I know I'm going to regret this soon enough, but I have decided to part with my beloved Mak. I'm simply not using it as much as I should, and currently have other priorities to attend to, so there it goes.
Included in the sale are these items:
Scope:- Intes MK-67 Rutten-Maksutov OTA. It is 6" f/12 with 1800mm focal length.
- White Vixen tube rings (2671), Vixen dovetail plate (2661) and Vixen accessory plate (3548)
- Baader T2 Zeiss prism diagonal with 2" nose and 1.25" Clicklock clamp
- Intes 2" mirror diagonal and Intes 2" extension tube
- Original nylon semi-hard case
Notes:
The scope, being a Rutten-Maksutov type, has both primary and secondary mirrors mounted in a collimatable cell. The secondary collimation screws are currently hex socket screws, but I also include matching Bob's Knobs and the original slit screws.
I have the scope mounted in tube rings, which seem far more stable and trustworthy to me, but I also include the original mounting plate that attaches to the OTA via four rather small screws.
I modified the Vixen accessory plate with a couple extra holes to accommodate a finder scope bracket. No original finderscope, but a WO-style red dot finder is included.
The OTA is flocked with Proto-Star flock board, which is about as good as it gets.
The Baader Zeiss T2 prism is part number 2456095, but it is the pre-BBHS version. I don't think that matters, since prisms work on the principle of total internal reflection and don't really require any reflective coatings.
Mount:- Skywatcher HEQ5Pro mount, SynScan v3 hand controller, no Skywatcher tripod
- Two 5kg counter-weights
- Cable and power supply for hand controller firmware updates
- 12V/10A power brick for mount operation
- SkyFi II (with Serial + USB) for controlling the mount from iOS/macOS/Android with SkySafari Pro/Plus via WiFi
- Bunnings hardcase
Notes:
The mount has been tuned and greased by me to be as tight and vibration free as possible, without putting strain on the motors. It also has the Rowan belt mod kit fitted.
I have never dabbled in imaging, so I have no idea how well the mount works for that. As GoTo and tracking mount it has performed very well for me, doing mostly high-magnification observing. After proper polar alignment (2-3 iterations of the SynScan PA routine) it can hold an object in a 300x field of view for hours.
The pluck foam in the hardcase is pretty torn up and worn down, but still does the job.
Tripod:- Berlebach Planet tripod in natural ash, with HEQ5 top plate, double clamps, spike feet and accessory tray
Notes:
The tripod was custom ordered with a 30 degree leg spread, for better mechanical stability. This means that the accessory tray must be inserted between the legs before the legs are fully spread.
This tripod combined with the mount gives very good stability and dampening times for high-mag observation (which is what I mostly did).
Not included are:- Eyepieces
- Dew shield or dew heater
- Bags or cases for accessories and tripod, other than the OTA bag and the mount hardcase
- Battery power for the mount
All the bits included in the sale were purchased new by me, with an aggregate purchase price of well over $5,000. I'm looking for $2,000 for the lot.
Optional extra:- Moonlite focuser in black with 1.5" travel compression ring drawtube, dual-rate tri-knob w/ shaft lock, Intes MN-MK kit ($250)
I'm not interested in splitting this up, and I would dread having to ship it around the country, so this is for buyers from the Sydney region.
Please hit me up with any questions you may have. I'm attaching a few snaps I took late last year, let me know if you need detail pictures of anything.
Thanks for looking!
