Not looking good at Meade/Orion ... !

[Steve Ward]

Just seen this over on Cloudy Nights , doesn't look good ... 😲

 

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/meade-and-orion-cease-operations-maybe/

[RobertI]

Oh dear, doesn’t sound good, it would be very sad to those brands disappear.  

[Nakedgun]

~

Hmm, I was planning a purchase from them in the near future...perhaps not.

 

 

 

[saac]

That is a shame. My first modern (goto) telescope was a little ETX 80, it got me back into astronomy. Hope the employees are done well by. 

Jim

[Highburymark]

Looks like Orion took on too much when it acquired Meade. This news also takes Coronado out of the solar market. 

[icpn]

I think that until there are defintive comments from their senior managment stirring the rumour mill probably won't help

[Carbon Brush]

Whatever the future for Meade/Orion, it will have little bearing on the amateur astronomer.
The scopes we own will continue to work. The few spare parts needed will be available either from scrapped scopes, or fit from other brands, or additive manufacturing.
Thanks to places like SGL, there will be an exchange of knowledge on spares and repairs.
For new scopes, there are still other manufacturers offering everything from department store (after Christmas landfill) right up to professional instruments.

For UK readers. If you own a Morris Minor, that has been out of production for a half century, you can still get all the parts to keep it going.
Why not indefinitely maintain your favourite Orion/Meade scope? It has a lot less parts and if out of action for a week or two until fixed, it is not a big problem.
For cars and scopes alike. At some point you will want something more featured (better?) and decide to move on to the current offering.
 

[Rob]

Sad times. I'm genuinely upset about this being a Meade guy!.. I've had numerous scopes and wanted another (which I will secure if I can). Clear skies Rob

 

[russ]

Very sad indeed. One of the most exciting moments for me since starting this hobby 42 years ago was going to the old Telescope House at 63 Farringdon Road, London as a 14 year old and seeing all the Meade scopes lined up in the shop. Oh how I wanted to own a Meade SCT. Had to wait another 15 years for that moment. 

Sad to see those three brands exit the market.

[Earl]

I see Coronado been picked up, but do Meade and Orion do anything that others don't?

[Second Time Around]

Thanks, Rob.  Very interesting.

Although I buy most accessories new I buy telescopes secondhand.  At one stage I had an Orion Intelliscope on my short list.  However, I quickly deleted it.

The reason was that Orion wouldn't sell spare parts except to the original owner.  This was especially worrying for a scope that relied on electronics.

I think this policy of Orion's was very shortsighted.  It would have meant that a used Orion scope would be more difficult to sell and would command a lower price.  This would lead to the original owner being more likely to hang onto their scope rather than buying a new one from Orion.

Imagine a car manufacturer doing the same! They'd quickly go out of business.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sad news. I only have the one Meade scope (the SN-6 6" F/5 Schmidt-Newton), which has been both a great comet chaser and an outstanding deep-sky imaging scope. Slightly odd design, only really comparable to Maksutov-Newton scopes currently available. I also have a Coronado SolarMax-II 60 mm with double-stack unit. Good visual solar scope that is permanently based in my office and has given me lots of nice H-alpha breaks over the years.

[RobertI]

10 hours ago, Rob said:

Sad times. I'm genuinely upset about this being a Meade guy!.. I've had numerous scopes and wanted another (which I will secure if I can). Clear skies Rob

 

Interesting video, some good background information. 

[Xilman]

12 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

Whatever the future for Meade/Orion, it will have little bearing on the amateur astronomer.
The scopes we own will continue to work. The few spare parts needed will be available either from scrapped scopes, or fit from other brands, or additive manufacturing.
Thanks to places like SGL, there will be an exchange of knowledge on spares and repairs.
For new scopes, there are still other manufacturers offering everything from department store (after Christmas landfill) right up to professional instruments.

For UK readers. If you own a Morris Minor, that has been out of production for a half century, you can still get all the parts to keep it going.
Why not indefinitely maintain your favourite Orion/Meade scope? It has a lot less parts and if out of action for a week or two until fixed, it is not a big problem.
For cars and scopes alike. At some point you will want something more featured (better?) and decide to move on to the current offering.
 

Right on the mark.

Telescopes have a shelf-life which is not only longer than that of a Ratner's prawn sandwich but markedly greater than a Moggie Minor.

I personally have made observations with two early 19th century refractors, one of which belonged to "Eagle-eyed" Dawes himself. Many other telescopes around the world are still in frequent use, despite having been made well over a hundred years ago. These are the 12" Northumberland and the 8" Thorrowgood refractors at the Cambridge IoA.

Much older: I've peered through a 17th century refractor  (at the roof of Blackwells' bookshop) and had serious discussions about getting one of William Herschel's 8" refractors back into working order. Its secondary is missing and the primary needs repolishing. Both these instruments are in the collection of the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford. Well worth a visit if you are in town.

 

[icpn]

I think you mean one of Herschels 8" reflectors

[Xilman]

36 minutes ago, icpn said:

I think you mean one of Herschels 8" reflectors

Correct.  UBD.

[Steve Ward]

An insight into what occurred.

 

 

[CraigT82]

I imagine this might have some impact on SCT prices, with Meade and Celestron being the only two mainstream producers.

Maybe as a glut of new, unsold Meade units go on sale at heavy discounts Celestron may need to reduce prices to compete, but once that stock is gone they will have a monopoly on SCTs and without competition from Meade could charge whatever they want.