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Main
Date: 14 Nov 2006 13:57:43
From:
Subject: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
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I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
Help?
Chris Boscarino
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 19:58:36
From: William Hamblen
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
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On 14 Nov 2006 13:57:43 -0800, cboscari@msn.com wrote:
>I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
>recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
>that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
>corrector plate and send it back?
What does Meade say about it? Some of their telescopes had a
"lifetime warranty" on the coatings.
Bud
--
The night is just the shadow of the Earth.
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Date: 15 Nov 2006 01:30:53
From: Phil Wheeler
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
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Why not Meade in Irvine?
I take my Celestrons to Celestron, and wouldn't
let anyone else touch it.
Phil
cboscari@msn.com wrote:
> I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> Help?
> Chris Boscarino
>
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 16:34:21
From: Rich
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
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cboscari@msn.com wrote:
> Jan Owen wrote:
> > <cboscari@msn.com> wrote in message
> > news:1163541463.025095.147510@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> > >I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> > > recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> > > that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> > > corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> > > find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> > > suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> > > embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> > > a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> > > called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> > > me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> > > Help?
> > > Chris Boscarino
> > >
> >
> > Are you the original owner of this scope???
> >
> > Some of the Meade scopes of this era had lifetime warranties on the optical
> > coatings, to the original owners.
> >
> > And, no matter what your answer is to the above, have you contacted Meade
> > about this?
> >
> > My original 10" LX-3 (which has since morphed into an LX-5) had the MCSO
> > group (silver coated high-transmission secondary, with multicoatings to
> > protect against tarnishing), whose multicoatings failed after several years,
> > resulting in the secondary's silver coating tarnishing, and, since I bought
> > the scope new, with the lifetime warranty, Meade replaced the optics free of
> > charge, several years ago.
> >
> > And the BEST part of THAT was that the new set of optics were better than
> > the first... So the 10" that I now own is better than the one I originally
> > BOUGHT, even though it is still essentially the same scope...
> >
> > If you bought this scope used, then the lifetime warranty doesn't apply, as
> > I understand it, but Meade STILL may be the best source of resolving your
> > problem...
> >
> > --
> > Jan Owen
> >
> > To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
> > Latitude: 33.6
> > Longitude: -112.3
> > http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
>
> Yes, I did contact Meade, and they want $450 to do this, since I can
> not provide the original receipt from 20 years ago when I bought it. I
> was trying to repair this for less than that.
Mostly because they don't recoat the optics, they replace them
Recoating is for people with plain old aluminum and no overcoatings.
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 16:13:54
From:
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
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> No intent to pass judgment, but... Receipts are good things to hang onto...
>
> In your case, depending on the situation, it might mean having the whole job
> done for free, and better yet, with a complete set of hand-matched optics,
> which MIGHT be better, overall, than the originals (like MINE were), versus
> just having your secondary stripped and re-coated by someone else...
>
> BEST case, it will be as good (or NEARLY as good) as it was originally,
> during the Halley period, where not-so-great optics were more the norm than
> the exception...
>
> While the Meade option may SEEM expensive, it STILL may be your best
> choice...
>
> Your choice entirely, of course...
>
> --
Well, of course. In this particular instance, however, the receipt was
lost with some other paperwork in a move we made from CA to CO ten
years ago by a moving company. So I am pretty much out of luck with
Meade, unless I want to pay to completely replace my OTA (which is what
they will do, from what I understand from their customer service rep.)
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 17:38:04
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
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<cboscari@msn.com > wrote in message
news:1163549634.623643.147650@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
>> No intent to pass judgment, but... Receipts are good things to hang
>> onto...
>>
>> In your case, depending on the situation, it might mean having the whole
>> job
>> done for free, and better yet, with a complete set of hand-matched
>> optics,
>> which MIGHT be better, overall, than the originals (like MINE were),
>> versus
>> just having your secondary stripped and re-coated by someone else...
>>
>> BEST case, it will be as good (or NEARLY as good) as it was originally,
>> during the Halley period, where not-so-great optics were more the norm
>> than
>> the exception...
>>
>> While the Meade option may SEEM expensive, it STILL may be your best
>> choice...
