46 replies to this topic

[CHASLX200]

Worst scope for me was the Dynamax 8...by far....but the Meade 178ED was a close second.  

 

However, at least for the sample I had, I got the feeling there was a rather decent doublet hiding in a really terrible lens cell.  

 

Jeff

I think it would be fine it had a real cell. No way i was gonna pay 6k and deal with trying to center it everytime i moved it. 

[39.1N84.5W]

I had a Meade 178mm.
Now I have an Istar 208mm. It blows that Meade outta the water.

[C. Evangelista]

I also owned a Meade 178 f/9, 12 years ago.

 

Deep sky, i. e. globular and open clusters, were stunning using 2" Naglers, Panoptics and Widescan III, and even at higher magnification using Abbe Orthos.

 

However, high-end planetary views were not so good as I had expected from a (large) ED refractor...

 

Star testing according to Harold Suiter was more than unsatisfactory, especially extrafocal. Plenty of false colour at more than 320x.

 

Unstable mounting of this "heavy gun" finally led to sale...

 

Anyway, a great refractor for deep sky...!

[photoracer18]

The main element in those scopes was FK5 which barely qualifies as ED, not even as good as FPL-51 or the Chinese equivalent. All that being said it was a Dick Buckroeder design who designed a number of excellent scopes over his career. This scope was a particular combination of specific glass at F9 designed to hide some color deficiencies, which it did reasonably well. Especially for its price. I bought a new 152ED/APO OTA while I worked at Hands On Optics. I picked it over the 178 because at that time there were a lot of complaints from people about the 178. My feeling is they did not scale up the cell for the 178 enough to prevent the weight of the glass having the effect of straining the cell to keep it in alignment. My 152 had the non-adjustable cell also and it was excellent while I owned it, never losing collimation. One of the 3 best views of Mars I ever had was with this scope during the 2003 Opposition. I kept the original focuser but added the Meade motor-drive to mine. Once by hand I used it to track the ISS at a public star-party on my CI-700 mount.

[gnowellsct]

Oh dear oh dear

 

[Lagrange]

I think it would be fine it had a real cell. No way i was gonna pay 6k and deal with trying to center it everytime i moved it. 

I wonder if it would be at all practical to have a high quality cell made for it or whether that would be so expensive that you'd be better off buying something good in the first place.

[SteveG]

I wonder if it would be at all practical to have a high quality cell made for it or whether that would be so expensive that you'd be better off buying something good in the first place.

Mark Turner of Moonraker either made one or had it made years ago. He posted a great thread here on the details. I believe this was before Moonraker took off. It was a beauty, with a black tube.

[Jeff B]

I wonder if it would be at all practical to have a high quality cell made for it or whether that would be so expensive that you'd be better off buying something good in the first place.

No and yes.

[GTom]

Plenty went wrong. Worst scope i ever had.

Seen one with glass chipped on the edge. Most likely user error but I suspect the cell could be better designed...

 

I also wonder if the CA is up to the blue sensitivity of modern sensors...

Edited by GTom, 30 September 2023 - 01:34 PM.

[HARRISON SCOPES]

I had a couple of these some years ago when I worked for the then UK Meade importer. I had to modify both as the cells were packed with tape to prevent movement of the lenses which didn't work!
Drilling and tapping at 120 degrees threaded adjusters and packing the cell more cleverly worked well.
Very good deep.sky refractors that were long but surprisingly light and manageable.

Edited by HARRISON SCOPES, 30 September 2023 - 02:18 PM.

[CHASLX200]

I had a couple of these some years ago when I worked for the then UK Meade importer. I had to modify both as the cells were packed with tape to prevent movement of the lenses which didn't work!
Drilling and tapping at 120 degrees threaded adjusters and packing the cell more cleverly worked well

The day someone can bring me the broom stick of you know who. Well anyways. I mean a super good 7" ED i will pay top $ for it. I gotta test it out first and shake it and see if it holds center.

[Jeff B]

I had a couple of these some years ago when I worked for the then UK Meade importer. I had to modify both as the cells were packed with tape to prevent movement of the lenses which didn't work!
Drilling and tapping at 120 degrees threaded adjusters and packing the cell more cleverly worked well.
Very good deep.sky refractors that were long but surprisingly light and manageable.

A generous spin that sounds intelligent: "Launch and Learn"

 

The reality: "Ship and Fix".

 

You can get away with the former in rocketry.

[GTom]

The day someone can bring me the broom stick of you know who. Well anyways. I mean a super good 7" ED i will pay top $ for it. I gotta test it out first and shake it and see if it holds center.

Little too much compromise to my taste. Top stuff for visual, but I see to much blue on bright stars on Astrobin-samples. Not to mention the work needed on the cell and focuser.

[SandyHouTex]

I still want one.

[GTom]

I still want one.

I know, that's the refractor-fever most of us having. There is a damaged copy for sale this side of the pond for £1275.

 

Heresy alert: convinced myself, that a SW 190MN would do at least as good - in case I pulled the trigger on a larger scope. Don't fancy rebuilding the whole OTA AND baffling 1/2" off because the glass chip.

[Jeff B]

I still want one.

Yeah, I do find a certain attraction to them like my fascination with stuff like this:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=yUc3wd4It8g

 

And this:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=ci5l0ljjVBw

Edited by Jeff B, 01 October 2023 - 12:14 AM.

[RichA]

Little too much compromise to my taste. Top stuff for visual, but I see to much blue on bright stars on Astrobin-samples. Not to mention the work needed on the cell and focuser.

https://www.astrobin.../full/320897/0/

[GTom]

https://www.astrobin.../full/320897/0/

LoL, "Baader Semi Apo Filter 2"" it says. No photons below 420nm, 50% wasted at 450nm.

[SandyHouTex]

https://www.astrobin.../full/320897/0/

That's a mighty  awesome picture.

[Skywatchr]

LoL, "Baader Semi Apo Filter 2"" it says. No photons below 420nm, 50% wasted at 450nm.

So?  Let me guess, you take your images all buck naked without filters.

[GTom]

So?  Let me guess, you take your images all buck naked without filters.

Nights are too cold up here for that    . L1.

 

Not mine, but one example that inspired me to go with that filter.

Edited by GTom, 01 October 2023 - 03:42 PM.

[RichA]

LoL, "Baader Semi Apo Filter 2"" it says. No photons below 420nm, 50% wasted at 450nm.

You'd have to compare it with a shot to include more blue light to see if it made a substantial difference.