Copyright (c) 2004 Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews.

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2 10" Teleport By Daniel Mounsey 2/24/02 Introduction Being a wood craftsman myself, selling Astro Custom Cases, I could not help myself from feeling compelled to write this review. Upon hearing about the Teleport for the first time, I had already owned and used different telescopes, such as apo refractors, maksutovs and newtonian's, not to mention, access to the most prestigious telescopes available on a regular bases, worth up to 30,000$. I've read many books on the astronomy market, including countless astronomy magazines. Being an enthusiast in this hobby since the early 80's, I have never seen anything quite like the Teleport, which is the reason I chose to write this detailed review. Quick and easy set up times, beautiful craftsmanship, compact size, great optics, a sit down telescope, light weight, good light gathering capability and more sounded very attractive. No other telescope I've seen, past or present could have all these features in one package and still be able to sit into the front seat of a car. It was not hard for me to appreciate the work that Tom and his wife have put into this ingenious telescope. file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (1 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

3 I contacted Tom Noe of Wylie, Texas and asked him for a brochure about it. When I read that Tom was an ATM'r and had participated at RTMC with the Teleport in 1991 and won an award, I was hooked. I already knew that some of the most ingenious telescope designs were presented there. After reading the information, I also read the words, "self-contained". You will find out why those words are so true and why I immediately placed an order for the 10" Teleport. This review gives the whole story. I also wanted to help convey Tom's refinements since the Todd Gross review in 99'. The Teleport has evolved over time with many improvements, and I wanted to remove any stigma from the past for those interested. Hopefully, I will have provided an extensive and detailed review, along with some nice photos of the Teleport. The best thing about this, is that I actually learned something new from this review, and I hope you will too. I will explain the facts and give a final summary on how the Teleport actually compared with other telescopes in the field under the stars, where it really counts. Tom's Teleport deserves nothing less. TheWait During the wait period, which was about a twelve months, Tom gave up to date photos and information on the progress of the Teleport. He was also very interested to answer any questions I had along the way. The photos showed pictures of his incredible shop with a dozen or so unfinished Teleport's, including a Delta Rockwell table saw, the same as mine. Any wood craftsman that spends the money on one of these table saws must obviously care about the quality their work. I know I do. The Arrival of the Teleport The Teleport arrived after about a year. It was shipped via UPS in perfect shape. Upon receiving the package, I could not get over the fact that an entire 10" telescope was in one box. The box stood vertical while I slit the bottom edges with a razor blade to remove the tall lid. The first thing I saw was a nicely presented yellow envelope resting on top, with all the manuals and instructions necessary to complete the initial set up. This included informative literature about the Zambuto Optics, Sky Commander (optional), ProtoStar spider vane and the Teleport itself. It was important to take the time to read some of it before proceeding. I also couldn't help notice that the telescope was nicely packed in its card board shipping container. Each corner was lined with thick protective foam. I could see that Tom took the time to make a good shipping container. Setting up the Teleport The instructions are quite descriptive. To pull the unit out of the box, you must grab it by the altitude bearings on each side, then gently set it down in order to remove the insulated reflective cover (a very nice added touch by the way). I don't even know of another telescope that comes with a customized cover. The cover has slits on the side, so you can grab the Teleport by the side bearings. It's my understanding that Tom's wife sews the covers together as well as the light shrouds (very considerate). When I pulled the cover off, I took a moment to step back and look at something I had only seen in pictures. Wow! I said to myself. The only time I ever saw a Teleport was in the dark, so this was a real file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (2 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

4 treat. You may be surprised to notice that the actual colour of the telescope is a very light grey, as posed to what appears to be white in every photo seen on the web. Being a wood craftsman myself, I must say that the work really is first rate. At that point, I carefully removed the top lid. I read the manual before doing this. Tom's Teleport manual explains the procedure since the lid must be removed a certain way. Once I understood it, it was very simple. I then attempted to pull the upper cage assembly out as described in the manual. At first, it was a little catchy because I didn't realize that the newer struts from Bogen have vertical internal slots that are actually inside the poles themselves. Once I got the hang of it, it was quite easy. I actually liked this because it helped protect the cage from sliding down or falling too fast when closing it. I then pulled the cage up with both hands as far as it would let. While carefully holding the cage up, I twisted a couple of the struts until the internal slots felt aligned. This procedure finally allowed the cage assembly to extend up all the way. When doing this, I could actually feel the internal slots slip into alignment, thus allowing the full extension of the upper cage assembly. This may sound difficult, but once I got the hang of it, it became easy and automatic. I also learned to be sure that the tightening knobs were not protruding in order to avoid them from catching the sides on the way up. Once this was done, I tightened the two knobs on each strut. This whole procedure now only takes me about 45 seconds. Much less time, and much easier then setting up struts for a normal dob. One of the things about normal dobs that I don't like, is lining the upper cage assembly to struts in the dark. The Teleport eliminates that. file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (3 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

