DRT

1 hour ago, darren west said:

1. anyone know where i can get the foam insert from as i already have some flight cases but they are empty 
2.  

I get mine from here: http://www.allendale-stores.co.uk/cases-enclosures/aluminium-flight-cases.html

1 minute ago, Knighty2112 said:

Silly me! I forgot to mention that is just what it is for my superior ST120 'frac!  

Put the pitchforks down lads, he isn't a witch after all 

7 minutes ago, John said:

My original lightweight set involved a Powermate 2.5x. Very good it was as well. I'm hopeless at minimalist sets though. It's an affliction you see - Occularholism

 

I know her well

16 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

Quick! someone Photoshop a focuser on the bottom of the 200p tube to help it blend in  

Couldn't we just classify it as a finder scope?

4 hours ago, John said:

Nice set Mark

I've also built a 1.25" lightweight set

My lightweight set now consists of a Panoptic 24mm with a 2.5x Powermate. I am hoping to add a 5x Powermate at some point to give me approximately 24mm, 10mm and 5mm with one eyepiece. I think @Stu would call it "minimalist observing"

I also have a 32mm TV Plossl, which would add 32mm, 13mm and 6.4mm to the range.

All of that gives me a range of 39x to 250x mag in my C5, which is not too bad as a lightweight grab-n-go option

That is a lovely set, Mark, and I'm glad the Pan15 ended up in good company

But you need to find a black cap for that Delite - that clash would keep me awake at night

2 hours ago, iPeace said:

It is very nice indeed. Good to know the box has been recovered.

4 minutes ago, Pig said:

I do want a click lock as it goes  having used one on the SCT they are pretty useful.

I think this is what is called "creating a market"

On 16/02/2017 at 16:47, Paul73 said:

New Toy Alert! 

I really shouldn't be this excited about a new (to me) scope?????

Having met DRT in a northern motorway services at an indecently early hour this morning to do the deal. Here is my new SW ED120. Complete with a Baader Clicklock diagonal and a 24mm Panoptic that was kicking around in the case (think that he might want the eyepiece back at some point).....

Paul

I was up in the loft today and found the box for the Baader ClickLock Diagonal. I'll bring it along to TDIYSPSP so that you have it.

It will come in handy when you sell the diagonal to @Stu, @John, @Moonshane, @Pig, @iPeace..................or back to me

10 minutes ago, Stu said:

Is this my old scope then? It went to Derek if I remember correctly?

7 minutes ago, iPeace said:

Oh, come on, Stu! Derek just told us all about it a few posts ago!

Now, now - you need to account for the fact that @Stu and now I are experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder having had our lovely 120ED ripped away from us under such unfair circumstances. Hopefully @Paul73 will take care of it and allow us to visit occasionally to dull the pain

37 minutes ago, iPeace said:

Actually, it's a well known diameter. I bought CNC rings off-the-peg for my 120ED:

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p3283_TS-Optics-CNC-Alu-Rohrschellen-fuer-Teleskope-mit-116-mm-Tubusdurchmesser.html

Those look nice

If @Paul73 hadn't stolen my 120ED I might have considered an upgrade

Found them!

The handles are sold by a firm called WDS and can be found here.

They come without fixing bolts so it is worth contacting WDS to see if they can supply them with it.

I had to drill out the camera threads on the top of the SW rings to fit the bolts, which from memory are M8 10mm with countersunk heads. (check, don't rely on that info)

13 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

@DRT I'm sure that Derek will know the origin of the handle. Seems good and solid. 

And, the prize goes to John for spotting the 130 mistake (now corrected to 120)?

Paul

Glad to hear you are happy to be the latest SGL foster parent for this ED120   - it has previously been in the care of @Stu and then lived with me for about 14 months so it seems to attract gentlemen of good standing and impeccable taste as father figures. Hopefully one day the lad will meet someone who can teach him self-restraint because he isn't getting that from any of us three! 

I have only just seen your post because since I left you at that "northern" service station (Watford Gap!) to drive home at 7:30 my attention was turned to an antique bookcase that was being delivered at 10:00 for my upstairs home office. A few minutes after I got home it turned up - it was the size of my house and roughly the same weight as Pluto   I have only just finished re-building it upstairs. I am absolutely knackered. If I can summon up the energy after something to eat I will search for the source of those handles, which are excellent and an absolute steal at around £13 each

The Berlebach tripod makes a big difference, John. Very stable and great dampening but also light enough to make the job of shifting the set-up around the garden a bit easier that with a stainless steel tripod. Great set-up!

I think they were replaced by these: http://www.tringastro.co.uk/baader-planetarium-hyperion-aspheric-modular-36mm-eyepiece-1182-p.asp

Much smaller than the Scopos, which was the size of a small car

That price at Tring looks excellent

39 minutes ago, balzer said:

It's average and cheaper than televue Ep's . I wear glasses as well. 

Any other good suggestions for a low power Ep around that range with good eye relief that will fit my last empty space in my case

You could try to find one of these...

I'm not sure whether or not Baader still make them but they would be a nice match to your Hyperions.

3 minutes ago, Floater said:

Excellent! The present Mrs Floater and I folded up over that!

Hang on in ... and watch out for that Timebandit! He's after one of your kids! ?

I've got that covered, Gordon. Monty (half black Lab half Rottweiler) has been trained to go nuts every time a white van pulls up outside the house. To be fair, it happens daily due to the number of deliveries from FLO and ABS UK so I'm not sure he will spot the difference between a delivery and a collection 

1 hour ago, Floater said:

But back on topic, and anent Derek's 'slimmer' case, we could remind ourselves that Mr Nagler (no less) suggests we should need no more than three or four eyepieces.

I know, I know ... Just saying. ??

Oi!

I'm currently getting some sympathy from Mrs T for having to sell the children - I don't need you lot persuading her that could sell some more!

No worries. Lack of use and generally bad seeing conditions did play a part in selection but I started with the basic rule that Ethos EPs are normally in sets of 21, 13, 8 or 17, 10, 6. I then decided I couldn't part with the 17. The 3.7 and 4.7 were easy to decide as I simply haven't been able to use them. A Powermate will allow me to reach those powers on the rare occasion I can use it. The Panoptic decision was based on 27, 35 and 41 being too many low power EPs for my needs, particularly with the E21 in the case. I decided to keep the P35 because it performs best of those three in my Baader Wedge for white light solar. 

Now I need a 2" Powermate

6 minutes ago, iPeace said:

So, do you feel inclined to share the reasoning?

An unexpected £4,500 tax bill

This...

Now looks like this...

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

For the most part.  I just drop the end caps into the slot where the eyepiece would normally be for safe keeping.  When I put the eyepiece back, it just lays on the caps until the end my observing session if I know I'm going to using it again.  For my upright-stored eyepiece cases, I'll sometimes pop the top cap back on but not bother with the bottom cap since it can be hard to fish out of the depths.

I keep my cases (yes, I usually have two cases open at once) at arm's reach from the telescope, so no need for pockets and such to store eyepieces temporarily.  At the end of the session, I methodically put everything back together and in the correct spots.  Tedious, but worth it.

+1

1 hour ago, Moonshane said:

working towards my final arrangement

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Do you think that will cause any additional diffraction spikes?

Forgot to mention that the C5 and TV60 are also excellent spotting scopes so I have William Optics 45 degree erecting prisms for both

Just now, Stu said:

I'm sure you won't need one with the TV60 Derek, I guess you get well over 4 degrees in that?

Yes, but not with the Quark's 4x barlow, which takes it down to to less than 1 degree.