DRT

Paul, I would be trading up from Delos to Ethos and then adding the DeLites. Those who know me know that this means I will actually end up with all three

Honest! I am nearly done! Just these to go and I'll be closing my PayPal account... TV Ethos 3.7mm SX TV Ethos 4.7mm SX TV Ethos 6mm TV Ethos 10mm TV Plossl 25mm TV DeLite 7mm TV DeLite 11mm TV DeLite 18.2mm Just for some balance, I will be selling the 3.5mm, 4.5mm, 6mm and 10mm Delos to fund the above purchases So, you must admit, I am closer to the finish than I am from the start - so "nearly done"?

Will do

Ah! So it was you who stole my Powermate!! I got in quick and grabbed the D4.5mm and was surprised to find that the 41mm was still available when my legendary resolve melted into nothing about an hour later. The clock ticked around a couple of times and I went back for more, but my targets were both gone I sold a full set of TV Plossls about six months ago and have been kicking myself ever since, John. Now I have the Lunt50Ha and the Polarex-Unitrom 60mm it has caused me to re-assemble the set. Just the 25mm to go and I'm done as I've struggled to find much use for the 32-40-55mm Plossls in the scopes I would use them in. Don't fight the 4.7mm SX - it's like pushing water up a hill - you know where things are going to end up so you might as well go for it

Great choice. Which range are you looking at? I've had the 82° and 68° sets and both are fantastic eyepieces. I preferred the 82°, but I am a wide-field junkie so it depends on what your preference is. I didn't find any difference in them optically. In reference to John's post above, I have never looked through a BST so don't know how they compare. One thing I will say about the ES eyepieces is that apart from being fabulous to look through they are also extremely well designed and engineered with a real quality look and feel to them that rivals TeleVue at a significantly lower cost.

A little bit more than a full set of BSTs so if I were you I'd keep collecting those for now

Yes, I think I am getting close to having all the eyepieces I need, Stu I will post some thought on the P41mm in due course but what I will say now is that ( a ) I blame Alan Potts for telling me some time ago I needed one and ( b ) having just had it in my Baader Wedge in the ED100 I completely agree with Alan that I needed one! More granulation than I have seen through any other eyepiece and the sunspots are as crisp as a really crispy thing. Lovely. I have had the E8 and D10 for quite a while and both perform excellently. I thought about selling one but find that having the option can be very useful when the skies aren't perfect (i.e. all the time) so plan to part with the D10 and buy an E10 instead. The thing at the bottom is a prototype of the DRT65 Automagic Cloud Blaster - still needs some tweaking but look out for them on ABS & Ebay soon ...or it might be an LCD torch with white, red, blue and green filters

I didn't expect to be updating this so soon but I couldn't resist the chance to acquire a Pan 41mm and Delos 4.5mm when trazor (Terry) posted an ad in Classifieds yesterday. I have been waiting for both to come up for a while so it was great to grab them together Here they are with their smaller cousins that I have picked up in the past three weeks or so... My 32mm TV Plossl has gone as I had bought it for my Lunt 50Ha but they just didn't like one another. My Baader Classic Orthos need a new EP case to live in so are currently squatting in a refractor case.

Yes, but the BCOs came up at a great price and are a rather famous set as they are the very same eyepieces that John used for his review published here and on the FLO website That said, BGOs are still on my bucket list

...and here is the current collection in the main case... TV 8, 15 and 32mm Plossls and Baader 6, 10 and 18mm Classic Orthos added since my last update.

Thanks for sharing the story and the pics, Dave. I can fully understand why some of it is painful to remember! I wish I could reach into the screen and pinch that R25mm from the green box ...and I can't agree more about the little alt-az mount on the 60mm - a little marvel indeed.

Thanks, Kinley. Yes, it does have a very special feel to it and it is great to own a bit of Astronomy history. Welcome to SGL and to astronomy

No worries, Dave - I can just feel flattered that you thought I deserved a separate post Glad it has worked out fine with the diagonal - I know Shane is chuffed with securing the TV and it is good to know you are please with what you now have. Everybody wins! I must say the Polarex Unitron is a fascinating little project, but I am seriously considering outsourcing the rubbing down of the tripod to Mrs T to keep her busy when I'm at work

Let's hope so, John Thanks, Phil - I have certainly been encouraged by what I have seen so far and looking forward to trying the upgraded optics I have bought if the clouds ever go away!

I don't suppose that 25mm is kicking around in a box of old bits and bobs is it John?

Very nice, Dave

Latest updates... 1. The new finder arrived. It is larger than the original, which is good, but I'll need to drill a couple of holes in the OTA to accept the new brackets. Not ideal, but I think it is worth doing to have a useable finder. 2. The accessories now have a nice new box...

I have now found a use for a very nice wooden wine bottle box that has been sitting around doing nothing for a year or two. This is my new case for the accessories for my Polarex-Unitron 60mm f/15 refractor... Here is the specification of the eyepieces taken from an old user manual I found online. The item in the bottom right hand corner is the Achromatic Amplifier, which is a 2x Barlow that slips into the nose of the diagonal. It seems that the 25mm stock eyepiece has been lost

Stop it - been there, done that, taken the hit in the wallet and moved back to black and green

I love those too, but can't help thinking that the red would clash too much with the green in my TeleVues

Thanks, guys - it is encouraging to read such enthusiasm for this scope and it will spur me on to finish the job

That might be hoping for too much, Chris - I'm sure she loves you, but do you really think she will sell one of her kidneys to buy you another telescope?

I've bought it used John so, as with anything TV branded, of minimal risk if it doesn't work out as intended

Thanks, Jules. There is definitely something special about these old scopes. My wife even said she wishes we had room to stand it in the living room

Having checked around what I would have had to pay for one in pristine condition I think I am still well under budget. I should end up with a lovely old relic in great condition with some very good optical accessories for about the market price of the basic scope plus original accessories in tip top condition. I need to think about what to do with the tube of the OTA. It has a couple of dents in it and some scratches. Once everything else is sorted I might disassemble it and have the dents knocked out and the exterior re-enameled. My main problem is being patient and not spending all the money this weekend!