johninderby

Astroshop.eu own brand. They seem to be about the same as the Telescope Express versions.

Now round concrete base, square or octagonal? Bump outs for possible future bays?

So ot’s off to the local hire place for a concrete mixer and whacker and order the sand and stone.? 😁

Any pics and or pricing on the dual fit saddles yet?

It all depends where you observe from. Most observe from their back garden where a few short trips are no big deal and transportation is a non issue. Just use a stool to sit on and the dob is at a very compfortable height. Yes you can add GOTO or drives to a dob. There are kits out there but the simplest solution is to use an EQ platform for the dob to sit on which will track for about an hour until it needs resetting. Get a Bresser 8” dob which uses tube rings so easy to remove the alt bearings and fit a dovetail then stick it on an EQ mount.

One thing to keep in mind the photos are probably of a pre-production one so can expect some small detail changes. I’ve bought many air rifle upgrade parts from Rowan over the years and everything has held up very well. And air rifles get abused more than astro gear. Sold my last airgun a week ago and no longer in that hobby.

Good weekend selling astro kit and now have the money in my hobby bank account to pay for the AZ100. Now just to sell a couple of other bits to pay for the accessories. 🙂😎 👌

You definately need a proper battery chrager. Found the following on battery charge. ”Resting fully charged 12-volt batteries are around 12.8-12.9 volts, and flat dead ones are at 12.0 volts, so 12.4 volts on a resting battery means it's about 50% charged.”

There isn’t a clutch release on the Synscan dobs. You can adjust the clutches though.but requires taking things apart. Click on the box below to show the file.

Just a thought. How are you powering the dob? Insufficient power can cause alignment problems particularily as when slewing during alignment when it can draw more amps than you would expect.

First the slabs then the obs. It’s a slippery slope. 😁

It shouldn’t be forgotten if it was full Tak quality it would have the Takahashi name on it. You won’t find the Tak name anywhere on this scope. Starbase is a lower priced beginners brand, Good quality yes but made by a company that makes scopes for other brands as well as Tak.

Get an adapter ring then fit an SCT visual back. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/lynxastro_makcas-sct_adptr.html

Grass protection mats are a simple solution. Often used to allow wheelchair access or childrens play area in a soft grass area. https://www.matsgrids.co.uk/grass-protection-mats/55-grassmats-23mm-thick-100x150cms-5060423910794.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy6rI_MTz5AIVRIfVCh1HUAOYEAQYAiABEgIpMfD_BwE

Not a good idea to to paint the sides or back of the primary mirror. Not only is it totally unnecessary and has zero benefits it has some downsides. Painting the sides or back of the mirror will slow down the cooling of the mirror and if you ever want to have the mirror recoated it will cause problems. Blacking the sides of the secondary is OK and while it doesn’t have any benifits optically it does help with setting up the secondary. You will notice even the most expensive super premium newts leave the sides and back of the mirrors alone.

That old tripod / pillar only came with the very earliest mounts and was replaced by the regular tripod a long time ago. Nothing to do with discontinuing the mount. More to do with keeping the price down I think.

Surgery performed on an ADM saddle with a pillar drill. 😀

Glad to hear ypu have got things sorted out. They are very helpful at Opticstar. 👍🏻

Most phones have a compass app that will give both true and magnetic north. Or get a digital compass that can display true north. Or Google maps can show true north.

This adapter from FLO is a good solution. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/flo-compression-ring-adapter-for-skywatcher-newtonians-m54.html

Rowan could make a heavier duty one on a Losmandy dovetail with thick section in the middle to make the screw in point nice and strong,

Finaly bought a “brick” then. 👍🏻 They may not be the best looking thing you can stick on your scope but they are the best of their type to look though. 🙂

The value of good legal advice.....at least from their perspective.🙄

Something like this TS one. Actually think this idea would be quite usefull as you could move the counterweight forward or back to help adjust the alt balance of the scope. 🤔

Yes a hole in the saddle is a simple but effective idea. Did the same thing to fit an ADM saddle to the counterweight end of the TS-AZ5 (Skytee) mount which also has the saddle mounting holes on that end. EDIT Posted at same time as the above. Can see now that a threaded hole would be needed or a short dovetail with the threaded hole in it perhaps.