Space Hopper

The TEC140 is $6600 USD and it went up $600 or so when they switched to a Fluorite element in 2018. 

Its the weak UK £ that means we take it on the chin pricewise.

I see its gone up in price over here ; mine was around £500 less than that.

This new scope is air spaced rather than an oil spaced design like the TEC so it will take some cooldown time.

On 20/11/2019 at 18:44, johnturley said:

I think that's a very sensible approach, I recently purchased an Es Reid tested Esprit 150, and I asked Es (who incidentally does quite a bit of solar observing, but with a dedicated solar scope) about using A Quark solar eyepiece with the scope, and his opinion was that he wouldn't risk it.

As Rob suggested, a Hershell Wedge probably ok with refractors up to 80-100 mm, for larger sizes  a full aperture solar filter such as the Baader or Seymour is a safer option, or best of all a dedicated solar scope. 

John 

I have the Baader HW with filter kit, and used to routinely use my old WO 132mm with it.

I never had any issues, but i only usually observed for a few minutes at a time, then moved the scope away from the sun for a bit.

The objective was fine, and the window at the back of the wedge never got hot at all ; luckwarm and nothing more.

I always used it with binoviewers, often with only the ND3.0 filter in place. Of course, the ND3.0 MUST ALWAYS be in situ. It can actually be unscrewed, which i think is a serious issue. They should have designed it so it could not be removed, or cemented it in or something.

Sometimes i added another of the ND filters to the 3.0 : the 0.6 if i remember,  to dim the view down a touch more if it was a really bright day.

I tried the green continuum but always found it a rather odd, artificial sort of view  like a HA scope.

I primarily brought the HW for the March 2015 eclipse and the May 2016 Mercury transit and to my amazement it was clear for both events ! 🤗

I've not really used it much since ; the sun at present is pretty bland.  Its stored away in  the garage, and i'd thought about selling it , but i think i will keep it, as its a nice thing to use, and what is nicer than observing in warm sunshine ?? 😀

When i do use it again, it will be with the APM  scope rather than the TEC.

The 140 has a Fluorite element, and i don't want to risk 'thermal shocking it'. It would almost certainly be ok though.

I have an update from Richard,

The mount is in full production and they're making excellent progress and are on 'the home straight' if you like.

Ok, there's been a few delays, some mechanical and some electrical, but all is now well, so i'm told.

One has to expect one or two delays with a new product like this : i for one am happy to wait. I'd much sooner they took the time, 

and iron out any faults, then rush it through only for there to be unforseen problems further down the line.

Richard has sent me a photo of the new drive units awaiting assembly (i won't share it on here) and the quality of the machining

looks excellent. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing it in the flesh and putting it through its paces 😀

Well you could, but odds on you'll be disappointed with the results.

Its on my hit-list Matthew. If it ever stops raining here that is.

I'm hoping my 140mm refractor will be able to tease it out.

I'm also after the E & F stars in M42 a bit to the right.

Thats a shocking story and i'm sorry to hear you've lost out because of it.

If ever i've sent anything abroad (which is a rarity) i've always used DHL and in certain cases paid the insurance fee just to make sure.

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

I have to correct you there. I have tried a number of binoviewers on some very fine scopes and despite being “optimised” still prefered the one eyed observing. And it’s not just me. Many very experienced observers have found they don't like binoviewers. It’s just a matter of personal preference that’s all.

They may work for you but not for everyone. Peoples eyesight does differ so you can’t make the sweeping assumption that your opinion is correct for everyone..

I don't John.

As i said earlier :

Quote  "But thats just my own £0.02p on the subject, and i appreciate that others don't necessarily agree with me."

I will end it there thankyou.

An important thing to note is that when you go down the route of bino-viewing you have an optimised set up to begin with.

Most (not all )refractors won't come to focus without some form of amplification.

A Newtonian won't focus at all without it.  

This amplification means having a longer focal length which = more magnification + a slightly dimmer view and that higher power is at the mercy of poor seeing conditions.

You have to be really careful with any sort of Catadioptric. Focusing is not the issue here, but if you have too long a lightpath (read visual back and 2" diagonal, then binoviewer and eyepieces) ) your scope

will then lose aperture as you end up racking the primary way too far in to try and focus it. This in turn increases the focal length (sometimes by quite a bit) , makes the secondary

obstruction as a percentage much larger and also introduces spherical aberation in to the mix, which all results in a dim, over magnified and poor contrast view.

A lot of observers are naturally disappointed by these sorts of issues, and blame the binoviewers, look at the outlay, the views and say binoviewing is not for them.

Its not a fault with the binoviewer at all ; and a bit of forward planning can make the difference between liking them or quitting on them all together which i think is a shame,

because once everything is optimised the views are so much better, and then the full benefits to two eyed viewing can be really enjoyed.

Good work @djpaul

I'm sure it will be a good purchase for you.

I was certainly impressed with it.

