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inedible_hulk

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Everything posted by inedible_hulk

  1. Finally last night, me, the Starfield 102 I ordered back in June, and some clear skies were in the same place at the same time. Although some bands of cloud were apparent, the sky seemed the clearest and most transparent I have experienced in a long time. I started off with the moon, nicely framed in my ES 82 11mm at x65. It was quite a moment. I don’t know whether it was the clarity of the atmosphere, or the quality of the scope, but my breath was quite taken away. I switched to another relatively recent acquisition, a SvBony 3-8mm zoom. I concentrated on the Sinus Lunicus area and around the crater Cassini. Slowly I increased the magnification from x102 through each of the settings on the eyepiece to x238, and the Starfield kept giving. I spent a merry hour or so observing this area, moving between the magnifications. Much to my disappointment the fog began to roll in from the river, so I only managed a quick view of Saturn at x102 before it stopped play. Even in these conditions a crisp view was afforded. Roll on the next clear night!
  2. I found the supplied spring which works with the clutch to be next to useless. A short fat elastic band wrapped between the two attachment points was much more effective.
  3. As John says, it’s the clutch for the drive which can be added to this mount. Welcome to SGL btw 😊
  4. @Nicola Fletcher I’ve always liked the look of these. Please let us know how you get on 😊
  5. @bosun21 The electric focuser looks interesting. Just what I need for my SkyMax 150. Have you a link to the supplier you can share please?
  6. I couldn’t find a Phillips driver later than Win 7 when I tried to resurrect my SPC900nc out of a sense of nostalgia. This driver didn’t work for me on Win 11.
  7. Moon rising over South Uist with a handheld iPhone 13.
  8. A couple of snaps with my iPhone in the Shropshire countryside this weekend. ‘The Plough’ Aquila (I think) The Moon
  9. In my experience of twiddling a small knob moving the big mirror on the 150, and trying various tricks like clothes pegs and bottle tops, I’d say yes, it would really benefit from a dual speed focuser. Or perhaps just a better focuser. But that’s just my experience with the 150, which appears to have very little weight. Thank you, I’d had been wondering if this was worth a try.
  10. Apologies, I should have been clearer. Unlike some SCTs, there isn’t (to my knowledge) a third party microfocuser which directly replaces the telescope’s focuser. btw, if there is one, I’d love to know.
  11. I have the SkyMax 150. None of the reflectors or refractors I’ve owned have come close for planetary or lunar. Though it is rather a one trick pony in that respect. I use a DIY camping mat dew shield and a dew band, and dew hasn’t been a problem. Cool down times can be significantly cut down by keeping the scope somewhere cool and by planning ahead. Have it out cooling whilst you set up the mount etc. If you go down the imaging route, you will eventually find that you need to add an additional focuser for the fine focus. As far as I’m aware, there isn’t an upgrade for the stock focuser.
  12. Hello and welcome from North Wales 😊
  13. inedible_hulk

    New

    Hello and welcome 😊
  14. On the off chance someone with the same question stumbles upon this thread, the end of the diagonal / eyepiece clamp is T2 and the Baader Ultrashort 1¼" / T-2 Eyepiece Clamp makes a nice secure upgrade.
  15. There’s a lot of good posts on here, the other place, and YouTube on modding and upgrading the humble ST80. However, I am finding it difficult to find anyone who has just upgraded the clamp at the end of the focuser draw-tube (it just unscrews). The stock one is rubbish and once I have a diagonal and my Baader zoom attached, things can seem quite precarious. Does anyone know of a suitable replacement, or even just the spec of the thread on the draw-tube please?
  16. Bought a Starfield 102 in late May. It’s barely been out of the box ☹️. Even when it’s been sunny, there’s been a high altitude murk masking everything. On the bright side (no pun intended) though, I’ve had some really enjoyable solar sessions 😊.
  17. And finally. Now if I could just get a chance to use my recent purchases 🙏
  18. Also looking forward to this 😊
  19. A few colour filters (visual) to experiment with.
  20. The owls at the end of the garden, the church clock’s chimes, the dog’s snoring, passing cars, are all louder than my EQ5 slewing. The only way I can see it keeping my neighbours awake is if I’ve inadvertently set up in their bedroom… Go with what you like. If you don’t mind having a little more to carry and set up, or suffer from light polluted skies, go goto. If you like to keep it simple, or enjoy the thrill of the chase, go manual.
  21. Been wanting one of these for a number of years…
  22. I use both the mobile and desktop versions of SkySafari Pro, though I’m still on v.4 despite numerous hardware and os upgrades and updates. It is very user configurable and has been worth every penny I spent. As previously mentioned, look out for the not infrequent offers.
  23. The nice DPD man arrived with this today… First major acquisition in a long while and to replace my trusty ED80 Pro. I hope it’s half as good as reputed to be 😊.
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