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Found a nice little classic. Meade Starfinder 6" Dob.

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#1 Astrojensen

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Posted 23 December 2024 - 02:30 PM

A few days ago, a friend offered me his old 6" f/8 Meade Starfinder sonotube Dob for a very fair price, about $140. This particular scope once belonged to my late mentor Per Darnell, who bought it new in 1995. I have observed Jupiter in it, back in 1995, along with Darnell, who had also taken a 4" f/8.8 Vixen FL-102S apochromat on an SP-DX mount out. We had a lot of fun comparing the two. I distincly remember seeing several festoons on Jupiter in a 7mm Vixen LV eyepiece. 

 

After suffering an infection in his lower left leg, which led to an amputation of the foot and ankle, Darnell was unable to use the little Dob, so he gave it to another mentor of mine, Jens Østergaard Olesen, who passed away in January. His widow gave many of his telescopes away to a local club, that was started by a young guy, who has become a friend. And he offerede it to me, as he felt he didn't have the room or was going to use it much. How could I say no to such an offer? And so the circle became complete. The money I paid for the scope will go towards a club room for the small astronomy club. 

 

The scope is still in remarkably good condition, appearing almost like new. It has almost always been kept indoors, in a warm room, when not in use. The coatings look fine. The motions are fairly smooth, without backlash or sticktion. The bearings appear to be real teflon. 

 

The original plastic focuser was pretty horrible, though, even from new, and the years hadn't been as kind to it, as they had to the rest of the scope. As luck would have it, I had a brand new old stock Meade 1.25" metal focuser lying about. One that Jens Østergaard Olesen once gave me. So it, too, found its place, at last, and another little circle was closed. Everything seems to come together. It had the same hole pattern and dimensions as the dreadful plastic focuser, so I swapped them immediately. It fit the scope perfectly. The balance doesn't appear to be affected much at all. It's a very smooth focuser. 

 

The finderscope and 25mm Meade MA eyepiece also needed a bit of cleaning, but looked nearly new, after the dust had been wiped off. The finderscope was a bit scratched up from the adjustment screws, but this is covered by the finderscope holder in normal use, so completely invisible. 

 

The collimation is a fair bit off, so I have to get to work on that. 

 

I realized I couldn't get away with posting something like this, and not show a picture, so here it is, in front of the Christmas tree, as is appropriate for the season.

 

gallery_55742_4772_2950266.jpg

 

 

Close-up of the (new) focuser and finderscope.

 

gallery_55742_4772_3423390.jpg

 

This could have been some kid's Christmas gift in 1995, and it would have been a very nice scope for a beginner. 

 

I bought it on an impulse, and I don't regret it one bit. I am very much looking forward to first light. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark


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#2 balcon3

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Posted 23 December 2024 - 03:00 PM

A heart-warming Christmas story.


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#3 Astrojensen

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 05:57 AM

I even got first light last night!! I was about to head for bed, when I saw stars outside. A large, partial clearing was slowly drifting by. I immediately headed out. 

 

First light was M42 in the 25mm MA. What else can you choose for first light on a December night? wink.gif Despite not being anywhere near collimated, the view was very nice, with sharp, pinpoint stars. I immediately got my 24mm ES68 out. It gave an even better view, with loads of details. 

 

Clouds began drifting in again, and I had to hop around the sky, from target to target, as they popped in and out between the clouds. M1, M35+NGC2158, M51 (with arms!!), M97 (with eyes!), M108 (clumpy, with overlaying stars), M45 (with Merope nebula (the big one, not the small one!)), Jupiter, Mars... I tried finding M81/82, but failed repeatedly. I know I was in the right area, but must have unconsciously moved the scope in the wrong direction, because I've been using refractors and Maksutovs with diagonals so much lately. The finderscope is sharp, but only when I wear my glasses, and then I can't see the whole field of view.

 

Jupiter was shockingly sharp at 50x (24mm ES68) and showed substantial detail, even at that low magnification, so I immediately brought out my 6.7mm ES82 (179x), which showed a lot of details, but was getting a bit soft, due to seeing. 86x (14mm ES82) and 109x (11mm ES82) gave rock solid images that were frankly astonishingly sharp and showed a wealth of details. The entire equatorial zone was a boiling mess of festoons. NEB and SEB showed considerable details. The limb of the planet was as sharp as if cut with a knife. Contrast was refractor-like. 

