Posted by Mark S. Millen (12.148.226.253) on April 08, 2003 at 13:34:21:
In Reply to: old cave posted by Steve Tice on April 07, 2003 at 20:39:24:
I think these old Caves are cool. This is just my opinion though. You could get a used 10" Meade LX200 for under $2000, and have a really nice GO TO system. I'd expect the Meade optics to be the equal of, if not surpassing the Cave in performance. Again, it's just my opinion. The Meade would be a lot easier to use. too. Is the Cave worth restoring? For me it would be, if I found one like yours, for $500 or less. More moey than that and, the Meade 10" starts looking like a much more attractive proposition. No restoration needed, modern computer control, plenty of accessories/parts available, etc. You could probably restore the cave for under $600. New coatings/refiguring would be the most expensive part. I assume the bearings in the mount are in good condition. If they're rusted, pitted...well, I'd sell it to someone who would want to restore it. Keep in mind that I'm no expert on Caves or restoring old telescopes. I happen to like tham only because I like old mechanical things, and astronomy. It doesn't bother me to manually find deep sky objects. Please don't use this for a boat anchor. I'm sure someone would want to restore it. Good luck whatever you decide.