Telescope fail

[Stu]

This is an interesting thread which we can leave running provided everything remains factual.

A gentle reminder not to drift into supplier bashing. So far it seems Gus has a scope with the same serial number as a different scope and some concerns over the cleanliness of the objective in his scope.

Let's wait responses from the suppliers so that this can be brought to a conclusion and the situation clarified.

Thanks all!

Stu

[Knighty2112]

Sorry all. As you can imagine last night after finding out this information I was clearly spitting nails a little bit. Clearly there is a difference from the earlier scope with the same serial number printed on it, and apologise for making it appear that I was 'bashing' Altair Astro, or even Telescope House perhaps. I will find out why both scopes share the same serial number and let everyone know why this is the case.  

[Stu]

Thanks Gus.

I know what it's like, your lovely new scope turns up and you just want it to be perfect, and shiny . It's an emotional thing  

[Ant]

I've worked with Far East Factories for years and all I know is that a Serial Number often means NOTHING. Or it could mean something completely different to them than to us.

We think its a unique serial number on the lens cell (which of course it *might* be), but it might also be the number of the production line that the cell went through in manufacture, it could be the ID of the person who QC'd it. Best raise the query with the supplier and wait to see what they say.

I am no fan of Altair Astro and wouldn't buy from them, but its a little unfair to assume that they are being underhand without talking to them first. We have such a close nit community that if what is being proposed was true, it could seriously damage their reputation. 

I look forward to hearing what TH and Altair have to say.

Ant 

[iPeace]

And to think it's all for lack of a sturdy box and some protective foam.

[dobbie]

Just found this thread yes I bought a star wave f/11 and the serial no was 30 , I still have a bunch of photos of it somewhere in the cloud.. I bought it new but to my dismay I cannot remember which supplier it was from I've checked back on altair website and no record there which is were I've thought I bought it from .. strange? I will check to see if I have the old invoice when I get home . 

Just to add the scope was a cracker and I only sold it because it would not fit in my observatory . 

[Fozzie]

1 hour ago, Tim said:

There is a fair question raised here that now requires an appropriate response so that the community at large is able to better understand what the lens cell markings refer to.

I'm sure the parties involved will be more than happy to supply a statement regarding the anomaly with the cell markings, and it might be appropriate to post them here to remove any doubts from the minds of future readers of the thread regarding the reputations of the telescope and companies involved.

I for one was under the impression that the Sn. numbers were unique, so could do with an explanation too

 

I hope so...

Im starting to feel like I've "aired" one here.. and feel really bad for Knighty too if I caused unnecessary anguish..

Although in my defence I didn't have the comparison photos only a memory of a thread two years old and a strong suggested inference from the manufacture that a unique SN number was present on their products.  (Saying that marketing blurb goes through such vigerous proof reading and re writing, and as txt costs £££ then the fact they make a point of it suggests even more so to point that that number was unique to individual items..)  hence why when SN 0030 came back up I thought that something doesn't stack up..

Lets see what the response is..

For the record, I rather rate AA equipment, I love my starwave and also the 72mm ED lightwave I have.. looking forward to using them tonight if the weather is as reported...

Thanks

Fozzie

 

[Fozzie]

6 minutes ago, dobbie said:

Just found this thread yes I bought a star wave f/11 and the serial no was 30 , I still have a bunch of photos of it somewhere in the cloud.. I bought it new but to my dismay I cannot remember which supplier it was from I've checked back on altair website and no record there which is were I've thought I bought it from .. strange? I will check to see if I have the old invoice when I get home . 

Just to add the scope was a cracker and I only sold it because it would not fit in my observatory . 

I think it was Greenwitch Dobbie...  What can I say, I just like starwave's and this stuck in my memory!

I should probably shut up now looks like i'm turning in to some kind of wierdo...?!

[dobbie]

Yes I am finding this a bit confusing myself with the same serial no .

Does the scope look new knigty because if it's the same scope then it should be showing signs of ware by now . 

[dobbie]

Fozzie your memory is spot on . I do believe it was green which . 

[DRT]

1 hour ago, Fozzie said:

I should probably shut up now looks like i'm turning in to some kind of wierdo...?!

Don't worry, Steve, you're in good company here

Just speculating here but I wonder if AA have fallen into the same trap as the rest of us when it comes to the serial number when they drafted their marketing blurb for their website. I think someone above said that it is only the AA version that has these and only their blurb that mentions the SN. It is entirely possible that they also believed these to be unique, or that the unique number is stamped in an unseen place on the cell.

Hopefully we will have a plausible explanation soon and it is great to hear that Gus has had great views through this now famous scope

 

[Knighty2112]

1 hour ago, dobbie said:

Yes I am finding this a bit confusing myself with the same serial no .

Does the scope look new knigty because if it's the same scope then it should be showing signs of ware by now . 

