Attention ATM fanatics! These are superb and only available here at Surplus Shed! Glass, air-spaced achromatic optics, fully coated! 102mm clear diameter with a focal length of 600mm making this an f/5.9. The mounts smaller diameter side is meant to point to your object or the sky and has a diameter of 112mm (OD) and the larger side (bottom) has an ID of 109mm, OD of 116mm and an outer flange with a diameter of 127mm. The entire lens housing is 112mm long and made of heavy duty thermo-plastic. The lenses can be easily removed (if needed) by unscrewing the top of the housing. An incredible price that may not last long!! NEW!
So are these lenses actually good lenses? Or are they good enough that the fun of making a scope makes up for the rest?
Daniel...
Yes, they are. Both Bill (Glenhuon) and I (and others) have made up home made scopes with this objective's little brother - the 80x400mm f/5. Both scopes turned out very well and are keepers.
Hi Chris, been watching the threads about Bill's and your SS scopes for a while, great work. Been dreaming about doing it myself with the 102.
Hopefully they will still have them in a couple of months, or atleast able to get more.
I'm a bit cash-strapped at the moment with a trip to Europe in a couple of weeks
Looking forward to reading about the first SS102 in Oz .
Actually, I can't find any evidence anywhere on the net of a scope made with the 102. I'm sure there's one out there, just can't find 'em.
Wow Chris, your one actually looks professionally made!!
I wish I had the confidence on my own skills to able to do something like that.
Good one.
Daniel...
LOL! Thanks Daniel
Don't let the presentation fool you though. It wa very simple to make - I was lucky that I had parts that fit my needs just lying on my shelf from old scopes and projects. The focuser is a William Optics SCT 10:1 crayford, screwed on to Meade 2" visual back ex my 12" LX200GPS. I put an electric focuser on the LX so this part suddenly became free. It's been interference-fit massaged into the rear of a section of 100mm-odd poly pipe and glued in place. The front is the cell as it comes from SurplusShed, but with a stainless steel cap off one of our thermos flask cups.
The hardest part (and this is still very simple) is getting the length of the tube right. You just lay stuff in a line on a bench, look along it, and get an idea of where the whole setup focuses, (before and after the focal point with an average 26mm EP) and then measure the distance between the cell and the focuser. Cut your tube to that length and viola. Screw on a finder bracket and dovetail and you're away!
Maybe if there's a few people who want them we could do a bulk order and shipping. Maybe the dollars saved on the US to AUS leg would be cancelled out by the various internal AUS legs?
Anyway, I'd take one.
US$79
with a trip to Europe in a couple of weeks 
