Quark has landed mini review.

[Ewan]

Sorry mods if this is in the wrong section as I wasn't too sure what it's classed as so I thought I would post it here.

After being gob-smacked by some of the Solar images this remarkable thing can produce in the right hands, mine could be the wrong hands  though, I felt inclined to purchase one.

I had located one at The Widescreen Centre which was ready to ship as soon as payment was made but the aftersales I had received from Nick at Altair Astro persuaded me to give them a call, after a quick chat I was told a 3 week wait would commence from ordering, in no real great rush I paid my fee's & the wait began.

As promised 3 weeks went by & the Quark landed !!!

Very heavily protected in it's own packaging it arrived intact, the finish is very very nice in anodised red as you all know by now, not too heavy & very well machined. 

You get a universal mains power adapter thingy-majigy (technical term I know  ) & a few alternative mains 'heads' parts for various countries I guess.

The black cap on the bottom was very tight coming off & I was concerned at one point I would drop the new kit, I have now put a couple of holes through the rubber cap using a very fine needle, this now lets air in as it's now easily removed (a tip for new owners there ?).

Anyway I can't really drag out anymore descriptive details as I have run out but here's a few pic's.

As I received this the day before the eclipse that was out of the question & we were also clouded out so no chance anyway.

I was hoping for a trial run this weekend if the sun is game but not looking good at the moment.

I shall be using this on the Altair 80EDT 480mm FL @ F6, my DMK618 may be the best bet but the 460EX (also not even a test yet  ) may also be viable. 

I will probably go with a 0.5FR as other Solar imagers on SGL have done as well.

Anyway as a footnote I would like give big thanks to Luke, Smerral & Dazzaa & others for posting the amazing Solar shots which pushed me towards this EP.

Luke also for the tips so far...............& to come

Thanks SGL for being here & encouraging growth in an amazing hobby.

Pics :-

The dust on the end 'filter' (what's it called ?) shouldn't be a problem I gather but what's the best way to remove it, compressed air ?

Clear skies all.

[Qualia]

Sorry mods if this is in the wrong section as I wasn't too sure what it's classed as so I thought I would post it here.

Is it an eyepiece? Is it a filter? No, it's Super Quark

Great report and lovely photos, Ewan. Sorry to hear you couldn't see the eclipse nor have had a chance to put the gem to a first light. That is a pain and I appreciate the frustration. Similar story here in Spain. I'm itching to get out again with the Lunt 60mm and held up by storms and clouds.

Anyway, I look forward to your first light report

[msh1]

i have just pressed the buy button on one of these quarks hopefully shouldn't take to long to arrive 

mark

[Ewan]

Is it an eyepiece? Is it a filter? No, it's Super Quark

Great report and lovely photos, Ewan. Sorry to hear you couldn't see the eclipse nor have had a chance to put the gem to a first light. That is a pain and I appreciate the frustration. Similar story here in Spain. I'm itching to get out again with the Lunt 60mm and held up by storms and clouds.

Anyway, I look forward to your first light report

Your right there Rob, it is rather a super bit of engineering, pat on the back for Daystar.

I also got my 460EX the other week then the laptop keyboard died, £35 later it was fixed & returned to me along with bags of free clouds............you have to laugh I guess.

[Pig]

Mark,

I am not sure if you have purchased the filter UV/IR Filter that is required for use with the Quark, so for safety reasons I thought I would mention it

Ewan,

Great review,  I hope you enjoy the Quark as much as I do

[Ewan]

I meant to add a tip of my own RE the Quark powerpack, I found what looks to be the exact same Solar power pack on Ebay for around £13.00 as opposed to £90+, just an idea if anyone is interested in buying them as a pair.

I also paid for the 2" UV filter to go with the Quark as I thought it better than using my 1.25" I use for imaging at night.

I know it was a pretty 'empty' review as reviews go but I HAD to write something about it

[msh1]

Mark,

I am not sure if you have purchased the filter UV/IR Filter that is required for use with the Quark, so for safety reasons I thought I would mention it

Ewan,

Great review,  I hope you enjoy the Quark as much as I do

no i haven't will i really need it its going in an ed80 i thought anything bigger than 80 needs the filter 

mark

[Pig]

Mark,

Yes the UV filter is definitely recommended. I think you may be confusing the information with the ERF ( Energy rejection filter )

The information I have seen reads 80 -100mm, admittedly it is on the cusp but it really is not worth any risk

[msh1]

Mark,

Yes the UV filter is definitely recommended. I think you may be confusing the information with the ERF ( Energy rejection filter )

something else to add to the list 

[Joves]

In theory, an ED80 is fine to use on a non-tracking mount (short sessions) without the addition of a UV/IR filter. I rarely, if ever, use my filter when I'm using the Quark in my TV76. However, it never hurts to be overly cautious when solar observing, so allowing funds for an additional filter is good advice.

[Freddie]

Mark,

Yes the UV filter is definitely recommended. I think you may be confusing the information with the ERF ( Energy rejection filter )

The information I have seen reads 80 -100mm, admittedly it is on the cusp but it really is not worth any risk

The UV/IR filter is the ERF.

[Ewan]

something else to add to the list 

I already had a 2" diagonal & a large focuser so it made sense to grab the 2" IR filter.

[Blazar]

Nice report....Also been taping up Luke for info on these. They are out of stock at Altair at the moment, but will look to purchase one when the eventually come back in. Going to through it on my TAL100RS  (although probably not the best focal length to use).  Already have an Baader UV/IR cut filter so all good. Let us know how it goes!

[Ewan]

In case my Solar post was missed, this shot has a slight tweak as well in black/white points.

