Show us your Frac

[damnut]

Way to go, you are definitely on the wallet emptying path of this great hobby

[Jay T]

Haha. Yep, that sounds about right. But it's worth every penny

[spaceboy]

I love looking at this page. There are some amazing set ups. I recently sold a 200P Newt purely so I could get a 102mm 'frac! I'm ordering it next week and will put up some pics

 I think this is a case of aperture fever in reverse ! I'm not overly fussed for large, heavy and cumbersome scopes but I always thought 8" is an ideal size and I can't help but think your going to soon miss those extra 4",

[Jay T]

I think this is a case of aperture fever in reverse ! I'm not overly fussed for large, heavy and cumbersome scopes but I always thought 8" is an ideal size and I can't help but think your going to soon miss those extra 4",

It was a hard choice, but I just wasn't really getting along with the newt... I wanted a refractor for the higher contrast images and astro photography. I was however, very tempted to get a Starwave 152 but the CA is apparently very high and not that ideal for imaging.

[RichieP]

Here is my Meade AR5, given a new lease of life as a white light solar rig.

[Astro_Baby]

A blast from the past...but believe me one look through this for nostalgia reasons will kill off that nostalgia for good.  Tricky focuser, wobbly mount, hideous .965 eyepieces that look like the came out a christmas cracker.  Amazing how far we have come since 1972 when this scope had its first light.

On the upside it has a nice wooden box  - probably because thats the best place for it

Its a Unitron/Polarex 114 with its white light kit.

[John]

It looks a lovely scope Mel but it's a shame that the performance does not quite live up to the looks. I have read other similar experiences with these scopes so perhaps they are better to look at rather than through !.

[apoapo]

I like all the refactors on this site. superb collection of just about everything.

Now you frackers, like me I hope you're crackers, about scopes with lenses, I mean.

Mines an 80mm Celestron apo.

During my long life with scopes, never have I seen such sharp, clear colour free, coma free, non astigmatic and beautiful images at the eyepiece than I get with my apo.

A term often used by those in the business of selling scopes is "Entry Level", at which point they refer to their scopes such as mine. Do these retailers ever take note of what they are actually saying?

To me an entry level scope is a 12" dob. After that, migration to better mounts follows, then by a reduction of aperture, a whole line of scopes ending with the one that should have been bought right at the beginning. You got it! an Apo! not too big either. A 4" is plenty, with such a scope you begin, at last to enjoy Astronomy.  

Apoapo

[John]

Hi and welcome to SGL

I like all the refactors on this site. superb collection of just about everything.

Now you frackers, like me I hope you're crackers, about scopes with lenses, I mean.

Mines an 80mm Celestron apo.

During my long life with scopes, never have I seen such sharp, clear colour free, coma free, non astigmatic and beautiful images at the eyepiece than I get with my apo.

A term often used by those in the business of selling scopes is "Entry Level", at which point they refer to their scopes such as mine. Do these retailers ever take note of what they are actually saying?

To me an entry level scope is a 12" dob. After that, migration to better mounts follows, then by a reduction of aperture, a whole line of scopes ending with the one that should have been bought right at the beginning. You got it! an Apo! not too big either. A 4" is plenty, with such a scope you begin, at last to enjoy Astronomy.  

Apoapo

The ED80 doublets are very nice scopes but I can't agree with you about a 12" dob. I've owned loads of lovely refractors including a number of the ED's and currently a Vixen ED102 and Skywatcher ED120 but my 12" dob out performs them in every way apart perhaps from the aesthetics of double stars.

I can't compete with your 61 years of scope owning though - my own experience is just 35 years

It's great to celebrate the scope designs in these threads but lets not loose sight of the high standards of performance and versatility that the wide range of scope designs available offer us - they all have their strengths and weaknesses

[L8-Nite]

A blast from the past...but believe me one look through this for nostalgia reasons will kill off that nostalgia for good.  Tricky focuser, wobbly mount, hideous .965 eyepieces that look like the came out a christmas cracker.  Amazing how far we have come since 1972 when this scope had its first light.

