5857 replies to this topic

[Terra Nova]

I bought a new classic, it's been a while for me, I've slowed down my pace A LOT. But here's a little teaser Pic if anyone wants to take a guess...

Very nice! We acquired a 3” aluminum tube Clark and Sons for the collection at the Cincinnati Observatory a few years ago. It was lacking it’s original mount and tripod so I donated this vintage (near period) alt-az to serve as it’s dedicated ride:

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Edited by Terra Nova, 01 September 2024 - 11:29 AM.

[jragsdale]

Very nice! We acquired a 3” aluminum tube Clark and Sons for the collection at the Cincinnati Observatory a few years ago. It was lacking it’s original mount and tripod so I donated this vintage (near period) alt-az to serve as it’s dedicated ride:

That's great! The cradle that came on this new Clark Type T was broken so I'll have to take it in for repairs. In the meantime, I 3D printed some tube rings, a dovetail, front lens cover and an M45>M48 adapter so I could mount this on a modern goto mount with modern diagonal and eyepieces. Just to take the optics for a spin and see how they perform.

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[Terra Nova]

Our 3” Clark and Sons has the brushed bare aluminum finish. IIRC, it was called the Student Telescope? It is around F12. I remember back in the day (1950s and 60s), the amateur handbooks all seemed to recommend either a 3” refractor or a 6” reflector for serious entry into the hobby.

Edited by Terra Nova, 01 September 2024 - 11:48 AM.

[cavedweller]

I think in Japanese, the R sound is just one of their consonants that isn't like ours. Man I have to start learning that language. What a task!

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=wnkl-v1LZ7I

 

-drl

My father named my older brother Howard and my mother, who was Japanese, could not pronounce his name correctly. She named me David because she could pronounce it.

[deSitter]

My father named my older brother Howard and my mother, who was Japanese, could not pronounce his name correctly. She named me David because she could pronounce it.

The Marines would use passwords like "Lilliputian" because it is impossible for most Japanese to pronounce And they surely have consonants that would break our tongues.

 

-drl

[Kefka1138]

Tonight I had a chance to set up the B&L 4000 Alan gave me.

He also included a tripod with a unknown head on top and he and I were scratching our own heads over it when

he gave it to me. It turns out it's the wedge for the B&L 4000!

The tripod is a rather unusual Celestron with a telescoping tube in the middle and the B&L wedge screws on to it.

What's great is you can easily unlock the telescoping tube and raise the wedge/scope to any height from seated

observing to standing in the blink of an eye. The tripod also has telescoping legs but requires you remove the

telescope to make height adjustments.

The B&L 4000 is actually a Dynamax 4. I have only seen one DX4 over the years and it's a pretty scope with

it's anodized blue tube. When B&L bought Criterion it became the 4000.

Robert

 

IMG_2631.JPG

IMG_2634.JPG

Ugh, I need that wedge and tripod for my B&L 4000! How does yours perform?

[clamchip]

Ugh, I need that wedge and tripod for my B&L 4000! How does yours perform?

I haven't had a chance to really see what it can do.

The tripod is Celestron and possibly from the '80's.

I've never seen a 4000 wedge before. Alan and I were clueless about it

when he gave it to me.

 

Robert 

[Weisswurst Josef]

That's great! The cradle that came on this new Clark Type T was broken so I'll have to take it in for repairs. In the meantime, I 3D printed some tube rings, a dovetail, front lens cover and an M45>M48 adapter so I could mount this on a modern goto mount with modern diagonal and eyepieces. Just to take the optics for a spin and see how they perform.

 

That`s ok. But please put a black cloth over this mount for pictures ... :-)

 

Very nice refractor ...

Edited by Weisswurst Josef, 01 September 2024 - 04:44 PM.

