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If you could pick just three?

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#1 Terra Nova

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 01:17 PM

Okay Classics Aficionados, If you could pick just three classics from your collection, what would they be? I’ve had well over thirty, from multiple Unitrons, Celestrons, Meades, Vixens, Takahashis, Gotos, Sears, Zeiss, Questar (yes, I’ve from two to six of each of the brands I just named), plus various single specimens from other brands over the past 12 years. Well it’s been cut down to just three keepers: they are :

 

  1. Vixen ED102SS (c. 2000, Japan) on a Vixen Porta II mount and HAL110 tripod,
  2. Questar Standard with Broad-Band coatings and Cer-Vit mirror (1969),
  3. Mayflower/APL 60mm Model 814 (Japan, 1965), the one that started it all!

I cut way back for a three reasons: 

  1. ​Getting older and I didn’t want to burden my kith and kin with the undo responsibility and burden of getting rid of them, plus I wanted to save them from the landfill.
  2. I decided to sell my house and move into a condo in a multi-story building so less storage space and stairs/elevator necessitated fewer and smaller scopes.
  3. I came to the realization that at heart and from the beginning and most of my 60 years in the hobby, I am primarily an observer, not a collector. I really got into collecting on from a happenstance trip to a thrift store, and coincidently discovering this forum in 2012. Those two things started a decade of Classic Telescope Collecting mania, or CTC syndrome, an affliction which I presume many of you possess, admittedly or not.

 

Which three out of your collection would you keep, and what would it take to go down to just three classics?


Edited by Terra Nova, 03 November 2024 - 01:18 PM.

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#2 deSitter

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 01:24 PM

Easiest question ever!

 

1. 90/1400mm AO Sears 6345

2. 76/1200mm AO Sears 6335

3. 60/910mm AO Monolux 4380

 

All these scopes have a perfect star test and are just a pleasure to use.

 

-drl


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#3 jimr2

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 01:43 PM

Regrettably, I have only 2 "classics"--both of which I'm keeping, so I'll donate my "extra" classic to someone else out there,  so they can have up to 4 classics to keep and report on here. Anyhow, my 2:

 

1. Cave Astrola 8", f/8, purchased new,1973

2. 3.5" Questar, purchased used, 2022

 

If I were to have a 3rd, it would likely be an old Unitron from the 50s-60s, but my other 1/2 here would not be too pleased about me having another scope in the house, so I guess I'll be sticking w/ just these 2....

 

-jim-


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#4 Scope2

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 01:43 PM

Hi Terra,  I will keep the TV   Np127, TV85   and Meade   14lx200 gps. 

And to narrow down to one it would be the TV Np127.  Best Regards, Pat.


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#5 Astrojensen

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 02:06 PM

That's a hard one for me. I have lots of very unique classics now. Still, if push comes to shove, it would be these three:

 

- Zeiss Telemator C63/840 

- Zeiss Meniscas 150/2250

- Zeiss A 85/1576mm apochromat from 1904 

 

I could live with these three for the rest of my life. 

 

But I would really not like to see my lovely litte Vixen Bird-Jones 125/1000mm catadioptric on the New Polaris mount go. Or the Vixen GP-80L 80/1200mm achromat. Or the Steinheil 110/1650mm doublet apochromat. Or the 150/900mm Newtonian from Nordisk Astro Optik. Or the 200/1600mm ATM Newtonian from 1950 with Carl K. Sørensen optics. Or the Zeiss E60/850 from 1910. 

 

I've got some real rarities now, and finding a new home for them won't be so easy, so I'd like to hang onto them for a while. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark


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#6 NiteGuy

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 02:11 PM

All of my "old classics" were either junk or big disappointments...they all deserved and received a final burial in the landfill. I could never, in good conscience, pass any of those old clunkers along to someone else.

 

That taught me to never buy clunkers. Owning nothing is better than owning junk. Don't need the best of anything, just decent, good performers without any problems. So, that said, when my newer stuff becomes "classic" I'll be happy to pass that enjoyment along to another astro fan.


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#7 Piero DP

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 02:23 PM

Well, I "only" have 4 telescopes.

I would keep the TV-60 and my 16" dob. Then I would replace both my 4" tak and 12" truss dob with a 10" dob.

