Posts Made By: Robert Klipstein

OK, who has done the comparisson. I am set to buy one or the other and I need input.

Thanks,
Bob

Has anyone had a chance to try one of these? How does it compare to other 102 achro's? What about the new Orion 80mm ED apo?

I have an Orion 80mm ED on order that will be delivered in Sept. I plan on using it for both terrestrial and some astronomy(lunar mostly). I have also considered just saving my pennies(150,000)to get a Televue 85 for my terrestrial and lunar use. Would I gain any advantage other than 5mm more in aperture by waiting for the TV85?

Was wondering if I could get some opinions on this scope. I don't have any experience with the Borg scopes(only the Borg on Star Trek). How do they compare to other mid range apo's? Would the Orion 80mm ED be a better buy if you could get a 76ED at a slightly higher price?

Thanks
Bob

I would like to mount my Orion 80mm ED to my Telepod head. I know Orion uses the same tube for the 80mm as they do for the 100mm, so what size Televue tube ring should I use? I have it mounted via an adapter dovetail plate and rings, but the whole setup looks a little busy. Thanks for any help.

Bob

Hello everyone,

I just got my Orion 80mm ED "apo" today and have done a quick cursory examination of the scope. Aesthetically, it is nice looking, but not a beauty like a TV 85 or Tak 90. The focus wheels are very nice, but it is obvious that they are meant to mimic the wheels on the Televue scopes. The tube is solid but doesn't have that hefty feel of the Televue scopes or the Tak scopes. I took a quick look down the tube from the objective end and was pleased to see nothing but the light coming into my Televue 2" diagonal. In looking closely, I did notice the slightest reflection of some trees in the objective. I believe the inside element is the ED element. I find it interesting that although Orion advertises it as an "apo" in their catalog, the word "apo" appears nowhere in the Instruction Manual that comes with the scope. In fact, the "Specifications" states that the Objective lens is "Achromatic, rear element made of ED glass, air-spaced". I wonder if this borders on false advertising?

I looked at some birdies down the road as I could see the clouds rolling in. I put it up to 100X with my 6mm UO HD ortho and could see no color fringing on the birdies even though the sun was shining on them.

I also tried to mount the scope to my Televue Upswing with some rings and found the mounting block makes it almost impossible to balance the scope. I could mount it directly with the 1/4-20 block, but I wanted more stability. Glad I kept my old Hollywood Movie camera mount. It works great.

More later

What are your thoughts on the scope?

Bob

Can anyone tell me if Celestron sold an 80mm f5 short tube that was made in Japan in the early 90's. I am buying one and the owner has told me it is from Japan and was made in the early 90's. I know Vixen made one for Celestron, but the coloring on it was grey I believe. This one is black. Thanks for your help.

Bob

Can anyone tell me what a "pulled parabola" mirror is and how it compares to the regular parabolic mirror? Does it give better images and how is it done? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Bob

Is a 1" secondary too small for an 8" f8 scope? I want to make it a good planetary scope. I will be mounting it onto an 1800 Destiny curved spider. Thanks for any suggestions.

Bob

When mounting the secondary mirror onto the mounting surface with silicone, do you put a bead around the outside edge of the mounting surface or in the center of the mounting surface? How long should you let it "cure" before installing it into the telescope tube? Is it possible to remove the secondary mirror from the silicone if you decide to change mirrors? Thanks for any help.

Bob