Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums
Privacy Policy |
Please read our Terms
of Service | Signup and
Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
DavidinFL
member
Reged: 08/28/09
Posts: 52
Loc: Navarre, FL
|
|
I ran across a craigslist ad in my area and I was hoping someone might be able to tell me a little about it. I think it's a Meade 10" Starfinder. When were these made? How good are they? Did they have any bad problems? How good were the optics? Is the mount big enough to handle the 10" scope? Is it a good price for the scope? Anything along those lines or any additional info would be nice.
Here is the link
Meade 10 starfinder
Thanks,
David
--------------------
Orion XT8 - Orion StarMax 102 EQ
|
mustgobigger
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/12/07
Posts: 2421
|
|
i am not sure about date,
maybe mid 90's
it looks like a good deal to me
looks like you have at least 100.00 worth of accessories
and if the mirror does not need recoating i do not think you could go wrong.
most of these had pretty good optics so if the motor drive
works i would go for it.
Brian
--------------------
RV-6
Meade 826
Meade 880 Deluxe
Unitron's 114,128,140,142,150,152,155,160
4" Jaegertron
4.5" A.E f/14 Refractor
4" f/15 Edmund's Refractor
|
desertrefugee
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 1215
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Yup, Starfinder 10" EQ. I had one very recently and had some great observing with it. I also got some of my best ever lunar images with that scope. The tracking is very touchy if not balanced meticulously and it is not as transportable as a dob. (That's the main reason I sold it. And that it took up so much room vs. sky time).
But it had a very good mirror. Not great (at f4.5) but very good.
It rides the very same mount that was used for the 6" and 8" Starfinders. With the 10", that mount was stretched to its absolute limit. (That's why balance was so critical on the 10" for it to track properly).
For $300, you're looking at a very fair deal.
Here's a sample of what mine could do with our nearest neighbor:
--------------------
"Illimitable ocean, without bound, Without dimension, where length, breadth, and height, And time, and place are lost." - Milton
-Darrell
Reflectors - 76 to 305mm (f4.7 to f9.2)
Refractors - 50 to 120mm (f5 to f16.7)
Binoculars - 6x15 to 22x100
N. Phoenix, AZ
|
refractory
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/05/05
Posts: 1233
|
|
Whoa- I can't see the plume from the impact two weeks ago- not a very good mirror! :-)
Seriously, though, how would you compare this to, say, a 10.1 inch Coulter?
Jess Tauber
|
tim53
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 1450
Loc: Highland Park, CA
|
|
Much better than the Coulter.
The ad has been deleted. did you buy it?
-Tim.
--------------------
"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
|
DavidinFL
member
Reged: 08/28/09
Posts: 52
Loc: Navarre, FL
|
|
Quote:
Much better than the Coulter.
The ad has been deleted. did you buy it?
-Tim.
The ad still works for me.
Thanks for the replies though. I'm on the fence about it. I have a 8" dob so this wouldn't be a big upgrade for me and the overloaded mount has me kinda worried. I'll have to give it some more thought.
--------------------
Orion XT8 - Orion StarMax 102 EQ
|
tim53
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 1450
Loc: Highland Park, CA
|
|
I tried again, and it still shows as deleted by author. So, your decision may have been made for you, I'm afraid.
I too, think that OTA is too much for that mount, but for $300, I'd grab it, put the OTA on something heavier (but still a GEM), and use the mount for something like a 6" f/8.
-Tim.
--------------------
"We`re just waiting looking skyward as the days come down.
Someone promised there`d be answers, if we stayed around."
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, "The Romance of the Telescope"
|
DavidinFL
member
Reged: 08/28/09
Posts: 52
Loc: Navarre, FL
|
|
Yeah, I'm showing it as deleted too. Maybe someone got it. Oh well, that'll probably make the wife happier. Thanks for your help everyone!
--------------------
Orion XT8 - Orion StarMax 102 EQ
|
rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4573
|
|
Quote:
I ran across a craigslist ad in my area and I was hoping someone might be able to tell me a little about it. I think it's a Meade 10" Starfinder. When were these made? How good are they? Did they have any bad problems? How good were the optics? Is the mount big enough to handle the 10" scope? Is it a good price for the scope? Anything along those lines or any additional info would be nice.
Here is the link
Meade 10 starfinder
Thanks,
David
The scopes debuted in 1992. Optics were always good, and the mounts were OK. The mechanics were cheapened as the years rolled on. Originally, the scopes had very nice rack and pinion focusers and decent AC drives. By the late 90s, they were saddled with plastic focusers and DC powered drives, that, while convenient, really were not as good.
How mucho? Depends on the condition. Couple of hundred and up to maybe 350 or 400 for a really good one with lots of accessories.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
|
|
9 registered and 8 anonymous users are browsing this forum.
Moderator: RLTYS, Glassthrower, Clive Gibbons
Print Thread
|
Forum Permissions
You cannot start new topics
You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled
UBBCode is enabled
|
Thread views: 183
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 