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I don't know too much about this set up, and have no affiliation with the seller...

Pentax Asahi Camera Vintage Spotmatic Film With Extras | eBay

I'm guessing this Spotmatic with the film winder and bulk film canisters might be pretty rare? Might be of interest to someone on the forum?

Cheers
Dean

[RobA_Oz]

Nice. An original Spotmatic with winder and 250 back. Only 6 days left on the auction, and a single $20 bid.

[panoguy]

Oooh, a Spotmatic with a jet-pack! Sweeeeet!

[Dean Bradshaw]

Oooh, a Spotmatic with a jet-pack! Sweeeeet!

The Camera of the Future!

[p38arover]

I guess that's a motor drive on the bottom. I wonder what it would have been used for? I thought perhaps time lapse astrophotography. I asked my wife who used to be involved in loading film canisters and developing the film for photographing the sun at a NASA tracking station in Western Australia but she said they weren't like that.

[RobA_Oz]

I think it's a winder, rather than a motor drive, ie it's meant to just wind the film on after taking a photo, and not provide the continuous shoot and wind facility that eg the K2DMD motor drive had. Good for reportage as it allowed the photographer to concentrate on the subject. The 250 back was always something I lusted after, but could never justify, even for my K2DMD.

[JASMAZ77]

I guess that's a motor drive on the bottom. I wonder what it would have been used for? I thought perhaps time lapse astrophotography. I asked my wife who used to be involved in loading film canisters and developing the film for photographing the sun at a NASA tracking station in Western Australia but she said they weren't like that.

The old NASA tracking station was in Carnarvon wasn't it? my mum said she had a job there once many years ago.

[p38arover]

The old NASA tracking station was in Carnarvon wasn't it? my mum said she had a job there once many years ago.

Yes, it was. My wife worked in SPAN - Solar Particle Alert Network. They watched and photographed the sun for solar flares. If there was a flare, astronauts could do EVAs (ExtraVehicular Activities).

I wonder if your mum knew my wife, Elisabeth Beckett.

I was a tech at the OTC Satellite Earth Station in Carnarvon. Our facility had two main roles. We provided the comms back to the USA for NASA and also did Tracking, Telemetry, Monitoring and Control during and after launches of Intelsat telecom satellites. Later the OTC facility provided similar services for the European Space Agency.

[JASMAZ77]

Yes, it was. My wife worked in SPAN - Solar Particle Alert Network. They watched and photographed the sun for solar flares. If there was a flare, astronauts could do EVAs (ExtraVehicular Activities).

I wonder if your mum knew my wife, Elisabeth Beckett.

I was a tech at the OTC Satellite Earth Station in Carnarvon. Our facility had two main roles. We provided the comms back to the USA for NASA and also did Tracking, Telemetry, Monitoring and Control during and after launches of Intelsat telecom satellites. Later the OTC facility provided similar services for the European Space Agency.

My mum worked there in about 1966-67 working in the food servery.

[p38arover]

Ah, before our time. I was at Moree Satellite Earth Station 1968-1969, then Ceduna Satellite Earth Station 1969-1971, then Carnarvon Satellite Earth Station 1971-1972.

[JASMAZ77]

Interesting! what do you do for work now? still in this field of work? btw mum only worked there for a few months the local restaurant owner cooked the food there and then took it the station mum lived in the local caravan park.