Unitron 114

[jvanore]

Don't know if you've been to this site or not. It's a little history on the UNITRON Model 114. Company Seven | Unitron Model 114 - 2.4" (60mm) Achromatic Telescope & Unitron History

I thought it was an informative and instructional piece. As an owner of the one with the UNIHEX Rotary Eyepiece Selector, I can share in your excitement. My focuser and main lens have the UNITRON D=60mm F=900mm stamped in. I purchased mine from a widow, recently, whose husband bought it new in the '60's. Took some time cleaning up, and rusted scews replacements, but was well worth the effort. Has to be the clearest of all my telescopes. I was totally "jazzed" when I saw a planet for the first time. Wow! I'm hooked. Only been in this arena since Oct., 2010. And loving it more and more.

[neilmack]

About twenty years ago a shop in Liverpool sold off a stock of Polarex scopes. From memory they had 60mm, 3 inch and a folded four inch, with altaz and equatorial mounts. A synchronous motor drive was available as an option on the equatorial. Even at the time these were starting to look out of date with their very long focal ratios, and tiny eyepieces.

I bought a 60mm f/15 on an equatorial mount. It had a lovely fitted wooden case for the OTA, similar to yours, with a line-up of push-fit, 0.965" eyepieces. The same finder, and a nicely made solar projection kit. The equatorial head, a thing of real beauty in its sleek black enamel, came in a separate wooden case. Although the materials used to manufacture the scope were more modern (aluminium for instance) there was little difference in design from a classic Victorian brass outfit. Overall it was a marvellous piece of craftsmanship, something that would cost a fortune to produce today.

It was also a fine performer, a surprisingly credible planetary scope, with negligible colour and tiny pinpoint stars, but just outclassed by the Zeiss Telementor I acquired at the same time. So I sold mine to a man in Birmingham, years ago.

The scopes we loved and lost!

Neil McCaughan