[RichA]

MEADE 277

Meade 277x.JPG

 

This pic below wasn't shown in the original ad but was added afterwards. I saw it, thought it only came

with the camera mount and didn't have the rest of its original pieces. So, I wasn't interested, A bit Later I

took another look-see after ericb760 posted this, now dead, ad: https://www.cloudyni...ads/?p=13616597

 

Meade 277 01xx.jpg

 

  Surprise, Surprise! It was still available.  So...it was out the door for the Dinkerscope score.

   Hmmm, I was curious about what was in that lovely blue box? Figured I'd soon find out.  

                It also came with another unmentioned, unexpected optical goodie. JOY.

 

   EGADS, another one. Just what I need. NOT!                NOW that's an optical goodie. Vixen caps?

 

DSC06312xb.JPG DSC06311xc.JPG

 

The "DINK" was very complete and everything was in "bitchen" condition. Old Hippie here.

 

DSC06306xxx.JPG

there must have been another telescope in the picture at some point.  No way that eyepiece ends up with a junky scope like that.

[RichA]

Looks like a 1993 U C11 . The 11 is maxing out the U mount. It was solid with the 8.

I owned the original 11 Sandcast and the Ultima.  the Ultima was more solid for one reason:  the base.  The base on the original was a flat, thin casting (the cup that formed the base) that would flex under the load.  The bottom of Ultima was recessed deep inward with fluting and was considerably stronger.  

[CHASLX200]

I owned the original 11 Sandcast and the Ultima.  the Ultima was more solid for one reason:  the base.  The base on the original was a flat, thin casting (the cup that formed the base) that would flex under the load.  The bottom of Ultima was recessed deep inward with fluting and was considerably stronger.  

The wedge is the killer on many scopes.

[jragsdale]

That`s ok. But please put a black cloth over this mount for pictures ... :-)

 

Very nice refractor ...

Yes, it's very temporary! Haha, the original mount will be back in business in a few weeks hopefully.

[RichA]

The wedge is the killer on many scopes.

I only used the old C11/14 wedge so I never had a real issue except with the original 11.  In both cases, the forks themselves were excellent, but the base did in the old C11.  The vibration was so fast in the original, it manifested like poor focus, you couldn't see it visibly moving the image, it just blurred it enough to ruin it.

Had Celestron invented the LX200 type mount first and ealier than Meade, then mostly the scopes would have been in alt-az mode and no one would have been too bothered. 

[badback]

there must have been another telescope in the picture at some point.  No way that eyepiece ends up with a junky scope like that.

Another telescope in the picture at some point? Possibly, but I doubt it. This scope had been owned

by a woman who had recently passed. I purchased this from her from her daughter who was in the

process of liquidating items from her mother's estate. The large two-story house overlooked the ocean

and had fantastic views all around. I suspect this Dinkerscope was used exclusively for terrestrial

views and that she was the only owner it ever had. It looked rarely used and is still in newish condition.

Concerning the Vixen caps on the "extra" eyepiece: I do find it a bit curious. Odd? Maybe not. I would

guess that it was purchased at the same time as the scope, or shortly after. The seller (dealer?) may have

suggested buying it, as the original 25mm eyepiece only offers up a whopping, yawning 12 power.  

So now, with a monstrous 18 power from the "bonus," 16.8mm eyepiece, you are Stepping up baby!!!

 

                   I shall call this Dinkerscope: "Finderzilla"... on a mount.

 

After I got this dinky (junky?) scope, I googled around looking for info/etc. on this, as most of us

here usually do.  I found more'n a few links where owners of this same model had at least one

quality, non-original, higher-powered eyepiece. An optical necessity for this dink, me thinks. 

 

https://www.cloudyni...-kit/?p=5650019

https://www.cloudyni...tos/?p=10914920

https://www.cloudyni...blem/?p=8657254

[CHASLX200]

I only used the old C11/14 wedge so I never had a real issue except with the original 11.  In both cases, the forks themselves were excellent, but the base did in the old C11.  The vibration was so fast in the original, it manifested like poor focus, you couldn't see it visibly moving the image, it just blurred it enough to ruin it.

