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Starslayer

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Posts posted by Starslayer

  1. I have the 6” dx explorer and love it.  It does have accuracy issues despite numerous fine tuning attempts but it does get you NEAR the spot all the time. I have learnt how to tweak to get the target. So easy though as you can move the set up at will and it plate solves with ease. Ridiculous price increases though since I got mine last year. 

    • Like 1
  2. 12 hours ago, Louis D said:

    I had a spare moment today, so I setup my 90mm APO with the triple finder mount with a couple of combinations of nighttime and solar finders from different angles.

    I had it backward in the above post about where I put the GLP and QuikFinder.  The GLP protrudes too far back to be in the top position and the QF sits up high enough to not have eyepiece interference.

    The phone is for when I use SkEye to locate difficult objects.  I forgot to take a picture from underneath, so I'm including an earlier image of the bracket I made for it.

    Notice how the 9x50mm RACI sits perfectly in line with the plane of the altitude axis for best balance.

    I couldn't think of a useful third solar finder, so I left a finder shoe empty.

    535189151_NighttimeFinders3.thumb.JPG.10a1ee04ffe4d698c3c15119b15cf2a0.JPG1404647876_NighttimeFinders5.thumb.JPG.381ac46a14d34b0263d650cc83169146.JPG671272079_NighttimeFinders6.thumb.JPG.0a7a854723e13650f199b1ea14d9d9f6.JPG499445441_NighttimeFinders7.thumb.JPG.58d555751270cca047fa7387c1921297.JPG1733862320_PhoneHolder.thumb.JPG.528e2a0058d83dba7fc25d1ead9136a4.JPG675291827_SolarFinders2.thumb.JPG.bd771f630152ff3fb7b5e2eca19e1a6b.JPG2072647500_SolarFinders3.thumb.JPG.527a91138f831b7b3748763ab2a788c9.JPG

    Thank you for taking the time to post all this. 

  3. 58 minutes ago, Louis D said:

    I have a couple of these triple mounts for different scopes.  They are quite robust and work very well.  You have to be careful about where you put the various finders in the three shoes or you won't be able to get your eye in the proper position or get them all to fit next to each other.  I put my RACI finder (the heaviest of the finders) as far over as possible to keep it more in line with the altitude axis so I get less backward tipping at high altitudes.  Next goes my QuikFinder on an adapter from ScopeStuff in the middle position.  Last goes my GLP sight because it ends up almost straight ahead of the eyepiece in the diagonal, which doesn't matter for it but would make using the QF in that position next to impossible without tipping the eyepiece out of the way.

    Picture?  🤣  

    I have actually decided that I do not need the 9 x 50 on the ST102 but I have upgraded the RDF to a Baader Skysurfer 111 and it is very good.  The 9x50 is now on my 6"sct with the addition of a Baader universal shoe and again works well although I have the Telrad on there too.  I think a rdf of some sort is essential ( for me at least ) as the start point. 

  4. 3 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

    A vote for the Rigel. I have a couple of them.
    I have one on my MN78, along with a 50mm RACI. Though on this scope it only gets used when I lose mount datum for any reason.

    They are not expensive and tiny when alongside a telrad😁
    You can try one out by sticky pads on the scope to see how you get on.
    If you are really unsure about location, elastic bands and masking tape work wonders🤣

    I have also used the 2/3 shoe brackets. I don't think they are the right choice for a small scope (ST102).
    Having said that. finders are very much a personal choice. There are no right/wrong answers.

    Thanks. I think the Rigel may be good.  Does it just stick on like the telrad and does it come with these pads?

  5. 13 minutes ago, Richard_B said:

    I have the same scope and focuser. I use a Rigel plus an Astro Essential 9x50 90 deg finder scope. The Rigel took some getting used to but is excellent and I would recommend one as the space it takes up in the scope tube is really small

    MMm. Another good idea. The double shoe thing may be a bit bulky and I am not sure if one side would interfere too much with ep area.  Not seen the Rigel in the flesh. I have a telrad on my sct which is big. Too big for the ST.  The rigel always looks a bit skyscraperish to me. I don't suppose you have a pic of it on your ST102 do you? 

