AdeKing

Yesterday I had a bino pair of immaculate Fujiyama 12.5mn HD Orthos delivered thanks to @F15Rules and today a Meade triplet 2x Telenegative Barlow thanks to @azrabella. Looking forward to using them when the cloud clears.

Hi Steve, I picked up a nice pair of Helios LightWing HR 8x42s from @Lockie earlier this year. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/all-binoculars/helios-lightwing-hr-42mm-binoculars.html They are lovely binoculars and a big step up from the Naturesport 10x50s. I've not noticed and CA observing astro targets but I did notice it last week when observing Sandwich Terns against very bright reflective water. Not sure they're quite up to Leica quality views but then they're also nowhere near the price. You shouldn't look through such Optics Steve, you know its bound to be bad for your bank balance 😂. That's why I've so far avoided looking through anything green and black or anything containing "Tak" in the name.

I tried this today and it does indeed work, my filter looks as goos as new and will be kept as a spare. Thanks for the tip Alan.

I'd seen the Vixen setup but being three figures in cost it was a non starter so when this popped up I jumped at the chance. Ideally I need a shorter focal length Huygens or Ramsden EP as they are not cemented and being an older EP design are generally metal construction. I did loads of reading up about recommended EPs as like you've experienced some contain plastic which can melt. It gives a chance for several people to observe at once and they don't have to overcome the fear of looking through a telescope at the sun. The scope is lovely, it came to me via Lockie and Saganite, but isn't leaving me, it's a definite keeper.

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the full setup thread but as its solar related I thought here was appropriate. Feel free to move it if you think it's in the wrong section. I jumped into WL solar observing feet first with a Herschel wedge and a year later had a full Ha setup and dedicated SolarQuest mount, but until today I've never tried Solar Projection. I picked up a Solar Projection Screen from ABS a couple of weeks ago and thanks to @prusling I now have a T2 1.25" nose piece to make the assembly work. The Projection assembly looks identical to the Vixen setup which retails for silly money but this one is branded Starguider and cost me £25 posted I think. Everything is metal so it's a sturdy but relatively lightweight setup with a 1.25" Eyepiece clamp on the screen side and a T2 thread on the scope side. Once everything was assembled, set up and aligned I tentatively removed the lens cap and tried to focus. It's lucky that my Moonlite has a long drawtube as it's right at the end of its travel with about 10mm travel left so I think some extension tubes are in order. I used an old Tal 25mm plossl that I didn't pay much for and doesn't work to well with my scopes as the FLs are a bit short so I wasn't too worried if it got ruined. Everything worked, I had a nice blank, but sharp, disc projected on the screen and for the 20 mins that I carefully monitored the setup there was no sign of heat from the eyepiece, drawtube or scope when at full aperture or stopped down. Admittedly its a boring view today, but I hope this will serve me well at outreach events. Here are some pics.

Thanks Alan I think I might give it a go as now the new filter is fitted there is nothing to lose. I'll dig out the Viakal

Hi Sam, Welcome to SGL. I'm based in Dorset now but grew up in Woodlands not far from you and still have a scope there for when I visit my folks.

My first foray into Fracs was a humble ST102 which I've since upgraded the focuser on and I still use it loads. It does have CA but personally I don't find it as obtrusive as others. A semi-apo filter sorts most of the CA anyway. I have since acquired a Starwave Classic f/11 which is a cracking scope and due to the focal ratio the CA is incredibly well controlled. However the Starwave sees less use than other scopes in my collection as the length means that I have to make the effort to set up my EQ5 which isn't a task I relish as I'm very much an Alt-AZ fan. I also have two EDs an ED100 and Martin's former ED120 and a lovely little WO ZS66SD. The ST102 sees lots of outreach and WL solar use and is frequently used at home when I can't be bothered setting up one of the longer OTAs. I think that achros give great views for the price but in the case of short achros you just need to be aware that if used on high contrast targets such as lunar and planets that there will be some CA and whether you find it objectionable will be a personal thing. As Rob said above.

