Jason 306S Explorer - Replacement Finderscope

[dbragas]

Complete newbie here! I found an "old" telescope while cleaning the attic. It's a Jason 306S Explorer. I know absolutely nothing about telescopes, but think it would be fun to check out the night sky when it warms up around here. The telescope appears to be missing its finderscope (??). Looking for any advice on finding a replacement. I'm not sure if this is helpful or not, but the eyepiece inscription reads: F = 800 mm D = 60 mm.

Based on the little bit of information I found online, it seems as if this telescope is a kid/amateur type - which I'm absolutely fine with. Thanks in advance.

~ Diana

[Juno16]

Probably a simple red dot finder would work.depending on the type of mount, a rd would be very affordable.

[JayTee]

This is the guy I buy all my red dot finders from. Very reputable and affordable.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Red-Dot-Telesc ... 363b604b9d

Cheers,
JT

[Lady Fraktor]

Actually the old Jason refractors were usually decent and fun to use
There are a few people here that own/ use Jason telescopes.

These would have come with either a 5x24 or 6x30 optical finder which would give a wider field of view than the main objective.
It can make it a bit easier to find objects though a red dot finder works as well to get you pointed in the right direction.

Is the focuser 0.965" or 1.25"?
Do you have any eyepieces for it?

[Ruud]

I recently bought a 6x30 RACI finder and it is fantastic. The finder shows 7.5° of the sky. Both the view and the cross hairs are nice and sharp.
RACI stands for Right Angle - Correct Image. The angle between the eyepiece and the tube is 90° and the image is upright (neither upside down nor left-right mirrored). You focus a finder like this by adjusting the front lens.

Mine is this one: link. It has a standard Vixen-SkyWatcher foot (the base is 30 mm at it's widest). You'll need a matching shoe.

I have a good red dot finder but I prefer my new babyscope.
For astronomy it is very convenient to look into a finder from the side.

swfinder masked.png (54.57 KiB) Viewed 2740 times

[dbragas]

Actually the old Jason refractors were usually decent and fun to use
There are a few people here that own/ use Jason telescopes.

These would have come with either a 5x24 or 6x30 optical finder which would give a wider field of view than the main objective.
It can make it a bit easier to find objects though a red dot finder works as well to get you pointed in the right direction.

Is the focuser 0.965" or 1.25"?
Do you have any eyepieces for it?

Actually the old Jason refractors were usually decent and fun to use
There are a few people here that own/ use Jason telescopes.

These would have come with either a 5x24 or 6x30 optical finder which would give a wider field of view than the main objective.
It can make it a bit easier to find objects though a red dot finder works as well to get you pointed in the right direction.

Is the focuser 0.965" or 1.25"?
Do you have any eyepieces for it?

Based on a manual I found online for different model Jason Explorer, the one I found has a finderscope bracket and the alignment screws. The circumference of the bracket is 1.25". Is this what you were asking about?

Yes, there is an eyepiece: F = 800 mm D = 60 mm. I have no idea what this means or if this is a usable/decent one.

I've attached a few photos. Hopefully, someone can direct me and provide details on what I need to find to be able to use this telescope? Is it possible to locate a finder that would fit into the bracket? Are finders generic or do I need to find one made specifically for this Jason Explorer? Any assistance is much appreciated.

[Lady Fraktor]

The 60mm x 800mm is your aperture and telescope focal length in that order or known as a 60mm f/13.3
The eyepiece that you have in the diagonal is marked as H20mm which means it is a Huygens 20mm which typically have a AFOV (apparent field of view) of 25°
With your telescope that means you will have
1. 40x magnification
2. Exit Pupil of 1.5mm
3. A TFOV (true field of view) of 0.625° or slightly larger than the full Moon.

Measure the diameter of the eyepiece barrel, if it is just slightly smaller than 1" it is a 0.965" size.

[Thefatkitty]

Hi Diana,
I'm somewhat familiar with this type of scope; I have a Jason 80mm and a Sears 60mm which looks very much like your Jason. I can tell by the diagonal attachment for the drawtube it is indeed a .965, my Sears is almost exactly the same.
Your scope is really made by a company called Tanzutsu, the Z in the circle on the label is your key to that. The Jasons, Tascos, Sears, J C Penny's, they're all rebranded Towa's or Tanzutsu's for the most part. A few are made by Royal Astro, but that's the 60's and rare as hen's teeth (I'm still looking) Decent optics as well, usually. Your scope also from the early '80's.
I have a few of what you need, but you may be able to find it on Scopestuff or the like. I can send a pic if you want

All the best,

[dbragas]

Hi Diana,
I'm somewhat familiar with this type of scope; I have a Jason 80mm and a Sears 60mm which looks very much like your Jason. I can tell by the diagonal attachment for the drawtube it is indeed a .965, my Sears is almost exactly the same.
Your scope is really made by a company called Tanzutsu, the Z in the circle on the label is your key to that. The Jasons, Tascos, Sears, J C Penny's, they're all rebranded Towa's or Tanzutsu's for the most part. A few are made by Royal Astro, but that's the 60's and rare as hen's teeth (I'm still looking) Decent optics as well, usually. Your scope also from the early '80's.
I have a few of what you need, but you may be able to find it on Scopestuff or the like. I can send a pic if you want

All the best,

Thanks so much! A photo of what I need, as well as any other specifics, would be be fantastic as I am clueless. Willing to learn, but still clueless at this point.

[Thefatkitty]

Hi again Diana,

Here's a pic of what you want, though it looks a bit beat up It was just convenient, I have a few...

It's 5 1/2" long. I'll be honest with you though, the finder JayTee suggested above would be your better bet. It looks like it would bolt right on. And for a target like the Moon, you could probably get real close just sighting along the tube, then "follow the light" At least this way you could give the scope a try with no investment.

Hope this helps and all the best,

[dbragas]

Thanks for all the advice! I've ordered the suggested finder and will report back.

[dbragas]

Hi, everyone. So the finderscope I ordered doesn't quite do the trick.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/232924400541
My husband tell me the two screw holes on the finder scope don't line up to existing screw holes on the tube. Suggestions on what to do?

Thank you!

[gregl]

It looks to me like you've got the bracket for the finder scope, off to the left in the second of your pix above. You just need a scope that will fit into that. Check this source and see if he has something that would fit into that bracket: https://telescope-warehouse.com

Also there is a guy in Frasier Park, CA, who sells scope parts. I can't find his info now but perhaps someone else has his contact info.

[dbragas]

I'm in business! Bill at Telescope-Warehouse suggested drilling new holes into the finder bracket in order to attach it to the scope and this did the trick. I wouldn't have been able to view the amazing moon tonight without you all. Much appreciated.

[gregl]

Glad you got it up and running. Enjoy!

[Thefatkitty]

Nice deal Diana! I missed your post before on what to do, glad you got it figured out!

I know I'm going out in a bit if it's still clear for some lunar viewing. Not sure which time zone you're in, but hope it's clear for you when 'ol Luna rises! Enjoy the views

All the best,