Oops. I forgot to mention that my focal length is the same as Rich's 16", which is a 100" or 2540mm focal length, so the total scope length and eyepiece height should be about the same between the two telescopes, although his might be a couple of inches shorter. I use a 6' step ladder. My favorite is one was a 6' ladder picked up at Lowes. It has three steps, and the top step is about 18" square. It makes a nice platform to stand sideways on when using the scope, and has a nice larger platform for charts, and eyepieces, and even has a 2" diameter hole which holds a 2" eyepiece perfectly. However, when pointed straight up, children and those shorter than about 5'-6" are unable to look through the eyepiece without stepping up on the platform that says - "Do not stand on this platform" - so we have to use a standard 6' step ladder for public star parties. I can see the benefit of using an 8' ladder as you can hold onto the top of the ladder when leaning in to look through the eyepiece at zenith. This is an extra safety measure when at public star parties. John Zeigler www.JohnsTelescopes.com <http://www.JohnsTelescopes.com> www.MirrorKits.com <http://www.MirrorKits.com> -----Original Message----- From: John.Zeigler@FranklinCovey.com [mailto:John.Zeigler@FranklinCovey.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 10:40 AM To: uvaa@mailman.xmission.com Subject: RE: [UVAA] Scope Length I have a 12.5" F8 scope, and it is just under 8' from ground to tip. John Zeigler Systems Administrator EDS / FranklinCovey John.Zeigler@franklincovey.com Phone: (801) 817-6219 -----Original Message----- From: Richard Tenney [mailto:retenney@yahoo.com <mailto:retenney@yahoo.com> ] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 10:32 AM To: UVAA Subject: Re: [UVAA] Scope Length It's f/6.25, or 100 inches. I use an 8-foot ladder, which is plenty tall for observing at zenith. I haven't measured the scope from ground to tip at vertical, but I don't think it's too much more than the focal length (8 inches maybe? Just a guess). -Rich --- "Gibson, Jim" <gibson@dpg.army.mil> wrote:

Rich

I know you have a 16" mirror but what is your focal ratio and when your scopoe is vertical, how tall is it?

Jim

...

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