Cosmic Geoff
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Posts posted by Cosmic Geoff
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Here is a comparison of the N8 and N8i which you may find helpful.
It appears that the N8i was more desirable. Neither had handsets that were upgradeable over the Internet. (Later versions of handset are upgradeable).
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Have you looked into replacing the handset? This would solve your problem for far less cost than replacing the entire mount. This handset should work with your mount:
https://nexstarsite.com/download/manuals/NexStarHandControlVersion4UsersGuide.pdf
This is the latest handset:
https://nexstarsite.com/download/manuals/NexStarHandControlVersion4UsersGuide.pdf
It doesn't say that it works with your 8i, but it doesn't either say that it won't. And I have both types and they both work with my C8 SE.
There is no need to replace the mount if you were happy with it for now - you just need to fix the handset.
And did you try re-seating the handset cable as suggested? You didn't say...🙂
Your outfit looks fixable. Look on the bright side. 🙂 Many owners of vintage SCTs have had to bin the obsolete or broken mount and re-mount the OTA. And have you checked the price of a new C8 OTA?
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I second Knightly2112's advice. My C8 SE acted up shortly after I bought it, until I gave the handset cable a firm push at the mount end.
If it is really dead, check what nexstarsite.com has to say about the compatibility of the handsets and mounts. (I found that in practice my mount would work with three different models of handset).
As for fitting the OTA on an AVX, that would be a good idea if you want to do deep space imaging (not easy), but if you want to stick with visual and planetary imaging, an alt-azimuth mount would be less bother. If you have to change the dovetail bar, that should not be a big deal.
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10 minutes ago, HiveIndustries said:
lol I don't know about "want" but when you live again in the lights of NYC, you kind of limit yourself to bright things.
An 8" with GoTo will pull a lot of objects out of the murk in those conditions. And if you visit the sticks you may be amazed at what the 8" GoTo will find out there that can't be seen in the city.
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I bought a C8 SE because it had a GoTo mount. But each to their own...🙂
If you just want to look at Jupiter you can simplify things by using the Solar System Align with Jupiter as the target aligning object.
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Assuming that one telescope can do everything is a fundamental error. Even on the visual side,one has to choose whether one wants a portable or semi-portable instrument, GoTo or manual, and on the imaging side, what kind of object you want to image. Hardware for imaging planets will be different from that for imaging deep space objects. And a setup that can image the whole of M31 or a large nebula won't do for imaging a small distant galaxy or a small planetary nebula.
You should assume that unless you want to concentrate on one particular aspect of amateur astronomy, you will eventually be owning more than one telescope and camera.
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1 hour ago, ZackAttack95 said:
I'm looking into buying the Skywatcher Startravel 102 SynScan AZ GOTO as my first telescope and I was wondering if its a good telescope for deep space astrophotography? I'm wanting to be able to take good quality images of nebulae, galaxy's and the planets.
I have one of these and it is best suited for two things:
as a visual widefield scope for comet hunting, star clusters etc
As an instrument for EVAA (electronically assisted astronomy) and basic dabbling with imaging.
If you want "good quality images" you should look at getting an ED or APO refractor.
It is not suited for anything to do with planets - it has too much chromatic aberration etc.
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I remember it had a 4mm eyepiece and the vibration was annoying with that eyepiece in use (x175). If you pushed the C90 to its maximum usable magnification I imagine the result would be almost as bad.
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This is the scope and mount in my signature pic. I am surprised that anyone would actually want one. The objective in mine was poor and the mount was rathewr wobbly.
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11 minutes ago, vagk said:
One last question. I must update with the latest version, is that right? (Even if i have skipped some updates)
Since you appear to have the latest handset, there should not be a problem. ( Generally speaking, you may or may not be able to skip the intermediate upgrades, and the latest version may not install on old hardware. ) Also note there is no "must" about firmware upgrades, unless you have an issue and the small print for the upgrade says that it will fix it.
Most household appliances now contain firmware. When did you last upgrade any of them? 🙂
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Check out the base of the mount and the flat-topped Skywatcher tripod available from FLO. I understand that one or two people have fitted the SLT mount head onto this tripod with a small amount of DIY.
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58 minutes ago, boulderbelly said:
celestron dont inform you of the maximum load capacity the mount can take.
The heaviest scope you cam put on a SLT mount is one like the 127Mak mentioned above, and that's for visual use. I have done EVAA imaging with a smaller scope on a SLT mount but I had to be careful not to touch it or move a muscle while it was operating. For a 150mm OTA of any description you really want a mount in the EQ3-2 class for visual or HEQ5 or EQ6 for serious imaging. Yes they cost a lot but that's just how it is. You do not need aperture for imaging, just expensive kit.
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While the printed instructions could be better drafted, what they actually mean is : enter the required parameters, get the desired object somewhere in the eyepiece field, press ENTER, centre the object in the eyepiece field, press ALIGN.
Note that a CPC800 has negligible backlash, apparently because of spring-loaded worms etc, but a SE mount has quite a lot.
If the slew speed is accidentally set to a low rate, nothing will appear to be happening if you press the slew buttons. The slew speed should initially default to a high rate, and then change to a lower rate for the final aligning on ENTER being pressed.
If you think Nexstar is hard to use, try getting a Skywatcher Synscan to work. 🙁
As mentioned above, there is a big change of focus between near terrestrial objects, and astro objects.
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13 hours ago, St Reatham said:
I was looking to spend about a grand but could go more as it is a long term investment so would consider the Nexstar 6SE or 8SE?
Does this sound like the right option and is there much difference between the 6SE and the 8SE? I read I may need something called a "focal reducer".