I fitted the SynScan upgrade to my EQ5 and can second the comments made by @david_taurus83 it was very straightforward to do. I just followed the provided instructions and didn't struggle. As David said above the most fiddly bit is getting the teeth of the cogs to mesh without the flat sides rubbing. Ade

I think I've narrowed the problem down to either the version of Android my new phone uses or the phone itself. I've had everything connected happily all afternoon using my Android Tablet (Lenovo) which is running Android 6.0.1. SkySafari plus 6.0 and SkySafari Pro 5.0 both connect and run exactly as they should on the tablet, as does Stellarium Plus. However, the new phone (Huawei P20) runs Android 9.0.0.168 and none of the above apps will reliably connect and control the mount. Just need to try my old Android phone now. If that works then I'm sorted as the Tablet is a bit big to take out and about. I've just confirmed that my only Samsung Galaxy A5 running Android 6.0.1 also seems to work fine with SkySafari and Stellarium plus so it looks like it's something to do with the new phone. At some point I'll do a factory reset and try again.

Thanks @wookie1965 that would be an ideal situation but I can never get SkySafari to reliably connect to the mount using the SynScan app and WiFi. It's fine using Skyfi and an old iPhone but the iPhone is failing and I can't justify another iPhone just for SkySafari. Wish I knew what the problem was but SkySafari reports it's connected to the mount but that the mount doesn't respond to commands.

It's a shame this can't be enabled in the SynScan App as the list of doubles is a bit limited.

I mostly use a 66mm refractor for white light with a Lunt Herschel Wedge. I connect everything to the scope and double check several times that the wedge has the red "hot" warning spot on the back before I attach to the mount and look through it. As Steve and Stu have said a checklist is certainly the way to go and don't rush. Check and double check and only start observing when you're sure everything is OK. I opted for a Herschel Wedge for the reasons that Stu has stated above. I tried the film a few times and really enjoyed the views but had concerns as you have and so I did some research and opted for a wedge and have never looked back.

A package from Bresser Europe containing a replacement blue filter for the 1200 blocking filter of my LS60 to replace the slightly fuzzy one.

Also very interested to hear how it performs so am following the thread with interest.

Thanks John, the replacement looks.....functional but not nearly as pretty. I think I'll keep looking.

Is the handle on the red OTA another WDS item @johninderby as I can't seem to find it and could do with a lower profile one than the tubular WDS handles.

I'll be interested to hear if the Quark EP is removable, I thought that in the SS60DS the Quark EP was fused to to the scope. The manual looks like it might be for the older Solar Scout 60 which I think did have a removable Quark EP rather than the newer DS version. Hope the weather holds out for you John.

Thanks for clearing that up Alistair.

I contacted Telescope House about mine first then remembered that someone on this thread had had a very slow response from them. On the phone they mentioned something about the blue filter containing silver which oxidises. Not sure whether this is right. Ade

I contacted Bresser Europe regarding my blue filter on Friday, had response asking for my mailing address yesterday with another email this morning confirming that a replacement would be shipped today. I'll post an image of mine later, it looks worse than some, but better than others in this thread. The views it gives are pretty good, but I'll be interested to see if the new filter makes a difference. I'm really impressed with the level of service from Bresser Europe. Regards, Ade

Yes an observing buddy has the ZS71 and despite only being 5mm larger in aperture it's an altogether bulkier scope. One of my best astro purchases so far.

Thanks John. I'm a bit heavy handed so thought I'd ask the question before trying to remove it and ending up breaking it. Thanks Mark.

That's my little WO ZS66SD Stu, probably my most used OTA by a long shot as everything I need for daytime terrestrial, solar and nighttime fits into its tiny flight case. I've not used the mount in anger yet and have not been able to balance it as well as my Mini Ercole. However the friction on both axes is very progressive and so far I've been able to view up to about 70 degrees. This was an impulse buy after id read Paul's comments and saw a used one available for a good price at MPB. With the ZS66 zenith should be theoretically reachable as the OTA will probably fit inside the frame, though it will depend on how far out the drawtube needs to be in order to focus. However, as I don't observe right at zenith very often I'm not that worried. I'll let you know how we'll it works once I've had a proper play with it.

A hoarde arrived last week, well with the exception of one item that was collected in person. As per the post above, a Svbony solar finder, hope you're charging a commission @johninderby 😉. A Manfrotto 393 Gimbal head after reading positive reviews by @paulastro. And finally a new to me Baader Cool Ceramic wedge that I collected. All set up here for a quick WL solar session before the sun disappeared behind the trees.