RT65CB-SWL

Another piece of 'green & black' arrived a few weeks ago... @vineyard's 1.25" / 1.8x TeleVue Barlow lens.

Hi @Zetetic and welcome to SGL. Nice image too!

An interesting read. Thank you for sharing.

I think it is just the locking screw. I use it to secure [replaced the metal screw on my 'smoothside' 8.8 UWA with a nylon one and the one supplied with my 13mm Nagler type 1] the e/p to the side wall of eyepiece holder with my 1.25 star diagonal or other 1.25" accessory [remembering not to loose the one that is supplied with said items by placing them in an empty 35mm film cannister] or double-up, hence the notch on the 2" nosepiece.

I too have used on my TeleVue Ranger, ETX106 meniscus cell and C6/SCT corrector plate. Also my e/p's, filters and other accessories, plus my binoculars, cameras and lenses, magnifying glasses, etc. You name it, I have used it, whether stated or not, including my car! - I have even used on the primary mirror & secondary, (though not recommended apparently), without any issue on the ETX105.

Sounds like a good start! x200-250max is about the limit for GB/UK. Nice e/p are not cheap, but seeing as SGL'ers are spending your money, I would not scrimp here either. So I am going to suggest a TeleVue 'Nagler', or anything else they do that offer nice wide field views. I have a 'Nagler' 13mm in the type 1 & type 6 format... and you get a generous 82deg AFOV. TeleVue 'Delites' are just as good, though I don't own one and they give 62deg AFOV. I do own a 6mm 'Radian', which has since been discontinued. They occasionally come up for sale here on SGL or other forums and astro-sites. The only difference is two degrees in AFOV. I do like Baader e/p's, As I mentioned in an earlier comment/reply, the only one I have borrowed/tried was the 8-24mm Mk.IV zoom. The Mk.III is no slouch either, though I think it is a few grams/oz heavier.

Hi @Bob Fotheringham I cannot help with your question, but welcome to SGL.

I have the 'smoothside' (i.e. no grip or eyecup) of the same e/p... they are very nice!

I have the 6 & 12.5mm Circle-T Ortho's (images below) and are my most used lunar e/p's. ...and this is my 0.965" / 6mm Ortho e/p (shown with a 1.25" adapter) was my first upgrade when I used to own a Prinz Astral 550.

Hi @SSR and welcome to SGL. Can you give us an idea of your budget? Once we have an idea of what you have to spend, then we can advise in the 'pros & cons' on what would best suit you. If possible, shop from a reputable astro-dealer such as SGL sponsor FLO, rather than online auction sites or warehouses. I personally think both 'scopes are ok to begin with, but the novelty may to soon wane with the supplied EQ mounts. I have used 'scopes with the cheaper EQ1 & EQ2 mounts. They were a pain to use and setup for visual. The only EQ mount that 'worked' for me was a Vixen GP.

Same here! Now I got to save up for a Berlebach tripod, or maybe a surveyors tripod, (or two), for these... and as long as I don't fully extend the legs, the aluminium tripods are ok.

Just arrived via Hermes, @recceranger's 1.25" filter set. I have been contemplating on a purchasing a 1.25" set for a few months. I do not usually use colour filters, except for a #47 [violet] when viewing the planet Venus.

Having borrowed/tried one at the end of Februay 2020 in my ETX105 from a fellow member of my astronomy society/club for an hour, then I would recommend it... but it is no substitute for a fixed focal length eyepiece IMHO.

Hi @Anser and welcome to SGL. +1 for the advice given above by fellow SGL'ers. If I had the space, (pun not intended), then I would have gone for an 8" 'Dobsonian' as a minimum. My present equipment is a TeleVue Ranger, 're-modded' ETX105, C6/SCT-xlt and two manual alt-az mounts or three if you include a DwarfStar alt-az, (images below). plus eyepieces, filters and few accessories. Should you go down the SCT or Maksutov route, then a dew shield is a must have accessory. You may find a 'Dobsonian' easier to pan and tilt, as SCT's and Maksutov's do have a narrow field of view and can be a tad frustrating, unless it has slo-mo controls or mounted on an EQ/GEM or goto mount. My mounts do not!

When I was shopping for replacement batteries for my Nikon D80* & D40x*, I would look at the guarantee period. Some offer 3 months, some 6 months, some 12 months... I found the Ex-Pro brand were 24 months, so I ordered and purchased two for each. * EN-EL3e ** EN-EL9 / EN-EL9a

I use a Manfrotto 055PROB and joystick/trigger/ballhead with my Revalation ASTRO 20x80's. (images below). <--- my 20x80's and joystick/trigger/ballhead mount... <--- with DwarfStar mount and ETX105... <--- tripod (not fully extended) with a TeleVue Ranger on the DwarfStar mount. note: the eyepiece tray is not included with the tripod.

I have purchased a few items both astro & non-astro via Ali Express, apart from the wait. It has some good bargains for astro-hardware. This afternoon I ordered 4Gb laptop RAM* for my Panasonic ToughBook CF19. Sellers on other online sites are asking up to ten times the price I saw. * either made by or made for Samsung.

Hi @BaldyMan and welcome to SGL.

Hi @Kassiopeia + 'the 10year old recipient' and welcome to SGL. From my limited experience of binocular comparisons, I will say "Yes!" - anything is better than nothing and if it has provision for attaching a bracket to mount on a photo tripod or monopod it will be a good start into this wonderful hobby.

You could always get a TeleVue Apollo... if you have a spare £1k+ 🤔

Even when using my 20x80 binoculars, I usually allow ten minutes for them to acclimatise plus gets my eyes dark adapted.

Last few days/nights I have been doing the late shift at T5/LHR. So for us in this northern hemisphere winter, the last two nights [Friday & Saturday] when I arrived home, I have been visually viewing Sirius [CMa] and Betelguese [ORI] with my mk.l eyeballs and noticed that Sirius is/was not twinkling much like it usually does and Betelgeuse appears to be 'back to normal' after the hype of it going supernova during late 2019/early 2020. My conclusion with regard to Sirius is that with reduced civil air traffic, air pollution levels have been reduced. What do you guys and girls think?

They used to be based in Ely/Cambrdge area, GB/UK 🇬🇧, ...then they moved to/or shipped orders from Kivik, Sweden 🇸🇪, a few years back.

Nice!

@alexwolf may assist/help if all else fails.