Old Intes-Micro Alter 150/1500 f/10 Maksutov-Cassegrain Identification Help

[MrJulius]

I have been offered this old Intes-Micro Alter 150/1500 f/10 Maksutov-Cassegrain with a fork mount and an equatorial wedge.

And I wonder if any one know of or have used this telescope?

Especially what is the strange thing mounted on the back of the ota?

Any info or guesses would be greatly appreciated

[AndyH]

I have print offs of Intes/Intes Micro stuff and this reminds me of the small mak finder/guide scope that they offered, years back.

Andy

ps: I'll have a hunt for those print offs.

edit: The small mak finder scope thing. Strange backplate though. Is it a screw on cap?

Edited September 22, 2010 by AndyH

[AndyH]

The fact that it's an I-M and has a fork mount is very interesting indeed. I've only ever seen Lomo Maks with driven fork mounts.

A lovely find. Are you going to get it?

Andy.

[AndyH]

At first glance I thought, Image Intensifier ?????

Have you tried a geiger counter on the scope and crate It does look like it's leaning towards military optics rather than the amateur astro side But that's just first first impressions.

Very strange and interesting.

Cheers,

Andy.

[MrJulius]

Thanks Andy

I have been offered this with mount and tripod for £320. I would love to try some webcam imaging and visual observing of Jupiter with the scope. But I also ordered a Sky-Watcher Skyliner 150p dob so I am not sure. Would you guy get it at the price?

It would be great if you could find your printed material.

A geiger counter I hope it isn't radioactive , but I think you might be up on something there Image intensifier cool. I should ask the seller to take some more close-up pics.

Edit:

But why would the military want an equatorial wedge?

The person who owned the scope passed away, and now it is people from the local astronomy club that is selling it for the family. Unfortunately nobody knows anything.

Edited September 22, 2010 by MrJulius

[russ]

It does look a bit ex-military

But the basic tube is an M603, which is simply awesome. Owned one from 2003-2006 and still possibly the best scope i've ever owned.

Only caveat would be when they go wrong getting them repaired is a nightmare and expensive. The focuser broke on mine and i spent 14 months trying to source a replacement part....then gave up and sold the scope 'as is' for peanuts

[AndyH]

Hehehe. This is like something you'd get offered in a dodgy pub down the Leith docks years back by a Russian sailor. Utterly fascinating.

Yeh, I'd ask for more pics and info. One thing's for sure, this is pretty old.

I'd like to see more pics of the strange item on the back of the ota and the other end of the wire. ie: what does it plug into and why.

I don't see any focus knobs on the main scope or the wee mak guider(if that's what it is). Is one hidden behind the device in the pic. Otherwise, how do you focus? Regarding the guidescope. If that is a screw on backplate, I'd like to see what's behind it.

Just running questions through my mind. Hope you don't mind.

It's a curiosity that's for sure. Is it worth £320? Probably. But there's a lot of questions to be answered. If you don't get any, I'd join the Makscopes Yahoo group and ask some there.

Cheers,

Andy.

[AndyH]

This is the sort of item, that if I had £320 kicking about in my paypal account, I'd pounce on. But then I am a freak and like weird stuff.

More info is VERY necessary.

Andy.

[MrJulius]

It does look a bit ex-military

But the basic tube is an M603, which is simply awesome. Owned one from 2003-2006 and still possibly the best scope i've ever owned.

Kinda looks like it but it looks like it has no baffels

Hehehe. This is like something you'd get offered in a dodgy pub down the Leith docks years back by a Russian sailor. Utterly fascinating.

Andy.

Hehe basically what I was thinking

Andy I think you are on to something the controller has some kind of rotary knob with a plus and minus sign on it, electronic focuser?

Have sent a mail to the seller, I will report back.

Edited September 22, 2010 by MrJulius

[MrJulius]

Breaking news got an email from the seller.

He thinks the big thing on the back is for an illuminated guide reticle(one of the DIN ports on the mount says reticle the other drive corrector), and you could probably unscrew it and put it on the smaller guide scope, then image through the main tube. I have asked about the focuser.

