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Questar Telescopes LD Surveillance Systems LD Microscopes Accessories

The basic principle also as explained by Lawrence Braymer:

The production 3-½ astronomical telescopes of the 1950's and those of today incorporate optics that are variations of or fully a Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design. Drawings and prototypes were in development from 1946 until finally entering commercial production in 1954 as a variation of the original Maksutov-Cassegrain design the 'Denny Triple-Passage Meniscus' arrangement. This was suggested late in 1949 by Braymer's attorney Joseph Denny to avoid patent conflicts with established Maksutov-Cassegrain designs of the time. The design was ray traced and optimized by Braymer's friend, optical designer Norbert Schell. The initial early production telescopes and those made during the late 1950's and throughout the manufacturing of the 'mid production' telescopes saw the design being tweaked to improve various aspects including notable changes in the 1960's relocating the Secondary Mirror from the original front (r1) surface to the inner surface of the Corrector Lens (r2) and configuring the telescopes for use with more state of the art eyepieces.

The mechanical components and accessories too were results of experimentations with materials and designs. The result became a telescope noteworthy for its excellence of materials and craftsmanship, and unprecedented ease of use, and reward to the owner at the eyepiece or when pursuing photography at a prime focus of 1,070mm f/12. The high measure of user friendliness was attained by the incorporation of a Control Box housing numerous patented built-in convenience features. Between 1954 and 1955 the production rate grew from one or two hand-assembled instruments per month to six or more units per month. The original production telescopes were marketed simply as the Questar, but as other models were developed the improved successors of the original fork mounted telescopes were designated the Standard Model.

Above: Questar 3-½ telescope optical arrangement put together by Mr. Braymer for a magazine advertisement
showing the optics suspended over a copy of Johannes Hevelius Selenographia, sive Lunae descriptio published in 1647,
38 years after Galileo used his first telescope (97,215 bytes). From Company Seven archives.
Click on image to see enlarged view (409,743 bytes).

Questar sales from May 1954 through the end of the year showed them delivering $40,000 of product sold but at a $50,000 loss. In 1955 Questar sold some fifty units but lost $27,000. Questar was selling up to eight telescopes per month when the 'Space Age' officially began in 1957 and production skyrocketed. By the second quarter of 1959 Questar operated at a profit for the first time since Braymer started work on his vision in 1946! By mid 1961 Questar had delivered 1,000 Standard Model telescopes. In 1962 sales continued to increase with about 326 telescopes produced. Yet throughout the process Braymer's high standards, insistence on numerous steps of quality control testing, and a by then refined optical and mechanical arrangements, resulted in customers telling their friends or sending letters of praise and photos taken by their high resolution telescope. The letters and photos were published in Questar advertising and these too motivated more people to buy.

Left: Questar Standard telescope Declination Axis cover as provided on those instruments made from 1954 through early 1956 (30,306 bytes).

Many schools and universities bought one or more Questar telescopes since it is so quick to set up, simple to use, demands little space for storage (in a locker or on a shelf), and they endure with high reliability and low maintenance. For example Company Seven received for service two Standard telescopes bought by the the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964, their first check up and servicing in about thirty years. While the instruction manuals and some detachable parts had been lost and there were signs of wear and tear and pulling and other tampering, the controls on both telescopes were still smooth and precise and the images sharp and clear! And all parts remained supported so that both were recondition for yet newer generations of students at the USNA.

From the first year Questar worked to make improvements to design and of materials to increase the durability of the internal components of the telescope. Over time Braymer's refinements including changing the sources of the optical components (eyepieces, prisms) but for the main optics he had settled on the one company that proved to be reliable and consistent to this day. The original telescopes optical design and manufacturing tolerances allowed the telescopes to be used with either of two provided eyepieces at maximum magnifications of about 160x. Later in the 1960's a notable refinement of the optical design and change of eyepiece sources resulted in a Questar 3-½ telescope of 1,280mm focal length that would be well suited for astronomically high magnifications.

One of Twenty Best Industrial Designs: five years after it was introduced, in 1959 and 1960 a Questar was part of a touring exhibit Twentieth Century Design, USA organized by the Albright Art Gallery of Buffalo, New York. Following that the United States Information Agency brought a Questar as a part of its world-wide tour World Science and the U.S.A. In a subsequent exhibit by the same agency the Questar was shown in the Soviet Union where the Questar was stolen! Other noteworthy acclaim followed when the Questar was included in the list "Twenty Best Industrial Designs Since World War II" compiled by Walter Dorwin Teague, a famous architect and industrial designer. This was published later in 1964 in Volume 47 of the weekly magazine Saturday Review in 1964. The Questar was mentioned alongside the Karman Ghia, Triton Sloop, Honda motorcycle, Boston Whaler, Porsche 904, and the Boeing 707. Teague and his company designed aspects of aircraft interiors for Boeing including that of the famous 707.

