PST Repair

[UniPol]

I sent my PST back to Coronado/Meade two months ago to have the dreaded front lens "rust" problem fixed under warranty and was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. I mainly ask as Meade don't reply to emails and even the selling dealer has trouble contacting them. In actual fact it took the selling dealer about five months just to get a warranty repair number out of them. Any info would be appreciated, I suppose it may be a case of the PST turning up eventually.

Cheers,

Steve

[casstony]

I sent mine to Coronado just before the shift to Meade and the turn around was about 3 weeks. I recall reading on forums that most or all of the original Coronado staff left after the Meade takeover so maybe that's slowing down repairs?

[UniPol]

Thanks Tony, I'll keep my fingers crossed. Steve

[casstony]

Meade should be able to do a good job on the repair, as they only have to swap the objective for a clear one and add in a filter at the eyepiece end. It's just a matter of forgetting that you own a PST until it magically turns up at the door - should arrive in time for the next solar maximum.

[JimmyH155]

What's the dreaded rust problem UniPol?? Is it some sort of thing that "grows" on the lens?? I'm thinking of getting one, and am now worried a) with your problem, and b) with attitude of Meade. :shrug:

[MikeyB]

As Steve hasn't yet replied, I'll try to answer your query, Jimmy.

Unfortunately, the so-called PST 'rust' problem is quite widespread and also affects the blocking filter (BF) component of Coronado's expensive SolarMax gear. The only 'official' word I've seen on the subject was in this factory email response to a Cloudy Nights poster:

The "breakdown" or rust colored appearance that has been seen on front objectives of some PSTs is a result of degradation of the ITF coating. Our ITF's are being supplied by an outside source. Upon arrival at Coronado they were cemented and assembled into the PST objective. Unfortunately, when improperly handled, meaning too much time before cementing whether at the vendor, Coronado or both degradation began. This degradation could not be seen during the assembly process or in our field testing prior to shipment. The coating started to visibly degrade a few months after assembly. Because this problem does not affect safety (only performance) and does not affect all PSTs, Coronado is repairing the affected units rather than issuing a general recall.

Our current procedure is to use another style of the ITF and locate it further down in the optical tube. These units will look different as the front objective will be clear, but neither safety nor performance are adversely affected by this change.

Best regards,
Russ Tanton
Coronado Instruments

Cloudy Nights has a useful collection of posts on the subject here:
http://tinyurl.com/32n9z5

Meade inherited the resultant warranty claims problem along with their takeover of Coronado, but reportedly lost all of the skilled Coronado personnel when they subsequently transferred the operation from Arizona to California. Hence (presumably) the repair delays and shortages of dealer stocks of new Coronado gear in recent months. I've lately read that they'll be re-establishing manufacture of the line in China - it'd be nice if that leads to reduced prices (he said hopefully!)

Incidentally, when they work well, as mine does, the redesigned PSTs work very well indeed. Whether they'll last indefinitely or eventually suffer coating degradation too, remains an open question.

[JimmyH155]

Thanks Miochael for that - oh dear sounds a worry. :(

[UniPol]

Sorry Jimmy, for some reason or other, I had forgotten about this thread. Thanks Michael for explaining the problem with the PST, it has certainly cleared up any misconceptions I had about the scope and the manufacturer(s). I am concerned that Michael mentioned degradation of the Solarmax range as well. I have the Solarmax40 with the BF10 filter as well, bit of a worry for the future.

Nothing has changed regarding the repair to my PST after nearly 2 1/2 months, Meade hasn't replied to my emails and the dealer also hasn't replied. I must mention that even though the PST has the so called "rust" problem, the views of the sun were still spectacular. I hope it comes back soon, the PST wasn't cheap and I wouldn't like to have it go missing.

Cheers,

Steve