Adz

Well here is my latest revised case and collection

Might be a bit to potent for your set up Adam. You have the 8" 1200mm don't you ?

Yes dont worry Nick I wont be getting one anytime soon . Among it being impracticle, my motherboard on my laptop has decided to melt

it's an amazing eyepiece. totally brilliant in my scopes for lunar and double stars. a bit too powerful most of the time for planets (267x on the 6mm setting) but I can (seriously) use it regularly on doubles at 400-500x in my 6" f11 newt.

I had my scope up to 400x for the first time last night, obviously wasn't realistic. But helped to prove my good collimation yippie!

Two more nice collections, the nagler zoom definitely intruiges me!

Brilliant, I don't know how it does it, but brilliant

No I haven't, rubbish conditions for 3 weeks now

Wow what a good point, thanks for the idea about magnifications.

Does using the barlow on a nagler keep all the 80 degrees fov? And just double the power? so it would be 6.5x

:D I bet there is a boy racer out there with some thing like that. I can picture it now. Green neon underskirts 20" black anodized rims pearlesant green black paintwork and black T's embroidered into the head rests.

Ha ha I am making a thread in the lounge

Thanks Kef, you really helped me out in an eyepiece thread I started with what seems like years ago! I have recently got a 2x barlow and 35mm panoptic, can't see things changing soon.

Then again... Maybe the 13mm + barlow will wipe the floor over all my high mag EP's. What do you reckon?

Still looking good Spaceboy! Do you reckon I could find a black car with green interior

As promised, my new collection

I think the space top right will be for a large 2" EP

^^ Same, just the 12T4, but it's awesome. Very nice collection, Michael

Does the moon fit in your 12mm Rev? The entire disc just fits in mine and it is probably one of the greatest visual experiences I have had during lunar observation!

Looks like a lovely set Michael, I only have one nagler but what a stonker it is getting to be. I shall upload my update case soon!

Looks good badger, definitely does the job well. Are those plossls at the top?

Rev I like that long case Those twist adapters for eyepieces are awesome aren't they?

Yeah I can admit to getting a little tired of having to wait up so late for not very dark skies. Kind of makes me consider the money I have spent on eyepieces sometimes...

Looks great Lorne, some great performance to price ratio eyepieces in there! I need to update things again with my current setup. Who knew it would change so fast

@adz.. great review pal.. im almost done planning to order SkyWatcher Explorer 200PDS.. the mount may be different but the OTA is virtually the same.. the images you posted helped my clearly visualize what id be getting in my boxes.. a review very well done indeed.. good job.. ..

No problem, enjoy the new scope

Actually the OTA isn't virtually the same I just thought I would let you know. It has a different (better) dual speed focuser, black tube colour and the focal length is less by designing the mirrors to be closer to one another. This makes photography with prime focus easier, but keeping good collimation more of a priority.

No problem Vicky, I can only second what Alan says. Orion the hunter is a user on here and he has done a good review that might be of use to you. Just search it

the screws at the back for adjusting the primary they say there are locking screws that you need the alan key for? i put the small alan key supplied in and it doesnt feel like there is anything there do you just do the screws with the screwdriver is this right?

should get a sgl wiki up with info for everyones scope

hey zeb look at astro babys guide to collimation, she explains very clearly the role of each part

Astro Babys Guide to Collimation

the alan key holes are locking to keep the mirror in the adjusted place, the cross haired silver screws are for adjusting the primary collimation

Great thread Adz. I'm sure it will help many a beginner.

Thanks to you for all your help from my plethora of questions! It is nice to give something back to the community.

Thanks all for the info re: the plate.

And no...I haven't been messing around with the screws. It'll be a while until I dare touch such things!

Yup, if it ain't broke... don't TRY to fix it. Easier said than done I know

Really useful info, thanks! For the counter weight, I hear this works well - SUPER STRONG MAGNETS TAXI SOM ROOF SIGN/ROOF BOX/LIGHT on eBay (end time 14-May-11 09:30:03 BST) - attach the magnets, then find something to fit (tuperware with something inside, drill a hole in it?). There was a thread somewhere about this. When I my 2" 38mm panaview arrives I think I'll do this - the telrad is already starting to tip the balance.

Thanks for the link

What a good idea for a thread - well done :hello2:My 200P dob has similar mods, though a little different (AE light shield is more of a 'peak' shape and is shorter & simple RDF which doesn't suffer with dew to replace the 9x50 finder), but that's the great thing about these telescopes - we can customise them to how we want them

M13 is a lovely sight & I can highly recommend the 13mm Hyperion. It just works so well in this telescope and also fits the full Moon in it's field of view, which makes for a stunning view Solid tube or flextube? I remember reading some advice on SGL a while ago which basically suggested the flextube was more suitable for 12" telescopes and above, and the solid tube for the smaller sizes like ours. In the future I may well put my OTA onto a GEM and the solid tube is more suitable for doing that.

I think what you mentioned about the flex and solid tubes is great advice. I also have considered a long term plan of a EQ6 so the solid tube provides that possibility too. (I still love the simplicity of a dob though:evil6:)

Great thread for a great scope.

You guys n gals should start up a splinter group in the Dob section.

