AdeKing

The Uni18 fitted with iOptron pillar extension fits perfectly in the STC46 bag with a square of plywood at one end to protect the inside of the bag from the ground spikes. Makes it much easier to carry the tripod and much easier to haul it off the top shelf of racking in the garage. Haven't yet tried it for size in the car yet though.

Not all from today, but delivered over the last couple of weeks. Calumet STC46 case from WEX that fits my Uni 18 and iOptron pillar extension absolutely perfectly. A Geoptik EQ6 to HEQ5 tripod adaptor from @John in preparation for the arrival of the Rowan AZ100 in the next couple of months. And a haul comprising an Aero ED30mm, Baader Quick Changer and TAL 1.25" diagonal from @F15Rules

Oooohhh, I'm pleased to see this. I have the deluxe bags for my Altair 102 f/11, my ED120 and one for my Vixen GP mount. They are so much more convenient than the bulky and heavy flight cases I was using, the 102 f/11 is getting loads more use now it's easier to get out of the garage. They are excellent quality and I shall be investing in another when I collect my TAL 100RS later this month.

Thanks for this comparison Stu, it confirms what I saw last night. It's been a few weeks since I've observed the Nova and given that it is now so much brighter it made me really have to study the charts in SkySafari to confirm what I was seeing.

Apologies for the delay in responding but it took me a while to find the spare EQ5 fitting for the extension tube and I didn't want to disturb the semi-permanently mounted GPD2 mount in the garden as PA is as good as I've ever achieved. Anyway, I can confirm that once the North pin is removed, the circular footprint of the EQ5 adaptor did neatly between the three countersunk holes that the iOptron star levelling knobs fit into on an iOptron tripod. These three holes actually have slight ridges surrounding them but the EQ5 adaptor fits between these without fouling them which would introduce a slight tilt. So you would just need to level the mount by adjusting the length of the tripod legs. As mentioned before you'll need a larger diameter and longer bolt, the AZPro uses M12 diameter for the central bolt. Hope this helps, Ade

I'll have a look at my EQ5 extension and see whether it will work. You will need a longer, larger diameter central bolt than the EQ5 one, but I'll give it a go for you in a bit once I can find the various parts in the Man Pit. Ade

I thought I'd heard a rumor on here that David Lukehurst was building them, but whilst he has some info on his website, this relates to clock house equatorial platforms who seem to have ceased trading, all the links go to info pages about EQ Platforms but no information regarding placing an order. That's sad, but sounds like TS Optics is the place to go then or go the DIY route.

I'm currently using an ED120 quite happily on a Vixen GPD2 but can't remember how my green GP coped with it. My setup as should be about the same weight as John's as it's identical, the only difference might be the tube rings. Ade

This is exactly why I love Solar, it's so dynamic, I love watching it change before my very eyes.

Sorry to steal your thunder and thread title @paulastro but you've gotta be quick around here 😉. You've managed some great images despite the seeing Paul. I'm not so sure about that Paul, looking at your images shows me just how much more work I need to put into getting the sizing, spacing and proportions right in my full disc sketches. Your two cropped shots show just how much it's all evolved overnight. The seeing was really good here at 07:30 as the sun was between the roofs and away from heating plumes.

Thanks @Nik271 I couldn't believe the similarity, I'm pleased with the result even if the proportions aren't perfect. Thanks @Stu, not too bad a sketch for first thing in the morning. I see that you managed to grab a look too. Thanks @Neil H It was an amazing cluster wasn't it. I noticed it developing yesterday but it had evolved a bit overnight.

I had a couple of nice WL and H-a solar sessions over the weekend and decided to set up for WL first thing so I can grab some views in between work throughout the day. Very nice assemblage of sunspots visible looking very much like the W asterism of Cassiopeia in my opinion. The spots are small, a couple of the larger ones with visible penumbra, but they spread across a fair amount of the disc. Very nice to see activity building in WL again. Here are my sketches, the first is whole disc, though I tend to find that I unintentionally exaggerate the size of the sunspots in order to record detail so the positioning and extent is approximate at best. Second sketch was higher magnification to record more detail and get the relative positions and spacings more accurate. The orientation marks show the direction the disc progresses through the FOV rather than the correct orientation of the disc. Thanks for looking, Ade

That paint looks a reasonable match Dave and doesn't clash as much as the white did. When I was converting my TAL wooden tripod, I was very fortunate and @Alan White very kindly donated me a Vixen tripod top to finish it off. Maybe try a wanted post for one. You never know, you might strike it lucky.

