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6"
RB Telescope
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RB-66
6" Reverse Binocular Newtonian
RB66
$2,795.00
Buy Now* |
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| RB-66
Product Information
Features
- Ease
of Use (no bulky, complicated or expensive mount, just look down
into the binocular to see the sky behind you)
- Protective white cover (available in
black by special order)
- Six motors for adjusting inter-ocular (eye)
spacing, focusing and optical tube alignment with the touch of a button
- Modified Reverse Crayford focusers
- Fold-away motorcycle-type handle bars for
pointing the instrument
- Compatible with MAX computers
- Battery operation
- JMI's celebrated quality construction
Specifications
Type:
Dual Newtonian reflectors
Mount: Alt-Az mount (with pebble Formica for smooth azimuth operation)
attached to a Celestron tripod (Tripod: 26" retracted, 42"
extended)
Mirrors: 6" f/5 primary mirrors (reviewed in October 2001 Astronomy
Magazine), 1.6" diagonal secondary mirrors
Diagonals: Erect Image or Regular (specify)
Clearance Between Optical Tubes: 9.5"
Eyepiece Spacing: Variable from 2" to 3.25"
Alignment: Motorized x and y axis for optical tube alignment
Power: 6vDC operation with 4.5 amp-hour rechargeable battery with
110vAC/60Hz or 220vAC/50Hz charger (specify). (Anticipated
battery life will be measured in months.)
Binocular Weight: Approximately 49.4 lb. (78.4 lb. with Carrying Case)
Tripod Weight: Approximately 9.6 lb.
Binocular Height: 30.25" (from top of tripod to top of
binocular with binocular locked into vertical position)
Binocular Width: 24.5"
Binocular Depth: 11" (folded)
Standard Equipment
Two Modified 1.25" RCF-mini1 Focusers with Motors for motorized focusing.
Two 20mm Wide-Angle Eyepieces (1.4 degree field)
Star Pointer Finder Scope.
Battery: 6vDC battery (includes AC charger)
Built-In Handle Bars permit easy movement of the scope.
* Telescope prices
are for the standard telescope
configuration. Upgrades and Options are at additional
cost. The listed price also does not include any shipping and handling charges.
Please call
for a shipping quote.
The Binocular ships in a 36-1/2" x 14-3/4" x
29-1/4" box (85.4 lb.)
The Tripod Mount ships in a 30-1/2" x 10-1/4" x 11" box (12.2
lb.)
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6" RB Optional Upgrades
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No Upgrades
at This Time
RB66...
$RFQ** |
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| No Upgrades
at this time
**
RFQ = Request for Quote (Ask us for a price quote.) Upgrade prices are based on upgrading from standard equipment.
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6" RB Optional Accessories
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Solar
Filter Inserts
(Set of Two)
SFRB66
$200.00
Buy
Now
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Solar Filter
Inserts
Durable glass Solar Filters for inserting into the
RB-66 aperture openings to view the sun.
They are made from machine-polished optical glass elements and are triple-coated
with a scratch-resistant nickel-chromium stainless steel alloy (modified Orion
filters).
WARNING:
Do NOT use any telescope device for looking at the sun without appropriate
solar filters. Doing so may cause permanent blindness.
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A Solar Filter installed in the RB-66. |
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The RB-66 with optional Black
protective cover. |
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This
picture shows the RB-16, RB-10 and RB-66 all together with Jim Burr,
president of JMI Telescopes. |
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Our production manager, Tom Johnston,
is viewing a large sunspot with a prototype RB-66 which has been equipped
with solar filters. This picture shows how easy it is to
use the Reverse Binocular. WARNING:
Do NOT use any telescope device for looking at the sun without appropriate
solar filters. Doing so may cause permanent blindness. |
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The RB-66 has a handle on the top for
carrying. Here the binocular is being removed from the carrying
case. |
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The RB-66 is relatively easy to pick up
(even with the mount attached, as shown in this picture) using the handle located
on the top of the instrument. The binocular should only be lifted
at three points; the top handle (as shown), the base (locked into
position) and the folding handlebars (also locked into position). |
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The RB-66 includes a lock to hold it in
the vertical position for transporting. In this picture the vertical
lock is in the unlocked position. |
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The RB-66 carrying handle must be
removed in order to remove the top cover. |
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The RB-66 top cover can be easily
lifted after the handle and two side thumbscrews have been removed. |
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The RB-66 bottom cover is released by
removing four thumbscrews. |
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The RB-66 bottom cover slides away
after the thumbscrews have been removed. |
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The RB-66 optical tube is held by one
screw at the top end. The bottom end is held by part of the
mirror cell. |
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Once the mounting screw is removed you
can carefully slide the tube away from the mirror just enough to clear the mirror cell. |
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The RB-66 optical tube can now be
carefully lifted around the secondary mirror and removed from the system. |
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If the diagonals become misaligned,
they can be easily realigned by leveling them with the frame of the
binocular while in the vertical position. |
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The RB-66 buttons control the motorized
adjustments for tube alignments, eye spacing and focusing. These
buttons are on the handle assembly which folds up next to the binocular
for transportation and storage. |
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The RB-66 tubes must be aligned
properly for comfortable viewing. If the two images you see are not
aligned, the first step is to align the images vertically using the
horizontal adjustment. Next, bring the two images together with the
vertical adjustment. If you try to do the two steps backwards, the
eye will tend to merge the images automatically which will give you
crossed eyes and cause eyestrain. |
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The RB-66 is designed for extremely
easy viewing without the need for a special chair or binocular
support. It is compatible with the NGC-microMAX, NGC-MAX, SGT-MAX
and Pocket PC running TheSky Pocket Edition from Software Bisque. |
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The RB-66 with Celestron tripod
(included). |
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The RB-66 with Celestron tripod
(included). A carrying handle is positioned on the top of the
binocular. |
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The RB-66 (front view looking inside)
showing the primary mirrors, secondary mirrors and focusers. |
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The RB-66 (side view) showing handle
bars folded up and optical system locked into vertical position for
transport. |
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The RB-66 is designed for extremely
easy viewing without the need for a special chair or binocular
support. |
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The twelfth and final prototype was very close to
the final production design. |
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Eleven prototypes were built, tested
and discarded as improvements were added and refined. This prototype improved on the
original mount and experimented with an open optical tube design. |
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The first experiment with
dual-newtonian
binoculars was simply two NGT-6 optical tube assemblies mounted on an alt-az frame. |
What
is the Reverse Binocular Telescope?
