Peter Drew

Probably not, by the time the light has gone all the way from the objective to the eyepiece on that scope there's little left! 🙂

Coma across the whole field is usually caused by a tilt in the system or collimation, more likely the former. Incorrect spacings usually show as radial coma. 🙂

The eyepiece fitting is 1.25" RAS (Royal Astronomical Society) thread, 16 threads per inch. The aperture will probably be just a bit too small to accept standard 1.25" fit eyepieces, a little filing might work. 🙂

It makes sense to me. Provided that you use sufficient aperture to reveal granulation, double stacking the filters should dim the image slightly, granulation is sometimes overwhelmed by the image brightness. Ha observers notice how surface detail is enhanced when thin cloud temporarily passes by. Tilting the filters probably just reduces the chance of unwanted reflections. 🙂

Diagonals are not used with Newtonian reflecting telescopes. The view orientation is normally upside down and back to front astronomically. I would also stick with the extension solution to your focus problem, fiddling with the primary mirror adjustment, at this stage would most likely result in much more complex issues. 🙂

I'm not tall enough to get a picture of mine. 🙂

No reason why not to leave it set up provided that you have room for it and keep the end caps on. You can enjoy looking at it. 🙂

I'm usually quite relaxed about such things. But not this time! Definitely a replacement issue, good that the supplier agrees. 🙂

Well, we've used a 150mm F8 CR6 on the 16" for some time now as a finder and general purpose small refractor, the SW 150ED will be a direct replacement with little modification and should provide even better results. It will be easily detatched should we need to use it elsewhere. The only other mod I can think of (unless focus can't be reached with binoviewers) is to possibly respray the main tube, everyone except SW knows that refractor tubes should be white. It would also then match the colour of the SCT. And yes, I've always wanted to know what the 150ED was like and now I have the chance to find out, looks very promising so far. 🙂

If anyone is interested in high resolution Ha telescopes, send me a PM. 🙂

They've certainly sorted out the packaging, you stand more chance of damaging the scope prising it out of its foam cocoon! 🙂

Yes, this is the same Porta mount that I have. After removing the aluminium legs I drilled and tapped the unserside of the Vixen tripod top 10mm thread to accept a 10mm shaft allowing me to use the tripod spreader of the steel tripod. 🙂

Very nice, thank you, but where's the 16" SCT? 🙂

I do a lot of telescope mods and use an original Vixen Porta mount for convenience to test for focus, collimation, that sort of thing. I found that replacing the aluminium tripod with an EQ6 steel tripod made a significant improvement with stability. I just took the legs off the aluminium tripod and bolted the tripod top to the tripod top of the steel one. 🙂

Not mounted on the 16" yet. The scope looks the same as those in the adverts. 🙂

I've just paid 2/3 price for a AW 150ED, 2months old and so pristine it could have been sent straight from the factory. 😀

I have two of these, the 120n and the 120n+. I had a lot of success with them in the past coupled to a 12" Meade SCT operating at F6.3 and F3.3. 🙂

You may well find that the corrector plate on an elderly C8 will be reluctant to pull out, if this is the case, replace the retaining ring loosely and then tap round the exterior of the tube smartly with your hand. The old C8's corrector plates were not edged perfectly round and cork spacers could be different sizes and at random looking spacings, might be a good idea to photograph the arrangement to facilitate their eventual replacement. The film is usually the result of outgassing of the original interior paintwork. I have also seen a similar appearance where the instrument has shared the environment of heavy smokers! 😀

For whatever reason, the main tube of the ED is approx 6.25" whereas the achro is 5.5" Joking aside, although the ED will be used as a finder it doubles up as bona fide telescope to complement the SCT. There is also a Telrad! 🙂

I've just taken delivery of one of these as an upgraded finder for our 16" SCT, pre-owned but only 2 months old so as nearly brand new as you could get. Overcast so no chance as yet to try it out astronomically but terrestrially it looks excellent. We have a "test" object here, a small label on a distant transformer, black writing on a white background, a good test for resolution and CA. It easily stood 400x with crystal clear writing and only a hint of CA. It's quite a lump but manageable, it's not just a SW Evostar 150mm F8 with an ED doublet tacked on. The tube diameter is larger than the standard Evostar and there is a nice dual speed Crayford rather than a basic R&P. The lens coatings and the multiple internal baffling cut down reflections so well that you have to look carefully to see that there is actually a lens installed. I have been wanting to see how one of these performed since they were first announced, I will report back ASAP. 🙂

2" eyepieces are just 2" fit. It's the field stop of the eyepiece that you have to consider. Obviously, if the aperture feeding the eyepiece is smaller than the field stop there will be a degree of vignetting. Visually, vignetting is not as noticeable as you might think. 🙂

There are several reports and images taken through this telescope on the Cloudy Nights refractor forum. 🙂

I caused a small chip on the paintwork of my dad's Jag whilst pushing my motorbike past it in the garage. I managed to patch it with a spot of mud.

I would stick a "smiley" patch on it. 🙂

That's "mice and men", don't know what the female equivalent is. 🙂