116 replies to this topic

[Marcus Roman]

Mizar telescopes (among which the rare bird FA80 fluorite) advertisement from Miotti ottica, Milan, early 1980s….the FA80 costed about two average monthly salaries those times in Italy….

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[CHASLX200]

I never saw that ad brad. But i would have dreamed about them scopes back in the 80's.

[Terra Nova]

Ah how about that amazing scope that can do 700X....

Now there you go! That is indeed a real telescope! And a most handsome one at that. I love that ad!

[Marcus Roman]

The Fantastic Four, early 90s…..

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[bjkaras]

For me it was the optical craftsmen ad for the 8” Discoverer in 1972. I still have the primary from the one I bought in my Springfield. 

I wanted an Optical Craftsmen scope back in the day, but Cave’s facility was a 20 minute drive to where we lived in OC. We could just go there and pick it up. My dad didn’t want to drive me all the way to Chatsworth to pick up a telescope. The first ad I ever saw though, was an Edmund catalog that the director of the local planetarium gave me. I think I was about 13 at the time. Well, there were those ads in the Sears catalog.

[grif 678]

I came very close to buying that 90mm Sears that claimed 700X, but finances forced me to get the 76mm which claimed 600X. But the 700X is not really usable, the 4mm and 6mm eyepieces will be almost useless. I could go to about 175X on the 76mm, so I would guess that 200X - 225x would be the limit on the 90mm scope.

[greedyshark]

This is the one that brings it back for me…It was sealed in an envelope under the tree on Christmas 1975. There was such a backlog at Criterion that I didn’t receive it until the following July…the day Viking landed on Mars. That was pretty cool. Still have it…still use it. 

 

Cs,

Charles

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[starman876]

Unitrons turned it on. Had plenty of classic scope, but when I bought them they. Were not classics.  Now they are including me

[John Higbee]

I agree Unitron ads were right up there with the candy counter at Sears and a swimming pool filled with

peanut butter ice cream.

A strong second place was the Edmund Scientific catalog and the 4 inch equatorial refractor. I almost

found myself held back a year for not paying attention in class because of that 4 inch Edmund. If the 4 was

a full color catalog centerfold, OMG let's not think about that.

I was also very attracted to the surplus ads too. C&H, Jaegers, Edmund, and quite a few others. I ended

up buying surplus lenses and tank prisms, etc.

 

Robert

Couldn't agree more on the Edmund catalog...the 4 1/4" Newtonian reflector was my favorite (had no chance of buying anything over three figures in the '60s).  Still have it. 

 

Also was entranced by the "astronomical accessories" Edmund featured...I got a Harmonic Reed Planetarium which I put many hours on giving shows (complete with music - used Brahms Symphony #4) for my friends (and my teachers).

 

...and forty years after the fact, picked up a Spilhaus Space Clock (featured on the Edmund catalog back cover in the '60s), put new Delrin gears in it to replace the split Nylon originals...have enjoyed it ever since!  Now if I could only find replacement bulbs for it...looking at it illuminated in a dark room was a real pleasure!

Edited by John Higbee, 12 August 2024 - 11:35 AM.

[John Higbee]

How bout an old big Tinsley that can track future satellites??..

For magnificent "brute beauty", that Tinsley can't be beat!

[John Higbee]

...and my personal favorite!

 

[starman876]

...and my personal favorite!

 

questar with greek goddess.jpg

that picture sys it all.  

[Exnihilo]

The Starliner ads always did it for me. I really wanted a Newt and eventually ended up with one from S&S Optica. 

[RichA]

Before things got so high tech, and you did not have all these hand held gizmos, the ads for the classic scopes like Vixen, Edmund, and so on, were exciting to read. Now I am talking about us that had not seen the things that the ads said that the scope would show. Now when they said that the scope would show the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, the Polar Ice cap on Mars, these things really got me turned on. It made me want to get one of those scopes real bad. I had never seen those things, maybe in a book in school or something.

Wanting to see those things made the classic telescope ads so fun to read, and really got my intensity for getting a good scope very high. What were some of the things you could not wait to see when you finally got you a classic scope.

Jaegers ads to begin with and Celestron.  But in 1978, I saw a full-page ad for a 4 inch Quantum and wanted it, but the price was increasing about $200 so I got a C8.

[CHASLX200]

Mizar telescopes (among which the rare bird FA80 fluorite) advertisement from Miotti ottica, Milan, early 1980s….the FA80 costed about two average monthly salaries those times in Italy….

Seen that ad but not in that lingo/

[CHASLX200]

Jaegers ads to begin with and Celestron.  But in 1978, I saw a full-page ad for a 4 inch Quantum and wanted it, but the price was increasing about $200 so I got a C8.

I was 14 in  77-78 and every scope was out of my reach then.

Edited by CHASLX200, 13 August 2024 - 06:03 PM.

[deSitter]

I came very close to buying that 90mm Sears that claimed 700X, but finances forced me to get the 76mm which claimed 600X. But the 700X is not really usable, the 4mm and 6mm eyepieces will be almost useless. I could go to about 175X on the 76mm, so I would guess that 200X - 225x would be the limit on the 90mm scope.

That's right. In both of them the 4mm is more or less useless, although both scopes can do it, it's just no better than the 6mm, and honestly the 9mm is the best view in both. That's 0.6mm exit pupil so 40x per inch. The 6mm is 60x per inch and so it's already getting dim. The 4mm is 100x per inch. I can very rarely see more at 60x per inch than at 40x per inch. When i would suspect a tiny detail on the Moon, I would jump the magnification up and see if it helped, and usually it didn't.

 

-drl

[CHASLX200]

That's right. In both of them the 4mm is more or less useless, although both scopes can do it, it's just no better than the 6mm, and honestly the 9mm is the best view in both. That's 0.6mm exit pupil so 40x per inch. The 6mm is 60x per inch and so it's already getting dim. The 4mm is 100x per inch. I can very rarely see more at 60x per inch than at 40x per inch. When i would suspect a tiny detail on the Moon, I would jump the magnification up and see if it helped, and usually it didn't.

 

-drl

700 pow wow is 2 much for any object on a 90mm. Venus can take 500x and the moon and that is about it other than the Double double.

Edited by CHASLX200, 13 August 2024 - 06:46 PM.

[Defenderslideguitar]

Johnny Polarex

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[RichA]

I was 14 in  77-78 and every scope was out of my reach then.

Same with me, except a father-facilitated race-track win (beginner's luck) enabled me to get the C8.  It was it, the Quantum or a 4 inch alt-az Unitron.  Prior to that, I'd owned a standard 60mm refractor for around 3 years.   Prior to that, toyish 40mm refractor.

[CHASLX200]

Same for me. Started with a 40x40mm and then a Sears blue tube 60mm. 

[starman876]

the good old 60mm refractor.  Guess most of us started with that.  My astronomer neighbor gave a 5" F5 refractor lens I made a scope from.  That was 1960 ,always wondered what happened to it.   Was most likely a Jaegers. 

[k5apl]

I always liked this ad....but never bought a Brandon.

Wes

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[deSitter]

I always liked this ad....but never bought a Brandon.

Wes

I guess this was before Spaceballs! ?

 

-drl

[deSitter]

Ah how about that amazing scope that can do 700X....

There was actually a 6346 catalog entry, if the camera adapter was included.

 

I do remember running up the 76/1200mm 6344 to its claimed power, 600x, and it actually worked. But the view was so dark and weird, and at such a tiny exit pupil, every irregularity in your eye was starkly shown against the dim Moon. I never did that again. I very rarely used it at 300x, even for just goofing off.

 

-drl