johninderby

Skywatcher finder mounting shoe and Opticstar finder foot so I can mount a red dot finder on the Skymax 180. Telrad was too bulky and don’t get on with the Rigel QuickFinder at all so a multi reticle finder suits me.

Now if the puck for the new mount will only arrive can fit the ADM saddle.

         John

32 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Now all you need is a comfy chair. I bet it takes a good bit of weight off of the setup also.

One thickly padded height adjustable drummers throne. ?

Without the pillar. ?

FT maybe at Xmas. ?

Wouldn’t want to be much taller but OK. With the Skymax 180 eyepiece will be about 1400mm to 1470mm so a very comfortable height. With Big Red might have to extend the tripod legs a bit. Or just remove the pillar extension and use a chair with the 180. Think that’ll probably be the way I’ll go. No extension for the 180 and fit it for Big Red.

Big Red’s tube is sitting in the corner while the paint reaches maximum hardness. Can see why powder coating is used on most commercial scopes even though it’s not as tough as proper two,pack paint as it hardens right away so no waiting a month while the paint hardens.

          John

Post office drivers can be so cruel.  ?

Skywatcher AZ-EQ5 GT and the Berlebach tripod is very heavy duty and will hold many times the load that’s on it. 

A little something to go on my Berlebach tripod.  ?

There’s always the saw method which isn’t as crazy as it sounds. 

Long gone manufacturer but some info here.

http://darkstartelescopes.blogspot.com/

Not the postman as I had to go and collect them.

Tube and cell for Big Red have been refinished. Two pack candy red paint for the tube and satin powdercoat for the cell. Was going to powdercoat the tube but advised that the two pack paint would give a tougher finish and of course would be a proper candy red.  ?

Expensive at 200 quid plus VAT (removing old paint and preparation does add to the cost) but can't believe the quality of the finish on the tube. Absolutely flawless and far better than an ordinary car body shop could do.  Won't be putting the scope back together for a couple of weeks  to allow the paint to reach full hardness. 

Raining lightly here at the minute.  ?

Altair Astro Premium LRGB Filter Set & IR Pass filter.  ?

The 2x is a bit lighter than the 3x. Just. ?

I’m wondering if an individuals light sensitivity or eyesight in general makes a difference in what filters work or don’t work for them. I found the Contrast Booster to be of little help but found the Neodynium makes a real difference in detail on Jupiter for instance. 

The Neodynium  filter is also my favourite for lunar. Really helps bring out the details and gives the moon a nice neutral colour. No off tinges.  ??

BTW everyone on this forum is always ready to help you empty your bank account. ?

Explore Scientific 2x Focal Extender and a Batinov mask.

Sold the 3x Fri aft and the 2x replacement arrived promptly from FLO.

Yes that’s the one. Same filter just dropped the Moon & Skyglow bit from the name on the filter recently. The original,Moon & Skyglow didn’t have the IR cut but then it became the Moon & Skyglow & IR Cut.

Find it gives a natural colour as well.

The Baader Contrast Booster filter is OK but find the Baader Moon & Skyglow is an even better planetary filter particularily on Jupiter. Have you tried the Moon & Skyglow for planetary?

Had both filters but ended up selling the Contrast Booster.

So this isn’t on your wish list then.  ?

https://www.ioptron.com/product-p/9501.htm

Works great on my Bresser. 

       John

Replacement dew shield to fit my Skymax 180 from FLO. Astrozap changed the sizing of the one that used to fit without telling the dealers so the one previously sent by FLO wasn’t the right size. Anyway all sorted now and FLO included a Celestron Elements TrekCel 3300 - Torch / Power Pack free of charge to make up for the inconvieience. Good of them as the “mistake” wasn’t their fault in the first place.  ?

         John

Warm and sunny day again and not a sign of rain. Garden needs some rain soon. 28 tomorrow and warmer on the weekend. 

        John

Opticstar manual filter wheel. Wasn’t expecting much at the price but thought it would do for now. Surprisingly nice bit of kit though. Well made and moves smoothly and easily and clicks positively into each position. Great value.

However the one bit I didn’t care for was the eyepiece holder. One of those types with a single screw. Had  a TS one with compression ring though that screwed right on. 

Now will do me for a while.  ?

Oh yes will need something to fill it with.  ?  Will just have to see what the postman brings.  ?

Looks like it just might be a pier.  ?

Yes the 24 Pan just hits that sweet spot I think.  ?

Also really like the 26 Nagler but bigger and heavier.