 

Mars was also incredibly crisp. 109x showed a distinct polar cap on one end, and hints of a polar haze at the other. The polar cap was lined with a dark border. The disk was subtly mottled with vague hints of details. Again, the disk was as if cut out of paper and pasted on to the sky. It was razor sharp. 

 

I didn't notice it much in daytime, but now there was some sticktion in altitude. And strangely, more when moving the scope downwards, than upwards. And more at lower altitudes than high ones. I had little trouble moving around near zenith, but Jupiter was a little challenging to track smoothly at 109x or higher. Azimuth was fine. 

 

 

If you can find one of these for a low price, grab it. If the optics are as good as in mine, it's a phenomenal value. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark


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#4 balcon3

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 06:53 AM

Was it already cooled down when you started looking through it?


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#5 deSitter

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 07:22 AM

A few days ago, a friend offered me his old 6" f/8 Meade Starfinder sonotube Dob for a very fair price, about $140. This particular scope once belonged to my late mentor Per Darnell, who bought it new in 1995. I have observed Jupiter in it, back in 1995, along with Darnell, who had also taken a 4" f/8.8 Vixen FL-102S apochromat on an SP-DX mount out. We had a lot of fun comparing the two. I distincly remember seeing several festoons on Jupiter in a 7mm Vixen LV eyepiece. 

 

After suffering an infection in his lower left leg, which led to an amputation of the foot and ankle, Darnell was unable to use the little Dob, so he gave it to another mentor of mine, Jens Østergaard Olesen, who passed away in January. His widow gave many of his telescopes away to a local club, that was started by a young guy, who has become a friend. And he offerede it to me, as he felt he didn't have the room or was going to use it much. How could I say no to such an offer? And so the circle became complete. The money I paid for the scope will go towards a club room for the small astronomy club. 

 

The scope is still in remarkably good condition, appearing almost like new. It has almost always been kept indoors, in a warm room, when not in use. The coatings look fine. The motions are fairly smooth, without backlash or sticktion. The bearings appear to be real teflon. 

 

The original plastic focuser was pretty horrible, though, even from new, and the years hadn't been as kind to it, as they had to the rest of the scope. As luck would have it, I had a brand new old stock Meade 1.25" metal focuser lying about. One that Jens Østergaard Olesen once gave me. So it, too, found its place, at last, and another little circle was closed. Everything seems to come together. It had the same hole pattern and dimensions as the dreadful plastic focuser, so I swapped them immediately. It fit the scope perfectly. The balance doesn't appear to be affected much at all. It's a very smooth focuser. 

 

The finderscope and 25mm Meade MA eyepiece also needed a bit of cleaning, but looked nearly new, after the dust had been wiped off. The finderscope was a bit scratched up from the adjustment screws, but this is covered by the finderscope holder in normal use, so completely invisible. 

 

The collimation is a fair bit off, so I have to get to work on that. 

 

I realized I couldn't get away with posting something like this, and not show a picture, so here it is, in front of the Christmas tree, as is appropriate for the season.

 

gallery_55742_4772_2950266.jpg

 

 

Close-up of the (new) focuser and finderscope.

 

gallery_55742_4772_3423390.jpg

 

This could have been some kid's Christmas gift in 1995, and it would have been a very nice scope for a beginner. 

 

I bought it on an impulse, and I don't regret it one bit. I am very much looking forward to first light. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Merry Christmas Thomas!

 

That MEADE focuser with the original Meade text-go (a pure text logo) always gives me a smile. Why is it upside down? Modern laptops have the cover badge oriented so that it appears right side up to the cafe audience, but inverted to the owner. IBM Thinkpads always resisted this regrettable trend pioneered by the unctuous Apple - the badge was meant to be seen by the proud owner, not the envious audience. Alas, Lenovo finally gave in and inverted the logo.

 

The presence of the original logo is itself interesting. Meade started by selling accessories alongside their small imported refractors. Diebel and Towa would discuss the design of new accessories, like this focuser. So that's a direct piece of MEADE history.

 

Please do give an optical report!

 

-drl


Edited by deSitter, 24 December 2024 - 07:24 AM.