Lawrence Braymer was a three pack a day smoker, in 1959 he was diagnosed with throat cancer. After one hundred seven days at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland it appeared the cancer may have been and treated in time. But the treatment left him weakened, and though he remained optimistic and involved with his company projects including the planned Questar 7 were shelved. In 1965 he succombed and his widow Peggy became the sole owner of the company operating as President of The Corporation. Under the direction of Mr. John Schneck their Vice President the Questar 7 telescope, conceived by Braymer in 1957 and first revealed in 1959, was completed and released in 1967. The Standard Model instrument became the basis for other telescopes that would be come to be highly regarded for other applications. For birding and for surveillance the systems based on the original Questar include the Field Ranger 3.5 and Questar Field Model. The Duplex was developed to provide users versatility in both astronomical and terrestrial theaters. These telescopes remain the standards of excellence against which others are measured. In 1976 Dr. Douglas M. Knight was hired as the new President by Mrs. Braymer. It was during his tenure that the innovative and award winning Questar Long Distance Microscopes and Questar Birder systems were developed.

As Questar production crossed the fifty year mark in May 2004 the Questar Standard (the model closet to the original telescopes) sold for $3,705.00. By this time some 20,100 fork mounted 3-½ telescopes had been delivered, note this production landmark does not include the numbers of other consumer and industrial models that were developed since the original Questar was introduced.

Over the more than fifty years since the first Questar was sold there have been advances in Questar optical and mechanical production including: more transmissive yet durable mirror and antireflection coatings, refinements of the mechanics and optics, electronics that were never imagined in 1954 allowing the modern Questar astronomical telescope to be used world-wide independent of AC wall current, and new accessories that diversify the telescope's usefulness. The original Standard Model telescope as introduced in 1954 sold for $795. From 1956 through the early 1960's it sold for $995. Understand the U.S. Government Consumer Price Index shows $995.00 in 1956 had about the same buying power as something over $7,900.00 in 2010. Yet the current production Standard telescope, notably improved over fifty years, sells today for about one half of that - a price where it should be in 1988!

Computer Control? by the mid 1990's Company Seven was in discussions with engineering about the practicality of produce a new model Questar 3-½ telescope with computer control to help find celestial objects. Several other companies had come out with consumer-oriented 'go-to' telescopes, some of them quite compact, that there were inquiries asking when we would offer a computerized Questar. We already developed an elegant encoder kit for the Questar 7 Fork and Base that matches the materials and finish, and we continue to offer this as an optional new item or retrofit for the customer. Some third parties developed add-on Digital Setting Circle kits that could be retrofitted by the owner to their Questar 3-½ fork mount. But as we evaluated the idea of computer control for the Questar 3-½ we considered:

1. Why do we need to make a computer controlled motorized mount that will drive the telescope automatically to find the types of celestial objects that amateurs have been able to find for decades with their Questar 3-½? Martin commented "who needs a ~10,000 object database for a telescope with only 3-½ inches of aperture, even one as good as the Questar?"

2. The hardware and electronics needed to accomplish this, and to do this with the accuracy and reliability that is expected of a Questar will change the compact and lightweight form of the Questar, and add notable costs. Martin concluded "it will be like trying to pack 10 pounds of shit in a 5-pound bag. This would no longer be our 0.5 cubic foot, 7 lb. friend."

3. The equipment will likely take more time to set up and add complexity beyond the experience normally associated with the Questar. As Martin points out in his discussions "there is nothing fully automatic about an automated telescope".

4. But most importantly we have never been about making disposable telescopes. Consider virtually every other consumer-oriented computer controlled telescope that has been sold including those by Celestron and Meade Instruments, or the first generation Leica Geovid BDA rangefinding binocular; it is often a matter of ten or maybe only a few years after they are out of production that the electronic components necessary to repair them are no longer available. This is more than just a Y2K Bug programming matter, it is just plain planned obsolescence.

While in the case of the Questar, most of the earliest ones made even from 1954 are still providing good service. Furthermore, if they need service or repair then we still support them with skilled craftsmen (and craftswomen) and parts.

Questar Represents Traditional Values: so when one looks at the history of the Questar telescope we see it has been improved and yet it has not kept up with inflation. The improvements were accomplished without compromising those aspects that are valued by its owners, or obsoleting older telescopes. It can be argued that in astronomical applications for the cost of a Questar one can buy other much larger telescopes - but that is exactly the point: it requires a much larger, less portable, and more complicated telescope with mount and accessories to match all that the compact Questar provides. And for many people the choice of a telescope that will be used most is truly their best choice. And even after the passing of Mrs. Braymer and Dr. Knight, Questar Corporation continues to be American owned and operated; entirely "Made in the USA". And Questar remains the only American manufacturer of amateur and consumer telescopes that has prospered continuously since 1954 in part because:

When you buy a Questar, you have the same assurance of quality no matter how your telescope is equipped. The options offered with our telescopes represent the state of the art in design and manufacturing processes; there is no compromise in quality of workmanship or materials. And this is how it has been since Questar incorporated on 3 April 1950!

How to choose a Questar: To read a good overview of the decision making process of buying a Questar, we suggest you read our article Selecting an Astronomical Questar Telescope. While this article is geared more towards the astronomical 3-½ inch models, there are concise explanations of the various configurations and of the major optical and accessory choices which apply to most other consumer models including the Birder and Field Model, and the larger Questar 7 models.

Above right: Black and white Questar logo used from early 1950's to the mid 1960's.