The Barter System

Yesterday I picked up my Meade ETX 125 UHTC telescope. In 2006 I sold it to my previous boss with expectations his kids would get a lot of use out of it. 4 years later the wife and I buy an RV and find so many perfect skies for using a telescope but give up the idea of ever buying one again because the cost for a good one, let alone a $1,200.00 plus ETX 125 set up is now beyond our reach since we are avoiding credit cards like the plague.

He contacted me and asked me if I was interested in buying back the telescope because it never got touched after he bought it. I told him I couldn’t afford it. He told me he had several laptops that needed work and I asked if we, wait, maybe he asked, can’t really remember but a deal was struck to trade. My skill/time for the telescope and all accessories that came with it. This included the series 4000 eye pieces, 2x-Barlow, moon filter(s), upgraded controller, computer connector cable, software, books, dew shield and upgraded deluxe field tri-pod. 

 

 

I think the wife is as happy about this as I am, she knows how much I missed having the telescope. Even if I only looked at the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter.

My dream was a home based observatory but I never felt smart enough to be able to build one let alone afford one. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m no dummy but running one of these properly requires patients and smarts of a different level that I don’t have. Which doesn’t matter because I could never hope to afford my dream telescope, the Meade MAX 20 ACF. A truly monstrous  $35,000 20 inch telescope that has to be seen to understand the size, it’s unreal.

For an idea on how truly massive it is here is the previous version 20 RCX. Can you imagine the photography possibilities? Simply unreal. Click either picture to read about this spectacular telescope the size of a garbage can and weighing in without the mount at over 200lbs!

Since our ultimate goal is to down size, telescopes like this are out of the question unless we become very wealthy and establish a home base some place with excellent night skies. We can dream right?   Until then reality is the thing we have to live in so I think the ETX 125 UHTC will do. I can’t wait until we get a clear night so I can dial it in! I know I haven’t talked about telescopes before but after I sold mine I had no reason to, now that I have it back I have to keep the urge to accessorize in check. For instance, in order to take photographs using the ETX and Canon T3i I’d have to get a T mount and camera adapter, about $60.00, oh want to take pictures of real bright objects like the moon? Need filters for that, the filters I have are for the eye piece, not for the camera…

Help….