5 It was now time to remove the round primary protective plate which was installed to shield the Zambuto during shipment. I then had to place a chair with a pillow underneath the upper cage assembly in order to remove the mirror cell which houses the Zambuto mirror, (I used a phillips screw driver for this as described in the manual). I then removed six screws in order to take out the cell while the chair stopped the upper cage from falling when the balance was thrown off. When pulling it out and holding the cell, I had to reach into the mirror box with my other hand to unplug the cable that powers the fan attached to the cell. Once this was done, I carefully placed the cell with the primary on a table to remove the three screws which held the protective plate in front of the mirror. Once that was completed, I used a 3/8 wrench (mentioned in the manual) to unlock two bolts on the back of the cell. This allowed the tiny upper lip of the posts that support the mirror to be raised about and 1/8", to accommodate the rising and lowering of the primary during collimation. They are normally pressed against the top edges of the mirror during shipment, for protective purposes, (the manual explains all this in better detail). The Teleport houses a 9 point mirror cell and uses a small sling to help support the mirror, which works really well. I was surprised to see that the Zambuto mirror appears to be about a 1/10 thickness ratio, making it a pretty thin and light mirror. The other interesting thing is that the mirror cell and focuser etc. are made of a real solid high quality plastic type material called delrin acetal. As strange as this sounds, it's really light in weight and it looks very nice. I then plugged the fan back in and reattached the cell with the six screws and decided to practice opening and closing the upper cage a few times to get the hang of it. Lowering it down with both hands requires the same procedure as pulling it up, so I just followed the same steps mentioned before in order to bring it down. I had to twist one or two of the struts to close the unit completely, but this soon became automatic and simple, in fact this procedure is by far, less timely and much easier then attaching and removing truss poles on a typical dobsonian as mentioned before, not to mention that you would still have to put the light shroud on and off. The Teleport eliminates all this hassle. Included Accessories The insulated reflective scope cover is wonderful and protects the Teleport from the hot sun during the day when the telescope is in the closed position. Since the Teleport is so compact, it would be easy for someone to walk away with it and sadly someone did while Tom was at RTMC. If you are at a busy star party, you can simply lock it in the front seat of your car during the day and crack the window for ventilation (very sad we have to do these things). The lid and reflective cover simply velcro to the front of the Teleport. The first time I closed up the telescope in the dark, I was looking for the wood lid in my car, since I was so used to doing it with the lens cap on my refractor. I then remembered that it was attached to the telescope. Remember what I said about "self contained"? Nothing gets misplaced The Teleport also comes with three ingenious little counter weights which easily screw into the rear cell, or (this is great) they can be screwed into the upper cage assembly where the alan wrench clips in, (really convenient). The counter weight makes for a great navigating knob for moving the telescope file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (4 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

6 around the sky. I ordered four more counter weights for 6$ each, just in case I needed them. I really like the counter weights because they're easy to attach, even in the dark and their very small, allowing them to fit into the accessory drawer if needed. The telescope also comes with a Kendrick eyepiece heater which raps around 2" eyepieces and plugs into an RCA jack located on the electrical panel. The panel is integrated into the front side of the Teleport. Six C cell alkaline batteries are included and were already installed (very convenient). How many times have you seen or heard the words "batteries not included"? The manual states that the batteries will power the fan for 100 hours, the secondary heater for 40 minutes, and the eyepiece heater for 20 minutes. It also mentions that you should use the power as sparingly as possible and I agree. For all my observing, I only need the fan, but it's a nice added touch to have the rest, even if it is for a short time. The electrical panel has two switches. One is for the primary mirror cooling fan, and the other is for the wireless secondary dew heater. Brian, at ProtoStar, designed a wonderful secondary spider system that's easy to collimate (more about this later). Also supplied, is a Rigel Finder. These wonderful little light weight devices have replaced the Daisy design on earlier Teleport models, and are making the Tel-Rad a dinosaur of the past, in fact they are taking the amateur astronomy market by storm. Tom added an extra Rigel base underneath in an open compartment on the back side of the Teleport, however you can simply place it in the handy storage drawer. The drawer is a fantastic feature for storing eyepieces and accessories, especially at night. If I want to change eyepieces or filters, it's all right there when I need it (super convenient)! If every observer owned a Teleport, I would be out of business fast because you don't need to lug an extra eye piece case around, it's all "self contained", remember? What about the little alan wrench to collimate the secondary, or adjust the altitude bearings to your preference? I almost walked to my car for that too because I forgot it was already clipped to upper cage assembly. I still can not get over how practical this telescope is, everything is "self contained" and nothing gets lost. It feels so strange not having to make any trips to file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (5 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