Had Celestron invented the LX200 type mount first and ealier than Meade, then mostly the scopes would have been in alt-az mode and no one would have been too bothered. 

The wedge that came on two LX50 scopes i had was like a tuning fork. Use them LX200 style and rock solid.

[cavedweller]

The wedge that came on two LX50 scopes i had was like a tuning fork. Use them LX200 style and rock solid.

LX50 cannot track without the wedge.

[CHASLX200]

LX50 cannot track without the wedge.

I never track track. Best thing i did was slap it on a GP.

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[upwinddan]

I never track track. Best thing i did was slap it on a GP.

I have a 8se with surprisingly sharp optics but I hated the mount. I moved the OTA onto a SP mount where it performs perfectly. 

[jgraham]

I have never seen a Meade or Celestron wedge fabricated from the usual heavy castings vibrate at all, including any of my LX50s. I don't think that it's even possible to have a resonance frequency let alone vibrate like a tuning fork. The LX50/100 mounts were essentially LX200s without the GoTo. My examples are rock solid. Wonderful visual scopes.

[flyboyu777]

My father named my older brother Howard and my mother, who was Japanese, could not pronounce his name correctly. She named me David because she could pronounce it

 

I have never seen a Meade or Celestron wedge fabricated from the usual heavy castings vibrate at all, including any of my LX50s. I don't think that it's even possible to have a resonance frequency let alone vibrate like a tuning fork. The LX50/100 mounts were essentially LX200s without the GoTo. My examples are rock solid. Wonderful visual scopes.

I liked the simplicity of the LX-50 mount.  We had a club centered around those scopes.  Very solid mounting and reliable electronics. 

[CHASLX200]

I have never seen a Meade or Celestron wedge fabricated from the usual heavy castings vibrate at all, including any of my LX50s. I don't think that it's even possible to have a resonance frequency let alone vibrate like a tuning fork. The LX50/100 mounts were essentially LX200s without the GoTo. My examples are rock solid. Wonderful visual scopes.

Just goes to show some know no better jetter.  It jitters like a tuning fork and did with 2 LX50's i had so it is not me. While what may be a solid mount to others brother maybe bad to me. Kinda like optics as many know no better if they really have freaky sharp optics or so so.  It is bad and that is a fact.  Just start a thread on the SCT cection and ask.

[deSitter]

Just goes to show some know no better jetter.  It jitters like a tuning fork and did with 2 LX50's i had so it is not me. While what may be a solid mount to others brother maybe bad to me. Kinda like optics as many know no better if they really have freaky sharp optics or so so.  It is bad and that is a fact.  Just start a thread on the SCT cection and ask.

I would like to kibbitz on such a thread! Optimist vs. pessimist

 

-drl

[cavedweller]

If there were a thread on wedges, I would post this:

 

I upgraded the wedges on all of my Meades:

 

ETX125 on the LX90 wedge

8" LX90 on the LX200 wedge

10" LX200 on the Super Wedge

10" RCX400 on a custom billet aluminum wedge

 

Much less shaking.

 

PS This is really not a good argument that it is not you: "...did with 2 LX50's i had so it is not me."

Edited by cavedweller, 02 September 2024 - 11:53 AM.

[Kasmos]

Here's my take away from reading several posts.

 

Chas likes to nudge at very high powers without a drive so it makes sense he's really particular about having a big solid mount. Others who have the same scope but either on the original or a smaller mount but with a drive, once you focus and set it, it doesn't need to be as stable. Plus they may not push the magnification as high as well.

 

That said, I really like the feel of a overmounted scope.

 

It's all like my first quote my signature....

Edited by Kasmos, 02 September 2024 - 06:57 PM.

[RichA]

LX50 cannot track without the wedge.

Just manual, which was fine for casual viewing and the added solidity was good.  The DEC slow mo worked ok, except when it inevitably came to the end of its sector run.  The R.A. is free operating on the ball-bearing base and needed a bit of dexterity at high power.