Somehow more challenging is whether I need to select only 2 telescopes. In that case it would be my 16" dob and 4" tak.

If I had to keep just one telescope, at my current age it would be my 16", but maybe in 20-30 years I would say my 12".

Edited by Piero DP, 03 November 2024 - 02:24 PM.

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#8 CHASLX200

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 02:23 PM

I only gots 2 scopes now. So only the 826 if i do keep it.



#9 Echolight

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 02:37 PM

I suppose my circa-1999 flat back Made in USA C8 counts as a classic.


Edited by Echolight, 03 November 2024 - 02:37 PM.

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#10 apfever

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 02:47 PM

Three? Threee? Sorry, I'm still chuckling. Three dozen?  "Three" can be an adjective right? 

 

1. Big dob.

2. Middle dob.

3. Small thing might be other than dob....4" frac or....

 

I fail miserably. I can't conceptualize just a third. Now the first two don't cut it either. I'm falling again no complaints.


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#11 Terra Nova

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 03:11 PM

I only gots 2 scopes now. So only the 826 if i do keep it.

You got rid of the mint Celestron Vixen C102 on the SP!? You said you’d never let that one go.


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#12 Terra Nova

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 03:12 PM

I suppose my circa-1999 flat back Made in USA C8 counts as a classic.

It does now; 25 years!



#13 Terra Nova

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 03:13 PM

Three? Threee? Sorry, I'm still chuckling. Three dozen?  "Three" can be an adjective right? 

 

1. Big dob.

2. Middle dob.

3. Small thing might be other than dob....4" frac or....

 

I fail miserably. I can't conceptualize just a third. Now the first two don't cut it either. I'm falling again no complaints.

Neil! Too funny! :roflmao:



#14 CHASLX200

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 03:14 PM

You got rid of the mint Celestron Vixen C102 on the SP!? You said you’d never let that one go.

GP. Still gots the GP. I had to get rid of 8 scopes before they got ruined as the dry wall dust was doing a number on everything.


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#15 Cavs56

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 03:29 PM

Unitron 150
Vixen 90mm x 1000mm EQ mount
Meade 826
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#16 clamchip

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 03:41 PM

Just three, oh no that won't do.

I love fixing up and observing with telescopes, I crave it. I don't think I could stop even if I wanted to, I would

shrivel up and die.

This makes for a lot of telescopes in the house, that's just the way it is.

I can't keep them all and ouch it hurts to let them go, but I must, I know that, otherwise I won't be able to have

more.

I have enough projects so I don't run dry. I can live off what I have for quite some time. And also even the 

scopes I observe with are projects in progress.

If I had to pick only three, and I will be faced with this decision eventually, I think it will be something

like these three: 

Edmund 4 inch f/15 equatorial

Jaegers ATM 6 inch f/14 Mak (Lomo Optics)

Criterion RV8

 

Robert


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#17 Bomber Bob

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 04:14 PM

Like Robert, I can't conceive of parting with my Keepers right now.  It would have to be catastrophic.  So assuming that, I'd have to whittle down to these 3:

 

- 1958 Questar Standard

- 1988 Takahashi FC-100

- 1983 Mizar 130SL


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#18 Rick-T137

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 04:56 PM

I don't have a lot of scopes (5 total), so I'll have to pick my ONLY classics:

  • Sears 2426 40mm reflector
  • Meade 2080 LX
  • Meade 2080 LX3

My other two scopes are newer refractors. Now if I could have ANY three classics, I'd take:

  • Tele Vue Genesis SDF
  • Celestron C8 (late 70's/early 80's)
  • Cave Astrola 10" f/5

But those are dreams for later in life...


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#19 greedyshark

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 05:00 PM

Only three left in my stable, Terra. All three classics. All three exceptional optics. All three keepers till the end. 
 

Criterion RV-6

Criterion RV-8

Celestron C8

 

Cs,

Charles


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#20 Kasmos

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 05:26 PM

My first scope has to be honored so the Mayflower 814 stays.

 

The next two is really hard to decide!!

My Jaegers/Cave 4 seems like it would have to stay since it was my second scope and I built it.

Then the C8, (which was my fourth) and is so good plus it has the largest apeture.