Edited September 22, 2010 by MrJulius

[AndyH]

If it were me, mate, I'd jump at it. But then we're all different and as the wife continually tells me, 'there's no one quite like you'. And I can't decide if that's a compliment or not, hehehe. I think not.

I think the lack of baffles can be explained by the age, perhaps. As long as the interior is a good matt black, that should suffice. It is a superior(for faster FL maks) rumak maksutov design. ie: a moveable secondary mirror, unlike the gregory, silvered back miniscus types. Makes collimation slightly more difficult, but NOT impossible.

Fascinating stuff and I am decidedly jealous of your possible purchase.

Cheers,

Andy.

[AndyH]

Just having a laugh, but the crate hasn't got a thin lead lining has it??

heheh

Andy.

Edited September 22, 2010 by AndyH
bad spelling

[MrJulius]

I live in Norway, but if I do not end up buying it myself, I would be happy to ship it to you.

How do one move the secondary, I can't see any screws. I will ask the seller if he can take it for a test run on Jupiter if it is clear skies tonight.

Thanks again

Julius

Edit:

LOL I hope not, ex army nuclear testing, now converted astronomy scope.

Edited September 22, 2010 by MrJulius

[AndyH]

Hehehehe. The only way that gets into Scotland is by fishing boat ! Customs/MI5 would have me stripped and prodded.

Hope the star test is a success.

As for the secondary, in my old I-M M500, the front secondary cover(this one looks the same) screwed off, revealing the 3 adjusting screws. I don't notice any main mirror collimation push/pull screws though. Perhaps this old design hasn't got them and you only adjust the secondary.

Andy.

[SpookyKatt]

Looks nice.....very nice !!!!!

Kathleen

[AndyH]

Found my print offs. They are Intes and Intes-Micro accessory prices, printed from the APM and Telescope Service Web sites 6 years ago.

Reading through them, a Mak guide scope was available. 65mm FL 1500mm

Price quoted...............395 euros !!!!!!!!!

I guess the guide scope in the pics could be the same? It's certainly long enough.

Still struggling to understand how both scopes focus though?

Andy.

[MrJulius]

Thanks Adam.

The focusing is a mystery, but the seller said he would have a look at it. So I am awaiting future pictures from him. Kinda feels a bit like Christmas Hehe

Anyway if it works just the OTA is a bargain at the price I would think?

[AndyH]

Thanks Adam.

The focusing is a mystery, but the seller said he would have a look at it. So I am awaiting future pictures from him. Kinda feels a bit like Christmas Hehe

Anyway if it works just the OTA is a bargain at the price I would think?

In my opinion. Yes.

:)Andy.

[beamish]

defo looks Ex-military to me, missile/plane obsy role perhaps- get 'im down to 200 and snap hei hand off. If it needs a bit of work/fettling it'll still be better than a 150 pro surely

IM ex-milatary will be high spec???

Just noticed -says 320, seems a tad high

Edited September 22, 2010 by beamish

[AndyH]

If it was made for military purposes then the coatings MAY not be as good as an astro one, but then again, older scopes had more basic coatings anyway.

If it all works, ie: focuses, optics good, drive works. , then I'd happily pay that price.

Tis my humble opinion.

:icon_salut:Andy.

[MrJulius]

Thanks Karlo you have a good point there. Andy I think you are right about that the coatings is probably not as good as the new ones.

I will report back when I get the report from the seller, might be a few days as it clouded here until Saturday. Ironically it might be my fault as my new 6" dob arrives on Friday

Edited September 22, 2010 by MrJulius

[SpookyKatt]

It might be a helical focuser on the scope, and a screw on cover

for the smaller mak finder (which might also have a helical focuser).

Kathleen

[MrJulius]

Interesting Kathleen I think you might be onto something. It should be replacable with a standard Crayford focuser then, if the tube uses a standard thread.

[SpookyKatt]

Yeah I would think so, I closer picture of the back of the scope from the side

might be useful, but I'd imagine the hand controller wouldn't be for adjusting

focusing but maybe for adjusting the mount tracking speed (I presume its

motorised) and maybe the brightness of the guide rectangle.

Kathleen

Edited September 22, 2010 by SpookyKatt

[MrJulius]

That sounds very plausible, Thanks Kathleen

I will update when I get more pictures and answers.