>>
>> Your choice entirely, of course...
>>
>> --
>
> Well, of course. In this particular instance, however, the receipt was
> lost with some other paperwork in a move we made from CA to CO ten
> years ago by a moving company. So I am pretty much out of luck with
> Meade, unless I want to pay to completely replace my OTA (which is what
> they will do, from what I understand from their customer service rep.)
>
OK.
Understood, loud and clear...
So, now comes the question; how good WERE the optics in your scope??? Some
back then were VERY good. And more than most would like to admit were NOT
very good... They were cranking them out as fast as they could during the
Halley's Comet craze...
If yours WAS one of the good ones, it might well be worth your efforts to
find a recoater who will strip it and recoat it...
If you aren't SURE how good it was, or if you know it wasn't as good as you
would have LIKED, the Meade option may still be your best choice, even
though it may SEEM expensive... It will still probably be cheaper than a
new OTA, and will perform as well (which COULD be better than your scope
performed in the first place)...
But again, as always, your choice...
--
Jan Owen
To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
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Date: 16 Nov 2006 14:42:45
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
<cboscari@msn.com > wrote in message
news:1163549634.623643.147650@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
>> No intent to pass judgment, but... Receipts are good things to hang
>> onto...
>>
>> In your case, depending on the situation, it might mean having the whole
>> job
>> done for free, and better yet, with a complete set of hand-matched
>> optics,
>> which MIGHT be better, overall, than the originals (like MINE were),
>> versus
>> just having your secondary stripped and re-coated by someone else...
>>
>> BEST case, it will be as good (or NEARLY as good) as it was originally,
>> during the Halley period, where not-so-great optics were more the norm
>> than
>> the exception...
>>
>> While the Meade option may SEEM expensive, it STILL may be your best
>> choice...
>>
>> Your choice entirely, of course...
>>
>> --
>
> Well, of course. In this particular instance, however, the receipt was
> lost with some other paperwork in a move we made from CA to CO ten
> years ago by a moving company. So I am pretty much out of luck with
> Meade, unless I want to pay to completely replace my OTA (which is what
> they will do, from what I understand from their customer service rep.)
>
There are two other important pieces of information we haven't covered
yet...
First, even if your receipt was lost, if you mailed in your warranty card at
time of purchase, Meade should have a RECORD of your purchase, and can
verify your claim, with a little prodding... However, if you didn't send
the product registration card in, and you no longer have your receipt,
well...
Second, and very closely related to the above, is there a small plate on the
lower portion of the rear cell of the scope that says "Multi-Coated/Silvered
Optics Group"??? If so, chances are, your secondary isn't dirty. Chances
are it's multicoating has failed enough to allow the silver coatings to
tarnish, like they did on mine and many others. That WOULD be covered under
warranty, if you can produce a receipt, or if you mailed in your warranty
card...
If there is NOT a plate back there with MCSO Group on it, then your scope
has a standard aluminized secondary, and it may well be just dirty... So
the plate back there, or lack thereof, is a key piece of data in either
direction...
Good luck, HOWEVER it goes!!!
But, let me reiterate... What seems like a high price for dealing with
this, might end up being a blessing... As I've already said, when my scope
came back with new optics installed in it, it was BETTER than it ever was,
even when new... Food for thought...
--
Jan Owen
To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 15:15:33
From:
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Jan Owen wrote:
> <cboscari@msn.com> wrote in message
> news:1163541463.025095.147510@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> >I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> > recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> > that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> > corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> > find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> > suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> > embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> > a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> > called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> > me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> > Help?
> > Chris Boscarino
> >
>
> Are you the original owner of this scope???
>
> Some of the Meade scopes of this era had lifetime warranties on the optical
> coatings, to the original owners.
>
> And, no matter what your answer is to the above, have you contacted Meade
> about this?
>
> My original 10" LX-3 (which has since morphed into an LX-5) had the MCSO
> group (silver coated high-transmission secondary, with multicoatings to
> protect against tarnishing), whose multicoatings failed after several years,
> resulting in the secondary's silver coating tarnishing, and, since I bought
> the scope new, with the lifetime warranty, Meade replaced the optics free of
> charge, several years ago.