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#6 Senex Bibax

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 08:50 AM

I even got first light last night!! I was about to head for bed, when I saw stars outside. A large, partial clearing was slowly drifting by. I immediately headed out. 

 

First light was M42 in the 25mm MA. What else can you choose for first light on a December night? wink.gif Despite not being anywhere near collimated, the view was very nice, with sharp, pinpoint stars. I immediately got my 24mm ES68 out. It gave an even better view, with loads of details. 

 

Clouds began drifting in again, and I had to hop around the sky, from target to target, as they popped in and out between the clouds. M1, M35+NGC2158, M51 (with arms!!), M97 (with eyes!), M108 (clumpy, with overlaying stars), M45 (with Merope nebula (the big one, not the small one!)), Jupiter, Mars... I tried finding M81/82, but failed repeatedly. I know I was in the right area, but must have unconsciously moved the scope in the wrong direction, because I've been using refractors and Maksutovs with diagonals so much lately. The finderscope is sharp, but only when I wear my glasses, and then I can't see the whole field of view.

 

Jupiter was shockingly sharp at 50x (24mm ES68) and showed substantial detail, even at that low magnification, so I immediately brought out my 6.7mm ES82 (179x), which showed a lot of details, but was getting a bit soft, due to seeing. 86x (14mm ES82) and 109x (11mm ES82) gave rock solid images that were frankly astonishingly sharp and showed a wealth of details. The entire equatorial zone was a boiling mess of festoons. NEB and SEB showed considerable details. The limb of the planet was as sharp as if cut with a knife. Contrast was refractor-like. 

 

Mars was also incredibly crisp. 109x showed a distinct polar cap on one end, and hints of a polar haze at the other. The polar cap was lined with a dark border. The disk was subtly mottled with vague hints of details. Again, the disk was as if cut out of paper and pasted on to the sky. It was razor sharp. 

 

I didn't notice it much in daytime, but now there was some sticktion in altitude. And strangely, more when moving the scope downwards, than upwards. And more at lower altitudes than high ones. I had little trouble moving around near zenith, but Jupiter was a little challenging to track smoothly at 109x or higher. Azimuth was fine. 

 

 

If you can find one of these for a low price, grab it. If the optics are as good as in mine, it's a phenomenal value. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Knowing what the skies can be like on the Skåne side of the sea, I'll bet they are even darker on Bornholm! Glädelig Jul!


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#7 geovermont

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 09:00 AM

Very nice. Thanks for reminding us of what these scopes can do. I think a lot of folks don't realize how fine a view one can get with a well-made 6 inch f/8 reflector. My homemade Dobsonian (with a mirror I made myself) is my forever scope. And they do not take too long to cool down. I typically set mine up and then spend a while checking out the naked eye sky or maybe a little binocular viewing and then after 20 minutes or so the scope is cooled down (it's kept in a shed next to my observing spot).


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#8 Astrojensen

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 09:15 AM

Was it already cooled down when you started looking through it?

Mostly. It's stored in a passively heated room in one of the outbuildings, next to the stove room. There's a large fridge and two big freezers in there, too, which gives off a little heat. The room is frost-free, but not very warm, only a couple degrees warmer than outside. Perfect for telescopes. 

 

The little Dob instantly gave sharp views and I saw no hints of tube currents in the sonotube. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark


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#9 Jon Isaacs

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 09:47 AM

Mostly. It's stored in a passively heated room in one of the outbuildings, next to the stove room. There's a large fridge and two big freezers in there, too, which gives off a little heat. The room is frost-free, but not very warm, only a couple degrees warmer than outside. Perfect for telescopes. 

 

The little Dob instantly gave sharp views and I saw no hints of tube currents in the sonotube. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

 

Thomas:

 

Nice story.  You're the guy to make the most of it.  

 

The one thing about the Sonotube Meade 6 inch F/8 (and I believe the 8 inch) is that there is a heavy cast iron or steel counterweight under the mirror..  It's pretty apparent there must be something there when you look at the location of the altitude bearings.  

 

But you are storing it at near ambient temperature so that shouldn't be much of an issue.  

 

The bearings are small so you will need very good balance.. Lubricating the bearing with bar soap will reduce the stiction but the bearings may be too small for that trick to work.

 

Jon


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#10 Astrojensen

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 10:04 AM

Thomas:

 

Nice story.  You're the guy to make the most of it.  

