ubique
09-01-2013, 04:12 PM
CELESTRON C14, on an Astro Optical Supplies mount.
IT’S HISTORY:
This C14 was purchase new around 1992 and installed in a domed observatory built for it at the time. It was used for teaching purposes and maintained professionally over an 18 year period. It was de-forked in 2010 because the fork mount had issues that couldn’t be fixed so the OTA was sold to help finance the purchase of a new Celestron 9.25 telescope for the observatory.
The new owner converted it for Hyper-star use and used it for a short time and due to health issues sold it to me.
I have repainted it in Hammer Tone green and restored where needed and updated it, I like to take on projects like this, it keeps me out of trouble.
It now has a Feathertouch micro focuser in place of the standard Celestron focuser and it also has a JMI motorized focuser which can either be computer controlled or manually controlled by the hand controller.
The secondary housing has been updated with a Starzonia C14 HyperStar conversion kit and fitted with Bobs Knobs.
The mirror and corrector have been cleaned and it’s been re-collimated and is optically excellent.
The mirror has three very minor marks that wouldn’t affect performance in any way, see the photos I have pointed these out with red arrows. The corrector and secondary mirror are in very good overall condition I would give the optics a 97% rating.
I have included a star test in the photos as well as a photo of Jupiter taken the same night. I would like to point out when the photos were taken conditions were far from ideal, the night was very windy and did not do justice to the optics. The atmosphere was so turbulent the out of focus star images were really not worth taking but at least you can see its collimated either side of focus and the centre photo shows a nice tight pin point star. Further tweaking on a good night would correct any anomalies. The camera used was a G-Star and the photos are just screen captures, what you see is what was on screen, no processing or stacking just one shot.
The tube has the “Special Coating” sticker which I have left intact. This indicates that the corrector has the optional at the time Special Coatings to ensure better performance.
The mount is an Astro Optical Supplies mount with a 1.5 inch RA shaft in roller bearings and a 1.25 inch Declination shaft in solid bearings. The mount is motor driven on the RA only and is speed controllable by a hand controller. The R.A. is also controllable via an eccentric lobe connected to a flexible hand control knob. The Declination has a limited travel adjustment by the flexible hand control knob.
In my opinion you could successfully take astro-photos with this mount but it would have to be hand guided. It’s solid enough even in windy conditions to remain stable. It’s loaded with about 50kg of tube and weights and yet moves smoothly and balances perfectly. Ideal for the visual observer with the permanently engaged motor drive, just move it to where you want to look and its still tracking.
The mount features a friction clutch which allows the telescope to be repositioned without disengaging the drive. The mount has been repainted in wrinkle finish black, it’s been stripped and cleaned and re-greased and the clutch repacked with special friction grease. The clutch assembly has had three additional springs added to increase the friction, I thought it was a little light before. The mount has been updated with a new William Optics Losmandy style dovetail assembly and a new one piece counterweight machined to match the weight of the C14. The C14 tube has a new set of tube rings machined from ½ inch thick solid 6061 grade aluminum with stainless steel hinges, shoulder screws, nuts thumb screws and studs.
The tube rings have provisions for mounting a Losmandy style top bar so you can mount another guide scope on top of the tube if you desire.
Accessories included; The original diagonal plus a newer diagonal, the mirrors in both are perfect plus the original sliding weight system for the tube, sliding weight one side and a sliding camera mount on the other side and the original guide scope.
Eyepiece not included.
PRICE $3500.00 I will consider trades or part trades, especially looking for a Meade 10 inch classic OTA.
Shipping Quotes
Don’t ask me how much to ship to your destination. If you are serious I will pack it but it’s big and heavy, and would have to be packed in 4 separate boxes, TUBE, MOUNT, TRIPOD and COUNTERWEIGHT. It’s going to cost you 3 - 5 hundred dollars at least. Also if it has to be sent anywhere it’s at YOUR RISK. That means you pay for it and if it’s damaged when you get it you wear it.
Weight of components weighed on a bathroom scale so it may not be accurate. Also that’s the unpacked weight.
Tube 23kg
Counterweight 24kg
Mount and tripod 30kg
Accessories 5kg.
I suggest you start at Baggage Freight for a quote, it’s a shipping comparison company, you get quotes from a dozen different companies at once. Link below:
http://ww2.baggagefreight.com.au/?gclid=CPyGtNeQ1bICFctDpgod6BsABg (http://ww2.baggagefreight.com.au/?gclid=CPyGtNeQ1bICFctDpgod6BsABg)
PM me if you are interested.
