WO66 - damaged focuser

[Les R]

Im always looking on astrobuysell etc for bits and bobs. I've just been offered first refusal on a telescope which I need a bit of advice.

It's a WO66 which has a minor graze on the OTA, but doesn't affect anything. However, the focuser doesn't turn. It's focused instead by turning the diagonal. Not the best method in the world I know, but then it's priced accordingly.

It comes with the aluminium case and a thousand oaks glass solar filter and finder for £100. He has also offered my a 20 and 25mm plossl for £20 and a diagonal for £15. ie £135

So....  Any idea if it's possible to buy a replacement focuser for it, or if it's likely that fault is repairable? (I appreciate without seeing its impossible to assess,) but is it something anyone knows about or heard of a similar problem?

Would rotating the diagonal be a pain, or a minor inconvenience worth putting up with?

Views?

Optically he's said it's sound... And the add is on SGL with loads of photos.

[MarkS]

If I were buying, I think I would like to know how it got into the state where the focuser doesn't turn i.e. could there be other collateral damage.

I haven't a clue what could be meant by "turning the diagonal" to focus. 

SGL?  I've never seen a "For Sale" section on SGL.

[Les R]

If I were buying, I think I would like to know how it got into the state where the focuser doesn't turn i.e. could there be other collateral damage.

I haven't a clue what could be meant by "turning the diagonal" to focus. 

SGL?  I've never seen a "For Sale" section on SGL

http://stargazerslounge.com/classifieds/item/2422-william-optics-sd66-apo-frac-sale-pending/

He said it was knocked against a wall, though he did also say he'd over tightened a nut.

I understand what you mean by turning the diagonal! I thought I'd see what he meant on my 80ED and it can't be done and the barrel slides out not twists!

[MarkS]

I can't see the link you posted - it just comes up with a message saying I need 50 posts even to be able to see the Classifieds section and 250 posts to be able to advertise.

That explains why I've never seen the SGL classifieds!

[Les R]

I can't see the link you posted - it just comes up with a message saying I need 50 posts even to be able to see the Classifieds section and 250 posts to be able to advertise.

That explains why I've never seen the SGL classifieds!

Haha... yes that would be it!



does the barrel the diagonal sits in normally rotate? I'm trying to understand what he's saying about focusing. On my 80ED, it just slides in and out when the Crayford is turned.

[MarkS]

You'd have to pay me to accept that scope 

[Les R]

You'd have to pay me to accept that scope 

Oh...l that bad?

[MarkS]

It's not possible to say.  And that's the problem.  Do you really want to focus by twisting the diagonal (whatever that means).  What if there is not enough movement in the diagonal to bring your particular eyepiece (or webcam) to focus.  I just wouldn't want to spend my hard-earned cash on something that turns out to be unusable.  Unless you plan to break it for spares or somehow make a fixed focus guidescope out of it.

Maybe you could find another scope with a smashed up front end then marry the 2 halves to end up with something that works.  Try advertising on SGL for one

[Mike]

Good grief. Has that been dropped out of the window of a moving vehicle?!

[MarkS]

Good grief. Has that been dropped out of the window of a moving vehicle?!

Maybe someone drove a car over it

[Mike]

Not guilty

[Carole]

Les, if you have an ED80, are you thinking of buying this for a guidescope?

If so there are cheaper scopes than this brand new such as the ST80.  You don't need an APO for guiding. 

Carole

[Les R]

Hi Carol... No I was looking at it to be a portable device that I could use for any purpose. (Ive got a finder already I intend to convert and a Philips cam that should be arriving today.) I'm away in Egypt in a month, so thought it would be ideal to take with me.

Well I had an email this morning from him this morning telling me he's removed the advert and no longer selling. That was after I asked him to clarify how to focus and mentioned that I was being advised not to buy. (Hence why the image is no longer showing!) He is a mod on there and was worried that his reputation might be challenged and knowingingly selling something that was internally damaged (which he reiterated wasnt the case.) Ho Hum!

So not gonna happen now anyway! (I hope he didnt read the suggestions it had been thrown from a car on here! He seems a very nice guy!)

He did however through a link to something that seems worth looking at - http://www.opticstar.com/Run/Astronomy/Astro-Telescopes-Opticstar.asp?p=0_10_1_1_52

[Les R]

Ok.... It seems his description of the problem and solution for a minor limitation has been totally misinterpreted by me. (Though I have read back and don't think it was me being dumb!)

The focusing on this telescope is completely fine. He sent a photo looking straight down the tube. Everything is perfectly symmetrical.

When he was talking about moving the diagonal, it was nothing to do with focusing and all about head position. What he was saying was that the OTA doesn't rotate once the foot is connected. ie the focuser is likely not to be horizontal (like it is on my setup at home now - not a problem) and that you would need to view by rotating the diagonal to your prefered head viewing position. Ie the telescope won't rotate. Again, that's no different to my current setup. The rings are fixed once tightened and you would adjust a diagonal to suit. No different to what he is saying needs to be done on the WO66.

He also sent me a couple of videos to physically show me and describe in detail because he really didn't want to be seen as trying to pass on dodgy goods.... And this was after he

And if this was used as a guider, it's not even an issue. This "fault" doesn't even come into play. Yes it's overkill optically being used for a guider, but I was originally planning to buy to be a portable telescope. It can still be that and more.

So putting aside the scratch and the misunderstood fault, it seems its possibly ideal and certainly at £100 with a case and glass solar filter and solar finder, a good price for a WO66. And it's not been run over! lol

[Carole]

So apart from being scratched and the tube not rotating once in place, it seems there is nothing else wrong with it.  My skywatcher's don't rotate either, though I could rotate them in the mounting rings if I wanted to, but don't see the lack of rotation as a problem. you can always position it how you want to BEFORE clamping it to the mount.

Sounds like it could be OK then, and with your ED80, you can swap over which is the guidescope and which is the imaging scope according to what sort of FOV you want. 

Carole