I recently received an opportunity that I couldn't let pass me by. My old 15" Obsession returned to the market. I purchased the Obsession back from Steve just a couple of days ago (for the second time in about 15 years lol) so now have to sell my beautiful 14" Orion XX14i Intelliscope (f/4.6).
My Intelliscope is in pristine condition and has been meticulously kept since I purchased it new from Astro Optical Supplies in July 2010. Both mirrors are in the same condition as when the scope was unpacked for the first time, and the scope offers stunning views. I have made a few modifications to the intelliscope along the way to improve things just a little:
- I replaced the azimuth Teflon bearings with larger virgin Teflon bearings to smooth out the azimuth action. I also polished the baseboard Formica with silicone polish for the same reason. The net result has been a vastly improved azimuth action.
- I flocked the UTA and mirror box with Protostar flocking paper to increase contrast.
- I built a removable UTA off axis light shield from Protostar flock board (similar to kydex, with the inside surface factory flocked).
- I built a removable mirror box off-axis light shield to prevent any stray light entering the tube from the bottom of the shroud. This was also made from Protostar flock board.
The whole system is perfectly collimated (focuser is at 90 degrees to light axis, secondary is spot on, primary is spot on). Of course the primary may need to be tweaked after transport, but the mirror locking screws help a lot there.
I have added castors to the underside of the base board to assist with mobility, but I can remove these for anyone who prefers not to have them.
The computerised object locator is a joy to use, is very easy to operate and accurate. I built a custom holster for it, as Orion only supplied Velcro to attach it to the mount :/
I had to throw away the largest cartons that the scope arrived in as they were just too big to keep. I still have cartons for the mirror, truss poles, computerised object locator and spurious other parts. The mirror cooling fan has been installed and runs well. I have the portable battery pack for it, but have opted to use a transformer to run it to date.
This is a whole lot of telescope packed into a very neat package. One person can easily assemble it, and it has a knock-down rocker box for easy transport to dark sky sites. I purchased the Orion light shroud when I purchased the telescope and it's a great addition.
I guess at the end of the day I can't speak highly enough of this scope. I would actually be keeping it if Steve hadn't put my first love up for sale. The XX14i is located in Cecil Hills, near Liverpool in the Sydney metropolitan area.
Included in the sale:
- Orion XX14i Intelliscope
- Orion Light Shroud
- 9x50 Finder Scope
- Hand held object locator / computer
- Spare Azimuth encoder disc (never used)
- External Battery Pack for fan
- Orion 2" Deepview 35mm Eyepiece
- Orion 10mm Sirius Plossl Eyepiece
- All documentation
- Starry Night Special Edition Software with bonus SkyTheater - unopened
- Orion Autocollimator Eyepiece
- Flocked removable light baffles for UTA and mirror box
- Custom holster for hand held object locator
Sell: $2100