  6. So I now have the ST102 with Crayford dual speed focuser upgrade, 2" williams diagonal, nice eps and a recent 9x50 raci finder which is now on thanks to the overlooked ( on my part ) need for a shoe on the new focuser. 

    Clear skies last night, excellent. Let's have a quick look at Orion.  Now it is not exactly a small target but the trouble I had and HOW much did I miss the dodgy little plastic RDF that came as stock. !!!!!   I need to get the RDF back on for tonight but hold on, where do I fit it? There are no other areas to add it to the focuser or anywhere else for that matter.  OK I can remove the RACI and pop it in there but I want both on.

    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. The sudden loss of the ability to look straight through to get straight on a particular area of sky was a real pain last night.  Thanks all. 

  7. 2 minutes ago, NGC 1502 said:

    Lots of good extra help above.  Someone mentioned don’t try to align the finder on anything close, that’s important. In use for astronomy you’ll be finding objects at infinity.  Lots of parallax different between infinity and something close, less than about 200 meters.  
     

    For those reading this who own older models of this type of finder, the important rubber O ring can be perished. A simple fix is to bin the O ring and use electrician’s tape. Experiment to find the best amount of tape.

    Useful thanks. I do appreciate the close up issue. Just had no option today. I usually do the daytime one on a local hospital mast 2 miles away. 

    • Like 1
  8. 28 minutes ago, Stu said:

    The shoe looks well aligned with the scope so it should have enough adjustment. As mentioned above, make sure the the rubber O ring is seated properly so the finder is held centrally at the front.

    I think you mentioned trying this on a nearby object? Definitely try on a distance object, or preferably the Moon or bright star as it should be easier, could be you are just trying on an object too close.

    Rubber O ring?

  9. 7 minutes ago, NGC 1502 said:

    It’s actually a brilliant idea. You can align the finder with the other 2 knobs, the spring loaded one takes all the slack without having to tighten anything.

    Previous generation finders with 3 standard adjustable screws were a pain in the derrière to line up. What you’ve got is so much better👍

    Not quite so sure. Mounted it and tried to align daytime today. The amount of play in the plastic ones gave out before I could get the cross hair centred on target.  Is there a trick to this or a starting point I should be aware of?  I have also played with the focus and that does not seem to do much either. Admittedly my first target was a bit close so maybe it will not focus down that close. Will try again on a more suitable target. 

  10. 10 hours ago, Daf said:

    Hi @Starslayer, I'm considering a similar setup to use as a G&G and thinking the ST102 AZ5 set from FLO and debating swapping in a 1.5" or a 2" diagonal, for my 2" accessories.

    How do you find that the stock focuser handles the weight of the 2" EPs ect? Adequate or something you feel you'd want to update sooner rather than later?

    The original was ok once balanced. Yesterday I swapped it out for the Crayford one. Boy was that a tight fit!  It is much heavier too but all balances ok. What I did forget is that he new focuser does not have a finder shoe!  Idiot boy!  Another order pending. 

    • Thanks 1
  11. 3 minutes ago, MalcolmM said:

    I used to have this setup. 

    If I remember correctly there is a small dovetail attached directly to the OTA with a couple of small nuts and bolts.

    You could do this yourself if you removed the focuser module. When I put an upgraded focuser on (which was much heavier) I had to move the dovetail to the rear of the OTA so that the scope would balance properly. That involved removing the focuser module, drilling a couple of holes and moving the dovetail.

    The only sticking point I can think of might be the 'built on' dovetail may have had a curved surface so that it mated snugly with the tube.

    Malcolm

     

     

    Thanks . Deffo no dovetail attached to this version. No holes / screws - nothing.  I just have the rings. Thinking of adding the focuser too and appreciate that is again more weight. I still have room for manoeuvre though on the small dovetail. 

    • Like 1
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