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Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | (show all) CoolHobieCat member Reged: 11/23/11 Loc: Alabama 50th Anniversary Questar       #4968138 - 12/15/11 02:38 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   OK, you can add me to the list of people who have ordered a 50th Anniversary Questar. I am going to use mine for NASA's Education and Public Outreach Program by setting up in urban shopping areas where I live in Decatur, Alabama. NASA is happy to pay me for my hourly time and mileage, so the telescope and Tri-Stand will pay for themselves over time. Using the full aperture solar filter will be a nice way to show people sunspots, as solar max is scheduled for 2012. Urban areas are not great for deep sky objects, but the Questar will be fine for the Moon and the planets. The delivery date is going to be about 6-8 weeks. This is not my first Questar, and like many people who have owned and then sold these marvelous telescopes, I knew the day after I sold mine that I had screwed up. That was about 10 years ago, but today I made things right again. Loren http://www.bsasnashville.com/members/LorenBall/ Post Extras:       Mike E. Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/26/10 Loc: Moonstone Observatory Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #4968202 - 12/15/11 03:15 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Welcome to the forum ! Six to eight weeks sounds like a great turnaround time. It just might take a little longer though. Did you order direct through Questar ? Post Extras:       CoolHobieCat member Reged: 11/23/11 Loc: Alabama Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: Mike E.]       #4968261 - 12/15/11 03:59 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I talked to Questar directly and that is where I got the schedule, but they offered no discount for NASA, and since I have done a lot of business with Astronomics through the years, I bought from Astronomics. Hey, 2.5% will be a few pizzas. Loren Post Extras:       Mike E. Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/26/10 Loc: Moonstone Observatory Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #4968336 - 12/15/11 04:50 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Hey, 2.5% will be a few pizzas. Loren Now why didn't I think of that ? For most of us here, there has been a longer wait than quoted. This seems to be a given fact, but as you know, the wait will be worth it; good work takes time. I ordered direct, so no pizza for me. Post Extras:       justfred super member Reged: 09/24/10 Loc: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #4969710 - 12/16/11 02:17 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Loren, Welcome and Merry Christmas! I'm just down the road a ways here in Birmingham. My '66Q 3.5 also finds its way into parking lots several times a year for public outreach. You will not be dissapointed. Super easy to set up and polar align. Most folks have never seen the stars leastwise looked through a telescope. We set up in front of one of the movie metroplexes during International Observe the Moon Night. Absolutely horrible light polution but still had a ball. The moon, Jupiter, and some gorgeous color contrasting doubles. People galore. Bravo to you for getting out there under the stars where the people are. The Birmingham Club and the Huntsville Club get together from time to time. Send us an email when you going out. We'd like to join you sometime. Again, Merry Christmas! Fred Post Extras:       CoolHobieCat member Reged: 11/23/11 Loc: Alabama Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: justfred]       #4970573 - 12/17/11 01:02 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Most folks have never seen the stars leastwise looked through a telescope. Fred Yes, and that is a shame, isn't it? I am pretty excited about changing that kind of problem in my area. The Questar seems perfect for what I want to do, even though it is a bit pricey. Loren Post Extras:       Terry_McComas member Reged: 04/03/11 Loc: SW Canada Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #4975226 - 12/19/11 11:51 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   One of the few benefits of living in the Northern Wasteland, ie. Canada, is that you sometimes benefit from currency fluctuations. Just from blind good luck, when I bought my 50th, this summer, our dollar was up about 10% from where it normally is, with respect to yours. Yippeeeee! Post Extras:       justfred super member Reged: 09/24/10 Loc: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: Terry_McComas]       #4978651 - 12/21/11 10:05 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   LOL.... all that dark and a cheaper price too. Not fair. Not fair at all. Glad for you, Terry. Merry Christmas! Fred Post Extras:       CoolHobieCat member Reged: 11/23/11 Loc: Alabama Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: justfred]       #4990980 - 12/29/11 08:40 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The Birmingham Club and the Huntsville Club get together from time to time. Send us an email when you going out. We'd like to join you sometime. Again, Merry Christmas! Fred I would love to meet you, so I look forward to our clubs getting together. Post Extras:       Mark Manner journeyman Reged: 01/13/11 Loc: Nashville, TN Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #5054927 - 02/04/12 11:18 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Loren, I know of you by reputation here in Nashville, but we haven't met as far as I can recall. Let me know how you like the Questar, I have an old Quantum 4 that I no longer use, and like most of us that grew up reading S&T, I always wanted a Questar. I do mainly deep sky imaging now, so I haven't gotten a Questar, but maybe it is time. Best, Mark Post Extras:       CoolHobieCat member Reged: 11/23/11 Loc: Alabama Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: Mark