AdeKing

Thanks Glen, I assume that the focuser is a GSO one as it doesn't much look like the long perng ones I can find images of.. Ill have a go at following these instructions to see if I can make it smoother. http://polluxchung.com/gso_crayford_fix/

No worries John. I don't often use the EQ5 as I prefer Alt AZ so I normally have a mini Ercole or my WO EZTouch attached to the Uni 18 as I use them more. But I'm trying to learn to like using the EQ5 so am willing to fit the EQ5 and extension to the prized Berlebach.

Thanks for the tip John. I'll try it on mu Uni 18 and see whether that makes much of a difference. Alfian has a CG-5 tripod for sale at the moment, but it needs collecting from Yorkshire which is a bit too far for me. I'll keep a lookout for another CG-5 tripod if the Uni 18 doesn't do the trick.

Hi Jon, I do still have it and will think about bringing it along, it'll be nice to see you again.

I've seen an empty Skywatcher 8" flextube assembly for sale and am considering getting it to convert my 8" solid tube dob into something a little more compact. However, I've long since ditched the stock skywatcher mount and use one of the Orion Optics Dob Mounts. Can anyone who has an 8" Skywatcher flextube give me a measurement from the mirror end of the tube to the bottom of the flextube assembly in the middle of the tube. I'm also after the distance between the truss tubes and the side of the tube when the tube is in the collapsed position. I'm trying to work out how much further down the tube I'll have to fit the bearings and whether or not I will be able to fit tube rings and still be able to collapse the tube. I hope that makes sense. Ade

Thanks Stu, it'll be great to see you again. Thanks Gav, I'll keep your suggestion under my hat for a while just in case the green card gets revoked. Look forward to seeing you again. Thanks for the suggestion mark, I think I might know just the pub you mean 😉. Be good to see you again. I'll remember to pack the inflatable raft as an exit plan this year 😉. Fingers crossed for good weather and lots of observing time. It'll be nice to see you again.

Hi John, Thanks for the suggestion, it is a full EQ5 Goto and is fitted to the standard EQ5/HEQ5 1.75" steel tripod with a pier extension in between so the OTA doesn't collide with the legs. The OTA is reasonably light but is quite a bit longer than the ED100 and ED120 which is why I figured that the tube length might be a bit long for the EQ5.

You too Ally.

Hi Glen, Thanks for the confirmation, its a combination of things really. I feel that the scope length is at the limit of my EQ5 and manual focusing means that it takes several seconds to settle every time I tweak the focus. Secondly, no matter how much I adjust it, I can't get rid of the tight spots as you focus which irritates me somewhat. A motorised Moonlite came up at a good price and so I figured that this would kill two birds with one stone as it were as the motor focus will remove the need to touch the focuser to focus thereby removing the irritation of the tight spots and the annoyance of settling times. Buying the used Moonlite was a much cheaper option than a used heavier duty EQ mount. I'm going to remove the focuser tonight so will have another go at adjusting it to see if I can improve it. An unforseen irritation of the hi res stepper Moonlite is the backlash in the gearbox which makes nailing focus tricky with the handset. I will however check the bearings to see if they are the cause of the problem though so might yet take you up on your kind offer.

Has anyone out there fitted a Moonlite to an Altair Starwave Classic 102 f/11 OTA? I have just picked up a used motorised single speed 2" Crayford that I would like to fit to the above OTA. If you have done this, could you let me know which Moonlite Flange you needed to attach the focuser? Looking at the Moonlite pages, I think that this is the correct one, but I'm not 100% sure. The Orion 102/ AT102 flange fits the Orion 102ED, Astro Tech 102ED, WO98 Carbon Fiber tube, Astrotelescopes 102, and Kunming United 102. It is a male 4.006" X 1mm threaded flange. The correct drawtube is the 4.5" travel. I'm going to remove the existing focuser to check the thread diameter tonight, but any guidance would be much appreciated. Many thanks, Ade

Hurrah, I've finally had a green card issued, have had the time off approved by work and have booked up for Fri - Sun. However, I have had to promise my wife a SPECTACULAR meal out when I get back as her birthday is on the Saturday and camping at Lucksall didn't seem to feature in her birthday plans.. At least I have plenty of time to plan and get something booked. Really looking forward to seeing everyone again. Ade

Yes, I looked last night and could not find a trace of it.

