Highburymark

I tried an OIII filter for WL last year I think and didn’t see any improvement on the Continuum, but then my filter is virtually an antique, sold back in the era when Telescope House was on the Farringdon Road, the London phone code was 0171, and we all thought the Earth was flat. Also read of people trying double stacked continuum filters. Of course more effective than any of those options is - if possible - to get observing as early in the morning as possible.

It was nice to get an hour or two this afternoon - and some semi-clear skies at last -to have a gawp at the Sun, and catch up on the lovely sunspot groups which I notice others of the forum have been enjoying recently while I’ve been buried in work. I had my 70mm Ha scope set up, but also my 4” frac/Baader wedge to see how things were looking in white light. It was another reminder that - if the seeing’s steady - nothing beats white light for revealing detail in and around sunspots. Now that we are starting to see bigger and more complex spots developing, pairing a decently figured refractor with a Herschel wedge or solar film is still one of the best investments in amateur astronomy. After all, sunspots are largely photospheric features, and even sophisticated Ha filters, revealing the chromosphere, can’t show the intricate detail in umbra and penumbra that white light can. It’s much easier to draw out that detail with a binoviewer, a hood to block out light, and a decent pair of eyepieces, so borrowing a technique from Stu (orthos/Delites and binoviewer/GPC and barlow/add T2 spacers for extra power) I managed around 250x today while still retaining sharpness - at least part of the time. Absolutely exquisite views.

Think my decision if I were ever to contemplate such a large scope (with a Solar Spectrum filter- fantastic!!) - I’d be governed by weight/mount issues first, and then whether my seeing was up to 6” scope. But if these are satisfied, and as you say you can stop down the aperture, Tecnosky does seem to be well regarded, not just for optics but for build quality and attention to detail - at least from what I’ve read. Looking forward to seeing the first images Michael.

I was surprised that the manual for my Tak Epsilon F/3.3 even had a section on observing with eyepieces. Now there are F/2.8 Sharpstars for sale at FLO - imagine that with a poorly corrected eyepiece

Yes to 1st question. RST-135 has 3/8” adapter as standard, but I’ve ordered a specific Rainbow Gitzo plate which will provide a stronger connection

Good point - will have to come up with a solution. The South Korean climate’s clearly a bit different to ours

Good point - Gong has been unreliable these past few weeks. Finally got 10 minutes viewing this afternoon - perfect seeing - AR is superb. Imagine it’s pretty spectacular in WL too.

First couple of sessions with the 135 in alt az only. Tried go-to (solar) with the Rainbow hand controller and near 7kg solar scope, and it was bang on, and kept the Sun centred for 10 minutes before skies clouded over. Also good first time accuracy with Sky Safari via iPhone. This mount is a joy to use. Only one annoyance - my Lynx Astro 12DC mains cable doesn’t fix securely to the mount, and keeps cutting out. So on the hunt for a better mains solution, using the supplied 5.5x2.1mm jack - also need to buy a mobile power pack.

Great capture Charl - incredible the difference in U.K. weather comparing last year with this. Have only been able to follow this AR on Gong - so glad to see you’ve had some success

Loving this thread - can’t wait for the next instalment.....

It’s a 4552 TS. Replaced by another model in Gitzo’s range now I believe. It’s my only tripod, so hoping it will prove robust enough for the new mount.

Feels fine on Gitzo (25kg payload) so far but it’s early days. Definitely feels safer with counterweight in alt az with carbon fibre tripod.

This could be a very valuable service indeed! Trouble is how we astronomers define quality as ‘acceptable’, and how Daystar defines it... and clearly most Quarks won’t be up to Quantums and Solar Spectrums on uniformity

Well, it’s here. Found a counterweight and adm saddle which both fitted. Just time to power up and have a quick look at the Moon. Throws around the Epsilon and FC-100 beautifully. Have another 50 pages of the manual to absorb before I test go-to and tracking accuracy.

I had a C6 and a Meade ETX-105 Mak. The Meade gave breathtaking views of the Moon and planets, as sharp as a top apo refractor, yet I never warmed to the C6. Maybe it was a poor example. Agree that it’s an easy to handle scope though. But to answer Martin’s question, if you can track down a decent 105 ETX, I think you’ll love it. Often wish I’d kept mine.

The weight’s a big advantage (3.3kg), but the other key benefits for me are compactness/portability, payload up to 13.5kg without counterweights, and no need to worry about perfectly balancing your scope. Also GPS and wi/fi, as I’ll be using Sky Safari via IPhone. But accept I’m an atypical buyer - not so concerned with eq performance

Looks very promising Victor. Even though the seeing looked challenging, there’s some really nice contrast around the active areas, and the filament near the limb is dark enough to suggest you’ve got a great Quark.

Thanks all. Weights look great Dave. I shall report back on alt-az performance. Main uses will be TV85 (almost 4kg) with nearly 2kg of solar filters on the front. Impossible to balance perfectly for imaging without adding extra weight to the back. For visual, with a binoviewer and two eyepieces (another 1kg+), it’s reasonably balanced. Then my other scope for this mount is Tak Epsilon 130 - around 6-6.5kg fully laden. The 135 will carry these scopes without breaking sweat, but it’s go-to and tracking accuracy that remains to be seen.

That was my order from FLO I think. Brilliant though the SW AZGTi and Solarquest mounts are, I’ve had to admit I need something stronger. After searching everywhere, had to conclude there was nothing else on the market that ticked all my boxes. Think there’s room for a beefed up AZGTi-type mount, with a 7kg payload, solar-friendly, that can operate on a robust camera tripod, and be easily packed away for travel.

I read that thread too. I think there are still problems to be ironed out for eq imaging, but alt az seems to work well, and the capacity of the mount is incredible. My scopes are only 6-7kg fully laden, but one is very front heavy. I will add a counterweight as only using a camera tripod.

Have you used yours much in alt az mode Dave? I’ve got a 135 on order - one of reasons is to handle a front heavy solar Ha scope on camera tripod - will mainly use alt az for imaging and visual. But not many reports out there on alt az performance.

The other thing you can experiment with is stopping down your 102mm to squeeze best performance out of the Quark at different speeds/focal ratios, and to adapt to seeing.

Congratulations. What a great way to celebrate your good health! They are wonderful telescopes.

Good luck with this Victor. If you get a decent one it will give spectacular views with your scope. I find my most used combo for visual with Quark is 100mm F/7.4 refractor, 40mm plossl and 0.5x reducer. Sometimes a 32mm plossl or rarely a 25mm if the seeing is excellent.

Agree - Solar Spectrum really impresses on surface close-ups - lovely detail