7 the car like other telescopes require, I love it. The Focuser Unit The 10" Teleport comes with a 2" low profile helical design with a 1.25" adapter. This focuser was necessary in order to allow the upper cage to collapse without the focuser hitting the sides. Although some observers may have some negative opinions about helical's as I once did, I like this one and here's why. It's lighter and lower than a rack & pinion, thus advantageous in allowing the telescope design to be as light and compact as possible. The focuser also has fewer threads, allowing each rotation to make a more dramatic change with focusing than other helical's I've seen in the past. Tom has also inserted nylon tension screws into the sides for higher tolerance while twisting the focuser. This helps remove any wobble or backlash, (nice). Tom also applies a lubricant to the threads so that it twists smoother. The only disadvantage of the helical is when using a bino-viewer, however I've already learned a focusing trick in order to use it. Other than this, I love the simplicity of the Teleport helical. Cosmetics & Design The craftsmanship, design and quality are second to none. I can not say enough about how much I admire it. The more I look at it, the more I envy it. The whole telescope can literally be set up or packed up in about one minute, just like the brochure says. This is all due to its ingenious design. Collimation takes me about two minutes. If you wish to include the two minutes into that figure, then that would depend on what your definition of a proper set up is. For me it is not, and here is why. If you arrive at an observing site in the afternoon or just before sun down, it would most likely be a waste of time to collimate right then and there. Any purist with experience should tell you to collimate just before you start observing in the evening, after the telescope has been granted 30 minutes or so to cool down, not right after you just set up. This allows you to get the maximum efficiency out of the Zambuto optics you paid for. Dropping temperature conditions will usually alter a dobsonians collimation ever so slightly. If you arrive at your observing site in the middle of the evening and you want the most out of your optics, you should still allow the telescope to sit for 30 minutes or so before collimating. That's my definition of a proper set up. If you don't wish to wait, then I would simply suggest checking the collimation again about 30 or 40 minutes later. Most of the Teleport is made from birch ply and apple ply, which I personally use for all my cases. These are very good ply woods and they are very stable under cool climates. The wood is then sprayed with a light grey catalysed polyurethane which has a tiny fleck finish to it and it looks very nice. The black inner altitude bearings are also made of ply wood and the entire telescope weighs in at a mere 32 lbs. Tom did a wonderful job at cutting out any excess ply wood in order to achieve this incredibly light weight for a 10". The Teleport is lighter than any other 10" dob I know of in the field, even dobs of 8" apertures. I can not stress enough, how helpful and easy it is to use the accessory drawer. I can fit various eyepieces, Naglers, Panoptics, plossls, a red flash light, Palm Planetarium computer (very nice by the file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (6 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

8 way), deep sky filters, Teleport laser collimator, Rigel Finder, counter weights, a small sketch pad an pencil, a bag of sun flower seeds, etc. If you need a bit more space, you can always attach the Rigel Finder to the base at the back of the telescope. Although Tom supplies foam inserts for you to cut the desired way, I opted for more space and used the thin white foam sheet already supplied, located at the bottom of the drawer. I also learned that in order for my 35mm Panoptic to fit in the drawer, this would be necessary. The diameter of this eyepiece is the size limit for the drawer and since most eyepieces are smaller, it works great. I noticed that all the walls on the inside of the upper cage assembly are lined in black felt, (this blew me away)! not to mention that the internal light shroud is lined with beautiful anti reflective light baffles from top to bottom when the cage is fully extended. I shined a red light down the tube at night and could swear I was looking down the tube of an over sized Takahashi refractor. I also wanted to mention that the Teleport's light shroud does not sag like other shrouds do over the coarse of an evening with other dobsonians. Although Todd Gross mentioned that a small amount of light from his garage was penetrating the shroud in his review, it would probably be wise to turn the lights off and get better results. Either way, you will never have any stray light under normal circumstances entering the side of the Teleport's shroud. With that said, I did a little experiment just for fun. I held a white flash light to the side of the shroud and yes, some light could be seen coming through, but how often if ever do you have that much light penetrating a light shroud when you observe? If that were the case, I'd just pack it up in a minute and go home? Either way, this isn't even an issue. The altitude bearings and azimuth bearing are lined in Ebony Star and teflon for smooth motion and yes it really performs nicely under the stars. Even the bottom of the Teleport looks nicely finished as well. Although there was mention in the past about the Teleport having difficulty standing steady in thick grass, one must also be realistic about what they expect a telescope this compact to do. One shouldn't expect it to stand perfectly steady in thick grass, just like any other dobsonian this size wouldn't either. This did not concern me in the least since most of my observing is done in Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, Mt. Pinos, and Charlton Flats near Mt. Wilson. These places either have hard dessert ground or pavement to observe from. Note, if you have no other choice except thick grass to observe from, then I would suggest you buy a small square piece of ply wood to place on the grass first. You should then be able to stand the Teleport on the ply wood for stability. Just as an experiment, I set the Teleport up on the grass in my yard. It felt perfectly steady and I had no trouble moving it around the sky. Observing from the grass should not be a problem now because the Teleport has three large foot pegs that hold the scope stable The Rigel Finder clips into the top of the upper cage assembly. One of the things I liked about this finder, is that it's higher than the Telrad thus allowing more head space to see clearly when looking through it. It's also smaller and lighter. My Teleport is a custom unit. I requested to have the focuser, drawer and computer placed on the left side of the telescope. The reason I requested this is because it's file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (7 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

