Hi,
I am an amature astronomer based in Pune.
I’ve now had my Orion XT10i for two years and have had some really great nights with it! Looks like I may have lucked out with a really great mirror!! I have also made some great modifications like adding Ebony Star laminate and Teflon for the Az bearing which makes the motion super smooth and most importantly stiction free. I also added a Starlight Instruments Feather Touch focuser. This focuser is a real dream to use…absolutely buttery smooth. This focuser has significantly made my observing secessions more pleasurable, especially at high power (300X+) it makes an essential addition IMHO as the XT10i is a pretty fast scope.
About, 7-8 months back, I decided to add a Grab & Go refractor to my collection. The XT10i is undoubtedly a *great* scope, but is a big scope to handle, especially for me as I need to negotiate one flight of stairs to get to my terrace from where I usually view. Also, it usually requires about 45mis to 1 hour of cooling time for the views to become really steady. These factors combined resulted in me splurging for a grab& go refractor for those nights when I was too tired to lug out the XT10i or wanted to spontaneously observe without waiting for cool down.
Off late I came across the Mallincam Hyper Color Plus video camera and this has really captured my imagination. It seems to be perfect to be used with my Dob, but it requires the addition of a tracking platform. This has got me thinking and I have very reluctantly decided to put up my Grab& Go rig up for sale to finance the purchase of the Mallincam and an Eq. Platform.
The following is my rig which I have decided to put up for sale:
1. Celestron 80ED Refractor (Apo)(New Cost = $450)
2. Upgraded 2” Moonlite Crayford Dual Speed Tri-Knob Focuser(New Cost = $375)
3. Williams Optics 2” Diagonal with upgraded Dielectric mirror (New Cost = $138)
4. Orion EZ Finder Deluxe Telescope Reflex Sight (New Cost =$61)
5. Antares 2" to 1.25" Twist-Lock Eyepiece Adapter (New Cost = $29)
6. Orion Telescope Tube Rings (New Cost = $16)
7. Orion Dovetail Mounting Plates (New Cost = $16)
8. Universal Astronomics MicroStar Deluxe Alt Az Mount (New Cost = $ 250)
9. Oberwerk Wooden Tripod (New Cost = $150)
Total Cost (New without shipping cost): $1500
All the above mentioned items have been carefully selected by me after extensive research for maximum portability without sacrificing performance. The C80ED is a true Apochromatic refractor which gives color free views. The Moonlite tri-knob focuser is truly superb (Equivalent of the Feather Touch) and the machining quality on it has to be seen to be believed!
All of the above items are in *like new* condition and are perfect both cosmetically and functionally. As you can see this is a complete observing platform which would require the addition of only eyepieces. The overall cost when buying new would be over $1500, so if you are interested in going for this kit, please feel free to make me an offer. You can contact me at sabirasaria@rediffmail.com I would gladly e-mail you the pics of the setup if required.
Warm regards,
Sabir
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