Dave1

Very good, brilliant results. I have one of Alexanders EQ Power Control Boxes. Can I as a question? Does the metal surround on your control box get hot to very hot? I ask because mine does, and quite frankly it concerns me.

Thanks Neal, I have to admit the Stellamira 80ED F11 telescope is on my radar but the ota is quite a bit heavier than the Scopetech, and given my current set up. The Scopetech made more sense. The 102mm F11 ED, is a scope I think i'd definitely like to own I particularly like the updated version Altair Astro is selling with the blue tube. I will at some point like to own a 6" refractor. I have a suitable mount, but that mount is a work in progress.

1. Skylight 60mm F16.7 2. Scopetech STL-80A Maxi 80mm F15

Very happy to have received a Scopetech STL-80A, 80mm F15 refractor. A telescope I've wanted for a very long time! Ever since FLO imported them. So when one came up for sale here at a good price I couldn't resist. Can not wait to use this! Will be interesting to find out if it will best the Towa 339 80mm F15 and Vixen P-80L 80mm F15 I used to own.

That's great, it's good to have a book you connect with on a sentimental level I've also managed to somehow loose my favourite astronomy book. Which I will soon replace. Planet Observer's Handbook by Fred W Price.

Hi Dave, Sorry about the late reply. In the end because of the issues I had read about about the Tal125 Apolar I checked out and cancelled the order. So it never arrived. I do wonder if that was a mistake.

I'm just gradually catching up on this thread. Something worth mentioning is that Fordingbridge also has its own astronomy club, so if Fordingbridge was choosen it might be worth contacting Fordingbridge Astromny Club, they may even know a better location/campsite.

Hi Mark, I haven't had a C9.25 but I have had a Skywatcher Skymax 180 Pro. Out of all telescope designs Maks unfortunately need the longest cool down. Going from warm house to freezing temperatures will take a couple of hours for full acclimatisation to take place. I would recommend a dew shield and dew heating strip. The best thing to do though is to try and keep the telescope in an out building of shed that is closer to ambient outside temperature, this reducings the cool down time.

I already I have the EQ Power control box by Astro Gadget. Which if connected to a pc uses EQMOD/Ascom. But use SynScan and Sky Safari Pro from mobile, since it has built in WiFi. So not reinventing the wheel, so to speak. EQMOD Ascom is older than Onstep. For SynScan to connect to my control box via WiFi. I need to update the firmware in the control box first via PC. I have a firmware file, which is a hex file. But for some reason it won't write/install itself to the control box. It might be something I'm doing or not doing? Which is why I asked for help.

Hi Guys, As some of you may well know. I've been converting a mount to GoTo. Unfortunately when it comes to software and computers side of things I am really not very good at all. Is there somebody in this club that is good with installation of software? That would be will to meet up and help me out? Here's the project so far

Very nice Stu, is this the Takahashi FS128 that was on eBay the other day? Can't wait to read what it can do on Jupiter.

So an update on where I am with this, the DB9 female to female couplers have turned up, and are fitted. I have now sorted a power pack Nevada PS-08. I now need to wait for the power cables to run from the Nevada PS-08 to the mount control box. Getting there!

Hi @Alan White thanks for the welcome back. I hope I can already be practicing astronomy 1 night a week at the moment.

Thanks guys, thanks for the comments. Waiting for a couple of DB9 female to female gender changer couplers to turn up. Then I can take the next step and hopefully put the whole setup together and get it working. The hardest part for me will be sorting the software settings out!

Hi guys, Long time no see! I hope some of you can still remember me? Its been a long time since I've been that active in astronomy. But the bug has bitten me again. Especially with the big bright planets in the sky. I always was mainly a planetary observer. So I'm finally getting around to completing my DIY GoTo mount, which will be used with my Skylight 60mm F16.7 telescope. My little 60mm refractor is my only current telescope. Here's a photo of the progress so far. So far I've manage to get the motors, gears, and belts on.

I have the Baader 2" Zeiss prism diagonal. It is a very good diagonal, very good in long focus refractors. It's also I big chunk of glass, and if you use a relatively short telescope on an AZ type mount , be sure to make engage the clutches, as you don't want it hitting a tripod leg or the ground.

It all depends on the quality of the glass used, what type of glass, and how well figured the glass is. A slow Achromat like my Skylight 60mm F16.7 Carton objective lens can show you a lot for the aperture. With small objectives you need to be more patient, and it hones and improves your observing skills .

I'd be very interested in seeing how you get on with the SA GTi?

Finally figured it out.

@Stu thanks for the explanation, it would be good if they did somewhat make it a bit more automated. But the way you describe it makes sense. I have yet to get Sky Safari to give me a telescope or eyepiece view. Even though I have put in the details of my Takahashi FS78 and Carl Zeiss Jena 10mm. I guess either I am not pressing something somewhere or running Sky Safari on my PC isn't a good idea.

Just a thought? Has Sky Safari and Stellarium Et Al not thought to have a feature where by you can put in the aperture of a telescope and it adjust the program to what is visible in a specific aperture? It could be I'm not aware, but to me that seems like a good idea, and would help a lot of astronomer? I can't be the only one to think this?

Great photo. With out realising it on the 14th of Jan I was looking at Schroders Valley and surrounding area, I now know this is the area I was looking at thanks to your photo!

Well got out tonight with my Skylight 60mm, part of the night was spent tweaking my EQ3-2 mount to adjust the backlash, I think I am there now, although I might tweak some further. I spent quite a lot of time looking at various parts of the moon tonight. I did do the comparison I mentioned on Stu's thread the other day. Did the comparison with a 20mm Plossl and 12mm Brandon. Was interesting not a great deal of Chromatic Aberration but it was there. Looked at the Orion nebular could see A B C D components with both my Brandon 12mm ( 84x magnification ) and CZJ Ortho 10mm ( 100x magnification ). Had a quick look at M45 the Pleiades, and Sirius. All in all not a bad little session.

As far as I'm aware the only Tak telescopes with the Fluorite at the front is the FS line of telescopes. So owners of FS models might want to be careful.

Great write up Stu, the photo's demonstrate your writing very well. I am tempted to point my Skylight at the moon and compare to your telescopes. If I use a 20mm eyepiece I get 1.2mm exit pupil, and if I use a 12mm eyepiece I'd get 0.71mm exit pupil. Hmm the gauntlet has been thrown down ! 🙂