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Post a Picture of Your Classic Telescope- with or without you!

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#5026 Terra Nova

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Posted 01 February 2025 - 09:06 PM

Here’s an oldie!

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#5027 Terra Nova

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Posted 01 February 2025 - 09:09 PM

One more from the Wayback Machine:

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#5028 mikey cee

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 12:15 AM

Here’s an oldie!

Which you or the scope? confused1.gif   Mike lol.gif   



#5029 Eric P

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 11:16 AM

Takahashi MT-130 with a recoated primary.  Took it out last evening after a quick laser collimation, let it settle for an hour and WOW is this scope sharp!  Really nice views Mars and Jupiter with the Nagler 3.5.  
 

 

 

 

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#5030 deSitter

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 01:06 PM

Takahashi MT-130 with a recoated primary.  Took it out last evening after a quick laser collimation, let it settle for an hour and WOW is this scope sharp!  Really nice views Mars and Jupiter with the Nagler 3.5.  
 

This deserves a Tak 50mm finder - which is a good little 2" telescope in its own right!

 

-drl


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#5031 Airship

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 09:53 PM

Jaegers_Cave (2-2-2025)-2.jpg

 

I originally had my 6” f/15 Jaegers riding on my tall Atlas EQ-G and I was pretty happy with it. However, it felt a bit… fragile. It works okay and the Altas handled it well, but I wanted something a bit simpler and robust, particularly if I ever wanted to use the Jaegers at an outreach event. To make a long story short, The Jaegers now rides on a Cave equatorial mount with 1.5" shafts on top of a modified Meade Giant field tripod. A quick test this evening showed this to be a very stable platform that is very easy to use. Wonderful!


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#5032 deSitter

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 10:09 PM

attachicon.gif Jaegers_Cave (2-2-2025)-2.jpg

 

I originally had my 6” f/15 Jaegers riding on my tall Atlas EQ-G and I was pretty happy with it. However, it felt a bit… fragile. It works okay and the Altas handled it well, but I wanted something a bit simpler and robust, particularly if I ever wanted to use the Jaegers at an outreach event. To make a long story short, The Jaegers now rides on a Cave equatorial mount with 1.5" shafts on top of a modified Meade Giant field tripod. A quick test this evening showed this to be a very stable platform that is very easy to use. Wonderful!

OMG a classic giant trifecta! What a beast!

 

-drl


Edited by deSitter, 02 February 2025 - 10:09 PM.


#5033 jragsdale

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 10:15 PM

attachicon.gif Jaegers_Cave (2-2-2025)-2.jpg

 

I originally had my 6” f/15 Jaegers riding on my tall Atlas EQ-G and I was pretty happy with it. However, it felt a bit… fragile. It works okay and the Altas handled it well, but I wanted something a bit simpler and robust, particularly if I ever wanted to use the Jaegers at an outreach event. To make a long story short, The Jaegers now rides on a Cave equatorial mount with 1.5" shafts on top of a modified Meade Giant field tripod. A quick test this evening showed this to be a very stable platform that is very easy to use. Wonderful!

Very nice! I like that better than the Atlas.


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#5034 Terra Nova

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 10:42 PM

Which you or the scope? confused1.gif   Mike lol.gif   

Both and thanks for reminding me! :flame: I was referring to the picture. :lol:



#5035 Airship

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Posted 02 February 2025 - 10:52 PM

“I like that better than the Atlas.”
 

Heh, heh, so do I! It’s weird using a mount with _no_ slow motion controls of any kind, but the movement of this mount is so smooth it doesn’t need them. Despite a pretty rough sky I was able to observe Venus for several hours this afternoon and the drive was spot-on. The Atlas was okay, but I felt that the classic content wasn’t really high enough for the Classics Forum. Problem solved. :)


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#5036 Rustler46

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 01:28 AM

Here’s an oldie!

Thanks, Terra. That's an awesome old refractor. What is it? You've got quite the history of having such great telescopes. When I was a teenager, I really wanted to get a Unitron 2.4-inch. Dollars were hard to come by then. But a kindly gentleman in a local astronomy club taught me how to make a 6-inch reflector. So I had to wait over 50 years to get a nice refractor - an AT115EDT, which I really enjoy. My only other refractor is an 1810 Dollond spyglass that was given to me when I was making my first reflector. We've come a long way since the days of the Dollonds.

 

All the Best,

Russ


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#5037 deSitter

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 07:35 AM

“I like that better than the Atlas.”
 

Heh, heh, so do I! It’s weird using a mount with _no_ slow motion controls of any kind, but the movement of this mount is so smooth it doesn’t need them. Despite a pretty rough sky I was able to observe Venus for several hours this afternoon and the drive was spot-on. The Atlas was okay, but I felt that the classic content wasn’t really high enough for the Classics Forum. Problem solved. smile.gif

All that moment arm on that small cast aluminum saddle made me nervous! This is way better.

 

-drl


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#5038 ErnH2O

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 10:18 AM

Which you or the scope? confused1.gif   Mike lol.gif   

Hush! We don't speak of a lady's age. 



#5039 Kasmos

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 03:50 PM

“I like that better than the Atlas.”
 