IT’S HISTORY:
This C14 was purchase new around 1992 and installed in a domed observatory built for it at the time. It was used for teaching purposes and maintained professionally over an 18 year period. It was de-forked in 2010 because the fork mount had issues that couldn’t be fixed so the OTA was sold to help finance the purchase of a new Celestron 9.25 telescope for the observatory.
The new owner converted it for Hyper-star use and used it for a short time and due to health issues sold it to me.
I have repainted it in Hammer Tone green and restored where needed and updated it, I like to take on projects like this, it keeps me out of trouble.
It now has a Feathertouch micro focuser in place of the standard Celestron focuser and it also has a JMI motorized focuser which can either be computer controlled or manually controlled by the hand controller.
The secondary housing has been updated with a Starzonia C14 HyperStar conversion kit and fitted with Bobs Knobs.
The mirror and corrector have been cleaned and it’s been re-collimated and is optically excellent.
The mirror has three very minor marks that wouldn’t affect performance in any way, see the photos I have pointed these out with red arrows. The corrector and secondary mirror are in very good overall condition I would give the optics a 97% rating.
I have included a star test in the photos as well as a photo of Jupiter taken the same night. I would like to point out when the photos were taken conditions were far from ideal, the night was very windy and did not do justice to the optics. The atmosphere was so turbulent the out of focus star images were really not worth taking but at least you can see its collimated either side of focus and the centre photo shows a nice tight pin point star. Further tweaking on a good night would correct any anomalies. The camera used was a G-Star and the photos are just screen captures, what you see is what was on screen, no processing or stacking just one shot.
The tube has the “Special Coating” sticker which I have left intact. This indicates that the corrector has the optional at the time Special Coatings to ensure better performance.
The mount is an Astro Optical Supplies mount with a 1.5 inch RA shaft in roller bearings and a 1.25 inch Declination shaft in solid bearings. The mount is motor driven on the RA only and is speed controllable by a hand controller. The R.A. is also controllable via an eccentric lobe connected to a flexible hand control knob. The Declination has a limited travel adjustment by the flexible hand control knob.
In my opinion you could successfully take astro-photos with this mount but it would have to be hand guided. It’s solid enough even in windy conditions to remain stable. It’s loaded with about 50kg of tube and weights and yet moves smoothly and balances perfectly. Ideal for the visual observer with the permanently engaged motor drive, just move it to where you want to look and its still tracking.
The mount features a friction clutch which allows the telescope to be repositioned without disengaging the drive. The mount has been repainted in wrinkle finish black, it’s been stripped and cleaned and re-greased and the clutch repacked with special friction grease. The clutch assembly has had three additional springs added to increase the friction, I thought it was a little light before. The mount has been updated with a new William Optics Losmandy style dovetail assembly and a new one piece counterweight machined to match the weight of the C14. The C14 tube has a new set of tube rings machined from ½ inch thick solid 6061 grade aluminum with stainless steel hinges, shoulder screws, nuts thumb screws and studs.
The tube rings have provisions for mounting a Losmandy style top bar so you can mount another guide scope on top of the tube if you desire.
Accessories included; The original diagonal plus a newer diagonal, the mirrors in both are perfect plus the original sliding weight system for the tube, sliding weight one side and a sliding camera mount on the other side and the original guide scope.
Eyepiece not included.
PRICE $3500.00 I will consider trades or part trades, especially looking for a Meade 10 inch classic OTA.
Shipping Quotes
Don’t ask me how much to ship to your destination. If you are serious I will pack it but it’s big and heavy, and would have to be packed in 4 separate boxes, TUBE, MOUNT, TRIPOD and COUNTERWEIGHT. It’s going to cost you 3 - 5 hundred dollars at least. Also if it has to be sent anywhere it’s at YOUR RISK. That means you pay for it and if it’s damaged when you get it you wear it.
Weight of components weighed on a bathroom scale so it may not be accurate. Also that’s the unpacked weight.
Tube 23kg
Counterweight 24kg
Mount and tripod 30kg
Accessories 5kg.
I suggest you start at Baggage Freight for a quote, it’s a shipping comparison company, you get quotes from a dozen different companies at once. Link below:
http://ww2.baggagefreight.com.au/?gclid=CPyGtNeQ1bICFctDpgod6BsABg (http://ww2.baggagefreight.com.au/?gclid=CPyGtNeQ1bICFctDpgod6BsABg)
PM me if you are interested.