Regards Steve

Cheers Steve, they make great scopes for Televue eyepieces too

Great thread Adz! Thanks for directing me!It will definately clarifly things for newbies, like me, who open those boxes and go.....'Oh dear lord! What is that!!!?

The mods are great too!!. Had a little practice with 'nudging' last night, and the mount doesn't 'flow' quite as smooth as I'd like, so will be plundering the OH's car wax!

Hopefully tonight will be my 'first light'...looking good so far!!!

Cheers,

Vicky.

Glad it could help Vicky, I hope your first light went well. Just make sure the central bolt isn't too tight and the staples in the supporting blocks are well and truly below the rubbing top.

Hi guys,

Just a quick question...

Just took the baby out for a bit of 'practice', and noticed that the metal cover for the primary mirror is missing! ( I think it should have one, as astro baby states to remove it in her collimation article.) There are holes for it.....but no metal plate.....

Please correct me if I am wrong!

If it 'is' missing, can I still use the scope without it, or can I do damage????

Cheers,

Vic.

Yeah the 200Ps don't come with a plate at the back in dobsonian form. When you get one on an EQ mount then they have the metal cover you mentioned. Those holes you think a cover are for are to do with the collimation of the primary mirror, I hope you haven't been playing with them

Great thread, though it's making me even more impatient for mine (should be delivered early May). Definitely should be a Skyliner 200P owners club, I can imagine a long line of them in a field somewhere like a 21-gun salute!

Chris

That's a seriously epic idea! Loads just in a field, preferably with a line of chavs on the receiving end of our battery

Looking good Adz!

Thanks! You got any plans for yours in the works, or eyepieces perhaps?

Have you seen m13 through the 200p yet? Blows the mind!

I'm planning on being somewhat mobile with it, but I have a cunning plan, which involves modifying a really big steerable garden trolley on pneumatic wheels.

Now THAT sounds like engineering!

Economy Neoprene Rolls | Neoprene by Homecrafts direct

Thats the black neoprene

Alan if you want to decide on the decision, I would personally base it on whether your dark site is your garden, or have to drive there.

Clear skies guys.

Glad it was helpful Alan, no one likes making a duff purchase Not that you would with this scope...

1. I just measured the base and ota off the floor and make it about 131cm

2. The diameter of the boards is about 53cm, the handles protrude out a little further, but they are easily taken off all the time if space is an issue

3. The nudge is fairly difficult to describe. I am guessing you mean to keep the object in view? The only example I could give that springs to mind is if you had a normal cup of tea (like me now!) and tried pushing it slightly along the desk, it is a little easier than that.

Hope that helps

So some ideas that are still floating around in my head:

> Buying or making a counter weight to balance the tube (it is affecting things quite badly at higher magnifications)

> Moving the eyepiece holder round to the focusers side

> Making a dew shield for my binos and the optical finder of the scope

> Adding some setting circles

> Buying an electric focuser

> Collimating (checked and didn't need it on delivery)

_____________

I hope someone may have found this useful, cheers

So it was on to how to make this scope my own...!

> I bought a telrad finder, and mounted it next to the optical. As of many uses, I can now say they work extremely well together!

> I bought an Orion precision centering adapter. This is a compression ring that secures your eyepieces evenly and without scratching things, great for higher quality eyepieces!

Both of these cost about 40 quid.

Then I bought some neoprene off the internet for about 8 quid plus 3 p+p.

The neoprene was 1200x1200mm and a little bit thinner than I planned. So I carefully stuck two pieces together for my scope's dew/stray light shield.

I bought some double sided sticky tape and velcro for about a fiver in total. It looks the business!

Then from a great website I downloaded a dew shield template for the telrad (mine dewed up every singled time I used it before this)

http://www.homebuiltastronomy.com/downbino/HomeBuiltAstronomy-TelradDewShield.html

I still have enough neoprene left over to made a couple of dew shields for my binoculars when I get time.

I also made a double piece in a small square and stuck it here:

It stops the OTA from banging hard against the mount if I was ever stupid enough to undo it that much (it is quite heavy one sided with the accessories atm).

I realised the the cental washer and 3 supporting sliders in the mount weren't doing a great job at being smooth. So I tried some candle wax around things - DONT DO THIS

It made things much worse and more sticky. I had to use turps to get all the wax off and everything clean for another idea. I was recommended car wax so I borrowed some of my dads and waxed up everything inbetween the two boards. Then polished it all up and it works a treat! Another successful mod.

One final thing I also wrapped up my boot light of my car in red see through material, it works a treat for keeping the night vision relatively intact.

As excited as I was to finally get my scope, I was anxious to make sure it would fit in my little car. My dark site I have to drive to, so this is essential. I had taken down the measurements of the scope from the internet and done the best planning I could...

Fortunately it fits!!! My car is now the scopemobile!

The OTA fits in just on the back seats with an inch to spare either side (I keep a large blanket underneath and the belts normally done up around it)

The great thing about corsas is they are so adaptable. The rear seats have a second seating position, I had to bring the backs of the seats forward on this setting to fit the mount in the boot. If I couldn't have done this, it wouldn't have fitted in!

I always keep the parcel shelf out now to make things easier getting in and out. I also use the boot of my car to store things like eyepieces when observing (stops the dew).