AdeKing

3 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Super review @AdeKing👍🏻

Thanks Jeremy, now I just need to find a handle for it 😉🤣

3 hours ago, Telescope40 said:

Hello Ade. Good to read your report on the tripod. 
Excellent news it’s as you had hoped for. 
John 

Thanks John, it's actually surpassed expectations, I didn't expect it to cope with the ST102 so well.

Just right with the DSLR and spotting scope with the right head as well.

I've recently received a new-to-me Berlebach Report 723 tripod from @Telescope40.

Whilst I do have an ED100, ED120, 102 f/11 and 80mm f/15, when I sat down and thought about things I realised that the majority of my observing tends to be grab and go with either my Lunt LS60, William Optics ZS70 or my humble Skywatcher ST102 which I actually think punches well above its weight.

Up until now, I've used fairly heavyweight Manfrotto photo tripods for grab and go, these being a Manfrotto 058B or a Manfrotto 028B, the issue with these two is that whilst they are pretty stable they are also quite heavy and reasonably tall even when fully collapsed at 6.7kg and 95cm tall for the Manfrotto 058B and 4.1kg and 82cm tall for the Manfrotto 028B.

They work pretty well for grab and go, but as we only have a small car, this presented a bit of an issue when we were able to travel and will continue to do so if we are ever allowed to travel again.

Now, I absolutely love Berlebach tripods and already have a Uni 18 which my iOptron AZ Pro sits on and I've been looking at the Report series for a while since reading the following thread, but the Report 312 was a bit big for my needs in this case.

I wanted a small tripod that collapsed down to about 60cm and was able to extend to put a telescope eyepiece at about 1.20m so that it could comfortably be used from a garden chair or dining room chair when we go away.  The tripod would be used to mount an AZ GTi or SolarQuest which are my travel mounts and the largest scope used would be a ST102, but more normally would need to support a Lunt LS60DS or William Optics ZS70.

Enter the Berlebach Report 723, this little tripod weighs in at just 2.2kg, measures 55cm fully collapsed, 90cm with the legs extended but the centre column at its lowest and 1.30m with the centre column fully extended.  The tripod also has a payload of approx 12kg so seemed to fit my needs well.

I also got a couple of useful addition with this tripod which were an extension arm and a tiny tray which is just about large enough for a mug of coffee and my astro notebook.  I have a suspicion that the little tray I have might have been discontinued as the closest I can find in their product brochure is the projector tray though the tray I have is much smaller, measuring just 20cm x 16cm.

The extension arm and tray fit into holes drilled through the side of the centre column at the top and bottom, and the extension can be stored inside of the centre column when not in use, in order to do that you need to forego the handy hook attachment at the bottom of the centre column.

I've had the opportunity to use this setup on about three occasions so far, twice solar observing and once at night.

I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised so far, the little Report 723 seems to have ticked all of the boxes, it copes happily with all of the scopes I've used on it at the moment and vibrations dampen within about half a second to a second after focusing.

I haven't really tried to use high magnifications as my grab and go setups tend to be used for wide field views, the moon hasn't really been around at social hour and Mars is too small and now requires magnification that results in too small an exit pupil for me to have a chance of comfortably seeing any details with these little refractors.

Now I just need to find myself a nice tripod bag to store the little report in.

I'll update when I've had a bit more sky time, but here are some photos of the setup described above.

Ade

5 minutes ago, paulastro said:

I wondered if anyone would spot my deliberate typo Ade. 🙂   I'm not going to edit it out though, or your post won't make any sense, or my reply to it 😄.

Sorry I've been reviewing reports written by graduates all day so reviewer mode hasn't yet switched off. 

14 minutes ago, paulastro said:

The Met office don't mention seeing Jeremy 🙂.

I haven't seen Jeremy either Paul but he's probably talking about Handles somewhere here in SGL that is probably why the Met Office haven't seen him either 😜

....Sorry Paul 

Very nice Nigella, I managed to get a quick look in H-a and WL yesterday but it looks like there was a lot more on show in H-a today than I saw yesterday.

Unfortunately no chance of seeing the sun today.

Ade

13 hours ago, Alan White said:

Looks a very good fit Ade, shame it involved a mishap to nudge purchase though.

Someone could do well with Vixen or any other Astro touch in paint.

It fits a treat thanks @Alan White, I've been meaning to get one for a while but I'd put it off cos they're quite expensive for what they are.

I Had a proper look at the damage today and it's not that bad, worst bit is on the polarscope cone and that I can touch up with Hammerite Wild Thyme.

3 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Heeyyyy I want one for my vixen too! that is really nice.

Thanks, I found it at Altair Astro

4 minutes ago, Dean Hale said:

It has been very grim here the past 10 days and looking likely to be for another week or two.

