AdeKing

Very nice Mike. One day, I will own a Tak, I had thought that would be a FC100 DC but now you've changed your scope for life, I'm not so sure. .....but I have plenty of time to decide as it won't be for a decade at least 🤣 Looking forward to hearing your thoughts with keen interest. Ade

Thanks for the heads up Mark, I've just about caught it through the clouds here today. Abysmal seeing, but definitely saw what was shown on the SDO website.

I have a LS60 with a LS50DS etalon on the front. I got mine as a used setup but the original owner had them as a set from new. I know that means my setup is therefore effectively a Double Stacked LS50 but I’m very impressed by its performance visually. As I’m visual only I’m afraid that I can’t provide any images. I’m not sure how much of a difference the extra 10mm would make to me being visual only, but the fact that new the 60mm double stack Etalon costs more than my whole setup LS60 and DS50 cost me used kind of dissuades me from thinking about an upgrade. Ade

I had a lovely afternoon viewing this sunspot in H-alpha and White Light. I've been watching this area in H-a for a couple of days now but this is the first detail I've seen visible in WL so far. I struggled with resolution on the little ZS66 so swapped it out for my ST102 and used the binoviewers. Although I found the seeing extremely variable like everyone else, in the moments of good seeing I got some cracking views. Thanks for the heads up @Littleguy80.

It's been around in H-a for a few days now, but I hadn't noticed it in WL until a post highlighted it on here earlier today.

CLR is "Calcium Lime Remover" so basically limescale remover. When I got my replacement, I used Viakal (Viakal Limescale Remover) on my cloudy filter and it came up a treat so I now have a spare.

Descalers like Viakal contain weak Hydrochloric acid which dissolves carbonates. As glass is a silicate, HCl shouldn't cause any etching. To dissolve silicates you need Hydrofluoric acid (HF), which is extremely nasty stuff and should only ever be handled when in head to toe waterproof PPE. Horrible stuff, I used it by the 5l bottle load for my PhD and was so happy when I no longer needed to handle it.

Thanks for confirming, I didn't think I had, but wasn't 100% sure. Thanks.

If you contact Bresser in Germany with photos and the serial number of your Lunt then they have so far been issuing replacements free of charge. Can't remember but they might charge for postage, I can't remember. They also provided me with replacement o-rings and grease for my pressure tuner.

It's not the actual blocking filter, it's the blue ITF filter which forms part of the diagonal which houses the blocking filter. Yes, It's a very common problem. Its recommended by some to keep the blocking filter diagonal in a sealed container with silica gel when not in use, but I think this just delays the issue rather than solving it completely.

I've used my ED100 on the AZGTi, but I've found that it's a bit much for the mount. I know that several of the users on here are using 100mm f/7 OTAs on it quite happily though. I tend to only use it for my ST102, ZS66 or Lunt now as I'm much happier with the stability.

If you've not used it for a while, then you could check the blue ITF filter on the eyepiece side of the blocking filter diagonal, these have a habit of going cloudy. If it's gone cloudy, you can either order a replacement from Bresser Europe or if you're happy to carefully remove it by unthreading the retaining ring then you could spray it with some Viakal limescale remover leave it to do its job for a while then rinse it off and gently clean it with Baader Wonderfluid. See thread here. Is it single or double stacked. If it's double stacked, check you are looking at the image of the sun and not one of the reflex images caused by the double stack. I made that mistake myself recently when I wasn't paying attention. https://luntsolarsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Double-stack_manual1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwisj8Pn7vnoAhUytHEKHb05CrwQFjAAegQIAhAC&usg=AOvVaw1qqBlvIffrJob6vaCBl6Q1 Hope I've been of some help. Ade

I know I'm not Michael but yes it does remove the option for the manual slo-motion controls Mike. I think that if you really wanted them and were willing to modify the plastic housings for the RA and DEC motors with a hole saw you might be able to cut holes for the clutches supplied with the dual axis motors you already have. However, the Synscan handset has a simple tracking mode that you can use to avoid the alignment routine. Then the mount will track at whatever rate you select (solar, lunar, siderial, etc) and you can control the mount with the direction buttons as with the standard tracking motors.

