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old dave

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  1. James, Thanks for that. The old orange C8s are like London buses. You don`t see any for years then 2 come along at the same time. In the last few months there were 2 up for sale at the same time (orange C8s , not London buses), 1 on e-bay and the other on gumtree (different owners and different locations). I know that the e-bay one sold and I assume the gumtree one sold also as it has vanished. If I see any in future I`ll send you a post. Dave
  2. James, I`m not often right but I`m wrong again! Having looked more carefully this time the last number is a 5, not a 3. To make sure, I compared it with the other 3s in the serial number- definitely different. There is a small space between the 5th and 6th numbers as you said and there appears to be another space between the 1st and the 2nd numbers. As to the other numbers on the motors I have been in contortions trying to identify them. It`s easier trying to spot a DSO on a foggy night. Not having one of your inspection mirrors - it would have to be a very small one- I resorted to various positions, a magnifying glass and direct light. I ended up cross-eyed with my small finger sticking up between the motor and the housing of the base trying to clean any muck away. Don`t worry I don`t adopt this method on mirrors! Please note : I did not resort to standing on my hands although I considered that option. The problem is that the available space between the motor and the housing becomes narrower as you follow the edge of the motor. Anyway I think that I identified some of the letters/numbers - 3W IRPH and then what I think states 11-74 If the last numbers relate to the serial numbers that`s ok but not if it refers to the month and year of manufacture unless the motors were made in November `74 and the scope was manufactured in July to August `75. I just cannot decipher the other figures. Now over to you. I assume that you have (had) an old C8. Where did you find the other information you have detailed in your post? Michael and YKSE : I don`t blame you for holding onto your C8s. Regards Dave
  3. James, Well, well, well I`ll take a look and come back to you. Thanks for this `O Knowledgeable One`. Cheers Dave
  4. Time for another `dating` session methinks. I got a bit greedy I`m afraid. Not content with one of Peter Drew`s specials from way, way back I took the plunge and bought an orange C8 (locally thank goodness). I seem to have a penchant for old metal scopes. If my calculations are approximately correct, when adding the ages of these 2 scopes together, they would have qualified for the state pension years ago. I took a bit of a chance with the C8 as I was unable to try it out when I visited the owner - fog. There were another 6 callers in the wings, everything looked OK so the deal was done. I believe I am the 3rd owner of this C8 (all Scotsmen). In fact I think I`ll call it Mr Mc8. The first bought it in the States and brought it here; the 2nd bought it 10+ years ago and it has been sitting, set up but not being used in a dry attic bedroom. So - on with the chase. For what it is worth I think that it dates to about 1975 but I`m sure that some of you orange C8 groupies (?remember that fine word?) are desperate to shoot me down in flames. Go ahead I will learn something. I reached my conclusion by researching info available on the net including Uncle Rod and SGL. These 2 sources were invaluable and were a joy to conduct! I think it would be best simply to describe the scope. Let`s start with the tripod. Each of the legs forms a triangle and it is rock steady. The legs cannot be shortened or lengthened although the tension can be varied a bit by adjustment of a bolt in each leg. To fold it away each leg lifts up and they come together. The only disadvantage to this tripod is the feeling that you are dancing with an octopus - but I can accept that. I have danced with a lot worse in my time! When set up the legs lock into place. Luckily there is no pitting on the legs. Next is the wedge. What a corker! It is solid, strong and beautifully engineered. Old fashioned simplicity and built to last - no IT to go wrong on this. There is no movement when attached to the tripod and to the OTA base. The forks are coloured a kind of brown/grey and have a line of holes going up them. The base of the OTA contains the address of Celestron Pacific, not Celestron International. The serial number is on the base and not on the corrector plate. It is imprinted on a strip of metal and I can just imagine a little old man tapping away with a light hammer. It is difficult to read but I made it out with the assistance of a magnifying glass. Serial no :- 339263. Now the OTA itself. The colour is orange and the surface is very smooth. There is no speckled effect. It has the normal 6x30 orange focuser. The dust cap is a very light weight metal and is smooth on the outside. There is no knob. The interior looks pristine. The back is ribbed, splitting into 4 equal areas. The action is smooth. The cable ends in an American 2 pin plug. I will have to get a transformer before I use it - 110v/240v. It came with 5 Celestron Japanese circle T eyepieces. I took it out to work it manually and to see what I had ended up with. It was not a good night - high, light cloud, hardly any stars but the moon was bravely trying to give me a helping hand. I was not prepared for what I saw. The clarity took my breath away. It was just as though the scope was burning its way through the thin cloud. I increased the power and again the sight just hit me. This was my first ever time with an SCT and the first with an old C8. I was quiet! A friend was with me and he has had a Tasco (modern) Newtonian for a few years. He has been put off a bit by the performance of his optics. When he went to the eyepiece I heard an immediate WOW. He had not seen anything like it before. He then started gibbering. I decided to try something else. The cloud had cleared a little. That morning the postman had delivered a package to me. I opened it up and popped in a Delos 12mm. I had to play about with it at first. I have never looked through a Televue before. Then the panorama was before me as I looked around inside the tunnel and I just stared. My mate then took over. No Wow this time just silence. Then the cloud really set in. But tomorrow night it is forecast to be really clear for the evening and some of the night. Guess who is coming over to help me out!! My wife will be indoors and his wife is on the works night out. The C8 optics seem to be just fine. I know that many of you will have wonderful modern coatings and quality optics. For me with little experience of other scopes, especially those of the modern day, I am so far very happy with my elderly C8. Over to you now ladies and gents. Should you require further description please ask. If nothing else I hope that this will add to the information on this thread and may assist others to date their orange C8. Kind regards Dave
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