>
> And the BEST part of THAT was that the new set of optics were better than
> the first... So the 10" that I now own is better than the one I originally
> BOUGHT, even though it is still essentially the same scope...
>
> If you bought this scope used, then the lifetime warranty doesn't apply, as
> I understand it, but Meade STILL may be the best source of resolving your
> problem...
>
> --
> Jan Owen
>
> To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
> Latitude: 33.6
> Longitude: -112.3
> http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
Yes, I did contact Meade, and they want $450 to do this, since I can
not provide the original receipt from 20 years ago when I bought it. I
was trying to repair this for less than that.
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 16:42:23
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
<cboscari@msn.com > wrote in message
news:1163546133.700525.49910@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Jan Owen wrote:
>> <cboscari@msn.com> wrote in message
>> news:1163541463.025095.147510@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>> >I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
>> > recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
>> > that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
>> > corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
>> > find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
>> > suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
>> > embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
>> > a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
>> > called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
>> > me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
>> > Help?
>> > Chris Boscarino
>> >
>>
>> Are you the original owner of this scope???
>>
>> Some of the Meade scopes of this era had lifetime warranties on the
>> optical
>> coatings, to the original owners.
>>
>> And, no matter what your answer is to the above, have you contacted Meade
>> about this?
>>
>> My original 10" LX-3 (which has since morphed into an LX-5) had the MCSO
>> group (silver coated high-transmission secondary, with multicoatings to
>> protect against tarnishing), whose multicoatings failed after several
>> years,
>> resulting in the secondary's silver coating tarnishing, and, since I
>> bought
>> the scope new, with the lifetime warranty, Meade replaced the optics free
>> of
>> charge, several years ago.
>>
>> And the BEST part of THAT was that the new set of optics were better than
>> the first... So the 10" that I now own is better than the one I
>> originally
>> BOUGHT, even though it is still essentially the same scope...
>>
>> If you bought this scope used, then the lifetime warranty doesn't apply,
>> as
>> I understand it, but Meade STILL may be the best source of resolving your
>> problem...
>>
>> --
>> Jan Owen
>>
>> To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail
>> address...
>> Latitude: 33.6
>> Longitude: -112.3
>> http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
>
> Yes, I did contact Meade, and they want $450 to do this, since I can
> not provide the original receipt from 20 years ago when I bought it. I
> was trying to repair this for less than that.
>
No intent to pass judgment, but... Receipts are good things to hang onto...
In your case, depending on the situation, it might mean having the whole job
done for free, and better yet, with a complete set of hand-matched optics,
which MIGHT be better, overall, than the originals (like MINE were), versus
just having your secondary stripped and re-coated by someone else...
BEST case, it will be as good (or NEARLY as good) as it was originally,
during the Halley period, where not-so-great optics were more the norm than
the exception...
While the Meade option may SEEM expensive, it STILL may be your best
choice...
Your choice entirely, of course...
--
Jan Owen
To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
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| | | |
Date: 16 Nov 2006 03:49:12
From: Bull Feathers
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Jan Owen wrote:
> <cboscari@msn.com> wrote in message
> news:1163546133.700525.49910@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> >
> > Jan Owen wrote:
> >> <cboscari@msn.com> wrote in message
> >> news:1163541463.025095.147510@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> >> >I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> >> > recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> >> > that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> >> > corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> >> > find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> >> > suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> >> > embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> >> > a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> >> > called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> >> > me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> >> > Help?
> >> > Chris Boscarino
> >> >
> >>
> >> Are you the original owner of this scope???
> >>
> >> Some of the Meade scopes of this era had lifetime warranties on the
> >> optical
> >> coatings, to the original owners.
> >>
> >> And, no matter what your answer is to the above, have you contacted Meade
> >> about this?
> >>
> >> My original 10" LX-3 (which has since morphed into an LX-5) had the MCSO
> >> group (silver coated high-transmission secondary, with multicoatings to
> >> protect against tarnishing), whose multicoatings failed after several
> >> years,
> >> resulting in the secondary's silver coating tarnishing, and, since I
> >> bought
> >> the scope new, with the lifetime warranty, Meade replaced the optics free
> >> of
> >> charge, several years ago.
