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Orion Optics LX200!?

Rustang
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Rustang

Rustang

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Quick question, has anyone heard of an Orion Optics 'LX200' I've seen an old 8 inch Newtonian pretty much exactly the same as my old Orion Optics Newtonian f6 (white and green) but Ive never seen one from research that was an 'LX200', the sticker lettering looks authentic but the only LX200 I know of is a Meade scope!?

 

A picture of mine for reference!!

scope.jpg

Edited by Rustang
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Rustang

Rustang

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10 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

There is a VX200, perhaps someone spelt it incorrectly.       🙂

Lol 😄 the other thing is that the 'Orion' logo txt is white where as in all other pictures of these scope's, its black! Same font though!

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Graham Darke

Graham Darke

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Is it Schmidt Newtonian by any chance? Orion Optics used to sell a 200mm f4 Schmidt Newt in the early 90s. They marketed it as the XSN200 which came on their own German eq Mount. If my memory serves me correctly, they also marketed the same tube on a Vixen GP Mount which they sold under a different model name.  Was there an XLX200? 

Edited by Graham Darke
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Rustang

Rustang

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34 minutes ago, Graham Darke said:

Is it Schmidt Newtonian by any chance? Orion Optics used to sell a 200mm f4 Schmidt Newt in the early 90s. They marketed it as the XSN200 which came on their own German eq Mount. If my memory serves me correctly, they also marketed the same tube on a Vixen GP Mount which they sold under a different model name.  Was there an XLX200? 

I dont think so, the secondary mirror looks exactly the same as mine! I would have thought that would be different if it was a Schmidt Newtonian - looking on google, I have found the Schmidt Newts, doesnt appear to be one of them, its a strange one!

 

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johngm

johngm

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The Only thing i can think of, if its genuine, is maybe it was from Orion USA and a batch made for the US  market perhaps ? Might be worth dropping them a message on CN and see if they know anything.

John

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Rustang

Rustang

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10 minutes ago, johngm said:

Or, it could belong to a boy racer astronomer, you know, the ones that used to stick RS turbo stickers on there 1100 cc escorts 😂😂😂

Difficult because if that is the case they have done it really well!

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Rustang

Rustang

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I would say its the other way round in regards to the 'LX200' I would say that maybe that scope that was put together for someone, its got the same looking focuser as the Schmidt but the rest is the same as mine, Ive not seen that finder scope before either but its bracket is matching the same green paint finish as the rest of trim. Its an interesting one!

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  • 1 year later...
martinclayden

martinclayden

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I inherited one of these - which I understand was bought at Jodrell Bank here in the UK, back in the 1980's. It was on a Vixen SP Mount. It's another variant; this time LX200D. It's a completely unmodified classic Newtonian, as purchased. Still produces good images though :) 

I'd be interested to know more about this - where it was originally made, etc.

TIA

Martin

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Edited by martinclayden
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Astroscot2

Astroscot2

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On 16/10/2020 at 13:06, Graham Darke said:

Is it Schmidt Newtonian by any chance? Orion Optics used to sell a 200mm f4 Schmidt Newt in the early 90s. They marketed it as the XSN200 which came on their own German eq Mount. If my memory serves me correctly, they also marketed the same tube on a Vixen GP Mount which they sold under a different model name.  Was there an XLX200? 

I saved like crazy to buy same scope with my first job. At nearly £900 its still the worse Instrument I've ever owned. The corrector plate as they called  it was a rough edged piece of glass that's only job was to hold the secondary.  I won't continue, piece of rubbish. 

Edited by Astroscot2
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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Are these pictures you have taken or have you been sent them or found them online? I ask because the 'Orion LX200' text really does look, to me, as if it's been photoshopped from a flat surface onto the curved surface of the tube. It looks very dodgy to me but I'm happy to be corrected.

Olly

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tomato

tomato

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7 hours ago, Astroscot2 said:

I saved like crazy to buy same scope with my first job. At nearly £900 its still the worse Instrument I've ever owned. The corrector plate as they called  it was a rough edged piece of glass that's only job was to hold the secondary.  I won't continue, piece of rubbish. 

Alas, that was my experience with an 8” OO Schmidt Newtonian from the early 90s. The corrector plate had been nibbled out of a piece of plate glass and the collimation screws were shocking, no spring loading on either the primary or secondary. I never came close to properly collimating the thing, eventually the glue holding the secondary failed allowing the flat to drop on to the primary. I still have it, I might attempt a restoration one day… 

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Tomatobro

Tomatobro

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I remember doing a knife edge test on my OO 10 inch Newtonian mirror and seeing a pronounced raised round ring on the centre of the mirror.

When I questioned it I was told not to worry as its probably in the shadow of the secondary 🤣

This was back in the late 80's

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OpusElite

OpusElite

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There certainly is such a thing as an Orion Optics LX200, I have one on a Vixen SP mount. There don't seem to be many around and there aren't many pictures of them. 

It's a great scope, with mine benefitting from having the original 1.25" rack and pinion focuser replaced with a 2" Crayford.

I've just put it up for sale today as I have too many scopes and need funds for my observatory project.

I have another 8" scope so am letting this one go with the Vixen SP mount as they're matching. 

And yes, I probably will regret selling as it's a fab scope!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
martinclayden

martinclayden

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On 13/05/2022 at 13:20, ollypenrice said:

Are these pictures you have taken or have you been sent them or found them online? I ask because the 'Orion LX200' text really does look, to me, as if it's been photoshopped from a flat surface onto the curved surface of the tube. It looks very dodgy to me but I'm happy to be corrected.

Olly

These are photos I took myself, they are not PhotoShopped!!

The scope is a UK made Orion LX200D from the 1980's. I've only found out in the last couple of days that there is both a US Orion and a UK Orion

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martinclayden

martinclayden

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On 13/05/2022 at 20:52, OpusElite said:

There certainly is such a thing as an Orion Optics LX200, I have one on a Vixen SP mount. There don't seem to be many around and there aren't many pictures of them. 

It's a great scope, with mine benefitting from having the original 1.25" rack and pinion focuser replaced with a 2" Crayford.

I've just put it up for sale today as I have too many scopes and need funds for my observatory project.

I have another 8" scope so am letting this one go with the Vixen SP mount as they're matching. 

And yes, I probably will regret selling as it's a fab scope!

 

I still have my Orion.

 

I found out the other day that it was made on the UK by Orion UK, sometime in the late 1980's. I've contacted Orion for more info

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martinclayden

martinclayden

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On 13/05/2022 at 20:52, OpusElite said:

There certainly is such a thing as an Orion Optics LX200, I have one on a Vixen SP mount. There don't seem to be many around and there aren't many pictures of them. 

It's a great scope, with mine benefitting from having the original 1.25" rack and pinion focuser replaced with a 2" Crayford.

I've just put it up for sale today as I have too many scopes and need funds for my observatory project.

I have another 8" scope so am letting this one go with the Vixen SP mount as they're matching. 

And yes, I probably will regret selling as it's a fab scope!

 

Seems mine was made by Orion UK - a startup from 1984. The worst part about it is the rack focuser - massive backlash, stiff, imprecise. Hope to replace it one day with a Crayford or maybe a Baader Steeltrack🤞

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