9 easier for me to gun sight through the Rigel Finder with my right eye. The Orion XT8 is the only other dobsonian on the market I know of that has the focuser set this way. Although contrary to popular belief, I think this is better for right eyed observers, however I'm sure that the other side is quite fine for most observers. Tom has done an excellent job in the design and location of features on this telescope. The real reason that dob designers put their focusers on the right side is because of safety when using big dobsonians that require ladders. If you're on a tall ladder in the dark looking at the same object for a long period, chances are that you'll eventually pull the scope into yourself and simply back the ladder up. If the focuser were on the left side like mine, you will be pushing the telescope away from yourself when tracking the sky. DOB designers do not want you to be tempted to reach too far over on these tall ladders when trying to see through the eyepiece in the dark. I can easily see this being an issue with big telescopes that require ladders. On some of the earlier units of the Teleport, you will notice that the corners of the upper cage assembly where the struts attach to, protrude and touch your nose when observing through the eyepiece. This is no longer an issue because Tom has cut all the corners down as seen in the photo of the upper cage for all of the latest models. At first, this was another reason I wanted my focuser on the left side, but I soon learned that this doesn't even matter anymore. Teleport Sky Commander (Optional). I have chosen not to go into detail about this, however I would like to share something brief. Although Tom already programs the Sky Commander for you, it's really not that much work. The point I wish to stress the most about it, is the simplicity of it. You simply turn the computer on, press enter, and site two stars, done. No levelling, or pointing the tube 90 deg. My Losmandy computer was never that simple on my GM8. Dobs make it easy. Optics and Specs file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (8 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

10 The Teleport houses a Carl Zambuto 10" F-5 with a 1.83" secondary from ProtoStar using enhanced coatings, giving an 18% central obstruction (great for planets). The focal length is 1270mm. I've heard many observers state these Zambuto mirrors are legendary in the field. I like Carl Zambuto's subtle words like "good". The mirror has a "good" edge. The micro finish is "good". Subtle words like this are usually the sign of a person who doesn't need to boast about their work and simply allow the facts to speak for themselves. The information supplied about the Zambuto Optics are very descriptive, however you may need to consult Carl in order to better interpret them in lames terms. Carl wrote some literature about his optics and how they are measured. I feel that it's very important to try and understand this before drawing any conclusions about numbers. I could tell immediately that Carl knows his craft and I truly respect that. I have decided not to go into any detail about numbers in order to avoid any miss interpretation about how they are measured and besides, it doesn't matter. What matters is what it all boils down to under the stars, which you will soon find out. Collimation & Protostar Spider One of the things that surprised me is how simple it is to collimate the Teleport. I usually don't use lasers, but the whole process can easily be done in the dark as well. I actually thought it would be a bear because you can not see the face of the secondary when using a laser and I was dead wrong. I do the entire procedure sitting on my observing chair in two minutes. Here's how it works. I simply turn the collimation knobs on the back of the mirror cell counter clock wise to their loosest position. I then point the tube in a vertical position to make sure the primary is pressed down all the way. While sitting in my observing chair, I then point the tube about 45 degrees toward my head in order see down the tube. The primary already has a little bulls eye on it. I then insert the laser collimator. (Tom stresses caution and safety when using the Teleport laser). Remember, that a laser collimator assumes that the optics have already been properly centered with regard to their positions in the tube and that's another thing I like. Tom inspects and tests the optics before shipping his telescopes, so they should already be pretty well set. Either way, the adjustments will only be minimal. How many telescope manufactures really test their telescopes in the field? Very few. I soon learned that I did not need to see where the laser was on the secondary, and here's why. Tom had already adjusted the secondary at the precise distance needed from the primary, so you don't have to fiddle with the nylon bolt in the front of the secondary. I then reach under the cage to unclip the alan wrench in order to make the necessary adjustments to the secondary. At this point, the laser beam should be pointing at the center of the bulls eye on the primary. After that, I simply clip the alan wrench back in. The face of the Teleport laser has a convenient little spider web graph. As you look at the graph, you'll notice that the beam has bounced back on itself and has pointed somewhere on the graph. While sitting in my observing chair, I simply spin the telescope around and turn one of the three collimation knobs on the rear mirror cell, clockwise. I then spin it back to see where the beam has moved on the graph inside the tube on the face of the laser collimator. You simply repeat the process until the beam is pointed file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (9 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

