[SJAAboard] loaner scope program - goals

[Akkana Peck]

Nelsonastro at aol.com writes:
>   I was extermely surprised that the SJAA sold off the OTAs
> of a class of beginner telescope - the short focus 80-90mm
> refractor.  There are no versions of this to try!

I was surprised by that too. When I joined the SJAA I was looking
for a scope like that and would have been extremely interested in
being able to borrow one or several to find out how they compared;
but the only small portable in the program was the 4" Quantum, and
there was always a waiting list for that. Portable refractors are
also one of the hardest types of scope to get a feel for at star
parties ... there weren't very many of them (seldom more than one at
the same star party) and even when they were there, they were never
pointed at something that would be a tough test.

I was also curious when I saw the Quantum was kept while the short-tube
refractors were sold, but maybe that's just my ignorance ... I've
never actually seen the Quantum and don't know anything about it.
Is it a ritzy thing like a Questar, not just a sub-C5?

And as long as I'm posting, my own interest in loaner telescopes
has been mostly "try before you buy": not by brand and model but by
type. Does the difference between 10" and 12.5" matter to me? How
about the difference between a fluorite and an achromat? Would a
C5 need collimation too often? The SJAA's loaner program does an
outstanding job of answering those questions for big dobs and 8"
SCTs, but it's not so hot if you're interested in refractors
(the addition of the 4" fluorite was excellent! even if the web
page calls it a flourite :-) or travel scopes.

Aside from try-before-buy, the other reason I've sometimes wanted
a loaner is to get a travel scope for a trip; but since there
generally aren't any available in the program I've ended up buying
one small scope after another to find out how they compare.

	...Akkana