1215 replies to this topic

[SandyHouTex]

Beautiful!  The history is great.  I suggesting seeing if you can get more history about the original owner from the seller. 

Caution regarding solar.  You don't have a finder filter, and one flip of a knob and you could suffer permanent eye damage.  The factory can sell you an easy-add-on finder solar filter (maybe $150?), or you can fashion one as a pinhole cap for aiming.  You can also cap the finder lens and use the shadow of the scope to find the sun easily, but this gets you easily to the finder field, maybe not the telescope.

 

Bicks conditioner for the leather case will make it look nice.

Thanks very much.  I will get a solar filter from the factory and get some Bicks.  I’ll also ask the seler about the previous owner.  There is a bill of sale shown so that should help.

 

I’m anxious to see it and use it.  If it needs a little TLC, I’ll ship it to Questar and have them refurb it.

 

I actually saved enough on the cost of a new one to get the full aperture solar filter and the “sitting” tri-stand.

[Gregory Gross]

+1 regarding Bicks. Highly effective and not greasy, waxy, or anything of the sort. It did a wonderful job on my old English saddle leather cases. Concentrate on the "hinge" that is especially prone to wear and tear.
 
Another fun 5-minute project that will add a very nice touch to your new (to you) Questar: wrap the cord nice and tight in the style that it would have been in when it left Questar. See Ben's video for this along with all the others that are well worth watching. The tinkerer in me loves seeing how something is built, and it's great to see an experienced pair of hands disassemble and re-assemble a Q.

 

It's hard to tell from the eBay photos if it's included in that clear plastic bag with the keys, but you might also look for the small Bristol spline wrench that Questar would have included with the scope for tightening down the small set screws in various knobs. The day that I got my Questar, I remember looking down the pocket where the solar filter is, and I found that little wrench hiding on the bottom. It had probably been sitting there for decades unnoticed by anyone. Those little wrenches are often deposited down one of the case pocket and forgotten about.

[alan.dang]

@Sandy, are you canceling your new order then?

[SandyHouTex]

@Sandy, are you canceling your new order then?

Yes.  I just did.  Royce at Astronomics let me apply the deposit to the tri-stand.

 

When I started looking into a Questar, one of the things I wondered about, other than the quality of the new ones, was whether they were still doing well from a business perspective.  Considering they have an 8 week backlog and they’re trying to put together a Questar 5, it sounds to me like they’re doing fine.

Edited by SandyHouTex, 18 December 2020 - 04:43 PM.

[RMay]

I’m sure government orders will keep Q afloat ad infinitum. As for the Tristand, I got mine 37 years late. It’s heavy-ish, but it’s as well thought out, designed, and built as the mighty 3.5.

You’ll love both. Congratulations.

Ron

Edited by RMay, 18 December 2020 - 11:53 PM.

[Reid W]

A 2008 recently sold on Ebay. The case was personalized "Dorothy Voogd".

 

I had interest in the optic and when examining the photos of the corrector, it appeared there was a fracture at the perimeter at 5 o'clock, the fracture is seen at 3 o'clock in the second photo.

 

I sent a note to the seller, and he told me he thought it was a piece of thread and have to check.  He never got back and it has sold.

 

The first photo shows a change in the crack, indicating depth, and I really doubt its a thread.

 

If anyone here bought it, heads up.

[RichA]

Same scope, same advertiser, one 1/2 the price

 

https://www.ebay.com...ZsAAOSwzVdf0uoP

 

https://www.ebay.com...ZsAAOSwzVdf0uoP

[telescope200]

Quantum 4? and "Questar 7-ish"? OTAs on eBay

 

Davro Optical System M180-6FL-005 Surveillance Lens

Davro Optical System M180-6F7-007 DOS100-NDRZ-EC Surveillance Lens

 

Pros:

7" maksutov optics by J.R. Cumberland

Quantum 4 OTAs?

may be worth rehabbing into astro telescopes if they can be bought at a low offer price

 

Cons:

Bad eBay listing, actual items unknown

condition unknown

configuration unknown

could be scratch, bashed, dropped a few times

 

 

 

I have no connection to these listings other than in my former days as a Davro Optical employee I may have built one or two of these.

Saw these on eBay, may be of interest. We built a lot of these surveillance and tracking/range/boresighting scopes. It is hard to tell what they are selling but here are the specs based on the model numbers:

 

DOS180-6FL (Specs for similar model on the Wayback Machine)

 

This is a 7" maksutov system similar to the Questar 7" (it uses the same J.R. Cumberland optics). This system is f/13.3 as opposed to f/13.4 for the Questar 7 Astro Mak (I could never tell if Cumberland was just shipping us Questar optics or if they made a slightly different "off the shelf" version for other customers). In the box (as best as I can remember) is a wheel with 5 focal reducer lenses and an empty hole, giving the six focal lengths. It also has counter-rotating neutral density wheels to control exposure. And it has electric motors to power the wheels and for power focus (moving the main mirror).