11 precisely at the center of the graph. In order for this to take place, the beam couldn't be anywhere but dead canter on the secondary as long as Tom has already set the secondary for you, so don't fiddle with it. Either way, you can still see the face of the secondary from the reflection of the primary, so it will not matter. I was very surprised to see that even after opening and closing the struts, the collimation usually only needs minor adjustments almost every time. The Bogen struts are pretty accurate. One of the things that make the ProtoStar so smooth is that the canter bolt is made of a nylon plastic while Novak uses metal and this is why Brian's ProtoStar's are so much nicer to collimate. The collimation screws are right in the front for easy access, not behind the spider vane like the Novak. I have also chatted with Brian in the past on a couple of occasions and he's a nice guy to talk with. Have you ever tried talking to Novak? Deep Sky with the Teleport Now it was time to see what it all boiled down too. I did my first tests with the Teleport from Los Angeles under good skies. I'm only a few miles from the ocean, so the stable laminar air flow provides good seeing here. I usually don't bother doing much deep sky from the city because most of it is done at Mt. Pinos and Joshua Tree. My observations in the city are usually done scrutinizing planets along with double and variable stars using a 4" Takahashi APO Only 4 of my variable star observations have been file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (10 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

12 published in the AAVSO journal even though I've posted about 50. Unfortunately some are too faint for apos, but I have always felt that refractors make excellent city scopes. I now normally only turn the Teleport's fan on for about 30 minutes before each observing session if the telescope has been sitting in the house all day, or has been exposed to a different temperature, otherwise it's better to leave the fan off and just let the air temperature slowly do its own equilibrating for you. As long as the telescope has sat out for a while already, this will be fine. One of the things I like about the mirror cell placement on the Teleport is that it exposes the primary to the air, thus allowing the Zambuto to equilibrate more efficiently. After setting up the Teleport on this particular night, I ran the fan for about 35 minutes first and then collimated because I knew my tests were going to be critical. I did the first star test while observing Capella in Auriga. The optics exhibited text book perfect ring patterns both inside and outside of focus with a beautiful airy disc at the canter just as depicted in Fig. 8.6 p.233 of Phil Harrington's book "Star Ware". Sometimes it was hard to notice it with the seeing going in and out at such a critical moment, however I could see the star pattern when it was steady enough and I was extremely impressed. I then inserted a 30 mm Leitz Optik with an 88 deg. apv, giving 42x and decided to point the Teleport at an obvious an easy cluster, M45 the Pleiades. The Teleport revealed a gorgeous "refractor like" image. The entire cluster was enveloped into this huge field of view littered with young blue and white star points and room to spare. I said, Oh mann! Normal people would think I was talking to my girl friend. I then followed up with some more open clusters and the first thing that shocked me was how resolved they were even from a suburban city, in fact I was getting better results on star clusters with the Teleport in LA then I was with my 4" Takahashi at Mt. Pinos. I also could not help myself from noticing actual star colors in certain clusters themselves. M35 revealed two tiny but prominent star points. One looking bluish and the other orange, not to mention colored stars in a three other clusters as well. I then pointed the Teleport at M37 in Auriga and inserted a 26 mm Tele Vue plossl and it looked absolutely gorgeous! It was perfectly framed at 48x with the plossl's 50 deg. apv, looking like a swarm of sprinkled salt crystals on velvet, even from Los Angeles. I can see I'll be doing more observing at home now as well. Another nice thing about the Teleport is that all my observations were done sitting down while star hopping was a breeze, in fact I forgot how easy it is to simply move a dobsonian up down left right, here in a city. The Teleport was much easier to use then the Takahashi and I was already getting better results by the first night. It was like a deep sky frenzy. Using just the Palm Pilot "Planetarium" alone, I was tearing up the sky more productively and quicker than an LX200 just for the fun of it. M41, NGC2362, M93, M46, M47, M48 and the list went on that night. NGC 1502 "Kembles Cascade", one of my top ten favorites looked like a braided star chain in the 30 mm Leitz Optic. The Teleport revealed the best view of NGC1502 surpassing that of even my 4 APO As the night proceeded further into the early morning, I then referred to p.238 of Uranometria 2000 and star hopped from 16-Vir to 3C273. I then referred to p.2101 of Burnham's Celestial Handbook to confirm the exact pin point. The famed quasar stood readily visible to file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (11 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