Well first result so far is this :-

I am happy with this as the sun was at about 3.30pm & not much time avail to setup.

Looking forward to more now.

Thanks for all the comments so far btw.

[Al.Grant]

Following this with interest as I now have a Quark (chromosphere) on order but not expecting in for another few weeks  

But hey-ho that should allow the obligatory 'new astro purchase cloudy skies' to clear before it arrives!

I ordered my Quark from http://astrograph.net/ - I had contacted a number of suppliers about availability, most (but not all) responded but astrograph were great and happy to answer any questions.  (always worth mentioning good customer support)

I'll be using mine on an Equinox 80 Pro and will be adding a 2" UV/IR cut filter in front of the diagonal.  

Astrograph advise a filter on the scope regardless of size, but especially when getting towards the "do I, don't need one" aperture range!

I think I'm going to look for the Daystar 2" filter as this also allows CaK through and that's something I'm also interested in (not actually sure if others like the Baader also do this?)

I think I'll also be getting a battery pack and probably a 0.5 FR at some point ... but they can wait until the Quark arrives.

Al

[Ewan]

Following this with interest as I now have a Quark (chromosphere) on order but not expecting in for another few weeks  

But hey-ho that should allow the obligatory 'new astro purchase cloudy skies' to clear before it arrives!

I ordered my Quark from http://astrograph.net/ - I had contacted a number of suppliers about availability, most (but not all) responded but astrograph were great and happy to answer any questions.  (always worth mentioning good customer support)

I'll be using mine on an Equinox 80 Pro and will be adding a 2" UV/IR cut filter in front of the diagonal.  

Astrograph advise a filter on the scope regardless of size, but especially when getting towards the "do I, don't need one" aperture range!

I think I'm going to look for the Daystar 2" filter as this also allows CaK through and that's something I'm also interested in (not actually sure if others like the Baader also do this?)

I think I'll also be getting a battery pack and probably a 0.5 FR at some point ... but they can wait until the Quark arrives.

Al

You should only need the 2" UV/IR filter, as Freddie said that will be your ERF.

I am just about to order the 0.5 reducer but a 2" version is also available which may be better but for £20 I will get the 1.25" first.

I am still pm'ing Luke with all sorts of questions..........he's very patient  , helping me out with so many questions so I may avoid any £ mistakes.

Anyway good luck with your order & I hope you enjoy the Quark as it seems to be enticing a lot of people into solar imaging.

[ngwillym]

I;m another one following this with great interest. I'v also got one on order from Astrograph. I'm hopig to bolt it onto a Celestron 102 SLT and use a DMK colour camera.

Thanks for the helpful info

[Al.Grant]

You should only need the 2" UV/IR filter, as Freddie said that will be your ERF.

I am just about to order the 0.5 reducer but a 2" version is also available which may be better but for £20 I will get the 1.25" first.

I am still pm'ing Luke with all sorts of questions..........he's very patient  , helping me out with so many questions so I may avoid any £ mistakes.

Anyway good luck with your order & I hope you enjoy the Quark as it seems to be enticing a lot of people into solar imaging.

Thanks.  I'm ordering a 2" filter as I'm assuming the UV/IR blocking filter goes on the front of my 2" diagonal ?

Also ... Does anybody know if the Baader UV/IR blocking filter allows Calcium-K light to pass through ?

I've noted that the Daystar version says "The Daystar UVIR cut allows Calcium-K (393nm) light to pass so it may be used with Daystar Calcium-K filters in addition to H-Alpha."

As the next thing on my solar list is likely to be something like a Baader Calcium K-Line filter then it's something worth considering.

Al

[Freddie]

Yes, ERF first. It must be the first thing the light hits.

[astromike]

Thanks.  I'm ordering a 2" filter as I'm assuming the UV/IR blocking filter goes on the front of my 2" diagonal ?

Also ... Does anybody know if the Baader UV/IR blocking filter allows Calcium-K light to pass through ?

I've noted that the Daystar version says "The Daystar UVIR cut allows Calcium-K (393nm) light to pass so it may be used with Daystar Calcium-K filters in addition to H-Alpha."

As the next thing on my solar list is likely to be something like a Baader Calcium K-Line filter then it's something worth considering.

Al

Yes, the uv/ir cut filter MUST be the first thing the light entering the scope hits to prevent damage to the diagonal and Quark.

I have the £19 1.25" FR from Astroboot and it does work pretty well. I have recently bought a 2" one from TS which is much better and still very good value at about £25.

One thing to watch out for is that any 'slop' between the Quark and the scope (poor focuser) or between the Quark and a camera (single screw eyepiece holder) will seriously degrade the image as it broadens the Quark's passband as well as causing banding and uneven illumination.

Get it right and the results can be very good - if you want to see what the Quark does with a 100 or 120mm scope then look here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikegarbett/

[astromike]

I have the £19 1.25" FR from Astroboot and it does work pretty well. I have recently bought a 2" one from TS which is much better and still very good value at abou

Yes, the uv/ir cut filter MUST be the first thing the light entering the scope hits to prevent damage to the diagonal and Quark.

I have the £19 1.25" FR from Astroboot and it does work pretty well. I have recently bought a 2" one from TS which is much better and still very good value at about £25.

 Sorry, that should be £45 - the link is here: http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p365_TS-Optics-TSRED052-Focal-reducer-0-5x---2-inch-filter-thread.html

[Al.Grant]

Thanks ....

I've just had a Baader 2" UV/IR cut filter delivered from FLO, so ready to go when the Quark eventually arrives.

Until then it should give a much needed boost when imaging in white light + Baader Continuum filter.