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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Loc: Scotland
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Another new Mak!
#5534166 - 11/22/12 04:20 PM
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Hi all,
Not content with just acquiring a nice Intes Micro M603, I couldn't resist this little (big) beauty at a good price - so a giant box and piles of bubblewrap have just been torn asunder to reveal... an Orion 180 Mak! 
Condition is pretty good with only very minor scuffs and the actual optics are very surprisingly clean and only the tiniest level of dust present!
I do have some questions though, if anyone can help me?
Are these still being made in the Orion brand, and is there any way to tell how old this model is? It looks "years" old by some signs of usage, and some tiny amounts of corrosion in the screws etc, marks on the dovetail (of course) and it would be nice to know what sort of age it is.
Secondly, I'd like to add a visual back to it that has a compression ring. I presume something is available in 1.25" size?
Pretty excited!!! 
Ant
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JohnH
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/04/05
Loc: Squamish BC Moved!!!!!
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: Spyke]
#5534224 - 11/22/12 05:09 PM
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That's one disadvantage of these ones is the small 1 1/4" optical port.
That and the accessories available in that size
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Loc: Scotland
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: JohnH]
#5534242 - 11/22/12 05:24 PM
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Oh no, I'll be quite happy with the 1.25" fitting, it's just I'd rather have a comp ring fitting rather than setscrew, is all.
Ant
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hottr6
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/28/09
Loc: 7,500', Magdalena Mtns, NM
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: Spyke]
#5534485 - 11/22/12 09:18 PM
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You will need one of these.
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BigC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/29/10
Loc: SE Indiana
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: Spyke]
#5534655 - 11/22/12 11:57 PM
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Nice find!
While I have preformed no scientific tests due to ignorance,laziness,and procrastination,my 5" Mak seems to be sharper than my 5" SCT .A 180mm Mak would be interesting to compare versus the 8SE.
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Asbytec
Guy in a furry hat
Reged: 08/08/07
Loc: La Union, PI
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: BigC]
#5534845 - 11/23/12 03:59 AM
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Are Maks becoming hard to find in the US? Been browsing adds and see mostly smaller 90mm to 127mm mostly and an occasional 7" apertures. Meade, Celestron and Skymax seem to be about it with a spattering of Ioptrons here and there.
But where have all the Maks gone? They are great scopes. Has the cool down myth killed them? I am so fortunate to have grabbed my 150 Orion at a great price when it was available. Great mount, great optics. A keeper. Kind of wish there were more to choose from.
Hold onto the 180 Orion. It may be a rare breed someday.
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hottr6
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/28/09
Loc: 7,500', Magdalena Mtns, NM
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: Spyke]
#5535031 - 11/23/12 08:46 AM
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Looks like it has been flocked.
Lucky guy.
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Tim2723
The Moon Guy
Reged: 02/19/04
Loc: Northern New Jersey
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: hottr6]
#5535081 - 11/23/12 09:15 AM
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Congrats on a great find. It's hard to tell the age of an instrument by wear marks. I have a well-used ten year old scope that's absolutely mint looking and a seldom-used three year old that looks like it's been through the war.
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Loc: Scotland
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: Tim2723]
#5535180 - 11/23/12 10:13 AM
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No not flocked yet. Think it's just the picture makes it look that way. It is dark inside but flocking would definately blacken it up more. Something for the to-do list, along with finding some rings for it.
Speaking of which, I'm assuming that as the only collimatable surface on these scopes is the primary mirror, removing and reattaching the corrector should not have an effect on collimation - am I correct?
Thanks,
Ant
And yes, there's not that many 180's over here either, specially not the Orion branded ones
Edited by Spyke (11/23/12 12:49 PM)
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Asbytec
Guy in a furry hat
Reged: 08/08/07
Loc: La Union, PI
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Re: Another new Mak!
[Re: Spyke]
#5535428 - 11/23/12 12:47 PM
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I don't think it affect's collimation, but take all the normal precautions and mark it before removing it. If it's like mine, the entire cell just slips off the end of the tube held there by 4 screws. The mirror housing is the same. Be sure to mark that one, especially.
Anyway, if collimation is affected, just collimate it. If you've not done so, it can be a bit weird getting used to the push and pull motion. It's not as easy as an SCT and it might take a few mistakes before you get the hang of it. I did, anyway.
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