TheSkySearchers

John Fitzgerald wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:06 pm

KathyNS wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:34 pm My 70mm f/3.2 franken-copy-scope. It is made from a $10 surplus photocopies lens. The field flatness requirements for photocopying are quite different than for imaging the skies, so it has some nasty negative coma. Still, I have gotten some decent images of large targets like M31 with it.

Thefatkitty wrote: ↑Thu Feb 18, 2021 1:58 am Fun thread

I counted my refractors, and it seems I have 8 of them! How my other half hasn't kicked me out the door yet is a mystery...

However, I won't bore you with all my various Towa/Vixen made scopes; just this one. I bought this a number of years ago on Kijiji (local buy & sell) for $100.


It's a 1961 Tasco 12TE 60mm at f/11.4.





Now you're wondering, OK Mark, how do you know for sure it's a 1961 model? Well, I'm not 100% sure, but I think the following photo's are fairly good proof. Take a look at the second photo; notice the "star" marked next to the finderscope?
My guess is this: Bought in late '61 as a Christmas present, unpacked, and since A) the family probably spent a good amount of money on this and B) shouldn't the finderscope produce the same image as the scope? The reason for the letter.






Made in the days before Styrofoam packing was popular. The wooden case is mint, as is the straw and rice paper packing; even the rubber feet on the tripod legs.
Wood pieces for packing with green felt on the bottom that were screwed down with wingnuts. Almost 60 years old all this....





There was even 3 of these in the box to be sure there was no mold/mildew forming...






It also had a cardboard "hanger" from the Japanese Telescope Inspection Institute. This is both sides of that:






The only other scope I have that has anything "inspected" by the JTII is my Celestron/Vixen orange C80, and that's just a sticker:






And how does it do for views? I remember the first time I used it and looked at Saturn with the stock diagonal and 20mm .965 lens. What a Wow moment! I've since adapted it to take the 1.25 prism diagonal from my Vixen made orange tube C80, in which I use my KK Ortho's. You'd have to view through it to believe it. It's right up there with, again, my orange tube C80.

I don't have any APO or even ED refractors (as in nothing really worth posting), but I sure do love my achro's!

All the best,

DeanD wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:49 am
It looks like a great buy! It seems a pity though that it looks like it has hardly seen any use, especially as you point out that it must have cost a bit, and was obviously initially unpacked when they noticed the finder-scope view. I wonder how many times since 1961 was it taken out under the sky?

Have you had a play with it? What are the optics like?

- Dean

Thefatkitty wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 1:54 am

DeanD wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:49 am
It looks like a great buy! It seems a pity though that it looks like it has hardly seen any use, especially as you point out that it must have cost a bit, and was obviously initially unpacked when they noticed the finder-scope view. I wonder how many times since 1961 was it taken out under the sky?

Have you had a play with it? What are the optics like?

- Dean

Hi Dean, nice to hear from you.

The optics on this are really very good; it's a close second to my orange Vixen/Celestron C80 which is the best visual scope I have. The only reason it's second to that is because of the smaller aperture

I've taken it out over 30 times, and from the shape it was (and still is) in, I have to wonder as well how many times it was used by the original owners. Also, how did it end up going from the USA to Canada as well?

Things to ponder...

All the best,

BFaucett wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 4:43 pm

Stellarvue SV102 (f/10.8 achromat)

Cheers! Bob F.

dagadget wrote: ↑Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:53 pm


CGEM II and Astro Tech AT 152EDT