Advice sought for setting up a Mead model 300 "equatorial refractor" telescope

refractor

for us:

the

Meade queries have turned up on uk.sci.astronomy

d

That sounds like a better place to inquire than electronics repair.

I'm not being sarcastic -- in what way(s) do you expect it to work?

The vertical axis points to the North Pole, so a simple rotation of the telescope is all that's needed to keep an object in view. That should get you started.

Past that... I'd get a book on amateur astronomy (though I don't know of one to recommend). You might also contact Meade to see if it has user manuals.

I think you mean celestial North Pole, very close to the star Polaris.

Ron

Beginning astronomy doesn't really lend itself to online tutoring. The Meade model 300 is an older telescope; their 1972 catalog shows it listing at $279. I'll let you translate that to 2013 dollars.

I'd suggest Googling 'Astronomy Club' and your city. You should be able to meet up with someone capable of helping you. Alternatively, Yahoo!! has the classictelescopes group. Or you can try

PlainBill

It looks reasonably complete, although in the first photo there's no eyepiece inserted. The other photo shows several of those in the box; start with the lowest power you have, which will be the one with the

*biggest* number (focal length) etched on it, probably around 20-25 mm. In case you hadn't guessed, you focus with the paired metal knobs between the "star diagonal" (the elbow below the eyepiece-holder) and the main tube.

One critical element we can't see is the objective lens at the 'big end', probably near the bottom of the large black cylinder (which I guess is a baffle): this should be clean and unscratched. If you need to clean it, be *very* careful not to damage the surfaces, which may be coated. Handle it only by the edges, and use the most gentle treatment possible, with a soft brush or lens-cloth, and only distilled water or a residue-free lens-cleaning fluid that's safe for optical coatings.

Unless you live on the Equator, the first picture also has the 'scope improperly oriented (the polar axis, the short shaft that's shown roughly horizontal and parallel to the tube, should be elevated by an angle equal to your latitude and locked there), but that makes no difference to seeing things through it in the daytime.

Your best chance of finding someone with directly relevant experience or practical tips will be at sci.astro.amateur. I'm taking the liberty of cross-posting this message there as well. (And removing sci.astronomy, which my news server doesn't carry.)

This is the finder-scope, an accessory that helps point the instrument. There should be screw-holes in the main tube for attaching it, near the eyepiece end. It's not strictly necessary, but can be useful, especially when using medium-to-high power. Test it hand-held on the Moon: it might not focus on anything nearer.

--
Odysseus

Try this Yahoo Group:

Someone on this group will answer your questions and they might also have the manual.

Richard

My kid inherited this apparently ancient Meade 3.1-inch equatorial refractor telescope, model 300, presumably in working order - but it doesn't work for us:

We *think* we have all the parts; but we're not sure.

Do you know of a decent forum where we can discuss the parts, setup, and operation of this telescope for looking at the stars and moon?

Note: We can't even get the scope to work, at least not on the trees in the distance:

You know what I'd do? Sell the Meade to one of the collectors of old scopes on Astromart or Cloudynights or Ebay and buy a new 6" Newtonian reflector from Meade.

tor

or us:

he

Try removing the black component that is located between the focuser's drawtube and the diagonal. Then use your lowest power eyepiece (it will have the highest number in "mm")and try aiming the 'scope at the Moon. DO NOT AIM AT THE SUN!!

Do not attempt to clean the main lens at this time. Dirty lenses work better than lenses that have been damaged by improper cleaning. The lens should have a small dust cover that would have kept the lens relatively clean, even despite the 'scope's possible age of three to four decades. (I found this 'scope advertised in a '76 issue of Sky & Telescope.)

The large component with the cord is probably a motor drive for the scope. Be careful with whatever is in the jar. I don't know how the coax accessory figures into any of this. :-)

This should be an interesting scope, especially since it has an equatorial mount with slow motion controls and possibly a clock drive.

us:

I had a scope like that back in the day. Surprisingly high quality optics for an inexpensive telescope. If you can't see the trees you are talking about, you are missing something very obvious. Perhaps the dust cover is still on? Perhaps you haven't installed an eyepiece at all? Perhaps you aren't trying to focus? Do you see any light at all?

us:

Perhaps take all of the various attachments apart and just look through each of them separately; if you can't see light, you've found the problem.