> >>
> >> And the BEST part of THAT was that the new set of optics were better than
> >> the first... So the 10" that I now own is better than the one I
> >> originally
> >> BOUGHT, even though it is still essentially the same scope...
> >>
> >> If you bought this scope used, then the lifetime warranty doesn't apply,
> >> as
> >> I understand it, but Meade STILL may be the best source of resolving your
> >> problem...
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jan Owen
> >>
> >> To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail
> >> address...
> >> Latitude: 33.6
> >> Longitude: -112.3
> >> http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
> >
> > Yes, I did contact Meade, and they want $450 to do this, since I can
> > not provide the original receipt from 20 years ago when I bought it. I
> > was trying to repair this for less than that.
> >
>
> No intent to pass judgment, but... Receipts are good things to hang onto...
>
> In your case, depending on the situation, it might mean having the whole job
> done for free, and better yet, with a complete set of hand-matched optics,
> which MIGHT be better, overall, than the originals (like MINE were), versus
> just having your secondary stripped and re-coated by someone else...
>
> BEST case, it will be as good (or NEARLY as good) as it was originally,
> during the Halley period, where not-so-great optics were more the norm than
> the exception...
>
> While the Meade option may SEEM expensive, it STILL may be your best
> choice...
>
> Your choice entirely, of course...
>
> --
> Jan Owen
Nonsense. That is commercial rape any way you cut it.
Seig Heil.
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Date: 14 Nov 2006 15:20:12
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
<cboscari@msn.com > wrote in message
news:1163541463.025095.147510@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> Help?
> Chris Boscarino
>
Are you the original owner of this scope???
Some of the Meade scopes of this era had lifetime warranties on the optical
coatings, to the original owners.
And, no matter what your answer is to the above, have you contacted Meade
about this?
My original 10" LX-3 (which has since morphed into an LX-5) had the MCSO
group (silver coated high-transmission secondary, with multicoatings to
protect against tarnishing), whose multicoatings failed after several years,
resulting in the secondary's silver coating tarnishing, and, since I bought
the scope new, with the lifetime warranty, Meade replaced the optics free of
charge, several years ago.
And the BEST part of THAT was that the new set of optics were better than
the first... So the 10" that I now own is better than the one I originally
BOUGHT, even though it is still essentially the same scope...
If you bought this scope used, then the lifetime warranty doesn't apply, as
I understand it, but Meade STILL may be the best source of resolving your
problem...
--
Jan Owen
To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
|
| |
Date: 14 Nov 2006 23:17:43
From: Beta Persei
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Googling a bit I found these:
http://home.att.net/~telescopebluebook/refurb.htm
http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/hilux.htm
The latter is not exactly at hand, but...
Clear skies,
---
Beta Persei
45° 35' N
08° 51' E
remove "_nospam" to reply
<cboscari@msn.com > ha scritto nel messaggio
news:1163541463.025095.147510@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> Help?
> Chris Boscarino
>
|
| |
Date: 16 Nov 2006 08:43:56
From:
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Uncle Bob wrote:
> On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:57:43 -0800, cboscari wrote:
>
> > I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> > recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> > that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> > corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> > find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> > suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> > embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> > a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> > called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> > me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> > Help?
> > Chris Boscarino
>
> I guess it costs more than $450.00 to join the LAAS?
>
> I have direct experience in this matter. I have personally observed a
> technician disassemble, clean, reassemble a Meade SCT secondary. The thing
> looked absolutely hideous on initial inspection. One could easily assume
> that it required re-coating. Perhaps this is the issue with your
> secondary--it's just very dirty? If you think this may be the case, I
> would call the Scope City store in San Francisco and ask for Kenneth
> Frank (the technician I observed at work). I believe the phone number is
> on the ScopeCity website. I would be completely comfortable trusting my
> scope to his care.
> Clear Skies.
