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For any noob lurkers like me I may be able to save you some time and money on getting set up:
- The source for the "old" style "Orion/Merlin" mounts is now SkyWatcher (www.skywatcher.com). The correct one is called the MultiFunction (MF) Mount. The only one Orion now handles ("Go-To" version) isn't the preferred one (search the forum for why). I believe Sky-Watcher is the old OEM source for the mount Orion/Merlin re-sold.
but
- They've been out of stock for months and have no idea when they will be back in stock
but
- They recognize that we non-telescope folks use these for remote camera control, so for now he has graciously marked down his "Backpacker" series of portable telescope kits to just over the price of the MultiFunction Mount alone. For an extra $20-$40 or so you get the everything you'd get with the MF mount only plus a tabletop base, choice of two telescope tubes (read: tube+T-mount=new 1200mm lens
or great spotting scope), and a backpack to put it all in. Sounded like a deal to me.
and even better
A couple of their distributors are offering free shipping for the holidays. Go the the Dealers tab on skywatcher.com for links to their distributors.
Good luck and Happy Holidays!
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Good news! Thanks for these informations ![]()
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Do you know which US suppliers were carrying the kit? I can't find any now, and I have had a confirmed order cancelled on me. I'd love to find one ASAP as I have a job that could really use it.
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Hello Matt,
Probably this one ....![]()
http://www.astronomics.com/main/product … id/SWMAK90
or this
http://www.skywatcherusa.com/products/m … on-scopes/
or this
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid … =&st=0
Last edited by claudevh (2010-01-06 00:15:19)
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Thanks, I have ordered one from astronomics as it works out cheaper than the same model from Skywatcher themselves and even though it is actually shipped from them direct. We'll see if it turns out to be back ordered too, i have yet to receive a confirmation ![]()
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Pretty good deal, Matt! I got the same setup from Ocenside Photo & Telescope (listed as a dealer on the SkyWatcher USA site) www.optcorp.com but for the $249 with free shipping. If yours falls through, try them. Call and give them the web site with a lower price and they may match. They did that for my free shipping.
A bonus - I've been having fun with the telescope while working out the Papywiz operation. Pretty good tube. Add a T-Mount and it becomes a 1200mm lens!
Todd
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i'll bear that in mind, hopefully Astronomics won't turn out to be yet another retailer that offers stock they can't supply.
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I ordered the 80mm version from Optcorp.com on Sunday and it shipped on Monday.
They seem to be the cheapest around.
$199 for either the 90 or 80 mm telescope.
They were quite pleasant to deal with.
If you are not in the US you can use borderlinx.com to obtain a US postal address, and then arrange shipping to your home from there.
With 90mm telescope:
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid … t&st=2
With 80mm telescope:
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid … t&st=2
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Hello "jeremy",
Are you a "papywizard" user or do-you have the intention to become one ? ![]()
If this is the case, could you provide us with some info's about you ...
See our "known" users database:
http://www.autopano.net/wiki-en/action/ … s_feedback
You can Email all this directly to me and I will put in our database ...![]()
Thanks
Last edited by claudevh (2010-01-13 11:33:23)
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Hi,
I also bought the Merlin MAK90 at Astronomics after having tried desperatly to buy it from Pulsar Optical (they charged once my paypal and once my Visa but were unable to deliver it to my UK address - they still need to charge it back after two months
).
Astronomics has it in stock, but the telescope mount has been stopped at the EU customs due to missing / faulty CE marking. Can Anyone of you check whether your mount (and not the handset) has the CE mark?
We are currently trying to solve the problem with Skywatcher - but I wanted to warn potential EU importers.
Last edited by bfp169 (2010-01-21 21:31:00)
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bfp169 wrote:
Hi,
I also bought the Merlin MAK90 at Astronomics after having tried desperatly to buy it from Pulsar Optical (they charged once my paypal and once my Visa but were unable to deliver it to my UK address - they still need to charge it back after two months)..
Beware of pulsar optical...they seem to be the same as scope'n'skies...
compare these pages:
http://www.pulsar-optical.co.uk/prod/me … eluxe.html
http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/merlin … eluxe.html
and then read these threads:
http://forum.skyatnightmagazine.com/tm. … +AND+skies
http://forum.skyatnightmagazine.com/tm. … amp;#67174
Where it seems a lot of people have had troubles getting anything delivered... (!)
I almost ordered from them but got suspicious when they had two domains with very similar stores...I would avoid them - and if you have an order with them, file an official complaint & talk to paypal/visa asap.
Can someone take them off the dealer list in the FAQ..?
Just my 5p ![]()
//O.
Last edited by odd (2010-01-23 05:19:52)
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Hi all,
bfp169 wrote:
Can Anyone of you check whether your mount (and not the handset) has the CE mark?
I have a "Sky-Watcher" from Astronome.fr and this one has "NO CE MARK" ...
Astronome.fr get his Skywatcher material from Medas who is the "official" Skywatcher distributor for France!
odd wrote:
Can someone take them off the dealer list in the FAQ..?
Hello "odd",
"Scopes’n’Skies", "Pulsar Optical" and "Astro Engineering" has probably the same "mother company", they are "physically" together in the "Astronomy & Nature Centre Ltd"
http://www.astronomyandnature.com/ ...
This is impossible to have a correct follow-up of the "dealer list in the FAQ's" as I have never get "any feedbacks nor inputs" about this list. This listing is clearly "for information only" and has been created for helping the users in their search for "the Graal" ...
