TV85

130mm f/8 APO Brandon Refractor Telescope

1995 Oregon Star Party
.		.
		Picture above is of the Brandon 130mm at the 1995 Oregon Star Party. Reportedly, only 100 were made. Shown mounted on G11 Losmandy Mounting (left) at 1993 Oregon Star Party. Excellent Planetary Telescope, but it also performed well on deep sky objects. Christian of "Astro Physics" produced the Objective Lens for Brandons. It was acquired in 1990 and sold in 1998. Having this Telescope for 9 years makes it the longest of any that I have owned. This Telescope was purchased to replace the first 94mm and was the start of my serious re-entry into Amateur Astronomy.
1993 Oregon Star Party
.	.	.
		(left) A crowd begins to gather at Pine Mountain Observatory in Central Oregon (right) to await the 1990 Partial Solar Eclipse. In addition to awaiting the Eclipse, the 130mm Telescope is awaiting eventual funding for the larger Losmandy Mounting. Here it is seen on a Unitron Mount intended for a 3 inch f/16 Telescope. Never-the-less, the small mount performed surprisingly well.
130mm mounted on a small Unitron Mount that acted as a stop gap until the Losmandy 11 arrived.
.
Images on this Website by the Brandon 130mm
1993 Lunar Eclipse
1990 Partial Solar Eclipse at Pine Mountain



94mm f/8 APO Brandon Refractor Telescope
		In 1998 I obtained my second (see below) Brandon 94mm f/6.8 Refractor Telescope after numerous failed and insulting attempts to obtain an Astro Physics 105mm "Traveler". It should be mentioned that Christian who is the optician for Astro Physics, made the Brandon's APO objective when it was in production. The Telescope was purchased to replace the 70mm Pronto as the "Eclipse Imaging Scope". For traveling, the dew cap and focuser can be removed and the focuser can be unscrewed from the tube to shrink the telescope's length of 16.5 inches. It fits very nicely in a Pelican 1520, which is significantly smaller than a typical carry on piece of luggage. This case with the Brandon inside, weighs about 22 pounds. Lufthansa and South African Airlines will make you check it as their weight restrictions are a ridiculously low, 18 and 16 pounds respectively. Just in case the case is required to be check in, the Pelican Case is up to the task. It is the only case I feel comfortable handing to a baggage handler. It is waterproof, air tight and durable". The telescope was fitted with a motorized focuser so as to reduce vibration from the user coming in contact with the scope. The Telescope's performance was excellent as was most evident with the images obtained in Turkey during the Eclipse. This second 94mm Telescope was sold in 2005 in favor of keeping the TV 85mm because of it's size and weight. It was no longer needed as an imaging scope since the lighter TV 76mm or TV 85mm with lightweight digital cameras could now fill the roll.
The 94mm mounted to a Telepod Mount
.

The 94mm packed in a Pelican 1520 case
.

For future Solar Eclipses... that never happened
		It made an interesting, even if only used for testing. After 3 eclipses, the plan was to take a medium format camera to create a larger image scale. After the 2001 Eclipse, I had a portable aluminum tripod built to replace the damaged wooden tripod, which was also custom built. Also I had a brace made to tie the camera to the mount so as to take the weight of the huge camera off the focuser. To reduce the weight of the equipment being transported, the Losmandy's control box was placed on the counterweight shaft to act as the counterweight thereby allowing me to leave counterweights behind. It is my habit to design a system right after the Eclipse or other event. It is a form of debriefing while what is needed is still fresh in my mind so I am ready for the next Eclipse. Unfortunately, or fortunately, time has passed and the advancements of light weight and compact digital cameras quickly turned the configuration on the right, into a dinosaur. For the Venus Transit, the much lighter TV76mm and modest webcam yielded excellent results at half the weight and bulk. For traveling, that matters a lot. This is what ultimately what lead to the selling of the 94mm. The 85mm and 76mm TeleVues at their lighter weight could easily fill the "grab and go" and imaging tasks. The lighter scopes meant taking the far lighter Teagul mount as well. In the meantime, the Losmandy mount has been retained for local use.


The 94mm mounted on a Losmandy 8 featuring a new traveling tripod and brace for mounting the 6x7 Camera. The middle image shows the brace. Note the dovetail camera mount to allow the camera to slide into focus. The brace was hole filled to reduce weight. Lower image shows huge size difference between the 6x7 and 35mm Cameras. Later configurations would exclude the Dew Cap. It wasn't necessary for an Eclipse.




The 94mm packed with a 6x7 Camera (above). To accommodate all, the Dew Cap was not included as it is considered unnecessary for an Eclipse. A Losmandy 8 packed with it's new tripod, below. Both were packed in twin (stackable) Pelican 1520 cases. The legs of the tripod are stacked in the bubble rap.		This shows the 94mm and 76mm side by side. The 76mm would provide a normal veiw of the Eclipse, while imaging with the 94mm. Can you imaging dragging these through airports.

My original 94mm
		Back in 1988, I purchased my first 94mm to reenter the Astronomical field after several years of relative inactivity. I choose this Telescope because I once looked through a home made 5 inch f/5 Refractor built from an "A. Jaegers" kit. I honestly felt it outperformed the 8 inch Cassegrain it was mounted on. Shortly after obtaining the 94mm and combining it with a 2 inch / 40mm Koenig eyepiece, and others, I swept the sky and took in more objects more often than at any time prior. I learned the concept of "grab and go" as it was easy to assemble disassemble. I used the 40mm with it's 16x and 4.4 degree field of view as the finder scope. Grab and go features and finding objects fast and good eyepieces with good eye relief keeps a telescope from finding a perminent home in the closet. I eventually traded this telescope for the 130mm Brandon. I wish I would have kept it to avoid having to "re-buy" one later.
My original 94mm mounted on a Unitron Equatorial Mount.



Images on this Website by the Brandon 94mm
Total Solar Eclipse, June 21st, 2001, Africa
Total Solar Eclipse, August 11th, 1999, Turkey
21 hour old Moon, 1988
Orion Nebula: Taken in 1988


70mm f/6.8 ED "Pronto" TeleVue Refractor Telescope
		The need for a traveling telescope became abundantly clear when I took a trip to Hawaii and nothing in the inventory that could be taken. The Pronto was a telescope selected to fill this roll at that time. It was acquired in 1997. Other Telescopes would eventually fill the traveling roll and it would be replaced by newer, better Telescopes. The Pronto was used as a "grab and go" and was used at the 1998 Eclipse Solar Eclipse. It was also used on that same trip to view objests such as Eta Carina and the Orion Nebula from the deck of the Cruise Ship Fascination. It fit nicely into a Pelican 1450 Case. This is a Case small enough to fit under an airliner seat. The Pronto was sold late in 2001 once the 76mm was acquired.



Pronto packed in a Relican 1450 case.

Images on this Website by the 70mm Pronto
Partial Solar Eclipse, Christmas Day 2000, Portland, Oregon
Total Solar Eclipse, February 26th, 1998, Aruba, Caribbean