Maybe it would be good to test it against a DM-6 and compare the two together...??

My weather app shows total cloud cover and rain. (Really, i'd never have believed that ! 😃)

But these apps have a habit of forecasting what we've just had weatherwise and things can change between now and then. Its too early to tell.

Fingers x'ed ; you never know.

If it looks promising i'll be out to see it. I'll forever regret it if its a spectacular showing.

I'm a little biased here as i've been a binocular and bino-viewing enthusiast for a good few years now.

I've always believed theres no better way to observe.

I always think "why would anyone want to observe with one eye when you have two ?" What do you do with your other eye while monoviewing with the other ? Keep it closed ? Keep it open ? Cover it over. This just leads to squinting through your observing eye.

When you listen to music through a pair of headphones they generally sound better and feel more comfortable in stereo don't they ??  They do to me.  I apply the same principles to visual observing.

I've never yet seen a mono view through any telescope compare with a two eyed view, on any object, and i've looked through a whole host of different scopes and eyepieces in the last 20 years or so.

Even with something like a 21mm Ethos, one of the worlds finest widefields, while the views have been spectacular in some cases, i still prefer a two eyed view through my personal favourite 24mm Panoptics. 

I can quite happily observe something like Saturn or Jupiter for 10-20 mins continuously, in complete comfort, waiting for that extra steady bit of seeing to come along.

I can't do that mono-viewing. It would get far too uncomfortable.

But thats just my own £0.02p on the subject, and i appreciate that others don't necessarily agree with me.

If i had to recommend a system, i would go with Baader Planetarium. The Mk 2 Maxbrite (or a used Mk1) is reasonably priced and best of all, they supply a whole host of excellent prisms and diagonals,

all with a T2 format so excellent compatibility and as short a lightpath as you can get. The William Optics are nice as well, but don't have the T2 compatibility.

Another more expensive option is the Denkmeiers where you have a 'Powerswitch' to give you 3 different magnifications with just the one set of eyepieces.

Theres alot to be said for Powerswitches. Less fiddling around, and more time observing for one.....

With it being numbered #048 it looks to be one of the earlier lenses LZOS produced and a good few years old.

So with a lens of this pedigree, if it was me, i'd be thinking about having it professionally cleaned,  polished and recollimated.

The only way i'd do that is to send it back to Lytkarino in Russia.

To do that i'd enquire with the UK distributers of LZOS (Astrograph UK) or maybe even enquire with someone like Markus Ludes who run APM scopes

in Germany. I think (correct me if i'm wrong) that APM are the only importers of these very rare and special lenses, and they will have the contacts in Russia

that will help you along with getting your optic serviced. It is a complex lens design, and i'd want LZOS, no one else, to do it.

6 minutes ago, djpaul said:

Well it's my next purchase as far as I'm concerned  

So I may well go just to see it and see if it's as well built as it looks.  

Make no mistake, its certainly well built ! 😀

I bought a dew band from Barbara, some imaging adapters for the TEC, and picked up a new smaller refractor to go with the TEC

I also added to my meteorite collection.....a nice specimen i think. Its a NWA stone type.

8 minutes ago, djpaul said:

Anyone  know if Rowan astronomy had their new az100 mount on show?

 

It looked very impressive Paul, and if i didn't already have the DM-6 i'd certainly be in the market for one.

Like the DM-6 it works very nicely with the Nexus DSC

I also heard talk about sometime in the future they'd be adding motors / goto functionality.

One more......

Sure did matey......!! 😀

I was only there for 4 hours, but really enjoyed the show.

The morning run down was fine, M1, M69 were both good, but obviously much busier mid Friday afternoon on the return leg.

I'm travelling down from Derby.

54.5 miles : 1hr 9m drive so Google Maps tells me.

I'm worried about flooding en route, and i've a feeling that 1hr 9m may be a little optimistic.....🤨

I've owned a 12" Newtonian and where i live i can't even see M1 (as an example) because the light pollution is so poor.

At our dark site i've seen M1 in 15x50 binoculars.

But only a few weeks ago from home i could see Saturns shadow cast upon its rings in the same light polluted back yard with my refractor.

Swings and roundabouts.

I use Blazewear heated insoles which really help with winter cold feet.

Sorry, i was way off the mark.

Imaging specific reflectors = big secondarys to fully illuminate the various sized sensors out there. 

I hadn't factored that in. 😳

Not absolutely sure, but i have a similar OO 12"F4

The secondary on that is 75mm

On the smaller 10" that comes with a 63mm secondary.

The SW Quattros may not be EXACTLY the same, but the above will give you a ballpark idea.

HTH

Fair point, but still an over the top markup.

£1000 at the current exchange rate + 25% = £1250 to me not £1500 !

Thats WCs profit margin i guess and if they can shift them at that price then good luck to them.

So $1245 in the US and £1400 - £1500 over here........??

Somebody's taking the michael.