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You'll also like the idea that this scope is intended to be used while seated, and it still allows you to
access every part of the sky - from horizon to zenith - with equal ease and comfort without any zones of
avoidance. With its superlative optics by Carl Zambuto, you're not forced to compromise aperture for
transportability only to strain your neck and back while looking through your telescope. Now you can have
enough aperture to really resolve planetary details and see fainter objects, yet you can remain comfortable
wherever you look. Effortless tracking is a given with the PortaBall's unique sphere mount.
Our design objectives are simple: first, they must easily be packed and moved without requiring
excessive space in a vehicle; second, they must be easily assembled and intuitive to use so that they become an
extension of your sight; third, no compromises in materials or workmanship and optically they
must provide exceptional images. Our goals required a critical look at all of the designs available - even
those that were not easy or inexpensive to produce. Our concept of a spherically housed
telescope combined with new materials and better construction techniques has resulted in an instrument that is
easy to set up, easy to move, and a pure joy to use.
| Specifications |  |
| Sphere size & composition | 15.5" Diameter Seamless Fiberglass |
| Upper tube assembly construction | 9.5 inch O.D. Laminate composite |
| Trusses | 5/8 O.D. anodized aluminum |
| Base New and Improved | CNC machined and anodized aluminum billet |
| Optics manufacturer | Zambuto Optical Co. |
| Aperture | 8 inches |
| Focal Ratio | F/5.5 |
| Primary mirror edge thickness | 0.95 inches (1:9) |
| Secondary size (minor axis) | 1.52 inches
| Secondary obstruction (Percent of diameter) | 20% |
| Maximum Recommended eyepiece weight | Up to 20 oz. including adapter weight
| Size and type of focuser | 2.00" Mag 1 CNC machined Aluminum Helical-Crayford |
| Finder | Quik Finder by Rigel Systems, Standard |
| Eyepiece height at zenith | 48" inches |
| Normal delivery time | 6 months |
| Weight of components |
| Sphere | 24 pounds |
| Upper Tube Assembly | 1.5 pounds |
| Base | 2 pounds |
| Trusses | 2 pounds |
| Total telescope weight | ~32 pounds |
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| Standard Equipment | |
- MAG 1's own Helical-Crayford focuser
- Single vane curved spider. A MAG 1 exclusive!
- Quik Finder with MAG 1's exclusive easy view reticle
- Nylon shroud and forward light baffle
- Fitted PVC tube for trusses
- Collimating tool for secondary mirror
- Cheshire collimating eyepiece
- Covers for primary, secondary, sphere, and assembled telescope.
- All stainless steel and/or anodized aluminum parts
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| New! Standard Helical-Crayford Focuser |
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We're proud to introduce a unique and refined style of focuser to our customers - the Mag 1 Helical-Crayford. We designed
this new focuser to be ultra lightweight, very low profile, and to have no image shift. It retains the backlash free
fine focus control of a helical, but has the added ability to make very large focus point changes rapidly. A
very smooth fine focus motion is achieved by turning the finger friendly, scalloped drawtube that rides against
four inclined stainless steel bearings, or after a twist of the tensioning screw, sliding the drawtube up or
down for large changes. The focuser parts are made from machined and black anodized aluminum. This PortaBall
is equipped with a 2" focuser and will handle boh 1.25" eyepieces with it's included adapter, or moderate weight
(up to ~ 20 oz.) 2" eyepieces. Weight constraints make these the only appropriate focusers for this model.
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| Light Shroud and Shield | |
These two items are designed to increase your images' contrast by reducing stray light and stray
objects. The shroud is made from a lightweight, black ripstop nylon, and easily slips onto the
telescope after it is assembled. The nearly weightless baffle is made of closed cell foam and
quickly attaches to the top of the telescope, helping to block unwanted light from reaching the
eyepiece. A shroud and baffle serve to create a tube, but without a tube's weight. These items are
recommended if you observe where there is some background light, or you if you like hunting for
low contrast objects. Both will easily store inside of your disassembled PortaBall.
Now included as standard equipment
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| Options & Accessories For Your 8" F/6 PortaBall |
| Optional Optical Finder: 6 x 30 | |
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After many requests, and looking for an appropriate solution for several years, we are pleased to announce that we have
located a high quality optical finder for those who prefer an optically assisted image over the standard projected image
finder. It's a 6 x 30mm right angle type, for easy access when in use, and delivers an erect image, so your view in the
finder is the same as your naked eye view. We've developed our own light weight, detachable bracket that allows
emoving the finder in transit, and which also makes alignment with the main telescope easy. It is available with
anti-dewing elements on both the eyepiece and objective for a additional charge if you elect to have the Upper Tube
Electrical package. Because this finder is about 4 ounces heavier than the Quick Finder, the total weight of the telescope
will increase by about 3# to not restrict your eyepiece weight capacity.
