Where to test mass produced optics in wester europe?

[PeterWar]

Greetings,

I'm about to buy a mass produced corrected Smith Cassegrain OTA either form Meade or Celestron. It is going to be a big investment, as the instrument will be either a 14" or a 16".

I know you can buy different instruments that come with their own zygo test report, but we need a Smith Cassegrain for our observatory.

As this scope will be used for scientific purposes, it is important that we have our optics tested. The goal here is to rule out below average producs from this two companies. I know they both claim to assure a form of "diffraction limited" performance on all their products, to have it tested and with a quantitative zygo test report to support that claim while I enjoy the 1 year warranty.

Could you please tell me what shops are there in europe that could provide this service?

 Ideally I would like my dealer to ship the OTA directly to them to test.

Thank you.

[Davey-T]

I don't think I've heard any complaints about Meade optics, plenty of complaints about the rest of the mounts.

This guy is a Meade trained engineer but don't know if it's the sort of thing he would get involved with, you can only ask.

http://sctelescopes.com/

Dave

[John]

I'd probably contact Wolfgang Rohr and see if he would be prepared to test the instrument. Here is his website (in German):

http://rohr.aiax.de/hp_new/

 

[Rick_It]

I think Teleskop Express provides the service. They use Wolfgang Rohr for optical testing.

I'm quite sure also APM can do the same service, they have a sister company (Wellenform) for optical testing.

Just drop them an email, tell them your needs. It's quite a big purchase, for sure they will help you.

[Peter Drew]

Both of these instruments are the flagships of the respective company, it's doubtful if a poor example would be sent out. I operate two 16" Meade SCT's and have used others, all have had excellent optics, disappointing views are more likely to be due to seeing conditions or collimation issues. A question remains as to what scientific purpose they are intended for, they may not be the best option.

[Linda]

Here is another person who can test telescopes. He has a good reputation on a Dutch astronomy forum.

http://members.ziggo.nl/jhm.vangastel/Astronomy/bath/testen.htm

He can also improve mirrors.

[PeterWar]

Thank you for the great feedback so far. Has anyone tried PixIndight wavefront analysis tool to assess their optics?

[Rick_It]

Also First Light Optics (the sponsor of this forum) can provide the service:

We are talking about a 10.000€ purchase. I would never save 100 or 200€ to do optical testing by myself.

Just drop a mail to TS, FLO and APM if you are serious about buying the scope and then compare prices.

[Skyline]

Esmond Reid.

[Peter Drew]

To be quite honest, I wouldn't be too worried about this. Both Meade and Celestron seem to have consistently provided excellent optical quality on these instruments. Provided the telescope is purchased from a mainstream reputable supplier there should be no problem in getting satisfaction whatever the outcome.