The TAC scope

Michelle Stone recently gave me an OTA with a six inch mirror, a helical focuser and a spider, but no secondary.? I *think* she bought it from a guy who she said really needed the money.? She didn't have time to fix-it up, so she offered it to any TACo who would haul it back down from Plettstone. So, that's two good deeds from Michelle.

I bought a used secondary from Astromart and made a crude dob mount for it.? It seems to have a good mirror as Saturn and splitting a few doubles looked really good. The mount needs some tweeking, it wobbles a bit, and I really think the secondary and focuser needs to be moved up cause I need to rack the thing almost all the way out. I don't need this scope, but I knew it would be fun to make the mount for it.? I made it and had fun, and now I'd like to pass it along to someone else.

Here's what I'm thinking.? Michelle bought this to help a guy out, she gave it away to someone else who wanted it.? I don't need it, so I'd like to give it to someone who might be willing to put a little more work into it. Like I said, the mount I made needs some tweaking, and a few coats of stain or overcoat of some kind as it's unfinished wood.?It could use a finder, the secondary and focuser needs moving, and it comes with no eyepiece.? In the end, I'm hoping it can be made into a good reliable scope and end up in the hands of a needy kid, club, or school. The scope will be a group effort of TAC members to the community to encourage and promote amateur astronomy. If a number of us put in a little time and maybe a few dollars, it could be a great scope.? Maybe someone could paint a TAC logo or something on it so the end recipient will know where it came from.

So, e-mail me if you're willing to work on this scope, and maybe you'll pass it along to someone else.? The caveats are that you have to pick it up from me in Oakland, promise to fix?it a little more, and never sell it, but have to give it away.?? I live near Mills College.

What do you think?

Thanks,

Richard

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