Manner]       #5055076 - 02/04/12 12:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Geezzz..........You really have some nice equipment, Mark !!! Very impressive !!! The Nashville astronomy club has been very nice to me over the years, and maybe we can meet when I come back up that direction at some time in the future. As this is not going to be my first Questar, I do not expect any big surprises. The Tri-Stand is new to me though, and I must say that it is pretty amazing. I have had it for a few days, and I expect the telescope in another week or two. Post Extras:       justfred super member Reged: 09/24/10 Loc: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #5060652 - 02/07/12 04:14 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hmm... I know of at least three other Questars in the area. May be time for a Questar Star Party. Rainwater observatory in north Mississippi has Bortle class 2 skies. What do you folks think? Post Extras:       CoolHobieCat member Reged: 11/23/11 Loc: Alabama Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: justfred]       #5060790 - 02/07/12 05:44 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Have Questar - Will Travel Post Extras:       Gordon Reade member Reged: 02/28/06 Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: CoolHobieCat]       #5170209 - 04/13/12 11:39 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Since December of 2000 I have had my Q 50th-S/N 19-set up at more than 500 public events and well over 50,000 people, most of them children, have looked through it. And yet NASA has not paid me one red cent for my time and effort. Truth be told, if offered I would not take their money. Why should I take tax payer funds to do what I love? Post Extras:       justfred super member Reged: 09/24/10 Loc: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: Gordon Reade]       #5171001 - 04/13/12 07:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Gordon that is outstanding! That's what this hobby in particular,and science and math in general, needs is people providing opportunities. Those sparks that sometimes catch the attention of someone and turn into a life changing moment. My estimate is that out of every hundred or so kids that attend an outreach program that at least three or four will be genuinely impacted by the experience. You can do the math and see the impact you have made! Hats off to you. Our club here in Birmingham is having its monthly public star party tomorrow night at Oak Mountain State Park which is not the darkest in the world but is one of the most frequented. Depending on the usual variable we'll have from zero to 75 folks show up. It is always a blast. My questar usually has as many visitors as any of the other much large scopes. There is definitely something special about them. Anyway...again, hats off to you! The rest of us have some catching up to do. Fred Post Extras:       TerryWood sage Reged: 03/15/12 Loc: USA Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: justfred]       #5206424 - 05/04/12 10:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I got extremely lucky. Ordered the Q 50th edition last weekend and Questar expects to complete it this coming week. I didn't expect such a quick turnaround time, but I'm really happy about it! I'm curious to know what serial number it is. I don't anticipate they'll be producing many more. Terry Post Extras:       LarryV super member Reged: 06/02/08 Loc: Gold Canyon, AZ Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: TerryWood]       #5213623 - 05/09/12 11:59 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Terry, Congratulations on your Q50. You will love it! Let us know the SN- Mine is #182- delivered February 2011. CS, LarryV Post Extras:       TerryWood sage Reged: 03/15/12 Loc: USA Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: LarryV]       #5222543 - 05/14/12 07:11 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Larry, The Q50 arrived today! SN #208. It is beautiful, that's for sure and built solid as a rock. The mirror specs are rms .016 and pv .054. I'm not certain what that equates to, 1/16 wave? Looking forward to using it soon, but it's raining and the forecast is two more days of the same. Hopefully the weekend will be clear. The Tri-stand is sitting here, just need some good weather to put it all together. V/R Terry Post Extras:       Erik Bakker Carpal Tunnel Reged: 08/10/06 Loc: The Netherlands, Europe Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: TerryWood]       #5222630 - 05/14/12 08:04 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Larry, The Q50 arrived today! SN #208. It is beautiful, that's for sure and built solid as a rock. The mirror specs are rms .016 and pv .054. I'm not certain what that equates to, 1/16 wave? Looking forward to using it soon, but it's raining and the forecast is two more days of the same. Hopefully the weekend will be clear. The Tri-stand is sitting here, just need some good weather to put it all together. V/R Terry Congrats on a telescope for a lifetime Terry. Looks like yours has some nice glass in it. Forget about those numbers, just insert a Brandon and enjoy Post Extras:       Michael Lomb member Reged: 10/26/10 Loc: North Island New Zealand Re: 50th Anniversary Questar [Re: Erik Bakker]       #5223160 - 05/15/12 08:01 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I read up on this, and it is more complicated than I imagined. Since you will take your telescope outside anyway, an easy and reliable way to check the optics of the system is to do a star test and check the diffraction rings in and out of focus on a night with very stable seeing. I found perfect rings when I did this, and it is this ability that allows usable magnification of 50 x per inch and an exit pupil of 0.5 mm. Here is a link on what to look for. http://www.astrosurf.com/altaz/startest_e.htm Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | (show all)

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