 

You can probably pull the OTA out of the system, add some kind of eyepiece mount on the back, add a finder and a knob on the exposed focus screw and you got a standard Mak (similar to the Questar 7 Astro Mak) ready for mounting.

 

You could also leave everything as is on the rails, put it on a (big) mount, and have an astrophoto scope with built in focal reducers and powered focus.

 

DOS100-NDRZ-EC (Specs on the Wayback Machine)

 

This uses Quantum 4 optics, a ND wheel system, and, i think, a lens set on a slider to change focal length. I am pretty sure the OTA can be unbolted and (with the same additions) can be used as a stand alone maksutov telescope (similar to a Quantum 100). Or it could be used as is.

 

 

The listings shows two different 7" units. They are also listing the DOS100-NDRZ-EC (4" mak). They have 4 of (something) for sale in the second listing (at half the price). Confusing? yeah.....

 

 

One problem in figuring out the specs on each unit is we built these units in small runs for each purchaser, so each order was custom, the buyer would want different features, so whats "in the box" may be a surprise.

Edited by telescope200, 03 January 2021 - 11:54 PM.

[Gregory Gross]

Very cool! And welcome to the Questar Forum and to Cloudy Nights, telescope200!

[Optics Patent]

Tempting to get one for an optical set to replace a failed on in a Q7 OTA

[TerryWood]

Here's a Questar 7 for $12,500 on A'Mart.

 

https://astromart.co...uestar-7-498780

 

Includes fork mount, heavy duty tripod, a buch of Brandons, adapters, full aperture solar filter, colored filters, and cases.

 

V/R

 

Terry

[RMay]

Taking a look at that AstroMart Q7 ad above, one should take note that the eyepieces are all engraved with ‘Questar’ only on the barrel, which dates them to 1979-1983, indicates that they were manufactured by Q and “optimized for performance” with the scope, and are quite rare.

I’m holding out for a Five myself, but that Seven looks very interesting.

Good luck to whoever pursues it.

Ron

[Optics Patent]

My quick take on the Seven on AM is that the filter easily adds $1000 (rare as hen's teeth at used price) and the tripod while not pretty (I think it's a Davis and Sanford) is very useful  I'll bet it should be installed on a Manfrotto dolly for roll-out convenience.  The extra eyepieces also add.  So what looks a little high priced includes maybe $2000 in real value (and nice to have the legs - though rarely used).

 

My understanding is that the Questar labeled eyepieces were no different optically from the ones before and after (I suspect they were using the same lenses, and simply machining their own barrels and rings).  Rare to have a complete set, but note that some are severely faded.  Also, the support element for the barrel is also faded, so I'd verify whether the barrel skin shows a "tan line" is it was on display with the dew shield partially shading it.

If I hadn't done so in a prior sale in recent years, I'd be begging the seller to sell me that solar filter separately for $1000-1200.  That 12mm "Questar" eyepiece might also be a rare find for a collector looking for a set of those.  (The 8mm is marked "Brandon")

 

Ron, the best reason to hold out for a Q5 for the same ~$10k is that the Five will be portable, and the Seven is a beast.

[Absorber]

I contacted the seller for the serial number. He provided it to me but did not put it in the ad yet.

It is just a standard DP OTA with Pyrex mirror. No BB coatings indicated. IMHO it is over priced even with the accessories offered. From the number given, I would estimate it was made in 1977-78. Whom ever buys it will most certainly need to consider cost of possible servicing at Q or Company 7.

Edited by Absorber, 04 January 2021 - 07:16 PM.

[RMay]

Shady looking “1957” Q has just appeared on E. Mismatched pics; eyepiece (top view only) looks wrong for the year; case pockets differ from pic to pic. Only 5 (no current) feedback.

I’ve asked for more pictures and information, but I doubt I will get it.

Ron

[Toddeo]

Shady looking “1957” Q has just appeared on E. Mismatched pics; eyepiece (top view only) looks wrong for the year; case pockets differ from pic to pic. Only 5 (no current) feedback.

I’ve asked for more pictures and information, but I doubt I will get it.

Ron

Shady as a giant sequoia! The first two pictures show a newer model Questar(and accessories) and the third picture is an older style.