A family shot of the different focuser of the scopes.

On the left the Cassegrain Focuser, middle the 16cm refractor focuser and right the 20 cm focuser.

The eyepiece attachment system is very similar to the Zeiss system.
This are the 3 different eyepiece dovetails from the different focuser's. It are Zeiss style dovetails. Or are it original Zeiss dovetails?
More and more I find indications that Kozelsky knew very well the Zeiss Jena material.
The large Zeiss Jena scopes were "common" in Eastern Europe.

The sizes are:
The smallest from the Cassegrain: focuser side: 63.5mm, eyepiece side 54,7mm
Medium size from the 16cm refractor: focuser side 71,6mm, eyepiece side 71,2mm
Large size from the 20cm refractor: focuser side 94,5mm, eyepiece side 88mm

All the focuser and draw tubes have different sizes.

For the people who love stories.  Found all the adapters in a cooking pot in one of the hotel chambers ;-)

Vilém Gajdušek (1895–1977) was Czech optician and prominent telescope designer. Asteroid 3603 Gajdušek is named for him.

Asteroid 8229 is named in honor of František Kozelský (1913–2003 ), a Czech telescope maker well-known for his work in collaboration with V. Gajdušek. Kozelský. Kozelský made several 60cm Cassegrains and a series of 20cm refractors for observatories in Czech Republic, Slovakia and the rest of former Eastern Europe.

Hvězdárna Ždánice (1963) was the first big project by Gajdušek and Kozelský.  The Public Observatory had two domes with a 20cm and 16cm equatorial mounted refractors, two 25 cm Classical Cassegrain and a set of smaller optical instruments.  With it annual 15 000 visitors it was one of the most succesfull observatories of Eastern Europe in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Now the observatory is closed.

155mm f = 2 400 mm achromatic refractor made by Vilém Gajdušek, optics and František Kozelský, telescopes and mount.
The refractor is mounted on a 250kg equatorial mount  The optics were made in 1958 and the telescope in 1962

200mm f = 2 870 mm achromatic refractor made by Vilém Gajdušek, optics and František Kozelský, telescopes and mount.
The refractor is mounted on a 250kg equatorial mount  The optics and the telescope were made in 1969

About a month ago a received an offer for buying the abandoned Public Observatory of Zdanice in the Czech Republic.
The observatory was build in the 1960’s, the communist era of Czechoslovakia.  It was abandoned after the revolution when the subventions dried up and the founder died.
 
The Observatory consists of two parts: the original Observatory and a later added hotel.
The hotel is in very bad condition.  Very expensive to restore and no added value to the observatory.  The observatory is worth restoring.
My initial idea was to keep the observatory and to take down the hotel.  Impossible to get a permit.
The only option was to buy only the inventory of the observatory.  
After we closed the deal I got the message that I only got one week to remove the inventory.  Panic but ok.  Found a team of six people and a transporter.
It’s a ones in a lifetime opportunity.  So adrenaline is very helpful ;-)
 
In the inventory are included a 20cm f:15 and 16cm f:15 equatorial mounted refractors in 4.5meter domes.  Another 16cm refractor and two 25cm Classical Cassegrains on altaz mounts.
A 20cm Schmidt camera and 10cm Coronagraph who were mounted on the  scopes.
Fantastic instruments build by Prof. Ing. Vilém GAJDUŠEK (optics) and Frantisek Kozelsky (mounts and hardware).
The scopes are very professionally made.
The mounts weight about 250kg.
 
Beside the optical instruments there was a library, movie theatre and a planetarium.  Unfortunately the planetarium projector was already moved to the Brno observatory.
 
It was a huge library of about 15.000 books in Czech, Russian, German and some in English.  
Only a small part was astronomy related.  The library also served the local community.
In the movie theatre I found about 60 astronomical films.
 
The observatory was very successful and was one of the largest public observatories in Eastern Europe.
The future of the building is very uncertain.  There are several claims on the ground and building.  

 
I found the observatory as a time capsule.  Very weird.
It was like they closed the doors fifteen years ago and we opened it again for the first time.  
All the rooms and offices were intact. 

