25 replies to this topic

[25585]

Gear made to December 31st 2000 (of course).

 

Many of my eyepieces are, TV mount & tripod, Towa mount & tripod.

Vixen achro refractors

A dozen pairs of binoculars

2 filters

A 12" Dobsonian.

 

Books, atlases, charts, planispheres...

[Doug Culbertson]

Pair of 35mm Orion Ultrascopics and a pair of 26mm Celestron silver tops. Also a pair of Celestron/Vixen 10x50 binoculars.

[Bener]

My eyes and body, an older, orange bodied C-90 and a Kowa spotting scope along with a few eyepieces that started their working lives as birding equipment; the same with my Zeiss binos. 

[RAKing]

Burnhams Celestial Handbooks

Paul Couteau's book on Observing Visual Double Stars

A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets (Peterson Field Guide Series) - 1964 ed.  (This what started it all in 1964 and I have my copy!)

 

Along with handful of CZJ orthos.

 

Ron

Edited by RAKing, 23 September 2023 - 03:51 PM.

[CHASLX200]

Plenty.

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Edited by CHASLX200, 23 September 2023 - 04:16 PM.

[jgraham]

Wow, that's a fun question. I'd guess that's about 3/4 of my gear. My active gear spans from about 1954 to the Modern Era.

It has been a fun ride.

[GGK]

I think I still have the legs to a CG-5 tripod, a 25mm Plossl, some decent 1-1/4 colored filters, and maybe a Vixen dovetail. Everything else has changed.

Gary

[luxo II]

Fairly certain my MN65 and MK66 date from the late 1990's...

And I have an old 0.965" Nikon 7mm ortho...

A few old books related to astronomy...

- Newton's Principia,

- Ptolemy's Geography,

- Otto Neugebauer's collected essays on astronomy,

- USNO supplement to the Ephemeris,

- Jan Meeus' Astronomical Algorithms...

- an old Norton's Star Atlas...

Edited by luxo II, 23 September 2023 - 06:47 PM.

[Apogee]

My Losmandy G11 is my favorite bit of gear from before 2000, as well as 1/2 of the Tele Vue eyepieces I have. 

[truckerfromaustin]

I have what I believe to be a late 70's Astroscan from the late 70's or early 80's It has a sliding barlow built into the focuser. It's in amazing condition and has the original paperwork with a 1977 print date. It's good for its era.

Clear Skies,
Greg

[Deep13]

Discovery 8" DHQ Dobsonian telescope, 2000 (last year of the 20th century)

 

I've got a home-built 5" f/12 refractor with D&G lenses. I bought it from the builder in 2003, but I believe he used it for several years before that.

 

And I've got some CZJ eyepieces.

[MJB87]

ETX90 RA -- purchased in Australia in 1998.

 

Wife -- married in Washington, DC in 1995.

 

Both are classics and working as well as they ever did. I plan to keep each forever.

[mikemarotta]

I have what I believe to be a late 70's Astroscan from the late 70's or early 80's It has a sliding barlow built into the focuser. It's in amazing condition and has the original paperwork with a 1977 print date. It's good for its era.
Clear Skies,
Greg

 

Ah, yes, the dreaded Bird-Jones hobby killer that everyone hates. That is another reason why I believe that "everyone" is an idiot. It was a clever idea and it still works. Ed Ting agrees with "everyone." He reviewed a telescope (Celeston 114 reflector as I recall?)  and from the video, it just seemed to me to be a defective build. It happens.  I am glad that you enjoy your classic.

 

My own stuff from the 20th century would be the books published before 2000, such as Burnham's. I bought that recently. However, I do have The Planets by Patrick Moore that I received when I was 12. I still use the tables at the back when they are more convenient than opening another tab.

 

Best Regards,

Mike M.

Edited by mikemarotta, 25 September 2023 - 06:46 PM.

[ckwastro]

My 22 Nagler T4, and 14mm Leica are all I have left. The closest to that is my 2002 Stowaway but that doesn’t count for this thread. 

[Silent_Light]

The 20th century wasn't that long ago.....wow

[ABQJeff]

None.  I didn’t get into this hobby until 2020.

