Dick Parker
sage
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 250
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Thought I'd share some fun. Portability seems a recurring issue with telescopes relative to getting to a dark sky site. Many folks have shown how they get their large telescopes in small cars. Soooo...I thought I'd join the fun. Attached is a photo showing my 4.5 inch refractor packed in my Smart car (one of the smallest cars around).
The telescope is a recently completed project. The lens design came from Bert Willard of the Springfield Telescope Makers and was tweaked for me by Mike Jones (thank you Mike). The glass is K5 crown and SF1 flint. I made the lens, lens cell, OTA, etc. The design is for a cemented doublet. The tripod is just completed as is the modifications to a smaller mount I had that is apppropriate for this size scope.
For any observing, not requiring large aperture, nor an overnight stay (such as events for school children) This scope and auto combination should work fine.
Havn' fun
Dick Parker
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Dick Parker
sage
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 250
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Photo 2 showing the telescope set up
Dick Parker
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Steven Aggas
sage
Reged: 04/15/08
Posts: 463
Loc: Arizona
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Plenty of room....
Who can fit a 20" in there?
Steven
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Mr. Wizard
Walking on a Dob: http://darkskyobserving.com/MtGraham.html
Elements in Harmony I, an 8"f6 German Equatorial - Stellafane Winner,
II a 20"f4.2 Newt-Dob - Astrofest Winner,
III a 6"f3.5 Finder/Newt-Dob, and
IV a 36"f4.5 Newt-Dob - "If it's up there, it's in here."
Apache-Sitgreaves Center for Astrophysics
www.DarkSkyObserving.com
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Gary Fuchs
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/22/06
Posts: 867
Loc: Easton, PA, USA
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Nice scope and car! Looks like the car could double as an observing chair...
Gary
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Don W
Postmaster
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 14629
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
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That's a hoot. Thanks for sharing.
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Don Wyman
Obsession 18" f/4.5 #1166
W/Argo Navis DSC and Torus Primary
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Tom Clark
sage
Reged: 11/14/07
Posts: 248
Loc: Chiefland, Florida
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Hi Dick,
Bet you could fit both my 8" and 12" Dobs in there without folding down the front seat!!
Hope you are having a great summer!
Tom and Jeannie
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Sky Captain
Metal Whisperer
Reged: 11/07/04
Posts: 7195
Loc: Issaquah, WA.
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Dick, without a doubt thats a great photo!
You should send that to the manufacturer...maybe it will be in some promo adds.
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Equipment Overload!
Kerry
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PrestonE
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/29/05
Posts: 1171
Loc: Houston,Texas
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Hi Dick, Great scope and photo...wish I had either our FS-102 or our Ceregolie (sp?) 7 inch f 12 ish here in Mexico...
The skys are so dark and we would love to share these images with the locals...
Best Regards,
Preston
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A few I enjoy,
and a few more in the works ;<)
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Gordon Rayner
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/24/07
Posts: 971
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Can you give a general idea of where you are? For example, is the area south of Oaxaca City, between it and Huatulco , Puerto Angel, or Puerto Escondido,at about 16 deg. north, all electrified, or do the campesinos in the mountains yet have something approximating conditions as they were around the eclipse in 1970?
Or, has coastal Michoacan been hotelified by Fonatur?
I recall that were many Texans around San Miguel de Allende.
Close to the border, there has been a hold on the construction of the proposed megaport west of the National Observatory at San Pedro Martir. The Federal Prison at El Hongo has unshielded lights in abundance, which, along with the growth of Mexicali and Tecate, have deteriorated conditions for views to the SE and S. at Mt. Laguna and at the SDAA site next to the border.
Maybe you are in rural Coahuila???
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Mark Harry
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/05/05
Posts: 3129
Loc: Northeast
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Do you sit on the car to observe???
Mark
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So many projects, so little time!
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codemonkey
super member
Reged: 09/16/08
Posts: 163
Loc: Lafayette, CO
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You should send that to Smart, I went with a Mini over the Smart Car this January mostly because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to lug all the stuff I "need" for a weekend of observing.
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PrestonE
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/29/05
Posts: 1171
Loc: Houston,Texas
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Hi Gordon, We are just south of San Miguel de Allende a couple of miles from the Centro of town...
About 5 miles to the north of town the skys are so dark that you can almost read a newspaper from the light of the Milkyway 
Anyway, when the shop gets build...we will be moving all of the tools and scopes down in one fell swoop 
Best Regards,
Preston
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A few I enjoy,
and a few more in the works ;<)
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rogercelliott
member
Reged: 09/19/08
Posts: 51
Loc: Boulder City NV
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Not quite the extreme of packing a scope in a Smart or a Mini but I do pack my 10" f/4.5 Newt which has a solid tube and a homemade GEM with dual axis drives and pedestal into a 1992 Toyota Paseo (2 door coupe). With everything packed, I can still take one person along with me to observe. The OTA goes in the back seat and the mount fits in the trunk. I'll try to get a pic in soon.....
Roger Elliott
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10" f/4.5 Newtonian
Homemade GEM
Opticraft Drives on RA and DEC
VE Digitrak drive corrector
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scopemankit
super member
Reged: 01/27/09
Posts: 142
Loc: south africa
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I reckon you could get the car into some telescopes!
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Chris
Cape Town
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Wes James
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/12/06
Posts: 3460
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Hi, Dick-
Cool car, NICE telescope! A co-worker has a Smart car... loves it!
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Wes
Atlantic Beach, FL
Some bino’s from Miyauchi 5x32 Binon's up through Garrett 20x110 Signature's,
Some telescopes from a Stellarvue 80mm NHNG up through a couple of 8” reflectors…
And a wonderful 4.25" Delmarva Shiefspiegler!
Some good friends, made here on C/N.
Oh- several cats and a wonderful wife!
Anyone want a cat???? :-O
"When your work speaks for itself- Don't Interrupt" -Gamble Rogers
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grendel
sage
Reged: 04/12/09
Posts: 251
Loc: Canterbury, Kent, UK
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I have to fold the smaller side of my back seat down in my volvo estate to get the OT of my 12.5" in, so I am down to myself and 2 passangers (maybe three small ones at a push)
nice scope, nice packing.
Grendel
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David L
sage
Reged: 11/12/07
Posts: 278
Loc: Lee County Iowa
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Darn, I knew I should not have gotten that waaaaaay oversize Prius.  I could easily fit a solid-tube 16-inch scope in there and even carry 2 passengers.... Dave
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16" Lightbridge, 10" F4.5 Homemade with Orion optics, 6" F6.5 Antares 1529 refractor, 6" F8 Homemade with Orion optics, 100mm F5.6 finderscope, 22X100 Oberwerk binocs, 8.5X44 Swift Audubon binocs, Orion Atlas mount, equatorial platform, various tripods and altaz mounts
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