> Uncle Bob
> Fairfax, CA
Actually, after I posted, I contacted the president of the LAAS who was
polite and suggested I bring the telescope to their telescope-making
site and ask he people there. He couldn't think of anyone to help
offhand. However, I did find a guy not to far who will disassemble and
clean the optics for $75 about an hour away from where I live. I
examined the mirror yesterday and it might just need cleaning. The
surface is still mostly shiny. If not, someone else provided
instructions for removing the corrector and secondary and marking the
orientation so I can get the mirror recoated.
I definitely intend on joining the LAAS...
|
| | |
Date: 09 Dec 2006 16:26:32
From: AstroApp
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
On 16 Nov 2006 08:43:56 -0800, cboscari@msn.com wrote:
>Actually, after I posted, I contacted the president of the LAAS who was
>polite and suggested I bring the telescope to their telescope-making
>site and ask he people there. He couldn't think of anyone to help
>offhand. However, I did find a guy not to far who will disassemble and
>clean the optics for $75 about an hour away from where I live. I
>examined the mirror yesterday and it might just need cleaning. The
>surface is still mostly shiny. If not, someone else provided
>instructions for removing the corrector and secondary and marking the
>orientation so I can get the mirror recoated.
>I definitely intend on joining the LAAS...
I would urge *caution* at this point. Disassembly and reassembly of
the SCT would certainly require an optical bench and laser collimator
or there is probably little chance that the scope will give
performance up to its original standards.
Secondly, friends of mine who have been tempted to go this route --
not with LAAS but up here in northern California, or by sending their
telescopes to private contractors or retired opticians, etc. -- have
told me the various horror stories that resulted from their attempts
to save money this way. One person assured a friend of mine that he
could improve his Comet-Catcher, which was sent along with a partial
payment. The poor old guy, a retired (Perkin-Elmer?) optical
specialist, then DIED. When his wife retrieved the corrector and
mirrors it was found that they were badly damaged: the very elderly
man wasn't the optician he'd been twenty or thirty years earlier!
I don't think $450 is expensive at all, providing that you get full
satisfaction for what you are paying. Perhaps someone who has had
very recent Meade service along these lines can inform us how they are
doing these days. But one would expect that the manufacturer can
provide service that is better than just anybody 'off the street'.
I am being presumptuous here and not knowing your prior experience and
efforts to diagnose this problem am offering suggestions that would be
given to somebody not very familiar with optics; apologies if you are
already way ahead of me and know what you're talking about!
As to the condition of the secondary. Have you been able to put this
scope up against another similar one and compare performance? Each
tiny speck of dirt or dust will reduce the reflectivity only by a very
small amount, which might not be noticed in the overall brightness of
the image. Does the scope show some significant problem that you can
see with FOCUSED images?
The reason I ask this is that one of my most sought-after
observations, which I spent years trying to do, was to see the faint
nebulae IC 59/63 near Gamma Cassiopeiae. Bright Gamma Cas wiped out
the entire field in every scope I tried. Once I even had an
opportunity to look for them with the 36" refractor at Lick, and
failed.
Then, I used a 25+ year old home made telescope that was given to me
by a friend, which had two old Edmund mirrors with original coatings.
The scope was just a 4" f/10, and each mirror had become pitted. Even
with the little holes in the aluminum coatings, I was able to see
those two nebulae AT LAST -- because I did a good job adding interior
baffling to the tube assembly when I refurbished the scope. I never
bothered to have the mirrors recoated after finding that I could see
the faint nebulae. Why bother?
So, if mirrors that you can SEE THROUGH because bits of the aluminum
had come off, can show extremely faint nebulae, then you can
understand that some dirt specs on your secondary might NOT be a
serious problem.
AstroApp/srw
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Date: 16 Nov 2006 03:58:35
From: Bull Feathers
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Before I would submit to this extortion of Meade asking $450
I would look for another scope - or maybe it's time to upgrade
to a larger better scope. This is a little like your landlord asking you
to repay six months rent because he's notified you HE lost the receipts,
and then you cant produce the recipts?
I would tell Meade to SIUTA. Take out an add in the local newspaper: MEADE
SCREWS ANOTHER BUYER!
We live in a curious post-economic-social-collapse area where
people try to get away with anything and often do, while the polite
white middle class nonaffected applaud and yell from beside the
bunring ditch - Pay Up! Witch burners were more polite and
reasonable.
