Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Originally Posted by John MacDonough

I'm not messing with anodizing...

I was just joking but if you're taking requests, I prefer instrument grey:
https://astromart.com/auctions/astromart-auctions/telescope-reflectors/show/rare-1978-edmund-scientific-4002-8-f5-red-tube-newtonian-on-yoke-mount-925

Originally Posted by Bob MacArthur

Hello,

I am looking at getting a custom mirror cell with a whiffletree design made for my 16" AstroSystem Telekit.  Any suggestions would be great.

Keep Looking Up,

Bob

I have a 16" astrosystems Telekit. Why not use the cell that comes with it? Works fine...

Originally Posted by Bob MacArthur

How is the cooling time?  Who made your mirror and how thick is it?

I’m getting a Lockwood 16” and Mike Lockwood strongly suggested getting a new mirror cell that was more open for temperature equalization.  He also said the wiffletree will provide more mirror support then the strap or cable.

Keep Looking Up,
Bob

My 16" mirror is 1.6" thick, pyrex, f4.5, made by Ed Jones, an optical engineer and contributor to the cloudy nights ATM forum.
https://opticaleds.com/optical-testing-and-mirror-refiguring-2/
While he continues to provide free mirror testing as a service to the amateur community, I don't think he does anything beyond that at this time. 
I can generally get the mirror cooled from a warm SoCal garage to outside temps suitable for viewing in about 20 minutes. The standard cell has ventilation holes that allow for about 30% passive cooling and I leave the fan run all night and recharge the internal batteries on the following day. I have not seen any issues with either collimation or aberrations associated with this cell and I've used it a lot for many years, in many orientations from the scope pointed horizontal to vertical at the zenith. I'd contact Randy at Astrosystems and inform him of Lockwood's concerns and ask for his opinion on your particular situation.

Originally Posted by Martin Collins

What size and type of wires that goes to the encoders and to dsc if anyone knows please

I think it depends on the type of encoder and DSC and who made it and when it was made. I doubt there's one generic answer that applies to all. I'd recommend contacting the maker of the product to be certain.

I don't know if wood works as a base for a pitch lap but back in the day when I made a couple of mirrors, the kits I used came with ceramic tools. Anyhow, if you use the standard pitch and polish materials, and the wood isn't affected by the heat of pressing the mirror to the lap for polishing/figuring, then I'd think you'd probably be ok. Good luck with it and let us know how it performs...

Looks like the Off Topics forum up and disappeared. :S

Originally Posted by Ernie Spragg

Hi everyone - I'm sure the info I'm looking for is out there somewhere, because I've seen it in years past, but can't locate it now. Will someone in the know please tell me how many of both the 4" and 6" Quantum scoped were made - and which serial numbers are thought to be the best and the worst of both series? Thanks - Ernie Spragg 🐦 Fresno CA

Just a bit about them from Harrington:
 http://www.philharrington.net/old70.htm

Originally Posted by Ernie Spragg

Is anyone besides me amazed at the bids the pair of older Questar manuals soon to end on eBay have attracted?

I haven't checked it but Questar has its fanbase so I wouldn't be surprised. I've observed through another amateur's 3.5" Questar up at Mt Pinos years ago and the views of Saturn were stunning. I think I recall reading they're supposed to be 1/10 at the wavefront. I don't about all of 'em but I suspect this one was...

Parks certainly had a reputation for having excellent optics. Glad to see a beast like that is on wheelies or some sort of scope buddy. Don't know what sort of pricing that commands these days but it seems to me that a classic, specialty item is going to be hard to put a value on. I suppose you could send an email query to an astromart sponsor known as as astronomy-shoppe and ask if they have any idea of a fair price for it as they seemed to have dealt with various scopes over the course of decades.
The family might also consider a donation to the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, possibly tax deductible, for use at their dark sky site...

Well, with my daughter off to college an onto to her internship at a computer engineering firm, it's time to acquire another car.
First, you obviously have to select the model you want and then determine how to get the best deal on it.
For my purposes, my first choice was, with emphasis on "was", a 2014 Subaru Forester. This is Consumer Reports first pick in its class. It's also Motor Trends' SUV of the year. I was all set to pull the trigger and write the check until I test drove one. Now, there's a lot going for this model. Standard AWD, the best MPG in its class, 26mpg combined city and highway as per Consumer Reports testing (mid thirties on the highway) and more room than you'll probably ever need. Nicely optioned with an all weather package and navigation, you're looking at around $26000.
Now, to the deal breaker(s). First, while I wasn't expecting the trust of an F1 engine that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the moon, I did expect something to happen when I stepped on the gas. When nothing did, I asked the salesman about the lackluster pickup and he responded there's your MPG taking priority. Ok, I guess I can accept that and I would have if it weren't for the second deal breaker. Before I get into that one, it should be noted you can also order a Forester with a turbo-charged engine that gets less MPG and requires premium fuel for the premium thrust but I'm not sold on the long term reliability of turbo charged engines. So, that brings us to the second and in my neck of the woods, an absolute requirement: an effective air conditioning system. In my test drive in a Subaru Forester "Premium" version, the system barely seemed to cope with an ambient outside temperature of 82 degrees. From my readings of Subaru Forester owners forums, there were similar complaints of lack of an effective air conditioner in the vehicle. Some owners felt Subaru enlarged the Forester from the previous year but carried over the same capacity unit that can't cool the current model. Others suggested a bad batch of compressors and still other resorted to tinting windows, placing mats on the dashboard, and placing reflectors in the vehicle. Now, I live in the Santa Clarita Valley, and the ambient temperature in the summer months can range from the 90s-100s for many days. We had a particularly hot summer this year and I'm used to the air conditioners in my two Toyota models managing it without a problem.
So, it was off to a Toyota dealer for a test drive of their current model of the RAV4 AWD, equipped similarly to the Forester, but with two notable exceptions to performance: One, the car moved when you put the pedal to the metal and two, the air conditioner almost blasted us out of the car. It does give up some space to the Forester but you've still got a lot of room and 24MPG combined city/highway as per consumer reports testing(30s on the highway).
Then there's the method of getting your best deal. I tried TrueCar.com. Basically, they tell you the factory invoice of the car and MSRP, optioned the way you want it and your computer prints out three saving certificates that the dealerships are supposed to honor. My certificates were good for a whopping three days. I immediately received emails from dealerships on the Forester. One send me an offer on a Subaru Outback which is an entirely different vehicle from the Forester. Another dealer wanted me to "reserve" Forester, over the internet, for a premium model he didn't have on the lot. So much for TrueCar.
I'll probably end up going to CarBargains, a non-profit consumer group that charges a flat rate to negotiate the best deal by going thru the fleet departments of the dealerships and having the latter compete for the lowest prive on the vehicle you want. I've used them before and found them to be reliable and effective. Your mileage may vary...