Expert: Paul Wagner - 11/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: I was given a Meade 290-C telescope but it is missing the focuser.
Meade no longer stocks the part and customer service was of little help.

I also understand that I can increase the magnification by adding a barrow lense between the tube and focuser.

Do you know where I might obtain these items?

ANSWER: Hi Tom

I am not surprised that you didn't get much help from customer service!

But I want to ask a question.  Are you missing the focuser (the mechanical part that moves the eyepiece in and out of focus?  Or are you missing the eyepieces themselves?

If you are missing the focuser, there are lots of options here.  I would suggest checking Ebay and the like--they often sell telescope parts, and you might find exactly what you want there.  

You can build or buy a focuser for this pretty easily.  Sometimes the guys at the surplusshed have good options:  http://www.surplusshed.com/

Bear in mind that these scopes came with a 0.965 diameter eyepiece set up--so they don't use the more popular 1.25inch eyepieces.  If it were mine, I would go ahead and make something out of plastic pipe and camera parts...

But if you are missing the eyepieces, it gets even easier.  You can always find a few of these on ebay. They don't make very good eyepieces in this size, because the scopes themselves aren't all that great, but you shouldn't have trouble finding eyepieces.

As for the Barlow--that goes between the eyepiece and the focuser---and they give you higher power but less image stability.  I would start with an eyepiece, and see how that works for you, then decide about the Barlow.  If you want one, it will also have to be the 0.965 size.

hope that helps

Paul Wagner



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Paul,  

Exactly right.  

The eye piece and focused are missing, and the measurement is right on as to diameter being less than an inch.  

As I live at sea level on the east coast the best viewing I have is in winter.  Humidity and back scatter of lighting make warm weather observing next to impossible.  

In one area I'm lucky.  Only a few minutes drive away is a piece of barrier island called Island Beach State Park.  On the ocean side with no moon it gets about as dark possible for around here.  I want to get some idea of the possibilities before getting a better instrument.

I was told that if I wanted to see the rings of Saturn or any details of Mars I would need the Barlow.

Have a great day.

Tom  

Answer
HI Tom

You might find this article interesting---it's about this type of scope, and what serious amateurs do to make them better.  With about 40X, you can certainly see the rings of Saturn!

http://www.jotabout.com/portuesi/astro/ds_scope.html

Paul Wagner