I lived in rural Kentucky where the skies were very dark in the 70's. As a farmworker and student, all I could afford was a used pair of B&L 7x35 binos. But they were enough for me to discover, on my own, the Great Orion Nebula.
I dreamed of having a 6" reflector, but that was completely out of my reach. I knew about 6" reflectors because a friend of my Aunt had used one to see that the 'UFO' that a National Guard P-51 pilot died chasing in the skies over Louisville in 1948, was actually a weather balloon. So I knew that a scope like that could do marvelous things. And provide esoteric knowledge. I believe the guy ground his own mirror. I think most people did in those days.
By the time Halley's Comet came around, I was living in the city with my new family. After studying the ads in Sky and Telescope for weeks, I ordered a Telescopics 6" 1/20 wave F5 reflector that came with a Televue 26 mm Plossl and a wooden Dob mount for $290.
I have a TOA 130 and a 11" Zambuto Starmaster now, but the Telescopics is still my dream scope. I have had more memorable views with it than the rest combined. Storms on Saturn, the quasar in Virgo, Jupiter looking like a plate of spagetti on a morning of extraordinary seeing, the Leo Trio in the same field of view, Mars' apparition in the Fall of '88, which I sketched, the bow waves of Hale-Bopp, and I believe I saw the flash of the comet impact on Jupiter. Certainly, the black eyes.
So, these incredible new scopes may come and go, but the 6" Telescopics was and always will be, though I seldom look through it anymore,
My Dream Scope.
Good Seeing, Walt
larry thaxton said:
For years I tried various scopes looking for two or three - one could not do it all - scopes to cover the "perfect" planetary, travel/DSO and grab-and-go scopes. Looks like I have them, actually too many of them:
Planetary: TMB 175, Tak FS-152 and Royce Dall-Kirkham 10" F/20
Travel/DSO: 12.5" Portaball
G&G: Tak FC-78 on Vixen Great Polaris (soon to be an FC-100)
Now I have to cut back a little as I have more than I need and while I enjoy them all, can not use each enough to justify having them sitting around. It would be interesting to know who else has "arrived" and why?