There is enough sellers in UK and I will remove Scopes’n’Skies and Pulsar Optical from he listing !
FYI : "Optical Vision" is the official distributor for UK, Scandinavia and Baltic states
http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/
Last edited by claudevh (2010-01-23 18:40:15)
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odd wrote:
Beware of pulsar optical...they seem to be the same as scope'n'skies...
compare these pages:
http://www.pulsar-optical.co.uk/prod/me … eluxe.html
http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/merlin … eluxe.html
and then read these threads:
http://forum.skyatnightmagazine.com/tm. … +AND+skies
http://forum.skyatnightmagazine.com/tm. … amp;#67174
Where it seems a lot of people have had troubles getting anything delivered... (!)
I almost ordered from them but got suspicious when they had two domains with very similar stores...I would avoid them - and if you have an order with them, file an official complaint & talk to paypal/visa asap.
Can someone take them off the dealer list in the FAQ..?
Just my 5p
//O.
Yes, they are the same. I am sorry to hear you have had problems.
I don't know why they seem to find it so difficult to deliver to people. Their warehouse and showroom is not far from where I live. They have a showroom and warehouse, on a small industrial estate just outside Ely, in Cambridgeshire. They seem to carry a lot of stock and have knowledgeable staff - so why they fail to process and deliver some orders is beyond my understanding. It is quite a large operation so I guess they must also have a lot of customers who have no troubles with order processing or delivery.
Personal shoppers would have no problems I think - just call to check they have stock before making the trip.
..........
FWIW I bought my Merlin from Telescope Planet - http://www.telescopeplanet.co.uk/ - and had some hassles with them too. I had to chase them up several times before they delivered and then my fisrt Merlin had no battery holders and it took another two weeks to get a replacement. That was before I was aware of Pulsar Optical etc. who are just 10 miles from me.
Perhaps these astroscope retailers just tend to be rather badly managed businesses, with a better knowledge of scopes than of how to run an efficient business?
Last edited by mediavets (2010-01-23 19:08:26)
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claudevh wrote:
FYI : "Optical Vision" is the official distributor for UK, Scandinavia and Baltic states
http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/
They are based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (also not far from where I live), but they strictly a trade distributor and will not talk to retail customers.
Last edited by mediavets (2010-01-23 18:59:53)
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claudevh wrote:
This is impossible to have a correct follow-up of the "dealer list in the FAQ's" as I have never get "any feedbacks nor inputs" about this list. This listing is clearly "for information only" and has been created for helping the users in their search for "the Graal" ...
There is enough sellers in UK and I will remove Scopes’n’Skies and Pulsar Optical from he listing !
I still do not understand why they were unable to ship it to my UK address. Not to mention the excessive price they wanted to charge to continental Europe (over £80). I hope I will be able to recover the money.
Skywatcher is helpful regarding my problem, however they were still not able to send me the EC declaration of Conformity.
Note that it is unlawful not to have the CE mark on a electronics product in Europe. I am quite surprised the european importers did not pass this information to the manufacturer.
Last edited by bfp169 (2010-01-25 21:39:36)
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bfp169 wrote:
I still do not understand why they were unable to ship it to my UK address. Not to mention the excessive price they wanted to charge to continental Europe (over £80). I hope I will be able to recover the money.
Skywatcher is helpful regarding my problem, however they were still not able to send me the EC declaration of Conformity.
Note that it is unlawful not to have the CE mark on a electronics product in Europe. I am quite surprised the european importers did not pass this information to the manufacturer.
Where are you based?
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mediavets wrote:
Where are you based?
I am based in Luxembourg.
Regards
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bfp169 wrote:
mediavets wrote:
Where are you based?
I am based in Luxembourg.
Regards
OK - so why choose to purchase a Merlin from the UK?
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mediavets wrote:
OK - so why choose to purchase a Merlin from the UK?
I have a UK address and can herefore easily have things delivered in the UK. But the mount was also difficult to find elsewhere or had firmware problems (I know they have been solved since then).
Last edited by bfp169 (2010-01-26 16:52:04)
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Finally got round to setting my startracker head up with a ftdi cable.
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid … t&st=2
Purchased in mid January, it has the older firmware 1.09.81, so no need to update.
cheers
Jeremy
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I finally got my multi-function mount from the customs.
Big thumbs up for the skywatcher support team which has taken the time and the effort to help and provided me with the full EMC compliance report (62p).
regards,
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bfp169 wrote:
I finally got my multi-function mount from the customs.
Big thumbs up for the skywatcher support team which has taken the time and the effort to help and provided me with the full EMC compliance report (62p).
regards,
seems out of stock now > http://www.skywatcherusa.com/multifunct … 21300.html
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claudevh wrote:
This is impossible to have a correct follow-up of the "dealer list in the FAQ's" as I have never get "any feedbacks nor inputs" about this list. This listing is clearly "for information only" and has been created for helping the users in their search for "the Graal" ...
Hi Claudevh,
Thanks for the feedback!! I know it's hard work to maintain a good f.a.q - I am very grateful for the time and effort you put in to make the merlin information available to us all..!
I really just wanted to send a bit of feedback about the suppliers, as a small contribution to the f.a.q...and to help others avoid troubles with merlin orders...
Many thanks for the supplier link, I'm not sure if I'll buy the merlin head or to wait for the OWL head...or both
- it may take a bit of time for the OWL...but I'd love to write some code for it!
cheers //O.
Please keep up the good work, this forum is great!! ![]()
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