Congratulations, on the XLT102 ED I picked up one of these from Steve (@Saganite) last year and it is a fantastic scope and Steve reckoned that the views were amongst the best he'd seen without spending a silly amount of money more. I was very lucky as mine was only purchased the year before as new old stock when David Hinds found some unopened ones in their warehouse and sold them on ebay. The majority of the accessories were still in factory sealed bags when I received it.

The v3 or v4 handset works fine with mine but I mostly use the v3. However, you will need the SynScan AZ cable to connect it though, not the standard synscan cable. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/sky-watcher-az-goto-synscan-handset-cable.html

Happy to help.

William Optics ZS66SD with binoviewers for a quick lunar session tonight. Edit: A very quick lunar session. By the time I'd written this the moon was gone 😢

Hi, The scope is just turned on its side so you just rotate the diagonal to the normal position. This is possibly referring to the firmware update that let's you use the mount in EQ mode. Default out if the box configuration has the dovetail clamp positioned on the left hand side when looking through the eyepiece. The firmware update changes that so that the dovetail clamp is always on the right when looking through the eyepiece see attached images. The image showing the Skywatcher AZ-GTi and Freedom-Find logos is the default setup, the one showing the battery box cover is the setup after installing the firmware that allows use in EQ mode.

I second that recommendation. Fantastic little mount. Mine carries an ST102 without complaint and could just about cope with the length and weight of an ED100, but the addition of a Moonlite took it over the edge.

I had a large embarrassment, but involving a different planet. I had an outreach session and told the public they were viewing Mars only to find out that I was actually showing them Mercury with Mars passing through the FOV much later in the evening. Oops. Likewise I didn't need to suffer the embarrassment of needing to explain my mistake.

The skies at Durlston are excellent the closest source of light pollution to the south is France. The Observatory at Durlston is operated by Wessex Astronomical Society and there are generally public observing sessions once a month except during the summer. Enjoy your visit. Ade

That's a great result, I love it. Here are a couple images of the spectacular sunset that we saw before it got dark. Thanks to Peter and Kev for the company, the views of Jupiter and Saturn were amazing when the seeing cleared and it was a very enjoyable evening despite my technical issues with the EQ5.

@prusling and myself are willing to chance it. Be there about 21:30. See you then.

OK, forget the 3-star option, that will be because I updated to the firmware that allows the mount to operate in equatorial mode or alt az mode. I can't answer why the goto for Jupiter is so far out after you've aligned on Jupiter and Deneb, it should return to either alignment star after you get the "alignment successful" message. There were some issues with the early firmware versions, it might be worth updating the firmware to see if that helps. http://skywatcher.com/download/software/motor-control-firmware/ Just be careful about which firmware version you use as the "right arm dual mode" version allows use as an EQ mount but also requires the tube to always be fitted to the right hand side of the mount, whereas the default setup is on the left hand side. I think the above version will just cause more confusion. Just select the AZGti v3.16 firmware but remember that you'll need to download the update tool as well. If it doesn't help and if the mount is in warranty then I'd suggest returning it to the retailer to swap out for a new one.

With this mount, I normally do a three star alignment. Starting level and pointing North the mount moves to the first alignment star which will be a long way out, but after aligning on it, the mount gets closer to the second alignment star and after aligning on that it moves to the third alignment star which should be very close. After aligning on that and completing the procedure most targets are within the field of view. The first target will always be way out as the mount only has a crude model of the sky at that point. As you align on more stars the model it has gets more accurate with each alignment star. I don't personally use the level and North align option on mine I normally use 1 Star Align for quick sessions, brightest star align or normally the 3 star align which gives most accurate gotos but whichever option I use the scope always assumes that it starting point is level and North when it starts the alignment procedure. I'll have a go with mine using North and level next time I use it and see if I get similar results. Just a quick question, are the clutches on both of the axes tightened up. The Azimuth one needs to be fairly tight. You shouldn't be able to easily move the scope by gently pushing on either axis. Ade

Thanks for clarifying Helen. I couldn't find your post but remembered you having an issue with the pillar, albeit a different issue altogether 😊