Orion's "apo"

On 13 Aug 2003 14:23:36 GMT, (Chris1011) wrote:

there is definitely room for another scope to bridge
the gap between the Chinese achros and overpriced
American/Russian/Taiwanese made products.
-Rich

Let me get on my soapbox for a bit here.

Yes, we all want stuff for next to nothing, but this will ultimately have a
heavy social cost. When we produce a telescope here in the US and sell it, it
is not "overpriced" with respect to its actual production cost. A large part of
this cost is the result of paying prevailing wages to our employees (somewhat
lower here in the Midwest than in other areas). We also pay all local, state
and national taxes which go towards the maintainance and upkeep of our
community as well as the nation. In addition, our employees contribute, through
their taxes, to the welfare of our nation. They also purchase food, shelter and
transportation which helps to employ another whole raft of workers, who in turn
help to support their communities.

Fact remains that all types of telescopes have been improved,
optically and electronically and prices have dropped over 10 years.
Except for the apos.
-Rich

Small apos are overpriced. But they could do something about it that
wouldn't harm the glass quality. They could mount them in less
expensive tubes.

I agree. There is a big market here that is as of yet untapped.

I recommend that you immediately start making small APOs with cheap tubes and
Synta focusers.

Just make sure you let me buy some stock in your company, I want to retire
early.

jon

wrote in message
...
Fact remains that all types of telescopes have been improved,
optically and electronically and prices have dropped over 10 years.
Except for the apos.
-Rich

????????

It wasn't that long ago that the APOs on the market today weren't available
at any price. In the meantime, their presence has raised the quality bar for
a lot of other scope manufacturers.

Clear Skies

Chuck Taylor
Do you observe the moon?
Try the Lunar Observing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/

Chris1011 wrote:

....

So next time you think you're being ripped off, remember that domestic
businesses have an uphill battle against foreign producers. ....

This is especially true when the foreign product is better ;-)

http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-001477.php

"The judges were asked to score each beer from 1 to 5 on color, aroma, bitterness,
malt character and clarity. Budvar beat out its American competitor, garnering a
third more points overall. The regular A-B drinkers gave it higher marks than the
homebrewers."

David

(Chris1011) wrote in message ...

...In
our case, we use CNC machines to cut metal and glass...

Twenty-five years ago I was working for a tool-design company that
refused to update the shop with new NC and CNC machines. All the NC
stuff we had was a single aging Bridgeport NC mill (with a
finger-reader!), and one guy that knew how to program it (me).
Instead, the owner figured that the skill of his tool-makers was more
than enough to compensate for completely manual machine tools. He
paid well enough, but didn't want to invest in new equipment. I found
another job soon after that pronouncement, and he went out of business
within a few years.

I believe that Harley-Davidson's boat was nearly sunk by the same
thinking. I have to wonder how many other American businesses had
their feet stuck in the "stone age." And it isn't just the managers'
who are responsible, I think. Stock holders are often more interested
in taking quick profit than in keeping a company competitive for the
future. The way things are now, stockholders can tell a CEO what to
do with the company, with the threat of suing if he doesn't deliver.

Doug Hosey

I just got the new Orion catalog which has the "apo" (which they state
is apochromatic) and the new digital dobs.

Interesting thing is that the 80 mm apo is 600 mm, f/7.5 while the ST-80
is 400 mm, f/5.0. But they state the max usable mags as 165x and 189x
respectively. Why would the ST-80 support higher magnification if they
both have 80 mm apertures?

Also, the ST-90 is on sale for the same price as the ST-80. So why
would anyone buy and ST-80? What am I missing here?

It will be interesting to see the 80 mm apo compared to the more
respected APOs we all have heard about.

Phil