Heh, heh, so do I! It’s weird using a mount with _no_ slow motion controls of any kind, but the movement of this mount is so smooth it doesn’t need them. Despite a pretty rough sky I was able to observe Venus for several hours this afternoon and the drive was spot-on. The Atlas was okay, but I felt that the classic content wasn’t really high enough for the Classics Forum. Problem solved. smile.gif

Looks much more Classic now waytogo.gif

 

I've got a similar little brother

jaegers-Palm.jpg

4" Jaegers on a 1" Cave mount.

And yes it's different not having slow controls but it works well just pushing it to where you want and then turning on the drive.

I built it in the Fall of 1978 and it was my first experince with a GEM so I didn't know any better.

Looking back I find it kind of strange that Cave didn't give me any instruction on how to use it.

I suppose they thought I knew what I was doing? scratchhead2.gif


Edited by Kasmos, 03 February 2025 - 03:51 PM.

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#5040 Airship

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 04:18 PM

Heh, heh, yeah, I searched for a manual mostly looking for how it is supposed to be assembled. The setup and operation are super simple. My only concern was whether I would have any problems making small changes in the field at high magnification. It turned out to be no probleemo at all. The tracking is so smooth and accurate making frequent tweaks is not necessary. I was also able to hop around the moon without any problems. The setting circles are likewise perfect for pointing the scope. I was a bit worried about adjusting the polar alignment, but the latitude adjustment (which I was very reluctant to touch) is only about 1.5 degrees low, easily fixed by adjusting the tripod. The head can be easily rotated on the tripod, so adjusting the azimuth is also easy. I was able to align the setting circles in daylight which made finding Venus easy peasy. Venus in daylight with this scope is simply gorgeous! I'm looking forward to an evening that's actually clear!

:)
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#5041 mmcdonough782@gmail.com

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 04:55 PM

IMG_0149.jpeg my 10inch lightbridge about 2012 or so with my good old helper Marley. Sold when my wife and I moved onto our chris craft and I bought a ETX125 which worked great until the altitude motor crapped out recently. I just bought an old Meade star finder 12.5 which I’ll pick up next week. I live on a island and the seller lives on a different island so we have to coordinate some ferries!


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#5042 clamchip

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 06:29 PM

I use a Cave 1.5" with my refractors too.

It's a wonderful mount.

Robert

 

Here it is with my Edmund 5 inch f/15

post-50896-0-22866000-1609034803.jpg


Edited by clamchip, 03 February 2025 - 06:30 PM.

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#5043 Airship

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Posted 03 February 2025 - 10:18 PM

It's a well-executed, simple, robust mount that just works. Love it!



#5044 deSitter

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Posted 04 February 2025 - 07:33 PM

Vixen tripod, Synta mount, Meade ETX-125 - this is a killer setup! So easy to use! Mount is just a joy to operate. It's getting OnStep-ped on soon.

 

-drl

 

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#5045 deSitter

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Posted 04 February 2025 - 07:35 PM

Beauty shot

 

-drl

 

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#5046 CHASLX200

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Posted 04 February 2025 - 07:48 PM

Vixen tripod, Synta mount, Meade ETX-125 - this is a killer setup! So easy to use! Mount is just a joy to operate. It's getting OnStep-ped on soon.

 

-drl

Slap a 50mm finder on it.



#5047 deSitter

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Posted 04 February 2025 - 07:57 PM

Slap a 50mm finder on it.

Not needed. The 8x RA finder is fine. A 60mm RACI will eventually live on it. BTW it's freaky sharp like the 90 and 105.

 

-drl


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#5048 CHASLX200

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Posted 04 February 2025 - 08:05 PM

Not needed. The 8x RA finder is fine. A 60mm RACI will eventually live on it. BTW it's freaky sharp like the 90 and 105.

 

-drl

Both of my 125's were.

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Edited by CHASLX200, 04 February 2025 - 08:06 PM.

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#5049 Bob W4

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Posted 04 February 2025 - 09:06 PM

The view of my "flock of seagulls" from my living room easy chair.  I agree with clamchip, the Cave 1 1/2" mount is a workhorse and a joy to use.

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#5050 Terra Nova

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Posted 05 February 2025 - 10:44 AM

Thanks, Terra. That's an awesome old refractor. What is it? You've got quite the history of having such great telescopes. When I was a teenager, I really wanted to get a Unitron 2.4-inch. Dollars were hard to come by then. But a kindly gentleman in a local astronomy club taught me how to make a 6-inch reflector. So I had to wait over 50 years to get a nice refractor - an AT115EDT, which I really enjoy. My only other refractor is an 1810 Dollond spyglass that was given to me when I was making my first reflector. We've come a long way since the days of the Dollonds.

 

All the Best,

Russ

Thank you for the kind words Russ, that scope was my 3” Unitron. It had a wonderful objective F16 objective and was on a rock-solid mount. In downsizing my life, it and all my other long refractors are gone save for the 60mm I started out with in 1965. Not a Unitron, but a very nearly optically perfect little Mayflower F12 made by APL. A year later I too made a 6” Newtonian via Thompson’s Making Your Own Telescope, (I no longer have the telescope but I do still have the book! wink.gif )

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Edited by Terra Nova, 05 February 2025 - 11:24 AM.

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