So some binoculars to try and see some local wildlife or at the least check who has left their bins out. Have been working from home nigh on a year so need some excitement. A  reconditioned Asiair from Flo. I know one is available in the for sale section - at an excellent price and to charity too however i'm delving into the unknown and feel more comfortable pestering FLO if needs be. 

Good choice, I found the Olympus DPS1 8x40 to be an excellent pair of budget binoculars for birdwatching.

Enjoy the binoculars and ASI Air.

Yesterday the DPD guy dropped off a very nice Oklop carry case for my Vixen GP.

I resorted to this after I knocked something off a shelf and chipped the impossible to match green paint 🤬.

22 minutes ago, Telescope40 said:

Ade. Looks good fella. Delivery and a clear night as well.  👍👍

Trust it’s ok with the 102. Not quite up to it with my 102 frac when fully loaded 😢😢 Enjoy 

John 

It was fine for me last night John, I was pleasantly surprised.

The ST102 is only an f/5 so relatively short, light and as I only use a 1.25" diagonal and EPs with a lightweight combination of a Rigel Quikfinder and 6x30 finder so nothing too taxing.

First impressions seem to suggest that the Report 723 is as stable as the big and heavy Manfrotto 058 I normally use, though it doesn't have the same payload capacity.

Review to follow if and when the clouds clear again 

My ST102 was put outside to play tonight coupled with my AZGTi on my new to me Berlebach Report 723 tripod.

Had a nice couple of hours scanning around Orion, Cancer and Gemini.

Yesterday a lovely little Berlebach Report 723 and tray arrived courtesy of  @Telescope40 via ABS.

This tripod is tiny being just 55cm tall at its lowest and 90cm tall with legs extended but centre column at its lowest.

This is a travel tripod for my AZ GTi and SolarQuest if we're ever allowed outside again.

Also received a copy of Bob Argyle's double star book from @azrabella

There is a good set of instructions here that I think might help. This is for a Skywatcher refractor Crayford but I think the mechanism is the same.

Google found this on SGL but I don't know who originally posted it, so my apologies to them if they read this.

Listen to @Peter Drew as he knows what he is talking about, and the assembly looks right though make sure you have the 4x tiny o-rings in place around the 4x long retaining screws as these allow the fine tuning of the pressure.

Looking at your 3rd image they appear to be missing from the 4 main attachment screws if my memory serves me correctly.

They are a pain to keep in place when reassembling, a real test of your patience.

PDF Adjusting the Skywatcher Focuser.pdf

1 minute ago, Telescope40 said:

Protocol question. I have a Berlebach UNI 18 tripod which is currently spoken for by my SW EQ5 PRO goto mount. I have an EQ6 tripod to hand as well. 
Does the Rowan get first dibs on tripod ??? 
Seems so looking at the shots on the thread !!

Absolutely, the AZ100 and Berlebach tripod were made for each other. 😉

Though that would probably mean that you'd need one of these (https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/geoptik-heq5-tripod-adaptor-for-eq6-2-tripods.html) to fit the EQ5 to the EQ6 tripod.

5 minutes ago, Dantooine said:

This is OCD under full control. Time to stop now.

These will “do it” for me 😉

Oh, I don't know, spot the shorter fatter odd man out on the left 😉

As discussed, happy to have been able to help Dave. 

We couldn't possibly have one of those wonderful green GPs out there not functioning quite as it should.

Just to clarify for any future readers though the end bolts are M6 and the middle bolt is M8.

Ade

2 hours ago, Ande said:

Another delivery this morning, a whole week before the estimated date. Result!  This is the last major piece of the puzzle. I’ve heard only good things about these power packs, so am hopeful that it will meet my fairly meagre needs. Comes with a nice collection of cables too, so should be able to get powered up now 🙂

 

Looks nice, could you furnish us with some more details as I'm on the lookout for a new bench power supply.

Thanks, Ade

8 minutes ago, Albut said:

Has anyone an answer to how you can find out the current firmware version installed on the az gti mount. Can it be found in the loader app or synscan pro app? 

Connect your phone to the mounts WiFi, start up the Synscan app then press the "i" icon in the top right of the screen next to the chevrons.

Then scroll down and the motor board firmware version is indicated there.

Ade

2 hours ago, Telescope40 said:

@johninderby

Saw one in the flesh at IAS 2019 and had to think I’ll never get my mitts on one.  Never say never. 
Already looking at add ons. Whoops !!!!!!!!!!!!

John 

I'm glad you got one eventually John. I also saw one at IAS 2019 and was smitten.

Currently saving hard, and am getting there........slowly.

One day my precious......

Hi Charles,

I'm afraid that I didn't, I didn't get any responses to this thread and I haven't really had the time or money to do very much about it.

I was only really interested in using a Belt Mod as a way of reducing the noise whilst slewing as I was concerned about disturbing the neighbours, whose bedroom window looks out over my observing area.

In the end, I just changed the maximum motor speeds via the setup menu on the SS2K handset until I was happy with the level of noise and just saved it down as a "Quiet" configuration.

