geordie85

Hi

Has anyone used, or even heard of the above mentioned tripod?

I've just won one on eBay to use with my star adventurer but can't really find much information about it. 

Just hoping I haven't wasted my money.

Thanks

EDIT: added a picture from eBay. To me it looks sturdy enough, but looks can be deceiving. 

9 minutes ago, iapa said:

I initially used an Orion 50mm (162mm focal len) guide scope on my 200P-DS 1000mm focal length

Saw somewhere suggesting ratio of  focal lengths of the main tube to guide should be around 3:1 or thereabouts.

I now use a StarTraveller 80mm F5 (400mm fl) for guide scope.

 

 

Do you notice much difference in the guiding accuracy? I'm thinking about upgrading my guide scope but since I image with a short tube frac (star 71) I'm unsure I'll notice any improvement 

50 minutes ago, FLO said:

I meant all three items (I wasn't aware of the third item until you mentioned it). 

I only called out from my desk "Carole is chasing her order" then heard a response from the warehouse "already packed!" 

This is quite simply why I order almost all of my new equipment from FLO.

Fantastic company with even better friendly service. 

Finally got the imaging rig I wanted.

Neq6, WO Star 71, atik 383l, SX filter wheel, Baader LRGB, HA, O111 S11 filters, qhy5-ll, 9x50 guide scope and polemaster. 

1 hour ago, ultranova said:

Looking at  a earlier post, it says they are waiting for a delivery of the new star 71's sometime in late June

if they are going to be the same FL and  speed I don't know

These are the specs that are advertised on highscientific website that have them in stock.

William Optics WO-Star 71 Specifications

Aperture: 71 mm

Focal Ratio: f/4.9

Focal Length: 350.2 mm

Objective Type: 4 elements in 3 groups - patented 2-1-1 Configuration

Lens ShadeRetractable

Focuser: 2.5” Dual Speed Rack & Pinion

Focuser Drawtube travel: 1.38" / 35mm

Image Circle: 45 mm

Type of Mount: Mounting rings with Vixen style dovetail

OTA Tube Weight: 4.5 lb / 2.05 kg

Tube Weight with Rings & Dovetail: 5.3 lb / 2.4 kg

1 hour ago, ultranova said:

Hi Steve, Just a thought, Does this now mean FLO will continue to sell the star 71

Now that the optics can be sorted, or have WO stopped production due

to the amount of returns, as I should not mind another in 3-4 months for a dual rig

Paul

forget that  I must learn to read.:)

 

William optics themselves have discontinued the star 71.

That's why I'm very thankful to FLO for reducing/ fixing and selling the ones they had returned as I was able to get one 

After being rather disappointed about hearing the star 71 was discontinued I started looking into the gt81. 

Thankfully I managed to purchase one of the recent returns of the star 71 and knowing that the optics have been fully checked and corrected I already have piece of mind that I'm not going to struggle with weird shapes stars.

Have to wait until I'm back off holiday before I can receive and test it out and I can't wait.

Unfortunately I won't be.

OK I'll pm you when I'm available if you have any left.

Thanks

Fantastic.

I don't suppose you'll be taking reservations on them?

1 hour ago, FLO said:

Around five years ago it became possible to buy triplet refractors at prices <£1,000.  This caused us some concern because triplets are significantly more difficult (expensive) to manufacture than doublets.  We were not confident manufacturers could produce them to a consistently high optical quality below £1k.  When we say 'consistently' we mean off-the-shelf telescopes performing as well as the ones reviewed in magazines.  Today, our own experience suggests our concerns were well founded, the return rate of <£1k triplets is significantly higher than more expensive models. And comments, from owners, posted here at SGL appear to confirm this. And now we also have 4-element and 5-element refractors selling at around £1k! 

However, there can no doubt when they are good they are really good!  The optics are well figured and free of colour, sometimes there is a little over or under corrected spherical aberration, probably due to airspacing errors, but astigmatism (the bane of any optical system) is pretty-much unheard of. 

So, we thought, what to do... The aberrations experienced (usually misshapen stars) are almost always due to misalignment so we needed to find someone able to realign them, and the someone had to be here in the UK.  Es Reid is highly regarded in the optical business, his name is synonymous with high quality optics and his recent work for us here at FLO has been exceptionally good.  So, after speaking with Es, here is what we propose: 

Beginning with the William Optics GT81 triplet, the GT-102 triplet and the soon to be re-released William Optics Star-71, the telescopes will be delivered direct to Es Reid.  Es will assess them on his bench and make any corrections required.  Doing this will ensure all GT81, GT102 and Star-71 telescopes purchased from FLO will be 100% AOK. 

Here's the clever part - Es Reid's work isn't cheap but a percentage of the telescopes will test okay so will not require adjustment. The cost of assessing a telescope's performance is less than for the work required to re-align one.  If we send 'all' GT81 and Star-71 to Es then average the costs it will add only £75 to each telescope's retail price.  We might need to tweak the price up/down a little but £75 should be about right.  We will also warranty Es' work for two years so if the telescope should need re-alignment after, say, an unusually cold night under the stars, we will return it to Es for re-alignment free of charge. 

We will update our prices and product descriptions Monday, from then onwards all our GT81, GT102 and Star-71 telescopes will be checked and, if necessary, tuned by Es Reid. 

There will always be those who consider only price when purchasing a telescope but we think most will consider this additional cost a small price to pay for absolute peace of mind. 

Steve & the FLO team  

Does this mean they new star 71 will be released for UK sale on Monday or are you just updating your prices on Monday?

That climbing frame has gone now and the table won't last much longer I don't think. It's almost falling apart already.

I have a nice view of North, West and south but my house obscures the east heavily which is a shame since most things rise in the East.

My 200p getting busy 

With filters you really do get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap one then it's not going to perform very well at all. I have the 12nm ha astronomik clip in filter and I've never had a problem with DSO's being too dim even at 5 min exposures.

You will need alot of subs though as they always seem to come out quite noisy for me