My first astronomical telescope was a lucky find. I had been on the waiting list for several months for a Stellarvue 80mmf6 refractor, a nice rich-field telescope that had gotten some very good reviews. However, I wanted more, particularly since I didn't have any yet (I was still on the waiting list).

So, as my 31st birthday rolled around, I began checking around to see if there wasn't a little something more I could drum up. And in fact, there was. On Ebay, a gentleman down in the South Bay had a 6-inch f8 reflector made in 1976 by Cave Optics of Long Beach, CA. These have the reputation of being wonderful telescopes, and I must say I agree. I "won" the online auction, by which I mean I was willing to pay more than the next guy, and soon I was off to pick up my hypothetical treasure.

When I arrived, I saw this waiting for me:

As you can see, it has a gigantic German equatorial mount, on wheels, and the optical tube assembly is strapped into a cradle. No drives, no hand controller, no nothing. This is their "Student Model." Appropriate, I thought, since I was a student myself at the time.

I have since learned that there was a Student Deluxe model, with a clock drive, and I wish that I had had the fortune to buy one of those, because this mount is very shaky, despite its weight. I have recently acquired a pair of tube rings out of which I hope to fashion a more serviceable platform for the eq mount. I have, in the meantime, built an alt-az mount out of Baltic Birch plywood:

The images are superb, especially since I recently had the mirror recoated by Spectrum Optical Coatings up in Deltona, Florida. Nice people, nice prices, and they really restored the zing to my mirror. Thanks!