I had fitted the EQ5 motors to my recently acquired GP, but didn't like them when they were fitted to the EQ5 so removed them as soon as I could find a replacement. I now have some MT1s and a DD-1 controller, but I think the Dec stepper driver has burnt out so I need to sort it, though I have to confess that having seen your post, the Synscan GoTo kit from my EQ5 is looking appealing.

Oops, sorry @mikeDnight I thought I was in the general eyepiece case thread . That'll teach me to read the title. I did say it wasn't as nice as a wooden box though. A couple of the Hobbycraft boxes in different sizes are on the list for when lockdown is over though

It's on the to do list @Alan White, my original flight case has had so many changes there is little foam left that is still attached to the case. I did get one of these for my bino-pairs though. https://www.screwfix.com/p/organiser-bin-storage-system/1821p Not as nice to look at as a wooden box, but ideal for the job. Once lockdown is over one of those boxes is definitely on the cards.

According to this thread on CN, there is an in-focus issue with this scope when using the SCT to 2" adaptor and certain push-fit 2" diagonals. https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/82593-problems-with-my-wo-66-sd-scope/ If the 2" nosepiece of the diagonal he has unscrews it might be easier for your friend to just get an SCT fitting for the diagonal which would gain valuable in-focus distance and may well let it gain focus. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/william-optics-sct-adapter-for-2-diagonals.html I think blue and red versions of this adaptor are also available.

Is he running out of inward focus travel or outward focus travel? With a 2" diagonal I assume he's running out of inward travel movement. Is it all 2" eyepieces that won't focus or just a particular one? I know that in some of my OTAs I have certain eyepieces that will only reach focus with a 1.25" diagonal. However most of my EPs are either 1.25" or dual fit 1.25"/2" fit. Ade

Martin, John and Olly are right, if he is using the original focuser. The 1.25" visual back threads off and reveals a standard SCT thread to which you can add an SCT diagonal. The outside diameter of the original drawtube is almost the same outside diameter as a standard 2" nosepiece. The photo above shows a standard 2" nosepiece sat on top of the drawtube, it won't fit inside, the drawtube is far to small. Out of interest how has your friend attached a standard 2" push fit diagonal as you can see from the photos, there is no way to do that with the standard Focuser, it's 1.25" or SCT fit only. Actually, I think WO did originally produce an accessory that made it suitable for a 2" push fit diagonal, does he have that? Or has he fitted a different focuser? I'm pretty sure I had no probs reaching focus with a w/o 2" SCT diagonal in standard config. I could never get rid of the focuser slop in mine so in the end I fitted a Moonlite. Regards, Ade

I found M3 by accident last night when I overshot a star hop from Arcturus to Struve 1785. Took me a while to work out where I'd gone wrong, as to start with I thought I was looking at a PGC object in the same area based on SkySafari but the field stars were wrong and then I worked it out. I did find STF1785 when I worked out where I was and then backtracked though.

I'm feeling quite positive about my LS60DS ownership at the moment. The LS60 has seen use virtually every day for the last 3 weeks thanks to the combination of lockdown and fine weather. There is always something to see in H-alpha, even in the depths of solar minimum.

Yes, you’re right, there is a thrust bearing attached to the centre bolt. I always wondered what that was for.....🤔 in it’s current form I have a Vixen GP sitting on an EQ6 top plate so have had to remove the North pin to make the mount fit. The mount will sort-of twist but as I have no means of fine AZ adjustment due to the missing North peg moving the whole mount works ok for now, if a bit fiddly.

Sorry Mark. It's been a treat to observe it today, so much visible detail in the proms with my Maxbrights and 18mm BCO pair. Normally just use a pair of NPL30s but the 18mm eyepieces really hit the spot today.

I've been watching this on and off all day. There has been some spectacular detail visually, it's a shame my sketching isn't capable of capturing the detail.

I'm struggling to find any photos of what you mean, all it brings up is ice hockey pucks. I assume similar but in brick