Yep, the scope looks brand new to my eyes. No dings, or marks on any of the tubing, lens covers etc. To be honest it is a cracking scope now the focuser has been changed (and the slight squeak in the new one ironed out with a squirt of silicone lubricant). If this was (which it is looking more likely that it isn't) your old scope then after passing through 3 or 4 different owners there would be some wear somewhere on the scope, but it looks pretty mint to me. The issue with the dust inside the lens, well I've just checked a smaller frac I own which I got about 8 months ago, mainly for the az stand it came with, so it's hardly been used, and just sat on top of my camera tripod and that too has dust motes in it too, so not too worried about these as such as I know this won't affect the image quality to the eye. Too be fair to Altair Astro I did also ask them to check it out optically, so the slight cleaning marks you can see when shinning a torch into the lens could have been from them just cleaning the lens before they tested it. Got it out for a wee bit last night, and the views between the clouds of M57 and the double double where excellent, couldn't fault it optically in the brief period I used it last night. All I need to clear up is why the serial number is the same as your old scope, when clearly from the two pictures above in this thread that I posted they are different even though the serial number is the same as your old scope.

[Patbloke]

Just picked up this long thread... As a proud owner of an Altair Astro f/11 102 Starwave I thought I would contribute., not much though :-)

I have SN 0028 on my objective bought a year and a bit ago. There is dust on the inside despite it being kept in a super soft zipped bag, but it has been used during at least a dozen sessions.

This scope is my weapon of choice as it gives pin sharp, colourful views on every outing. 

[Knighty2112]

54 minutes ago, DRT said:

Don't worry, Steve, you're in good company here

Just speculating here but I wonder if AA have fallen into the same trap as the rest of us when it comes to the serial number when they drafted their marketing blurb for their website. I think someone above said that it is only the AA version that has these and only their blurb that mentions the SN. It is entirely possible that they also believed these to be unique, or that the unique number is stamped in an unseen place on the cell.

Hopefully we will have a plausible explanation soon and it is great to here that Gus has had great views through this now famous scope

 

That's looking like the most plausible answer now. Just about to write an email to Telescope House who can then query this serial number issue with Altair themselves. I'll let you all know the answer as soon as I get one back. Now I've calmed down a lot from last night, as long as there is no earth shattering news from either Telescope House, or Altair Astro themselves on this, I'll most likely keep the scope if the brief views I got from last night are anything to go by.  

[DRT]

10 minutes ago, Patbloke said:

I have SN 0028 on my objective bought a year and a bit ago.

A pattern is emerging here that I would suggest confirms that these are not unique serial numbers. Over a period of three years it is highly unlikely that three people involved in this thread (dobbie, Fozzie and Patbloke) would buy three scopes from three different suppliers that had unique serial numbers so close together and so low (28, 30 and 33) of a scope that has been in production for many years.

On the dust thing. I know from experience that when you unscrew the focuser or objective cell on these scopes you get lots of little flakes of paint falling into the OTA. I had exactly that problem with one that I bought from RVO earlier this year and had to remove the lens cell to remove a paint flake from the inside surface of the objective after I had been messing around with the focuser to collimate it. Perhaps the dust you are seeing was produced when AA were testing it and/or fitting the replacement focuser?

[Knighty2112]

21 minutes ago, Patbloke said:

Just picked up this long thread... As a proud owner of an Altair Astro f/11 102 Starwave I thought I would contribute., not much though :-)

I have SN 0028 on my objective bought a year and a bit ago. There is dust on the inside despite it being kept in a super soft zipped bag, but it has been used during at least a dozen sessions.

This scope is my weapon of choice as it gives pin sharp, colourful views on every outing. 

Thanks Patbloke. To be honest now I've calmed down after the shock of thinking last night I had a refurbed 2nd or 3rd hand scope palmed off on me a new one, it is looking like the serial number is not what we believe it to be, i.e. unique to each scope, although I await confirmation from Altair themselves over this for full clarification. I'm not worried about the dust on the lens, as to be honest most scopes do have slight levels of dust on them as this is inevitable really. The brief views I got through the scope last night were excellent, and the contrast in the views was superb, so I know a little dust is not going to spoil any views unless it is fully coated in a layer of it. Need to fully test it a little more under some clear skies, but if last nights brief views were anything to go by I will indeed be keeping the scope.  

[Knighty2112]

7 minutes ago, DRT said:

A pattern is emerging here that I would suggest confirms that these are not unique serial numbers. Over a period of three years it is highly unlikely that three people involved in this thread (dobbie, Fozzie and Patbloke) would buy three scopes from three different suppliers that had unique serial numbers so close together and so low (28, 30 and 33) of a scope that has been in production for many years.

On the dust thing. I know from experience that when you unscrew the focuser or objective cell on these scopes you get lots of little flakes of paint falling into the OTA. I had exactly that problem with one that I bought from RVO earlier this year and had to remove the lens cell to remove a paint flake from the inside surface of the objective after I had been messing around with the focuser to collimate it. Perhaps the dust you are seeing was produced when AA were testing it and/or fitting the replacement focuser?

