of counterweights that mount on the rail at on the underside of the OTA. Using these, I never had a problem balancing the scope - and I used both a Telrad and pretty heavy eyepieces.
-Wade
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Stuff
Visual Stuff (shared with wife and kids, 10 & 12): Celestron Nexstar 5, Generic 6" F/8 Dob, Celestron C6 or C8 on ASGT mount, CGE-1400, Coronado PST, 12x70 Binoculars.
Imaging Stuff: Meade 8" LX200ACF with Optec TCF-S focuser on CGE mount, SBIG ST-10XME with CFW8, Astrodon filters, Canon EOS 20D.
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nspei
member
Reged: 01/07/07
Posts: 85
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"I spent a few weeks last year trying to get a friend's Ultima 2000 to work. The manual was poorly written and the only thing that saved me was the manual that I got from Starizona.
Many other seasoned amateur astronomers tried to get the thing to work (but I won't name names). They gave up, frustrated."
It's sad that you couldn't get it to work, and that your clutches didn't seem to behave (being adjustable you can usually get them "just-so")
Anecdote: my U2K want haywire last Winter. Go-to's were erratic, as was tracking - I was miserable at the thought of Premature U2K Death Syndrome. After talking to the marvelous Dean, and doing as much troubleshooting as I could - I replaced the handset cord! It has worked perfectly ever since.
I'm not for a moment suggesting that your U2K had something this simple go wrong.
But sometimes solutions can be as simple as a faulty connection.
BTW I always found it quicker to go to planets manually...
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Scott Holland
member
Reged: 10/16/05
Posts: 13
Loc: Lowell, NC USA
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That was a great review. I hate that. I just know I'll be looking for an Ultima 2000 on Astromart now. I am glad that you got such a great example of the used U2K. I also believe in recycling. One of my favorite scopes is a celestron C8 Ultima (no computer, just RA drive, and an internal GelCell battery pack). I was told by the previous owner that he had been allowed to hand pick this one from the production run. I don't doubt, it as the optics are as good as I have ever seen in a C8.
I can't go-to, but with a decent atlas and a little star hopping, I get some great views.
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Scott Holland
Lowell, N.C.
Celestron C8 Classic
Celestron C8 Ultima
Celestron 5 in. Mak-Cass
Meade 10" LX200 Classic
Meade 2045 LX3 SCT
Orion ST-80
Orion SkyView Pro 8" F5
Orion 6" Starblast
Zhumell 10" Dob
SkyWatcher 120 f/8.3 Achro refractor
Orion Scenix 10x50 Binocs
Anttler Optics 15x70 Binocs
Zhumell 20X80 Binocs
More patient and understanding wife than I deserve.
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