 

The problem is those 2 don't get used nearly as much as some of the other more practical would be replacements.

So maybe one of those would be replaced with the Mizar SP-68R (68/1000mm) ?

and the other with the easier to handle '74 sand cast C5 ?

 

I suppose I have a problem since it would still be tough... but easier to pick 6 or 7. undecided.gif

 

We've discussed this exercise before, but again useful, since I need to thin the herd. hmm.gif   


Edited by Kasmos, 03 November 2024 - 05:27 PM.

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#21 jgraham

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 05:35 PM

If I had to choose only 3…

 

Unitron 510
Unitron 155
Unitron 114

What would it take to reduce the heard to just 3? To be honest, that’s never gonna happen. Life’s too short to impose artificial restrictions I just don’t need. I have been active in this hobby for well over 60 years and each one of my scopes was purchased/built/bartered for a reason and I dearly luvs them all. I may return some to the wild, but they will be a carefully selected few. As long as I have eyes to see, hands to touch, and views to share I will love these classics and I will do my best to spread The Magic.

Enjoy!


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#22 Jon Isaacs

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 05:50 PM

Terra:

 

Good question:

 

I don't consider them classics in what I think of as classics but they are classics by the definition of the this classics forum since they're at least 25 years old.

 

12.5 inch F/4.06 Discovery Dob. Purchased used 2000. 1990s. Converted to truss.

 

13.1 inch F/5.5 Starsplitter 1999

 

16 inch Meade Starfinder Dob 1990s. Converted to truss.

 

I recently acquired a very nice Meade 60 mm F/5. Obviously Japanese with the Vixen 4 screw finder mount that predates the dovetail.

 

Meade 60mm F5 1.jpg

 

Jon


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#23 Kitfox

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 06:38 PM

Mission Impossible…

 

Let me play with these two Tinsleys a while longer.

 

And all these Taks.

 

The TV Genesis has to stay, handed over to me by Al back in ‘88.

 

The Nikon ED100 has to stay.

 

All the Vixen FLs stay. 
 

The Pentax ED102 can’t leave.

 

Nor can the SDP125 and SDHF125

 

I never was any good at whittling…bawling.gif


Edited by Kitfox, 03 November 2024 - 06:39 PM.

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#24 scout

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 07:31 PM

My only telescope I consider a classic is my Asahi-Pentax 60mm refractor, although my Meade ETX-60 and Orion XT10 dob are about a quarter century old.

 

I wish I still had my first real telescope, a bright red Tasco 11TR 4.5" f/8 reflector that I loved. I donated it a long time ago when I moved but I really miss it. The optics were so good and I still remember seeing the tiny black impact marks on Jupiter left by Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9's collision in 1994.

 

There's a nice blue Sears model 6344 76mm f/15 refractor with mount and tripod for sale locally for $50 that I keep looking at online, but it's missing the finderscope, and the dew shield is dented. The objective lens looks fine from the limited picture shown. I've always wanted one, but I'll hold out for a complete one in better shape.


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#25 Nick Will

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Posted 03 November 2024 - 08:45 PM

Getting it down to 3 is my goal also. I have 2 of the slots filled and am working on the 3rd. 

No.1 is my Celestron Ultima 2000. I know..Go-To is a No-No to some here but this guy is also push-to.  After the simple alignment procedure you can select one of the objects in the menu..or you can just manually point the scope to anywhere in the sky and it will track it. In Alt/az. Very comfortable viewing. I have 3 extra mounts and controllers that I can cannibalize for parts to keep it going.

 

No.2 is my 1986 Takahashi FC-100 & EM-100 mount. 
 

No.3…not sure yet. I have a Celestron C100, 2 Jupiter (Asahi Pentax) 60x800, a 1959 Micronta branded AO made (I think) 60x900 EQ kit in excellent condition, an old Selsi 247 75x900 EQ and I just picked up this weekend 2 Shrine Manon 60x700 much like your Mayflower. Both incomplete but can make a complete one from both. One is APL and one is HOC but they’re essentially identical. I also have a Goto 8cm with matching mount I’m selling locally but getting zero interest in and may just keep that one if I can’t unload it. The optics are outstanding but it’s huge for a 3 incher. 
 

Im hopeful to have it down to only 3 by this time next year


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