I use a normal short spirit level for levelling the top of the tripod before attaching the mount and then use it again to ensure the mount is in the home position. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stabila-Torpedo-Level-250mm-02199/dp/B0001P0TNM/ref=sr_1_41?dchild=1&keywords=stabila+Spirit+Level&qid=1618945522&sr=8-41 As others have said the round bubble levels are readily available on Amazon or eBay but if you want one of the little round bubble levels then I think I have a spare that you're welcome to. Ade

Hi John, yes, a very lucky escape by all accounts. Yes, the AZ100 is getting ever closer, just want a bit more of a buffer in the astro fund before I click buy. An order has been placed for the iOptron pier adaptor for the EQ6 so I can use it on the Uni18, but no idea on when it'll arrive. Still waiting for some Vortex Optics 10x50s ordered towards the end of Feb to arrive so fingers crossed it won't be too long.

Yes indeed. It's something that I never thought about checking before given that I've never had cause to fiddle with the objective cell. That has certainly changed now.

On Saturday I had the Starwave Classic 102 f/11 set up on my GPD2 mount during the day as it was on WL solar duty all day, without a hitch I hasten to add. After the sun disappeared behind the trees to the west I retracted the dewshield and covered everything up as I wanted an evening session observing doubles in Leo but knew that it would be a good few hours before I was outside again and whilst I wanted everything cooled, I didn't want everything dripping in dew before I'd even started. So I came out of the house at about 21:30 and removed the cover, all good so far. Next I slide up the dewshield and it comes away in my hand. Its never done this before and as I wasn't expecting it I lost my grip and dropped the whole lot. Thankfully there was a dew heater attached with the cable routed along the OTA with velcro straps so it didn't fall far though it did slam against the pillar extension that the GPD2 sits on. I investigate a bit further and find that the objective cell has unscrewed from the tube and is still sliding up and down inside the dewshield. All I can say is thank goodness the dew heater was attached around the objective end of the dewshield and secured to the OTA. If this hadn't have been the case there is a good chance that the dewshield and objective would have hit the north facing foot of my Skywatcher Pillar Mount. Murphy's law would have most likely dictated that the objective cell would have been at the end of the dewshield that came into contact with the chunky chromed adjustment bolt on the north foot accompanied by a chorus of shattering, glass, so I count myself very lucky. Re-attaching the cell to the end of the OTA in the dark was an interesting challenge, but I eventually got everything back together without crossing threads and performed a quick star test on Capella which thankfully presented me with a series of concentric rings so no real harm done and the rest of the session went to plan, though it took a while for my heartrate to drop back to normal. I have since checked the tightness of the objective cells on all of my other OTAs and thankfully found them nice and tight. The f/11 hasn't had a lot of use and I've never removed the objective cell so I can only assume that it has been slightly loose since I've owned it. Needless too say this is another check that I've added to my pre-observing checklist.

I'm using a LS60 visually but with a 50mm DS attached. Yes I am getting a significantly dimmer view than single stacked, but the boost in contrast on surface detail is also significant and I get what I think are amazing views. Sometimes I use an R-Sky observing hood to cut down external light but not all the time. I've never really struggled visually with the brightness when the DS is attached and as the 50mm DS is reducing my 60mm aperture to 50mm anyway, the brightness that I'm getting must be equivalent to a LS50 with 50mm DS attached anyway. I'd love a 60mm DS but ££££ prevents me from taking the plunge.

Very nice, I liked mine so much that I got a second one. Very nice piece of kit that is just about the right brightness on the dimmest setting. Enjoy using it.

Keep calm Jeremy, don't panic, I'm sure Dave can handle it! 😉

I'm afraid I'm one of those that didn't get on with the Q Turret. The example I used had a very indistinct click between the eyepiece settings and I because of that I found it difficult to know that the eyepiece was located correctly without pulling away and checking carefully. Probably just s poor example do I'll be interested to hear his you find it in use. Ade

We only have a small car with a tiny boot, so I either have to put the back seats down or lay the tripod across the back seats because the rear wheel arches make boot much narrower than the back seats. As this setup gets used with an AZ Pro I know that it just about fits across the back seats though I have to wrap the vicious ground spikes I have fitted in a towel to stop them damaging the inside of the rear doors. I really need to find some suitable way of capping the ground spikes so that they don't rip the inside of the bag to shreds.

Thanks for the heads up, I've just ordered a copy on the same offer Jeremy, but mine won't apparently be delivered until 25th May. 😟

Thanks @Nigella Bryant now I have a padded bag for the f/11 rather than the hugely cumbersome heavy aluminium and plywood flight case I can see me using it much more. The white light views I had through the f/11 this morning were some of the best views I've had, even though the active region presented as a scattering of black pepper so to speak.

My longest and shortest focal length scopes in action today. Pressure tuned Lunt LS60 with 50mm DS on a Solarquest mount for H-alpha and the Altar Starwave Classic 102 f/11 with Baader Cool Ceramic wedge on my Vixen GPD2 for White Light. We had beautifully clear skies giving really good views earlier but it had completely clouded out by the time I took this photo.