 

The one thing about the Sonotube Meade 6 inch F/8 (and I believe the 8 inch) is that there is a heavy cast iron or steel counterweight under the mirror..  It's pretty apparent there must be something there when you look at the location of the altitude bearings.  

 

But you are storing it at near ambient temperature so that shouldn't be much of an issue.  

 

The bearings are small so you will need very good balance.. Lubricating the bearing with bar soap will reduce the stiction but the bearings may be too small for that trick to work.

 

Jon

I had already thought of lubricating the altitude bearings. I'll try a few different things and see. Hadn't thought about bar soap, though. I'm a little worried about getting the friction too low, since I've replaced the focuser with a heavier one, and use modern eyepieces, like the 24mm ES68, which are much heavier than the old Meade MA's. 

 

Yes, there's a chunk of iron down there in the end of the tube, but as you say, as long as it's kept close to ambient, it's no big deal. 

 

In any case, it's a fun scope to cruise around the sky with. So simple and trouble-free. It'll need a couple of carrying handles, though. One on top of the tube, another on the rocker box. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark



#11 Jon Isaacs

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 10:20 AM

Thomas:

 

I use bar soap on all my Dobs and it's quite amazing. But they either have the correct tension springs that mimic the large bearings or the have large bearings .

 

You could find time the balance to take into account the heavier focuser.. 

 

Jon


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#12 Astrojensen

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 10:53 AM

I just found the manual: https://ia801704.us....b03ed83f6da.pdf

 

They recommend lightly greasing the altitude bearings with lithium grease. I have some lithium-teflon grease, so I might as well try that. It's easy enough to wipe off, should it not work as intended. I can also add a little extra counterweight to the rear, should it be necessary. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark



#13 Jon Isaacs

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 01:34 PM

I'd try soap first.. Soap has been used for centuries by carpenters and such for lubricating drawers etc. 

 

Jon


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#14 Astrojensen

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Posted 24 December 2024 - 02:17 PM

I'd try soap first.. Soap has been used for centuries by carpenters and such for lubricating drawers etc. 

 

Jon

I know. I just don't have any bar soap at home. We use liquid soap. But I have some lithium grease. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark



#15 Astrojensen

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Posted 25 December 2024 - 12:52 PM

Lithium grease is a no go! It turns the scope into a see-saw! Once it started moving, it just carried on! gve.gif

 

Had to wipe it all off again, using a rag and some industry-grade degreaser. The scope still moved too easily after the cleaning, and was top-heavy to booth, so I made a small counterweight to attach to the rear cell (there's a threaded hole for that), and wrapped the altitude bearings with some textured household tape. The tape seemed to offer a smoother operation, with a bit more friction, but no sticktion. 

 

I'll find out next time it's clear. 

 

Oh, and I've collimated it, too. The new focuser made a tremendous difference. The laser wiggled around in the old plastic focuser and made collimation nearly impossible. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark


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#16 20swrt

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Posted 13 January 2025 - 03:56 PM

I just picked this up yesterday and rescued it from the trash heap.  The finder scope is broken.   All it needed was primary mirror cleaning and collimation.    I wonder what/how to fix the finder.

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by 20swrt, 13 January 2025 - 04:08 PM.

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#17 Nerdalert

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Posted 16 January 2025 - 08:35 AM

it's a wonderful little telescope, bought mine when I was 17 (now 41) and just upgraded it a week ago.. there's so much to see in a 6" and it's easy to handle 🔭 - lovely Christmas story Thomas 😊
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#18 Astrojensen

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Posted 16 January 2025 - 11:25 AM

I just picked this up yesterday and rescued it from the trash heap.  The finder scope is broken.   All it needed was primary mirror cleaning and collimation.    I wonder what/how to fix the finder.

Why not put a standard finder dovetail shoe on it, so you can use a modern finder. I'm considering that. The issued finder is good, but the crosshairs are thin and hard to see under dark skies, and the alignment is a pain in the rear. The more modern Synta finders with X-Y alignment are MUCH easier to align, and have thick crosshairs that are easy to see. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark



#19 ccwemyss

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Posted 16 January 2025 - 12:58 PM

A close-up picture of the finder would help us identify what you need, and whether it is possible to fix it. 

 

Chip W. 




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