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| Sphere Electrical Package | |
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To help your mirror achieve thermal equilibrium faster allowing you to spend
more time observing, your PortaBall can be supplied with a cooling fan built
into the mirror cell to help dissipate the heat of your mirror. Power to it
is supplied by a 12 volt sealed gel-cell battery. This option normally includes
an LED mounted inside the sphere that is focused on the collimating spot on the
primary mirror, making dark site collimation quick and easy. A single switch on
the sphere bezel controls both functions. Since this option affects the balancing
of the scope, it can't be added later. It does not, however, increase the weight
of the scope, because it's designed to be a part of the PortaBall's counterweighting.
This option the permits power to be supplied to the Upper Tube Assembly for use
with dew chasers for the secondary and finder, as well as for accessory items (optional).
Now included as standard equipment
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| Upper Tube Assembly Electrical Package | |
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Our second electrical option brings power from the battery inside the sphere to the
upper tube assembly. It provides power to the finder eliminating the need for a separate
and hard to find battery for it, plus this option provides anti-dewing elements on both
your finder and your secondary mirror. Now you can continue observing when other scopes
are being fogged out. We consider this a must option for anyone observing in climates where
dew and frost form overnight!
Now included as standard equipment
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| Laser Collimator | |
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A laser reduces the time and effort needed to collimate your scope especially
alone in the dark. Simply, quickly and accurately align your optics day or night.
These new lasers have features not found in competing units, like glove friendly rocker
switch, a hard coated, machined aluminum body plus one of the smallest beam sizes
we've seen. You'll never need to wonder whether your optics are really giving you
the peak performance they are capable of.
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| Transport Cart | |
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Most observers find that the farthest they ever need to move their PortaBall is from the seat of their car to its stand
and then back again. There may be times when you may need to move your scope some distance. We believe that
hefting any telescope over a long distance should probably qualify as an Olympic event, so we have recently
re-designed a simple, lightweight field transporter sized especially for the smaller PortaBalls. The transport cart
operates quite similarly to a golf pull cart, and so it will make moving your PortaBall any distance very easy. Its
mechanically very stable, and will actually lighten your load by more than 2/3, thereby allowing you to comfortably
and safely move your PortaBall and all your other observing gear as well across your backyard, or any long distance,
all in one easy trip. The variable length, removable handle and removable wheels allow these units to be stowed
conveniently in a small space.
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| Battery Charger | |
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Our special charger is designed to be used with the gel cell battery built into
the mirror cell of your PortaBall. Its 750ma charging rate quickly recharges your
battery, then automatically adjusts both the voltage and current level to to keep
your battery at full charge without risk of overcharging. Just plug it in and forget
it. It doubles as a battery eliminator for those times you have access to 120VAC
house current. A dual color LED shows your battery's charging condition at a
glance. Supplied with a 6' fused cord with an integral LED continuity indicator.
Now included as standard equipment
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| Custom Telescope Covers | |
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This latest addition to the PortaBall line-up is great for use either as a storage cover for your assembled scope,
or on those occasions when you want to protect your scope in the field from both sun and foul weather. It's
made from a tear resistant white polyethylene coated, nylon and is lightweight and very tear resistant. It has a drawstring
closure at the bottom to help keep Mother Nature's nasties out. Comes with its own protective bag and has
the PortaBall logo printed on it.
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| Equatorial Platform Drives | |
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Whether your desire is to photograph the sky with a CCD or traditional camera, or just want to make your observing time a little easier, a driven PortaBall can make studying
an object at high power or for an extended time a great deal more pleasant. Mag 1 is pleased to let you know that you can easily add a tracking system to a PortaBall. Adding a drive to your telescpoe
and you won't sacrifice the PortaBall's fluid motions, or the eyepiece accessibility found only with a PortaBall. In fact, you won't notice the difference until after you've located your target and let go, then the telescope will keep
your favorite object centered in the field of view for up to a hour. Lightweight (~12#), compact, and easily to set up, we suggest you consider adding this handy system to your PortaBall. Each platform is made for your location, and is built
specifically for the Mag 1 PortaBall by Round Table Platforms, and very reasonable priced.
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| Recommended Manufacturers | |
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We also offer or recommend products from the following manufacturers to our customers: (linked sites)
Be sure to call us before you buy elsewhere!
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