13 the Teleport's grasp at mag. 12.8, possibly 2-3 billion light years distant! from the city of Los Angeles. While enjoying a lunar planetary observing run at Charlton Flats with two of my observing buddies, one of them said they were ready to pack it in. I had already made enough observations, so I decided to pull a joke on them just for fun. One of them had a Takahashi FS152 while the other had a C14, so I immediately packed up the Teleport, put it in the car and that's when the fun began. I pulled out my thermos, sat on a lawn chair and just watched them work. It was hard to remain humble when I saw them both lifting the C14 from the G11 mount. All I could hear was each of them giving each other directions in the dark, it was truly a candid moment. After they realized what I was doing, they started making cracks at me about trying to tip my chair over. I said, keep on moving fellas, you've got work to do! Sadly we didn't bother to check the jet stream overhead that night because we were so eager to get out of the city. None of us got a good view, so I never got a crack at beating their views of the planets that night as well, Dang! Note, If you plan to observe planets and there's a jet stream, don't waste your time. Planets with the Teleport I have always believed that planets are the most difficult optical barrier for a telescope to break, and how would the Teleport compare to these amazing APO refractors from Takahashi and Astrophysics, not to mention various other high quality instruments like maks and larger newtonian's? Waiting for a bit of steady air is no different than a lion waiting patiently in the tall grass to capture it's prey. On the second, third and fourth night out with the Teleport, I was rewarded with views of Jupiter and Saturn that just retired APO refractors all together, as well as any other telescope in recent memory. If a newtonian can produce images this good, why bother owning an APO that costs two to six times the price and requires twenty times the energy of the Teleport to set up? I don't mean to sound arrogant, but it's hard to be humble when you have a telescope you just pulled out of the front seat of your car and only took you a minute to set up, and find out that it will just absolutely kill a prestigious large aperture APO refractor that probably cost someone 20,000$ and 20 minutes to set up. It's just hard not to get a laugh out of that. I admire Ed Ting's quote, "ok guys, lets go embarrass some refractor owners. He wasn't kidding when he said that about these 10" mirrors. In a nutshell, the Teleport eats APO Jacks for breakfast. While there was no jet stream within miles good seeing conditions in Los Angeles granted views of Jupiter which revealed beautiful, colourful, tack sharp structure within it's cloud belts at 258x with the binovue. White ovals, garlands and detail were beyond verbal description. Even the GRS revealed structure within itself while its gorgeous dark eyebrow rolled over the top and in between the South Component and South Temperate Zone. It then continued along the entire face of the planet. After seeing the image I was getting in the Teleport, I inserted the binovue into the Takahashi FS102 and altered the magnification. I also had the new Tele Vue NP101 handy. The words out of my mouth were, "this is not even close"! After seeing the images I was getting in the Teleport, I didn't even be bother looking through either of the apos anymore that night. One of the biggest differences I immediately noticed with the Teleport, is that the color of planets reveal their true nature. The planetary views were unbeatable and nothing short of aesthetic, resembling the tailored planetary images of a larger APO refractor with a greatly added dose of detail and color file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (12 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

14 including sharpness. Even Saturn's globe with subtle cloud features, do to a haze of ammonia ice crystals in its upper atmosphere revealed their own show of colors The image scale was bigger without the loss of color and detail that usually occurs in lesser instruments when boosting magnification. The thing that knocked me out the most, is that all this detail was razor sharp on a number of nights. The Keeler division (200 miles wide), now wrongly accepted as Encke's division by the International Astronomical Union was not visible, however with excellent seeing conditions and a Newtonian this sharp, it's hard to believe that it wont be seen with more observations at higher magnifications in the future regardless of the Dawes limit in the 10". Higher magnification and excellent seeing will be needed to break this division since it's only 1/15th the width of Cassini's division or.04". Encke's minimum was no problem. This is the unofficial name of the shaded area in the middle of the A ring that observers most often mistake for the Keeler division. This shaded feature naturally comes and goes over certain time periods, so it isn't always visible. This same rule applies to the spokes that reside within the B ring, which can stretch up to 12,000 miles long and appear in just 10 minutes. The spokes appear and disappear because Saturn's magnetic field transfers a charge to the large and small particles within the B ring. These particles then repel each other, causing the smaller particles with the least amount of mass to become elctrostatically levitated above the ring plane. I personally believe, that based on all my observations of studying planets over the years with various instruments including larger high quality newtonians, maks and APO refractors, that the Teleport's 10" mirror has granted me the best ratio between respectable cool down times and excellent views. Roland Christen and Terrence Dickinson once stated that a telescope of any optical design with reasonable aperture and excellent optical quality will provide a life time of fantastic planetary detail. The Teleport's 10" Zambuto fits this category perfectly. When observers state that they can see more detail in their bigger newtonians, this is very true but not as consistently as you may think. There's and important trade off that must be stated here. You can not set up a big telescope and just expect to get the most detailed planetary images, even if the optical quality is excellent, it doesn't work that way. Mother nature must first grant you permission to do so. Theoretical resolving powers and high strehl ratios are meaningless against seeing conditions that are less than great in instruments that large. There are two important barriers that must be considered with larger newtonians. One is that, bigger newtonians will produce alarmingly bright planetary images, thus amplifying the slightest bit of air currents, resulting in a sloppy, unresolved, bleached out planetary image. If you try to magnify the image to lower the brightness, then the planets will simply become blurred blobs that are far from aesthetic. Second, even if you use an aperture mask or color filter, large mirrors can require an impractical amount of time to equilibrate, and this is crucial when studying the subtle and delicate details of a planets surface, not to mention that you have to stand on a tall ladder for long periods of time. To me that is just not practical. Medium size newtonians from 8"-12" like the Teleport, will more often produce a sharper an even more resolved image than larger newtonians under most circumstances. These statements are based on dozens of observations under the average seeing conditions using various sized high quality instruments over the years. No matter how good or how big your telescope is, there has to be a balance between aperture file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (13 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

