About Point of View

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ABOUT POV

How We Started

Point of View (POV) Telescopes was established in 1992. Our first location was a viewpoint in San Francisco for which 5 coin-operated telescopes were purchased. The telescopes were manufactured by a German company and were so complicated to maintain that they had an unacceptable down-time in excess of 20%.

We then purchased coin-operated telescopes made by an American company. However, those telescopes did not do well in a marine environment – parts rusted and failed. Worse, the lenses fogged up with weather changes and the telescopes became unusable until more favorable weather conditions prevailed.

The founder of POV believed that although the telescopes continued to collect coins, it was unacceptable for people put money into a telescope and not get a great viewing experience.

We looked into every coin-operated telescope available for purchase from Europe, Asia and the United States. None of them were satisfactory. All of the telescopes tested had similar flaws:

  • The telescope heads were not hermetically sealed so that certain weather conditions resulted in fogged the lenses that obscured the view.
  • All of the telescopes were mechanical devices using springs that rusted and failed.
  • Most of the telescopes kept the coins in the head rather than having them fall into the base making it impossible to seal the head against the weather.

 

Design Criteria to Build a Better Telescope

As a result of Point of View’s inability to find an acceptable telescope to purchase, we decided to design and manufacture our own telescopes. POV engaged designers, engineers, computer circuitry experts, machinists, foundries and metal finishers.

We established the following design criteria :

  • The Telescope had to work well.
  • The Telescope had to withstand all weather conditions
  • The Telescope had to be easy to install, maintain, and repair
  • The Telescope had to be durable and secure against vandalism or theft
  • Head had to be removable for seasonal or other concerns
  • The Telescope had to have circuitry supporting a coin counter
  • The Telescope had to be manufactured in the United States

 

We spent years on prototyping, revisions and rigorous field-testing until we were satisfied that we had created the most reliable, high quality viewing experience available to the public. The designs have now withstood the test of time and harsh climates. They have proven to be very reliable.

 

The POV Team

Gary Warhaftig – President and Founder – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

James Hillman – Business-to-Business Sales – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Nancy Margulies – Director of Marketing – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Telescope Location Managers 

Bob Sasanoff – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    Coos Bay

Dave Ridley – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Seattle and Tacoma

Mickey Lee – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Portland,Columbia Gorge and Seaside

Chas Lusk – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Newport and Lincoln City