The Reverse Binocular
telescope allows you to look down into the
eyepieces, either sitting or standing, to see what is in the sky behind
you, instead of straining to look up as is the case with normal
binoculars. They are built with two aligned Newtonian optical tubes on
an alt-az mount creating a very compact and comfortable viewing experience.
The available sizes are 6" (RB-66), 10" (RB-10),
14.5" (RB-14.5) and 16"
(RB-16). (U.S. Patent No.
Des. 499,436)
Read Bruce
Sayre's article "Why
Binoculars?" and
see why viewing with both eyes is so much better than just one.
RB-66
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What
is an Alt-Az Mount?
The Reverse Binocular
telescope
includes an
altitude-azimuth mount. Altitude-azimuth is sometimes abbreviated as
alt-azimuth or just alt-az. An alt-az mount moves in altitude (up
and down) on a horizontal axis and in azimuth (left and right) on a
vertical axis like a gun turret on a tank. By comparison, an
equatorial mount is essentially an alt-az mount that is tilted to match
your latitude, allowing a telescope to track the stars with the addition
of a simple clock drive. Both types of mounts have their
advantages. Which one is best for a particular situation depends
mostly on how one intends to use the telescope. |
Customer
Comments
"P.S. We all (club members)
thought Sky and Telescope gave you a bad article on the big JMI BINOS!
We were disappointed in that review, and
those I have talked to also feel it was "not a fair
review." Anyway, we all disregarded that review as not
acceptably accurate information and we astronomers are smart enough to
figure out what works and what does not. I think the big binos are
great and I bet that it is a fun experience at the eyepiece."
(D. C.)
"Thanks for reinventing
astronomy.... It's a whole new ballgame now." (Ralph
Holt)
"...my RB-66 is terrific. You've
invented a great instrument." (B. K.)
"A group from the Fort
Wayne Astronomical Society, while in New Mexico this past September, put
our scopes aside and rented JMI's RB-66 for a night. We all agree
with Phil Harrington's assessment of the binoscope's spectacular seeing in
the night sky..." (Ron Kerr, Letters, June 2004 Astronomy)
"Few binoculars can compare
to the RB-66. ... If you're looking for breathtaking low- and
medium-power views of star fields, nebulae, star cluster, and the Moon,
give the RB-66 from JMI serious consideration. For observers who
appreciate the wonderful views seen only through a true binocular
telescope, the RB-66 is a real bargain. (Phil Harrington, Telescope
Review, February 2004 Astronomy)
"The Swan was
hanging suspended in a 3D star field with the bird's wake clearly visible,
awesome!" (Okie-Tex Attendee)
"I could see far
more than just the core of M101 ... hinting at spiral structure.
This is impressive contrast for a 6" scope." (Okie-Tex Attendee)
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Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)
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| Q. |
I've
seen this basic design before. What makes JMI's binoculars different? |
| A. |
Other
designs of this type usually involve manual adjustments of some kind for
focus, eye spacing and image convergence. This results in a large
amount of time needed to get the system set the way you want it.
Sometimes it takes two people. We have motorized all of those
adjustments and the total "tweak" time is lowered from one or
two hours to one or two minutes. These adjustments are now made by
pushing buttons (while you are comfortably seated) and visually watching
the results in real time. This is a huge advantage, especially if
more than one person is going to be using the instrument. |
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| Q. |
Can
you give me some Pros and Cons regarding the Reverse Binocular design? |
| A. |
Pros
1) Using both eyes increases contrast by about 40% and gives a 3-D
effect.
2) Using both eyes is far more relaxing. Also, this design
allows one to comfortably look down into the binocular instead of craning
your neck backwards to look up as with regular binoculars.
3) Alignment with this type of binocular used to take hours but with
our motorized design it only takes minutes.
4) The Altitude and Azimuth axis operate as smooth as silk.
Optical encoders can be installed for use with a guiding computer to
easily find objects.
5) The RB-10, RB-14.5 and RB-16 have an optional Handle Bar and Wheels for easy
transport.
Cons
1) You must have two matching eyepieces to use the instrument.
2) It takes a little "getting used to," since it is so
different from what people are used to.
3) The instruments are a little bulky. The RB-66 is light
enough that most people can pick it up by the handle and move it, even
with the tripod attached. The RB-10 has a Handle Bar and Wheels
accessory available as an option.
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