15 and seeing conditions that will still allow the views to appear detailed and aesthetic. With planets moving into winter, larger newtonians are sadly becoming more useless for planets anyway do to winters unstable jet streams and air currents. The term for winter so often heard is "cool & crisp", however this statement has become a false cliché. If anything, the skies are worse in the winter. It's the fact that there are so many bright stars in the winter that creates the false psychological impression that the air is crisp, making people think that's why they are able to see more stars. This is completely untrue. By 2003, I plan to design and build the finest portable tracking platform, specifically aimed at the Teleport in preparation for the greatest Mars opposition in many years. Mars will be a whopping 25.1 arc seconds. The platform will be lower, lighter and more compact then any other design. As far as I'm concerned, tracking with the Teleport really isn't an issue unless I'm spending hours on end observing planets. As far as deep sky is concerned, I usually observe each object for a few minutes and move to another object since there are so many beautiful ones to observe, thus tracking is less of an issue. Everything that observers have said about Zambuto Optics is true, however I also believe that using Stephen O'Meara's breathing techniques as described on p.23 of "The Messier Objects" also helps to achieve even better visual results with the Teleport, in fact I tried hyperventilating while looking at stars with my naked eye and I could literally see fainter stars appear within seconds, it really works. That extra amount of oxygen to the brain can really make that bit of difference. Sketching with the Teleport Although the Teleport dose not track, this can actually be advantageous when pencilling in nebulosity as described in O'Meara's book p.23 Waiting for the first hint of nebulosity to drift into the field of view builds a better mental accuracy and awareness of the nebulosity's immediate location. As I mentioned before, sitting down and using the Teleport's counter weight as a navigating knob makes sketching at the eyepiece a lot of fun. I usually will only use plossls or orthos when sketching objects for a number of reasons. Narrow fields have two major advantages over wide fields when sketching. One is that wide fields can strain your eyes when trying to see the image drift into the field of view over long periods of sketching. Two is that narrow fields make a much better imaginary clock guide for depicting accurate star locations in the field of view. Plossl's and orthos also yield better light throughput when studying detail at this level, especially when observing detail in spiral arms. Thanks to the Teleport's smooth rock steady movement, I have never enjoyed sketching more. Summary One of the things that I like about the Teleport is that it was made by a small business similar to mine. I think this is important because hopefully it builds a friendly relationship between the buyer and the seller. This is one of the major draw backs to bigger companies like Meade and Celestron. You don't always know who you're talking to or you may not get the service you want. I'm sure these companies file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (14 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

16 don't mean to be that way, it's just the price that comes with being a bigger company. I have been in this hobby since the early 80's as a kid and I've used a variety of instruments as I've grown up. Observers have asked me what I think the perfect telescope is, and my response has always been that there is no such thing as a perfect telescope, in fact I stated myself in a different review at one time. Since I've owned the Teleport, that statement no longer resides in my vocabulary and it no longer needs to. When I set up my FS102 & GM8 it takes about five trips in and out the door. First it's the tripod, the mount, the tube, the battery, the eyepiece case, the accessory case and the chair. You then have to set up the electronics, diagonal, polar alignment, not to mention that almost every time you change position in the sky, you have to re adjust the diagonal and refocus when using a German EQ mount. This made me nervous when using heavy wide field eyepieces. German EQ mounts are also very awkward and inconvenient to move around the sky as well. Note, even if you have GOTO you still have adjust the diagonal and refocus. You also have to worry about the balance when changing eyepieces, otherwise your expensive tube might take a dive into the mount itself. The main reason I owned the APO refractor was for observing planets and double stars within the city, and to provide reasonably good deep sky views, however in order for a telescope to be perfect, what would it have to do? As far as I'm concerned, It would have to conquer three fundamental categories. I have always believed that in order for an amateur astronomer to have it all, he or she would need to own three telescopes. 1. A planetary scope," usually and APO refractor, 4"-6". They are usually sharper and more consistent on planets than light buckets are under average seeing conditions. Cost = 5,000$- 20,000$ 2. "A portable scope" with quick set ups and mobility. For those times, you just want a quick peak at the night sky. I'm sure we've all had them, I have them myself. Cost = 500$-1200$ 3. "A deep sky scope" that reveals spiral structure in galaxies and resolves globular clusters into swarms. Cost = 1,000$ - 10,000$ The only thing that these three telescopes have in common, is that not one of them can fully fulfill the tasks of all three categories on a regular and consistent basis. 1. The APO refractor will not show spiral structure in galaxies or resolve globular clusters like a dobsonian of larger aperture, nor can it be set up as fast and easy as the portable telescope and even if it could, it still lacks the deep sky advantage. 2. The portable telescope on the other hand can not reveal spiral structure or resolve globular clusters either, nor can it reveal planets like an APO refractor dose. Its only advantage is that it's smaller and sets up fast for a quick peak. 3. The light bucket can not be set up as fast an easy as the the portable telescope, nor dose it reveal planets as consistently as an APO refractor dose and even if it did, it's still not portable. This is the real reason why no one of these telescopes are perfect. All of them have advantages and file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (15 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