Yes, looking like that most likely is the issue here with the serial number. As stated above I am now no longer concerned over the dust motes/flakes, as they are only apparent when a bright light is shone directly into the lens. In no way can you see them when ordinary daylight is reflected off the lens, and I know that even with them there they do not hinder the view to the eye unless very large amounts of them are spread all over the lens as a thin layer. 

[dobbie]

Hi knighty I think you will end up keeping it as I regret selling mine it was a rash decision on my behalf, and now wish I had another .

[Knighty2112]

Just now, dobbie said:

Hi knighty I think you will end up keeping it as I regret selling mine it was a rash decision on my behalf, and now wish I had another .

Yep, I think you are right.  

[DRT]

3 minutes ago, dobbie said:

Hi knighty I think you will end up keeping it as I regret selling mine it was a rash decision on my behalf, and now wish I had another .

Me too - I've bought and sold two of them to fund other purchases - the first one went when I bought a 16" Dob (now sold) and the second when I bought my VX12. I do miss having it around but sometimes a man has to admit that he has too many scopes

 

[Fozzie]

Probably hands up time then..

Would like to apologies for any undue concern caused to Knighty.

It looks like the serial numbers or the displayed SN number might not be what I understood it to be and I have made an assumption which has caused a bit of questioning, where maybe the level of questioning wasn't merited.  Also directing an apology in AA direction for highlighting the confusion/anomaly based on my understanding, which looks to be not as accurate as I like to be on my online commentary!

Would be still interested to know exactly what the SN number is for, to conclude the thread..

However it does seem like we have a good number of very satisfied Starwave owners, me being one of them, which speaks volumes of the product in question.

Ta

Fozzie

[Stu]

2 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

Probably hands up time then..

Would like to apologies for any undue concern caused to Knighty.

It looks like the serial numbers or the displayed SN number might not be what I understood it to be and I have made an assumption which has caused a bit of questioning, where maybe the level of questioning wasn't merited.  Also directing an apology in AA direction for highlighting the confusion/anomaly based on my understanding, which looks to be not as accurate as I like to be on my online commentary!

Would be still interested to know exactly what the SN number is for, to conclude the thread..

However it does seem like we have a good number of very satisfied Starwave owners, me being one of them, which speaks volumes of the product in question.

Ta

Fozzie

Does the serial number tie up with any paperwork which comes with the scope? Are these scopes issued with a test certificate? Personally I don't see the point of putting the serial number in such a prominent place if it's not going to be unique! If it's a batch number, call it a batch number!

On the positive side, I know from brief views of Jupiter through Derek's scope at SGL11 that the views are excellent, very sharp and contrasty with plenty of detail visible.

I would love to own one of these scopes, but the only reason would be some kind of sentimentality about long focal length fracs. The Tak gives me fabulous views in a more convenient package, but lovely long fracs are very nice indeed  

[John]

Thinking it through, the S/N is probably a batch number rather than referring to an individual objective. These are mass produced scopes. The manufacturer has probably made hundreds, maybe even thousands of them under the various brandings since the design came out.

The original issue of the very poor packaging and damage is still valid and time will tell if the focuser damage has been fully fixed or not. Personally I feel that the optics and finish of a new scope should be immaculate - the few that I have bought over the years certainly have been.

I think Altair need to be a little clearer about the significance, or otherwise, of the serial number. Their current wording is a little ambiguous. None of the other branded versions of this scope seem to have serial numbering as far as I'm aware.

 

 

[Knighty2112]

13 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

Probably hands up time then..

Would like to apologies for any undue concern caused to Knighty.

It looks like the serial numbers or the displayed SN number might not be what I understood it to be and I have made an assumption which has caused a bit of questioning, where maybe the level of questioning wasn't merited.  Also directing an apology in AA direction for highlighting the confusion/anomaly based on my understanding, which looks to be not as accurate as I like to be on my online commentary!

Would be still interested to know exactly what the SN number is for, to conclude the thread..

However it does seem like we have a good number of very satisfied Starwave owners, me being one of them, which speaks volumes of the product in question.

Ta

Fozzie

No worries Fozzie.  I've just sent Telescope House an email praising the scope, but highlighting the serial numbers which don't seem to be unique in the way we are led to believe they are. I'll let you know what Altair come back with when they respond to Telescope House, but looking good other than clearing up what the serial number actual is here for these scopes.  

[Knighty2112]

10 minutes ago, Stu said:

Does the serial number tie up with any paperwork which comes with the scope? Are these scopes issued with a test certificate? Personally I don't see the point of putting the serial number in such a prominent place if it's not going to be unique! If it's a batch number, call it a batch number!

On the positive side, I know from brief views of Jupiter through Derek's scope at SGL11 that the views are excellent, very sharp and contrasty with plenty of detail visible.

I would love to own one of these scopes, but the only reason would be some kind of sentimentality about long focal length fracs. The Tak gives me fabulous views in a more convenient package, but lovely long fracs are very nice indeed  

I got no paper work delivered with the telescope, so nothing claiming that this serial number is unique, other than the blurb on Altair Astro's own web page for the telescope.