johninderby

Micro SD card for my tablet and a short USB cable in a nice fetching ZWO red. 🙂

Ask them for a price on the barrel and the correct filter and get it sorted in one go. 

Good that you have discovered that the filters are stacked. 👍🏻

Wonder if the eyepiece barrel from a diagonal would fit or maybe TS could supply a spare barrel from the wedge. Worth asking them. 🤔

Glad to see you’re enjoying using the wedge. 👍🏻

The narrowband filter is just for enhancing contrast so removing it should be OK unless it’s a combined filter. Are there two filter elements stacked together?

If you hold the filter up to the light does it look dark tinted?

Might be wise to play it safe and screw in an ND3.0 filter and try it.

Clear at last so decided to do a bit of lunar observing with the new Mak. Gave some lovely views with really sharp and contrasty images. Spent some time wandering down the terminator enjoying the detail. Never remember the Skymax 127 ever produceing images as good as this. Just feels like a bigger scope if that makes any sense. Used a Baader Moon & Skyglow filter which I like as gives the moon a neutral grey shade.

Well I bought it as a grab’n’go lunar / planetary scope and it doesn’t disapoint. Found I could observe straight away after taking it out if the conservatory. Doesn’t seem to be as affected as the Skymax by lack of cool down time. New camera arriving on Tuesday so looking forward to trying it out on this scope.

Yes it’s a bit more expensive than the Skymax but seems worth it. 👍🏻 

2 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

John have you a link to where I can obtain this Svbony solar finder from. Also I think you previously had a Lacerta solar finder - any opinion which you prefer.

Available from a few German places but less than half the price on eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SVBONY-Solar-Finder-Scope-Fully-Metal-For-Sun-Positioning-Solar-Eclipse-Observe/362366838367?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Ball head from Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0189228CS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Lacerta was good quality but prefer the Svbony as it is easier to use particularily once the etched lines on the disc are inked in.

A 290MM mini works perfectly with the tablet. I’ll be testing a 120MM mini next week which should work as well.🤞🏻

6 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

My 120MM works great in my old Win 7 USB2 laptop but I had trouble with the 1600MM. That's fixed now with the new laptop but the 120 wouldn't work!

It seems like it’s the USB2 cameras that use the regular USB cables that give trouble with newer tablets but the ones that use the mini USB connection on the camera seem to work. 🤔

Just now, daz said:

Hopefully it's new owner will put it to good use

I dare say that is most likely. 🙂

Just sold my ASI120MC because it’s incompatible with my tablet. 🤬

Depends on the quality of the stainless so I’d go with the aluminium and the OD won’t matter.

.

With the pier extension had to use the spacers as not enough clearance for the heads of the knobs. Aluminum spaces perhaps?

Hmm have some unused new black stainless steel knobs with a shorter thread somewhere.

20mm thread length, 25mm dia. head.

One day Skywatcher will start providing these quick removal knobs. Or then again probably not. 🤔

I see you went for the red option as well. 👍🏻

And an inexpensive mini flight case from eBay. Trimed the foam that came with the solar filter to fit and now have somewhere to store/carry the filter.

Just a little self adhesive mount to attach a photo tripod head. Fitted to the mount it allows you to mount a tablet or phone in a covienient place using a small ball head and a tablet/phone bracket. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01NCLMIN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A sun shield for the Bresser 127 Mak. Adjustable to fit most diameter OTAs. And a second hand ZWO120MC camera. 

The Lacerta and TS solar finders are .also adjustable. 

And the Svbony solar finder is available with a mini ball head mount which makes it fully adjustable. I added the ball head afterwards and it works a treat.

Solar finder

The basic Svbony solar finder is non adjustable but they also do a version with a mini ball head mount so I’ve now mounted mine on a mini ball head. No lack of adjustment now. ?

Also removed the disc from the finder and filled in the etched lines with ink.

1 hour ago, BinocularSky said:

How do you adjust it so that it's parallel to the OTA optical axis?

It isn't adjustable but they do another version with a mini ball head that is. Actually any ball head could be used as the finder has standard photo screw threads.

I’ll sort out a mini ball head tomorrow and see if I like it.

Well the sun peeped out through a break in the clouds and had the chance to try out the solar filter and finder. With a 25mm 60 degree eyepiece the sun just about filled the field of view. Nice sharp image of a featureless sun. ?

The Baader micro focuser worked nicely. ?

5 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

What’s the SVBoney part, John?

A solar finder. Better pic in my scope thread.

Few bits arrived for the scope. Dew shield, Baader micro focuser and a nosepiece for it, solar filter and a solar finder.

Hard to find the right sized dew shield as everyone in the UK seems to have stopped stocking this size but found a new one on eBay. The Baader micro focuser will add fine focusing. The stock focuser is actually pretty good and smoooth though. Found an open box but new solar filter at a nice £25.00 discount. Perfect fit and even matches the colour of the rear of the scope as well. The solar finder came from China via eBay for a whole £12.16 delivered but very well made.

Few bits for the Bresser 127 Mak

14 minutes ago, John said:

Pity that SV don't have any importers / dealers this side of the Atlantic.

 

As has been discussed in other threads unfortunately Stellarvue didn’t seem to have the capacity to support dealers over here. It didn’t work out very well at all when they had dealers over here. Pity Stellarvue wasn’t able to make it work.

8 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Sounds really promising, John.

Hopefully you will also try out the Bresser Messier MC-152 at some point? ?

 

My Skymax 180 won’t allow the Bresser 152 in the house. ?

Love the 180 but wanted something that basically took no setting up and was curious about the Bresser 127.