I've been searching for a photo to illustrate this message.  Couldn't find a real good image.

The interest in the old photographic techniques gives me a feel good.   Wonderful evolution in the mind of photographers to research the history of their medium.  They discover new techniques and tricks. 

Contemporary photographers make Daguerreotypes, salt prints, calotypes, etc.  Wonderful.

Now the photographers talk again about dark rooms, chemistry, sorts of paper and alchemy.  It's all about the old techniques.
I've been there.  Did the same thing in the 1980's.  I also made for years gum prints, cyanotypes, platinum prints, etc.  For me it was a death end street.  The techniques worked very well.  Great results.  Sometimes very complex images make in combination prints.

None of the photographers who use this old processes talk about the image language.  Every printing technique has it's own language.  This image language is related to the limitations and possibilities of the technique.  Most of the contemporary calotypes and Daguerreotypes you see are bad snapshots.  The old technique doesn't ad anything to the image.  It's a huge wast of time and efforts.  Photographers should concentrate on the basics of photography: communication.

The history of Belgian photography isn't the history of pioneers.  Belgium was the third country after France and the UK that was involved in the history of photography.

Belgian photography is characterized by craftsmanship.  What means you can discover fantastic photographers in all styles.  Not the inventors but users.  The Association Belge de la Photographie (APB, or Belgian Photography Association) was international highly esteemed.  The APB was founded by the young Belgian government (Belgium was founded in 1830) to promote the new country worldwide.  So standard for the members was very high.

Photography connoisseurs and collectors know very well Belgian photography.  Unfortunately you don't often find the Belgian photography in museums.  You need to look into private collections to find the jewels.

Since I started the Anamorfose Photo Gallery I promoted the Belgian photography by an international public.  It is also the base of the gallery inventory.

Now we are looking for a new home for our Belgian Photography collection.  It's a unique opportunity to acquire Fine Art Photography..

Don't hesitate to contact me if you should be interested in Belgian Photography.

A collection of vintage deep sky photos presented by AnamorFose Photo Gallery.
Astrophotography was an important motivator for the development of early photography.

AnamorFose (www.anamorfose.be) is a Belgian based art dealer specialized in vintage photography from 1880 until 1950.

A collection of vintage solar eclipse photos presented by AnamorFose Photo Gallery.
AnamorFose (www.anamorfose.be) is a Belgian based art dealer specialized in vintage photography from 1880 until 1950.

A personal history of photography Photography is malicious and dark Following two historical Collector’s Room Updates (pictorialism and modernism) the third Update is a unique perspective on photography and its history with images exploring the boundaries of conventional photography. Photography as a medium explodes and loses its traditional connotations. Historically accurate but not educational. A thematic group exhibition with original photographs by: E.E. Barnard (USA), Nikolaï Kossikoff (BE/RU), Isaac Roberts (UK), NASA (USA), Roscosmos (RU), Alan A. Dutton (USA), Anthony Beresford-Cooke (UK), Puiseux & Loewy (FR), Marcel Mariën (BE), Bruno Vermeersch (BE), Germaine Krull (DE), Mount Palomar Observatory (USA), anonymous Chinese and Russian photographers.

De Fullerscopes montering is een rechttoe rechtaan montering zonder ingewikkelde franjes.  Dit is ook een nadeel.  De originele houder van de worm is niet van de beste kwaliteit.  Het gevolg is veel backlash.

Ben al lang op zoek naar een definitieve oplossing voor dit euvel.  De bestaande houder bood geen oplossing.  Gelukkig kon ik een tweede identieke montering bemachtigen waar de vorige eigenaar begonnen was met het maken van een moderne houder voor de worm.  De grootste verbetering is dat er nu echte kogellagers in zitten en de worm beter past in de houder.  Enkel de motoren ontbraken.  De motoren die ik had laten maken bij AWR Technologies, Uk op de nieuwe houder gemonteerd.

Nu nog testen onder een heldere hemel.