The 6SE and 8SE actually have the same mount, so the 8SE has a larger aperture, is more expensive, and is putting more load on a mount which is better suited to the smaller telescope. (The 8SE is clearly much more popular than the 6SE.) Note that these setups are intended for visual use only. Even the 8SE can be picked up as a complete assembly of OTA/mount/tripod and carried through a standard doorway.
As for the focal reducer, these are intended for imaging, and if you think you need one, maybe you should have bought a wider field scope in the first place. 🙂 A visual alternative is to fit the lowest power/widest field eyepiece possible, maybe with a 2" visual back and diagonal. With a 25mm eyepiece, the C8 SE just gets the full moon in field.
Note that if you are interested in the 6" Celestron SCT, it actually comes bundled with a wide range of mounts from the wobbly (SLT), the SE, through to the Evolution (better than the SE) and the AVX (for imagers) Some of the prices are now rather high, but if you are shopping for a second-hand SCT there are some bargains to be had. Mine cost about half the price of a new one, and just as good, and even better bargains are possible.
One forum menber recently paid £650 for a 10" Meade LX200 that would have cost thousands of pounds when new.
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My Celestron 127mm Mak OTA weighs in at 4.5Kg or 10 lbs, including finder. The SLT mount is barely sufficient and quite wobbly. A AZ4-2 or EQ-5 mount does a good job of mounting it stably.
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A little patience before you send it back. I doubt very much that the mount is at fault. Solar System alighn should be a doddle if you enter the right parameters.
If the focus is out, several turns of the focus knob may be required to get it in focus. If you see a 'donut', the trick is to wind the knob till the donut shrinks to a dot. If you have a dot, that's nearly as good as it will get, and if it is not sharp, the atmospheric conditions may be to blame.
Two more tips: Get a proper +12v power pack and don't rely on the internal battery. Buy or make a dew shield - it is a required accessory.
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I hve a Celestron C8 SE configured for quick setup with the Starsense (camera and handset) accessory. I can carry it all outside through a doorway as one lump, set it down on a flat hard surface (levelling not essential) and have it working in a few minutes. Or I can set it outside half an hour earlier to cool down.
With many outfits the setup time will cover the cooling time.🙂
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A GoTo would indeed be helpful in not-dark skies. The Nexstar GoTo system from Celestron, as used in the 4SE etc is easy to use.
The Skymax 150 Pro will be heavier and have a somewhat narrower field of view than a SCT of the same aperture.
What is your budget?
Meade have had some financial difficulties lately.
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44 minutes ago, Joaquarossi said:
may also be running it outside on a power bank. Anyone know if this is ok to do?
I read somewhere very recently that the recommended voltage is 12 to 13 volts, for longer life. Any sort of power bank with adequate capacity should do (e.g. a car engine starter or an astro power tank). There would be no mains voltage or trailing lead to trip over. It sounds like you got an absolute bargain. Unless a dew shield was included you should get one, as this really should be a standard accessory with every SCT.
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If you bought the EQ5 Synscan GoTo or the HEQ5 Synscan GoTo mount, that would stably support any of your choices of scope and leave some headroom for upgrades. As these are complete mount/tripods, you would not need the AZ GTi as well (unless you want to mount it on a light tripod for a grab'n go).
I should point out that even the EQ5 Synscan would use up all your £600 budget on its own. 🙁
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Good luck. I have seen a 16" Meade LX200 in an observatory, which must be two or three decades old by now. They had some trouble with the mount a couple of years ago but the optics are still fine.
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10 minutes ago, Joaquarossi said:
In terms of the mirrors what’s a “definite don’t buy” condition?
The mirrors are not exposed and the only communication to atmosphere is through the eyepiece hole, so the most you can do is look in the corrector plate and see they look shiny. If the outside looks in good condition, the mirrors should be fine. If they clearly ar not, dismantling, re-coating and re-assembling will be expensive.
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Check for general condition. Does it look clean and cared for? Any missing or damaged screws? The corrector plate should be undamaged. A bit of dust and dots of tree sap can be cleaned off. And if you are concerned about its size and weight, try lifting it. Could be 61 lbs excluding tripod & wedge. Get it powered, see the handset light up and run the RA and Dec drives.
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11 minutes ago, Joaquarossi said:
but I’ve been told they’re very heavy and as you say not so portable.
That should be put in context, for your future reference. I suspect that a 10" LX200 would weigh something like 30KGs for the OTA and mount unit. (You can look up the details yourself if you are interested). The 10" SCT OTA on its own would be bulky and weigh around 10Kg, but ANY OTHER KIND OF 10" SCOPE WILL BE LONGER AND HEAVIER.
As a beginner, I suggest you go back to basics and decide on a budget, and what degree of portability, whether basic (manual) mount or GoTo would suit your needs. On the whole, it would be wise to start with something small and simple and scale up later.
Yes, we do have a buy/sell section but the rules have just changed which may affect you.
Which Computer?
in The Astro Lounge
Posted
There are hundreds of ex-business refurbished laptops on Ebay available from dealers, if you do not wish to buy new. You should be able to find one of a suitable spec, provided it is in business use and not just aspirational. I just bought one cheaply with astro in mind - it is several years old but has USB3 ports, 8GB of RAM, i5 processor and 256 GB SSD. You may not get a SSD much bigger than this even in a new laptop - some have 250GB. The ten year old laptop I was using has a 500 GB hard drive, but these are no longer a standard fitment. According to the manual, my new purchase has connections inside for a hard drive as well as the SSD, but I have no plans to try fitting one. Instead, I will just move the files off to a desktop more often. Adding a hard drive would increase the power drain and reduce the battery endurance out by the telescope.