On the upside it has a nice wooden box  - probably because thats the best place for it

Its a Unitron/Polarex 114 with its white light kit.

If its so bad, why do you have it ?

[badhex]

If its so bad, why do you have it ?

I work in IT and until very recently had a 30+ year old DLT tape drive - completely useless in today's world. I guess nostalgia will do that to you

[L8-Nite]

I work in IT and until very recently had a 30+ year old DLT tape drive - completely useless in today's world. I guess nostalgia will do that to you

( Secretly, I'm hoping Astro_Baby will say....... oh , go on, you can have it for a ten'r. )  

[Stub Mandrel]

From the sublime to the ... ? Seems to work quite well with standard issue Skywatcher EPs instead of the supplied ones.

It was good enough to get me to want a bigger scope but that's a newt...

[Rovingnome]

my humble scope, Celestron Powerseeker 60az

[F15Rules]

Hi Mel, hope you are well:-)

Loved your pics of the Polarex 114 but have to disagree ref the performance.. I had two of these and both were little belters. Sure, the eps have narrow fields but I found my objectives to be excellent when used with modern plossls and orthos..and as for the mount, I loved it, an engineering marvel, and quite stable given the long tube of the scope.

Each to their own I guess:-)

Dave

[DirkSteele]

Hi Mel, hope you are well:-)

Loved your pics of the Polarex 114 but have to disagree ref the performance.. I had two of these and both were little belters. Sure, the eps have narrow fields but I found my objectives to be excellent when used with modern plossls and orthos..and as for the mount, I loved it, an engineering marvel, and quite stable given the long tube of the scope.

Each to their own I guess:-)

Dave

Seems there may well have been some pretty variable QC in some of these older scopes.  I have read from reviews people who definitely know what they are talking about who have had widely differing experiences with these scopes.  Probably means if one comes across an older scope for sale, best bet would be to have a look through it to make sure it is a peach and not a lemon.

[Moonshane]

here's my old solar set-up

Skywatcher 120 f5 and Lunt wedge for white light

Standard PST

and now my new set up

PST stage two mod with Tal 100 and 120mm Skywatcher ED with same Lunt wedge.

[Chris]

I'm liking the PST tube rings Shane.

[Moonshane]

They were on it when I bought it but I agree they are very useful. I think they are just readily available brass munsen rings.

[Moonshane]

ps

I have added CNC tube rings to both since these pics.

[FenlandPaul]

I've been excited about joining this thread for weeks! This evening, on my lovely son's 7th birthday and on the day he broke up from school, I had first light with my StarTravel 120. Quick session on the moon and Saturn (so not what it's intended for) but still stunning! And then I have a ST150 arriving later this week, to drive them side by side for 6 months or so and then decide which to keep. Thanks to the previous owner of this (Baggywrinkle) and the ST150 (BigSumorian) for passing on these lovely instruments!!

[damnut]

Some more lovely kit. As for the DLt drive, that is recent stuff, still get nightmares abut editing paper tape and coding on cards!!

[John]

Hi Mel, hope you are well:-)

Loved your pics of the Polarex 114 but have to disagree ref the performance.. I had two of these and both were little belters. Sure, the eps have narrow fields but I found my objectives to be excellent when used with modern plossls and orthos..and as for the mount, I loved it, an engineering marvel, and quite stable given the long tube of the scope.

Each to their own I guess:-)

Dave

Hi Dave,

The conclusion I've come to over Unitron / Polarex refractors is that their quality, like many mass produced scope types, varies. You have had a couple good ones, others were not so lucky. I've had similar expriences with other refractors where I've had a good one followed by a mediocre one a while later. I reckon the Celestron and Meade SCT's are the same as are many scopes.

[Jay T]

I'm trying to upload a picture of my frac but seem to be unable to do so. It's under 1mb...

[John]

I'm trying to upload a picture of my frac but seem to be unable to do so. It's under 1mb...

You need to use the "More Reply Options" tab at the bottom right of the posting window. That then gives you the "Attach Files" option at the bottom left of the enlarged text pane.