De titel zegt het al: wolken en mist.  Niet veel gezien van de gedeeltelijke zonsverduistering van gisteren.  Andere delen van het land hadden iets meer geluk.  Een waterig hemeltje.  Enkel in het oosten was het helder.

Om 8 uur kon ik de kerktoren van Izegem niet zien.  Die staat op een 500 meter van bij ons.  Tegen 9 uur kon je al de toren zien.Om 9u30 was er een klein waterig zonnetje.  Hoop.  Van zeer korte duur.  Voldoende om de telescopen en de camera juist te richten.

Dit was het dan.  Het enigste wat we van de zon gezien hebben.

De Canon met de Zeiss Distagon 25mm stond vast op een statief.  Om de 2 minuten maakte die automatisch een opname.  Al was het bewolkt liet ik de camera lopen.  Achteraf was het resultaat niet slecht.  Op de opnames zie je duidelijk dat het donkerder werd tijdens het maximum van de eclips.  Het verschil is ongeveer 1 stop.

Toch nog iets van resultaat. 

Er zijn zo goed als geen eclipsbrilletjes meer te koop in Vlaanderen.  Het was een rush.

Zonsverduisteringen spreken de mensen altijd enorm aan.  Het is ook een uitzonderlijk spektakel.
De zonsverduistering van vrijdag zal niet zo'n spektakel zijn.  Geen donkere middag of mooie Corona.  Jammer.

Wel het spektakel van de maan die voor de zonneschijf zal schuiven.

Gelukkig kan ik de zonsverduistering vanuit de sterrenwacht waarnemen.  Een luxe.
Het is de bedoeling om de zonsverduistering te kunnen fotograferen.  Maar ook wat visueel waar te nemen.

De 30cm Cassegrain met de 75mm Polarex zal visueel gebruikt worden.  De Polarex om de volledige schijf te zien en de Cassegrain om het profiel van de maanbergen te zien.

Fotografie zal gebeuren met de TMB92SS gemonteerd op de 10cm Polarex.  Geen filters maar wel in wit licht met de Polarex Herschel Wedge.

Op een fotostatief zal er een camera staan met een groothoeklens.  Op gezette intervallen zal er foto gemaakt worden.  Nadien worden alle foto's samengevoegd tot 1 beeld waar het verloop van de verduistering zichtbaar zal zijn.

Veiligheid voor alles.  Alle telescopen uitgerust met filters.  Goede filters.  Geen geknutsel.  Het is te gevaarlijk.

Nu hopen op een heldere en zonnige dag.

Een klassieke montering uit de jaren vijftig vraagt soms wat onderhoud. 

De Fullerscopes montering is een rechttoe rechtaan equatoriale montering zonder franjes.  Dit maakt het onderhoud simpel zonder veel kopzorgen. 

Eerst de pooluitlijning nagekeken.  Had enkele maanden geleden de montering van de zuil genomen en zonder uitlijning teruggeplaatst.  Was nog relatief correct maar kon beter.  Met de Losmandy poolzoeker is dit een fluitje van een cent.
Nu werkt de GOTO nog preciezer.  Een plezier.

De backlash moet af en toe bijgesteld worden.  Gewoon de moer van de worm wat aanspannen en afsluiten.

De Fullerscopes is weer een super goede visuele montering.  Het zal nooit een fotografische montering zijn maar is een perfecte montering voor de 30cm Cassegrain.

Looking for parts for your 3" 75mm Unitron Polarex telescope?

On our website you can find an overview of all the mounts, OTA's and parts we have for the Unitron Polarex 75mm 3" telescopes.

Don't hesitate to contact us with your requests.

Xavier

Some time ago I received an email from Dave Komar, Editor of the Unitron History Project, with the questions: "How did you get into this business?  What's your story? "

Answered Dave with a short story and the result is a page on the Unitron History Project website.

This was the occasion for me to look for old photos to illustrate the article.

At the end of the Nihon Seiko saga in 1999 Unitron launches a set of digital setting circles for the 3" equatorial telescope.  A last action to compete with the Celestron and Meade computerized telescopes.  Too late.  The war is over.  The computerized mounted SCT telescopes won the war.

