Scopes ageing well

[Stardaze]

20 minutes ago, John said:

For quite a while the 4 inch refractor plus a dobsonian was my scope inventory as well.

Then the refractors started to breed ....... 

I’ll be sure to check that the frac is neutered whenever I make the plunge. Maybe you have to keep them in at night to stop em 🙄

[dweller25]

Yes, strange how a lot of people end up with fracs 😁

[Zermelo]

11 hours ago, Stardaze said:

I’ll be sure to check that the frac is neutered whenever I make the plunge. Maybe you have to keep them in at night to stop em 🙄

Ah, that's what's making all of those strange noises that I hear when I'm out on a clear night.
I'd always put it down to foxes.

[garryblueboy]

My TMB-APM Classic 130 is around 20 years old now and the views are still amazing as in the look of the scope as are the WO TEC 110 that’s 16 years and the C9.25 carbon tube also about same age although the modern scopes are getting better these classics still in my opinion out shine them 

 

[Cleetus]

But isn't it easy to say "I've had my refractor for so many years and it's still working great"? What's the big deal? Refractors are supposed to be almost bomb-proof. Providing you don't let it drop on concrete it will last for decades. The surprise would be if it didn't.

Now if we are talking about a Meade or Celestron go-to, with all those gubbins and electronics, then that's a different kettle of fish. There was a time when investing in one of these brands was a lottery. Anyone familiar with Martin Mobberley's trials and tribulations with his Meade? It makes painful reading.

I bought one of these in 2002 and have kept it in a very cold and damp, or very hot, observatory for almost twenty years and, so far, it has never failed me. Some of the horror stories I've heard about these telescopes over the years has been eye-watering. I know that one day my Meade will give up the ghost and when that day comes I will probably de-fork it and carry on using the ota on something else.

Let's hear from all those Meade and Celestron owners who, despite the odds, still possess telescopes still working after all these years.

[John]

4 minutes ago, Cleetus said:

But isn't it easy to say "I've had my refractor for so many years and it's still working great"? What's the big deal? Refractors are supposed to be almost bomb-proof. Providing you don't let it drop on concrete it will last for decades. The surprise would be if it didn't.

Now if we are talking about a Meade or Celestron go-to, with all those gubbins and electronics, then that's a different kettle of fish. There was a time when investing in one of these brands was a lottery. Anyone familiar with Martin Mobberley's trials and tribulations with his Meade? It makes painful reading.

I bought one of these in 2002 and have kept it in a very cold and damp, or very hot, observatory for almost twenty years and, so far, it has never failed me. Some of the horror stories I've heard about these telescopes over the years has been eye-watering. I know that one day my Meade will give up the ghost and when that day comes I will probably de-fork it and carry on using the ota on something else.

Let's hear from all those Meade and Celestron owners who, despite the odds, still possess telescopes still working after all these years.

I've mostly avoided Meade stuff and my preferred setups are non-GOTO, no-tech affairs with manually driven alt-az mounts.

One of my refractors did drop onto a stone patio from around .1.5 meters up a couple of years back and it's still working well with the scrapes that it sustained tidied up.

So, yes, my scopes and their mounts are simple affairs and, yes, they should have lasted a long time, and they have

I'll leave it to someone else to start a thread praising the patience of the Meade and Celestron GOTO mount owners 

 

 

[Mr Spock]

My Helios 120mm achro must be at least 20 years old. Still works just fine 

[Alan White]

On 19/08/2021 at 09:49, Zermelo said:

Ah, that's what's making all of those strange noises that I hear when I'm out on a clear night.
I'd always put it down to foxes.

So all i need is a 'friend' for my Vixen and then we might have the sound of little fracs.......
I must suggest another purchase of a modest second scope to herself later, wish me luck 😬

My original Frac only passed on after about 30 years when I dropped it from the loft, it had been stored during some building works.
A tragedy as it had served me well for many years, but the broken lens and very bent tube was most sadly the end.