I did find the EQStar Belt-Driven GoTo solution which wasn't too badly priced (EQStarEQ5 – GoTo drive upgrade kit for EQ 5/CG-5/MEADE LXD, LX/Vixen FR, GP (- DX), GPD2, ORION SkyView and Bresser EQ 4/EQ 5), but as I was happy with the SS2K I didn't see the point in investing in a whole new GoTo system as the SS2K GoTo is really accurate, much more accurate than my EQ5 Synscan Goto ever was.

However, whilst this didn't help me, the EQStar system might offer you a solution.

Kind regards,

Ade

4 hours ago, rcwinter said:

Daystar Customer Services

Bit of a long one but worth a read and may make you giggle , I am over it now.

Like many I too have dealt with Tiffany (Customer Services ) at Daystar  directly when getting my filters restored , both Quark and Quantum  very frustrating and awkward to work with, no wander some importers / dealers decided that dealing with DS and the service they got was just not worth the trouble, I do not use them directly anymore. 
 

For example a year or so ago I sent two Quantum's back for restoration of the blocking and trimming filters, one belonged to me and the other a friend, we thought it was a good Idea to send them together to save on shipping etc , one was a warranty repair and mine was to be paid for, they went off  in a nice peli case to protect them from damage one their journey,, eventually more than 6 months later with more emails than you can shake a stick at, they were dispatched back from Daystar, I tracked them back and waited with great anticipation of their arrival.

UPS dropped them off, my heart sank when he handed me just a Jiffy bag, yes, they both arrived back in a single Jiffy bag seperated by a single plastic bag and a silica gel bag , my heart sank further when I opened the bag and peered inside you can imagine that banging together on the trip back destroyed both the labels and scratched the filter bodies, I was so upset and went on a rant with Daystar, I evetyally got my pelican case back, which they forgot to use for the return journey,  

Daystar did compensate me for the trouble they caused and apologised by putting in the peli case, two new labels an oily rag to wipe the filter body clean when replacing the stickers and a Werthers Original Sweet ( yes just one ) 

Jyst my ditty, hope you enjoyed it, it makes me giggle now , but at time just very disappointed after parting with a large amount of money for my repair to be treated so badly  By what is supposed to one of the best in which you put your trust and belief in. 
 

I do like Lunt customer services, albeit Bresser in Germany , but they were responsive and you got support

I remember you telling me this story when I collected the Baader Cool Ceramic wedge that I purchased from you, and I mentioned that I was considering getting a Quark. 

It was a combination of your story and hearing of the problems that @Davey-T  has had with his that made me vow never to buy a Quark. 

In the end picked up a used Lunt LS60 with 50mm double stack (2010) and like Nigella says above I've not had a problem getting new O-rings and a replacement blue ITF filter from Bresser in Germany, excellent service.

Ade

I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems.

Unfortunately, I have heard of so many problems with Daystar QC that I have completely avoided buying one and went the Lunt LS60 route instead.

I really hope that you get a resolution of this problem with Daystar.

Keep us posted and good luck.

Ade 

7 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Given I did much more solar observing in 2020 due to being at home more, I am looking to do even more in 2021, especially now the Sun is getting more active.

Nice one Jeremy, the SolarQuest is my most used mount, it just does what it says on the tin and does it very well.

Probably my best astro purchase if I'm honest.

Hope that you enjoy using it, the simplicity of it certainly made me set up for Solar more often in 2020.

7 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Oh, and this to use on the Solarquest. Much better than the standard dovetail clamp supplied with the mount.

Ditto, I've been so impressed by the one I got for the SolarQuest last month that I've just received a second one for the AZ GTi today.

Definitely better than the stock one.

9 minutes ago, John said:

It is. My collection is much more modest in terms of number because I have not found coloured filters that useful so I don't have those now. I have a neutral density moon filter for outreach sessions and UHC, O-III and H-Beta filters in the 2 inch and 1.25 inch sizes for nebulae enhancement when observing. So just 7 filters. I have a single polarising filter for use with my Herschel Wedge but I keep that in the case with the wedge.

I probably only use about the same number of filters as you John, the Oiii, UHC, Neodymium and polariser get most use but the Orange and Red filters got a lot of use with Mars recently.

I also keep a single polariser and a Solar Continuum filter with my Herschel Wedge as it's the most convenient place really.

You can get boxes with a smaller number of compartments.

https://www.plasticboxshop.co.uk/craft-storage-boxes-c4/compartment-boxes-c37/23-5cm-9-03-organiser-box-with-9-square-compartments-p2353

3 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Wow, that's a filter collection and half!

You're right and I'm afraid I don't use half of them but as the set included a Baader Neodymium, Lumicon Oiii, and Baader UHC the price I paid was justified by those three filters alone.

Obviously this case isn't suitable for mixed filter sizes, but I'm sure you could get one of these with suitably sized compartments for 2" filters.