[Jon Isaacs]

A few for me:

 

- 12.5 inch F/4.06 DIscovery.  Bought it used in 2000 or 2001, it was obviously more than a year old.

 

- Meade 16 inch Starfinder.,  Bought it 2006, it was quite obviously several years old.  

 

- 13.1 inch F/5.5 Starsplitter.  Looking through the paper work, it was dated 1999 if my memory is correct.

 

- 4.8mm Naglers and 24mm TV wide fields. It is possible my 22mm and 35mm Panoptics are 20th century. 

 

- 32mm Celestron Halloween Plossl.

 

- Meade 25mm MA Brass.

 

- 1956 30 x 40mm Erbco refractor.  Focusing is done by sliding the drawtube.

 

 

 

I also have this Houston-Fearless tripod that is from sometime in the 1950s or 1960s. 

 

 

 

That's about all I can remember.

 

Jon

Edited by Jon Isaacs, 25 September 2023 - 12:25 AM.

[therealdmt]

Just my trusty old 12x25 binoculars I got at an outdoor market back in the 90s.

 

I have a couple of old books like a Peterson’s Field Guides ‘Stars and Planets’ on the shelf, but I don’t use them anymore.

 

For better or worse, my Dad eventually gave away my astronomy stuff from the 70s that I’d left at our house once I moved away after high school, and then later a hurricane flooded his house where my old books were stored. And I took a few decades off in the middle, so, like that, all my gear except an old pair of binoculars is 21st century.

 

Pre-90s is getting to be a while ago, eh. Funny to think about…

[Alex65]

I still use my 1978 Edmund AstroScan 4" reflector occasionally. I have had that little 'scope since new.

 

I still use my Edmund 8mm RKE eyepiece, which I bought in early 1979, every time I set up my modern 6" Dob.

 

And I still use a pair of Tasco 8x30 binoculars which I got in the mid 1970s. 

 

On top of that, many of my astronomy books are 20th Century ones and I still use some of them on a regular basis when planning observing sessions. 

 

I do have a small 1970s Kenko refractor, but I only bought it a few years ago. 

Edited by Alex65, 25 September 2023 - 08:30 AM.

[Jarno]

Vixen FL102. Great color correction and tack sharp, newer scopes are going to have to put in a lot of effort to best this little gem. It's also incredibly light which makes for a nice portable setup when combined with the AM5. I only wish the dewshield could retract.

 

Jarno

[Steen27]

Telrad - got it from Steve Kufeld himself in 1987...  best finder ever.

[stevenwav]

All of my gear is from the 20th century except for a few TV eyepieces, my night vision devices and my AP Fastmax, but the glass for that is from the 20 Century. 

Edited by stevenwav, 03 October 2023 - 10:14 PM.

[mrlovt]

My 60's era RV6 and related eyepieces, thoough these don't get used much these days.  The views are great, but the scopes in the observatory are more convenient.  Maybe my Meade 10" SCT ota, I don't recall offhand but something tells me it's a 90's model.  Again, great views, but that 11" Edge...  

 

I love the old stuff - at least the old stuff that was mechanically and optically sound.  I wouldn't trade the primary in the RV6 for any 6" mirror off the shelf today. The clock drive is simple, and still works after about 60 years.  I put new cork clutch material on it a few years ago, and that little electric motor keeps on turning.  No computers to eventually fail or go obselete. 

 

I miss the slo-mo controls of my first EQ mount, and the mechanics were sound, but I don't miss the shakey wooden tripod. That had nothing to do with age - you can find brand new shakey tripods made today.  As always, quality astro equipment can remain useful for a long, long time.

 

Thanks for the question and opportunity to reminisce!

[mrlovt]

My eyes and body

Isn't that the truth!?  Keep on keeping on!

[mrlovt]

ETX90 RA -- purchased in Australia in 1998.

 

Wife -- married in Washington, DC in 1995.

 

Both are classics and working as well as they ever did. I plan to keep each forever.

Wait, the wife counts as "gear"???  Mine might object to that!