Screw the polite American Hypocracy and get another scope. I
wonder if Clausing could coat that mirror?
Very good luck. You deserve it.
jw
cboscari@msn.com wrote:
> I have a Meade LX3 that I think needs to have this done. Can anyone
> recommend a company in the Los Angeles area, or a company elsewhere
> that I can send the OTA to that will do the disassembly of the
> corrector plate and send it back? Someone recommended online that I
> find someone to do this for me, but I don't know anyone. Another
> suggestion was to contact my local astronomy club, but I would be
> embarrassed contacting the one in my area (Los Angeles) since I am not
> a member. Are there any companies that do this for SCT's? One company I
> called, Galaxy Optics, will do Newtonians, but said they couldn't help
> me with an SCT because they needed an optical bench.
> Help?
> Chris Boscarino
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| | |
Date: 16 Nov 2006 10:18:39
From: AM
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Bull Feathers wrote:
> I would tell Meade to SIUTA. Take out an add in the local newspaper: MEADE
> SCREWS ANOTHER BUYER!
Meade didnt screw anyone...
Not their fault that he couldnt hang onto
his receipt, sheesh.
The work will cost $$. The people who work at Meade
deserve to get paid for their work at a reasonable
rate, dont ya think ?
Bet you dont think you are overpaid at your
job either.....
--
AM
http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
CentOS 4.3 Fluxbox 0.9.13
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Date: 16 Nov 2006 16:53:35
From: lal_truckee
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
AM wrote:
> Bull Feathers wrote:
>
>> I would tell Meade to SIUTA. Take out an add in the local newspaper:
>> MEADE
>> SCREWS ANOTHER BUYER!
>
>
>
>
> Meade didnt screw anyone...
> Not their fault that he couldnt hang onto
> his receipt, sheesh.
>
>
> The work will cost $$. The people who work at Meade
> deserve to get paid for their work at a reasonable
> rate, dont ya think ?
> Bet you dont think you are overpaid at your
> job either.....
How does it make any difference whether it's the "original purchaser?"
Does Meade believe there are counterfeit "Meade" telescopes being sold
for which they are not accountable? I doubt it. Someone bought that
telescope from Meade. So why does it matter whether it's the original
owner or a subsequent owner - the telescope's the same, the care given a
valuable instrument's the same and likely better, the quality's the
same, the problem's the same - either Meade stands behind their product
or not.
I'm unfairly picking on Meade - lots of companies make this irrational
argument and the consuming public doesn't question the argument. Why not?
|
| | | | |
Date: 16 Nov 2006 12:49:16
From: AM
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
lal_truckee wrote:
>
> How does it make any difference whether it's the "original purchaser?"
> Does Meade believe there are counterfeit "Meade" telescopes being sold
> for which they are not accountable? I doubt it. Someone bought that
> telescope from Meade. So why does it matter whether it's the original
> owner or a subsequent owner - the telescope's the same, the care given a
> valuable instrument's the same and likely better, the quality's the
> same, the problem's the same - either Meade stands behind their product
> or not.
Lifetime warranty is for the lifetime of the original user.
Not the *lifetime* of the scope.
And BTW, just what exactly IS the lifetime of a scope ???
Surely you dont think Meade should cover these scopes forever
do you ? That would be kinda unfair to them dont ya think ?
And it's not unreasonable to expect someone to show proof
of purchase. The care given a scope is not always exactly
the same either...
Are you ready to be held personally accountable for every
little thing you have done wrong for work in your life ?
Since he IS the original owner, I would expect both him and
Meade to come to some sort of *arrangement* over this. That
would be the ideal solution. This is a case of where going
up the food chain in management could help out. A polite
presistant approach is the way to go. Meade should step
up to the plate here was well.
There is a solution to this besides instantly bashing Meade.
--
AM
http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
CentOS 4.3 Fluxbox 0.9.13
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Date: 23 Nov 2006 02:54:31
From: Hey American Moron!
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
AM wrote:
> lal_truckee wrote:
>
> >
> > How does it make any difference whether it's the "original purchaser?"