Unitron made two different versions of the ImageTrac: an automatic version with motors for the RA and the dec and a manual, Push-to version.  It's the manual version we're reviewing.

I don't think Unitron sold a lot of these ImageTrac kits.  I was able to buy the rest of the sets.
Not many people know about this accessory.   Some people find it a contradiction: equipping a manual mount with a computer.  There can be a lot of discussion about this.

In my search to modernize the classic telescopes I was very interested in the setting circles.  Would they work?  Are they user friendly?  Answer: yes, the ImageTrac is a great solution.

The 75mm Polarex Unitron refractor doesn't have the reputation of being a deep sky telescope.  You'd be surprised what you can observe with this scope.  I use the 75mm a lot for deep sky.  It is installed as a guide scope on my 30cm Cassegrain.

The ImageTrac will make it easier to observe deep sky with the original Polarex mount.

About the hardware

Don't forget it's a set developed in 1999.  The ImageTrac was developed by a Canadian company called Maestronix as the Eureka. 

The kit has the following parts:

• the huge and well made keypad
• the connector box
• the cables
• the two digital setting circles
• 3 discs with the software
• installation guide

All the parts are professionally made. 

The digital specifications from Unitron

The digital setting circles are tailormade for the 3" mount. The housing is black aluminum and fit very well with the black mount.

The connection is obvious.  Very user friendly. 

Installing the digital setting circles

The digital setting circles replace the manual ones.  The manual ones can easily be removed from the mount.  The setting circles fit perfectly on the shafts. 

One tricky thing is not to forget to remove the protecting foam inside the setting circle. 

The  software

In the box you find 3 floppy discs...  Floppy discs?  Don't forget the year 1999.  The soft was developed for Windows 3.11.  Couldn't find a computer still running this first version of Windows.  Installed the soft on a computer running Windows 2K Professional and later on a computer running Windows XP.  No problem. 

The software is necessary to load and to manage the deepsky catalogs.  In the keypad two catalogs are loaded: Messier and NGC.  In the soft there are 5 different catalogs.  Enough to observe for a couple of months...

Making the connection between the keypad and the computer is done with a serial cable. The original cable can't be used because it hasn't got the right serial connector.  A simple serial cable will do the job.

You can filter the catalogs on a lot of parameters.

Using the Imagetrac

You can compare the ImageTrac with Argo Navis controller.  It has the same functions but it isn't so user friendly as the Argo.  Again we're in 1999.

First step is to initialize the ImageTrac with date, time and location, then point your telescope to a reference star and select the reference star in the keypad.

Next step is to select the object from the catalog you want to observe.  Press GOTO and see the direction you have to turn the mount to to find the object.  Push the mount until you hear a beep and get the message "Lock Axis".  The object should be visible in your eyepiece.

Under the stars

The most important condition in using a GOTO system is polar alignment.  The better the polar alignment the better the GOTO.  I installed a polar scope on the mount and this makes life a lot easier.

Using the ImageTrac is very easy.  After aligning the mount and selecting the reference star it's easy to find an object.

First I aligned on Alfa Cassiopeia and then selected M31 the Andromeda Nebula.  No problem : the Nebula was in the center of view.  Then the Blue Snowball Nebula.  It's perfectly visible in the 75mm Polarex.  First with a Nagler 25mm and then with the 7mm Nagler. 

Conclusion

Love it.  The ImageTrac is well made and works perfectly for a system developed in 1999.

If you want to get more out of your classic scope you should try the ImageTrac.

The ImageTrac is now permanently installed on my mount. 

Bought a Unitron - Polarex equatorial mount 152 with custom made GOTO system by AWR from the UK.
I think Unitron purists will be horrified by the idea of changing this marvelous mounts.
It isn't any longer a real collector's item but a work horse.

It's interesting to see how people are searching to give their classic gear a second life.
You can also see it as a compliment for the versatility of the Polarex system to be able to be updated to the modern standards.