I was recently given a Bushnell Deep Space 420 x 60mm refractor (78-9512). It belonged to an Aunt who recently passed away and it ended up with me because I’ve refurbished a couple small scopes. I’m not sentimental about it, but would like to bring it back if it’s at all worth it.
I looked it up on Amazon and the reviews are horrible. More than 50% are 1-star, so it wasn’t a great scope to begin with. Plus, my aunt was a heavy smoker and the entire scope is covered with yellow smoke residue. The eyepieces are .965 and the alt-az mount is ridiculously inadequate. This scope has absolutely nothing going for it. BUT...
But, I have a hard time throwing away a scope if I can turn it into something that someone might get some good out of. The small scopes I refurbished were all given away to families and kids, and I know an 8-year old who has asks to see my telescopes whenever I see him. (I’m a pastor and I have a scope in my office at the church)
So...here is my question. Can anyone tell me if the objective in this scope is worth the effort. I can upgrade the focuser to 1.25 and mount the scope on a solid photography tripod. I’ve got a couple low-power eyepieces that should work fine. I enjoy tinkering and have learned more than I can say just tearing apart scopes and putting them back together. Anyone have experience with Chinese Bushnell refractors? Will these improvements help?