> > Does Meade believe there are counterfeit "Meade" telescopes being sold
> > for which they are not accountable? I doubt it. Someone bought that
> > telescope from Meade. So why does it matter whether it's the original
> > owner or a subsequent owner - the telescope's the same, the care given a
> > valuable instrument's the same and likely better, the quality's the
> > same, the problem's the same - either Meade stands behind their product
> > or not.
>
> Lifetime warranty is for the lifetime of the original user.
Precisely, BONEHEAD! He is the orginal owner. He cant find his
receipt. Why desnt Meade keep their back records!? Why have
twenty++ people I know, original owners, been able to get their
scopes serviced y Meade without a receipt, but this guy can't for
some wierd reason! NEW POLICY I GUESS. Why do club's
get their scopes serviced by Meade at reduced rates when they
ARENT the original owners? I dunno. Like our club lx200 purchased
from the Univ of _________________ for $14k which Meade is
now going service for us for ______________ a mere $500.
We arent the original owners.
Im not bashing Meade. Im bashing BONE HEAD ISM of which
you are obviously a charter member.
Seig Heil.
>
> Not the *lifetime* of the scope.
> And BTW, just what exactly IS the lifetime of a scope ???
> Surely you dont think Meade should cover these scopes forever
> do you ? That would be kinda unfair to them dont ya think ?
>
> And it's not unreasonable to expect someone to show proof
> of purchase. The care given a scope is not always exactly
> the same either...
> Are you ready to be held personally accountable for every
> little thing you have done wrong for work in your life ?
>
> Since he IS the original owner, I would expect both him and
> Meade to come to some sort of *arrangement* over this. That
> would be the ideal solution. This is a case of where going
> up the food chain in management could help out. A polite
> presistant approach is the way to go. Meade should step
> up to the plate here was well.
>
> There is a solution to this besides instantly bashing Meade.
>
> --
> AM
>
> http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
>
> CentOS 4.3 Fluxbox 0.9.13
|
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Date: 23 Nov 2006 09:16:18
From: Allan Mayer
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Hey American Moron! wrote:
> Precisely, BONEHEAD! He is the orginal owner.
Hey idiot, if you had looked BEFORE you
replied to my post, you would have seen
that I posted the fact that he
WAS the ORIGINAL owner you dumbass.....
Sheesh, do you even read a persons post
you are responding to ???
And for being a charter member, you just beat
me to the head of the class you idiot.
Re read my post, you even quoted it, but
never read it fully.......
--
AM
http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
OS X 10.4.8
|
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Date: 26 Nov 2006 02:28:14
From: Reply to Super MORON
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Think you need to read your original yourself! Obviously
you, yourself and "they" are confused. Hope you all run to the
same lew together.
Allan Mayer wrote:
> Hey American Moron! wrote:
>
> > Precisely, BONEHEAD! He is the orginal owner.
>
> Hey idiot, if you had looked BEFORE you
> replied to my post, you would have seen
> that I posted the fact that he
> WAS the ORIGINAL owner you dumbass.....
>
> Sheesh, do you even read a persons post
> you are responding to ???
>
> And for being a charter member, you just beat
> me to the head of the class you idiot.
>
> Re read my post, you even quoted it, but
> never read it fully.......
>
> --
> AM
>
> http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
>
> OS X 10.4.8
|
| | | | | | | |
Date: 26 Nov 2006 02:22:10
From: Reply to Super MORON
Subject: Re: Can anyone recommend a company to recoat a SCT secondary?
|
Allan Mayer wrote:
> Hey American Moron! wrote:
>
> > Precisely, BONEHEAD! He is the orginal owner.
>
> Hey idiot, if you had looked BEFORE you
> replied to my post, you would have seen
> that I posted the fact that he
> WAS the ORIGINAL owner you dumbass.....
Thats what I said! Thats what HE said. Thats what YOU said he said
that I said.
There's a place for assholes like you! Wooooooooops.
Election is already over. Sorry! Bye Bye Bush Baby.
>
>
> Sheesh, do you even read a persons post
> you are responding to ???
>
> And for being a charter member, you just beat
> me to the head of the class you idiot.
>
> Re read my post, you even quoted it, but
> never read it fully.......
>
> --
> AM
>
> http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
>
> OS X 10.4.8
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|