17 disadvantages which serve a specific application. It's no different then comparing a rally car to a Indianapolis car. Neither car can do what the other one can because they each serve a specific purpose. I was blown away when I first realized that the Teleport fulfilled all three of those categories on a regular and consistent bases. One, it beats out any APO refractor on planets regularly because of its thin mirror with an excellent figure and quick cool down times. Two, it's portable and sets up fast an easy like the portable telescope does because of its ingenious design. Three, it reveals spiral structure in galaxies and resolves globular clusters into swarms like the light bucket because of it's 10" aperture. If you take the least expensive scope in each category and add all their prices together, the total would be 6,500$ an even that's pushing it. The Teleport costs just over 3,000$. The way I see it, I'm 3,500$ ahead. I would consolidate those telescopes like consolidating your bills and sell them all. Compress them into a box not much bigger than 12" square and 24" high and be done. Who knows, you might actually have a few extra bucks left over to pay off your debts. As far as I'm concerned, the Teleport was free. What could be cheaper then that? Either way, it's worth every penny and then some. By the way, don't forget your chair. Simply Put It I would pick the Teleport over any telescope system in the world for amateur astronomy regardless of cost. It's the perfect telescope, period. Update 3/8/02 Immediately after the Teleport review was posted, I received an alarming amount of questions regarding eyepiece magnifications, astrophotography, and air transport with the Teleport from various observers. Although I responded to as many s as I possibly could, I felt it would simply be easier for file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (16 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM

18 everyone if I laid it all out in a nutshell for them. I hope this update will help anyone who did not get a detailed response to their questions. I did not feel that it was necessary to include this information because I did not want to lose sight of the fact that this is a review about the Teleport. Astrophotography with the Teleport Although I respect astrophotographers for their work and contribution to this hobby, I did not include it for a number of reasons. I aimed the Teleport review with two fundamental factors in mind. One, what is practical, and two, what is most often practised in the field. Pure amateur astronomy is a visual passion while astrophotography is a whole different hobby in itself, especially if it's done right. Anyone who's been exposed to this hobby should tell you that you are in for some serious money and work if you plan to attempt it, even with the latest equipment. There are dual access tracking platforms that are used for astrophotography with dobsonians, however I don't yet know of anyone who has attempted this with the Teleport yet. Tom Noe sent me an interesting snap shot of Jupiter which looked pretty good, but remember that it's allot of work in the long run. Most of the good astrophotographers like Gary Stephens S-BIG March, 02' Sky&Tel who is with my observing team are not as much into visual astronomy and spend most of there time staying warm in their campers or socializing while they wait for their timers to go off. These statements are only based on what I've seen in the field, not speculation or bias. Before attempting this, one must ask themselves where their passion lies. Airline Transport with the Teleport The 10" Teleport can not be carried on a plane, however Tom Noe has a 7" specifically aimed at air transport. Assuming you plan to travel to Australia someday, I'm sure that the sky you plan to observe under will more than make up for the loss of 3" aperture. For the price of the trip though, you could probably buy a new Teleport, and how many times can the average person actually afford to travel? You may spend three or four thousand dollars on a Teleport, but you only have to do it once. I just feel that one must ask themselves if they travel enough or can afford to travel allot, that it would merit mention of this subject, which brings us back to the two fundamental factors mentioned above, what is practical and what is most often practised. This is the main reason why this topic was not stressed. If you are one of those people who has extra flight mileage, or have time and money to travel, I would suggest you go for the 7" Teleport. As far as I know, it holds the record for the largest complete telescope you can store in an airline overhead storage bin. Although there are larger custom compact telescopes by ATM's, they are not produced to be sold to the public. Remember that there still may be some limitations with certain airlines though. Magnification with the Teleport I go after the largest view I can achieve without losing colour and sharpness. Although observers claim high numbers, they are not achieved without sacrifice. When observers claim 400x in a 4" refractor, I file:///users/asaint/cloudy/reviews2/teleport2.htm (17 of 18)2/8/2004 2:45:56 AM