Customer Comments

"The NGT is an equatorial mount with no field rotation, plus it is compatible with digital setting circles.  Also, there is no PEC to deal with as the RA drive is direct friction to the ring.  The all aluminum and stainless construction means little maintenance.  The low center of gravity gives it nice stability.  The best thing is the rotating nose assemble.  It makes collimation more difficult, but is so worth it."  (G. K.)

"(12/31/09)  I just wanted to let you know that I have been enjoying my NGT-18 for ten years now; I guess I finally found a cure for aperture fever.  Quite aside from providing many years of superb service, this great telescope has been the featured mainstay of my three published books from Springer (Visual Astronomy in the Suburbs, 2003; Visual Astronomy under Dark Skies, 2005, and the upcoming Make Time for the Stars, 2009), in which it has done valiant service in providing most of the illustrations, as well as being at the core of the approaches I advocate.  For some of my viewing, I will admit to combining two Collins I3 image intensifiers (with a binocular viewer), or even just one at a time (!), and have been simply astounded with what is attainable in real time.  The new Generation IV version is spectacular!!  It is possible to take sensational deep space virtual snapshots – even galaxies like M51 or NGC 891 – that look like lengthy time exposures!

However, the main purpose of all of this is simply to let you know how extremely happy I remain with my NGT-18.  There can't be a more ideal or satisfying telescope to use, and even more particularly, one that is more comfortable and relaxing.  The ready portability makes it possible to dismantle it, move it 100 miles to a dark sky site, reassemble it, yet find the collimation still at 100%!  The quality, performance and practicality remain beyond reproach, and even with the now relatively antiquated digital circles from the '90's, I still have yet to exhaust the potential, or feel the slightest need for 'go-to' capability, because the telescope is so easy to manage and use.  And accuracy of locating objects is more than adequate for any purpose.  I note that go-to capability is now offered with this model, but the need is surely more as a luxury rather than fulfilling any real necessity!

I have a new book in the works right now that will probably take up to 2 years to write.  Once again, my trusty NGT-18 will be the workhorse for everything in the book.  I know you would like to sell more telescopes, but what I have will probably take care of my needs for life!  It seems indestructible, completely reliable, utterly predictable and straightforward to use.   By all means use any of my words as testimonials in your catalog or elsewhere.

Wishing you all success in 2009!"  (Antony Cooke)

"It is a pleasure to do business with a company that supports their products after the sale.  ...My experience with you and your company allows me to recommend your products and service, without hesitation, to my friends and fellow amateurs."  (M. H.)

"It is one of the great joys of my life to have this superlative instrument."  (A. C.)

"Not only do I build the NGT-12.5 here at JMI but I also own one.  I use it primarily to monitor faint periodic comets (using an ST7) for the IAU.

"There is a very simple pro and con relationship with the rotating nose on the NGT.  This ability to place the eyepiece at a variety of comfortable positions in an enormous factor.  The ease of use really cannot be realized until you've spent a night observing with it.  In addition, the rotating nose allows you to place a heavy CCD camera in a more balanced and less stress producing position above the tube instead of hanging off the side.  I personally would not give up my rotating nose.

"Here is the flip side.  It is difficult to collimate IF you have never done it before because it requires that you find the best possible collimation position relative to the entire rotation of the nose.  After you've done it a few times, it's easy.

"Before the scope leaves JMI, a laser spot must stay within the small white circle placed at the center of the primary mirror, throughout the 360 degrees of rotation of the nose.  The spot may dance around a little bit inside the circle but it remains INSIDE.  Using a Cheshire eyepiece, we then adjust the primary slightly until it is as close as it can get for the entire rotation.  There may be a few places in the circle where the Cheshire indicator is not perfect...but it will be off only slightly.  It's something you do not easily see visually or in a CCD image...but people like to talk about it anyway.  The only problems I have heard of are when people try to collimate it like a normal (non-rotating) Newtonian."