14 replies to this topic

[asaint]

Ultima 2000

[Arief]

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?

[nspei]

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.

[Midnight Dan]

You have rhapped waxodic! ;-) A lovely review, an enjoyable read, great prose! Thanks!

-Dan

[edl]

Great review! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks for taking the time to write it.

Best,
Ed L.

[Jerry Hyman]

A very nice review with an superb writing style. I hope we see more reviews from him!

Thanks!

~jerry

[Glen A W]

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.

[nspei]

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....

[WadeH237]

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

[Joe Bergeron]

A very well-written article, a pleasure to read.

[RogerRZ]

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!

[Matthew Ota]

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...

[WadeH237]

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

[nspei]

"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...

[Scott Holland]

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.