jock1958

2 hours ago, badhex said:

Look like it works very well! Plus it solves the issue of no dust cap on the eye lens end! Got some O-rings on order now, need to look for some dust caps that are the right size.

Yeh those plastic yellow dust caps are electrical plug blanking caps which are snug fit in the eyepiece cups, if it’s just eyepiece dust caps you are after I bought some cheap rubber ones off the Bay for my 20mm WO and other eyepieces, I found you will need to measure the eyepiece end, subtract a mm or so and hope for a snug fit 🤞

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

That's a cracking solution Iain!👍 They look great too😊.

For my low power set I'm using a humble pair of Meade 4000 made in China

32mm plossls..for reasons that are often discussed and debated, but perhaps hard to pin down, these cheaper long focal length plossls often seem to work better in pairs than as singles..

I've given up trying to analyse it all, and now just enjoy the views!😁

Dave

As you say Dave those 26mm plossls are a really good BV pair but on the absolute limit as far as focal length goes for my WO BV’s, I think my next big astro purchase will be the legendary MB II’s….I better get saving 🤣🤣

2 hours ago, F15Rules said:

I think all the above comments have answered your questions..

I've owned a good few Halloween plossls over the years (odd name!) and found them actually pretty good optically..a longer focal length pair would make for  excellent binoviewing😊👍.

Dave

Hi Dave very pleased with the two 26mm plossls I bought off you.

One of my seals started to crack so ordered a replacement pack off fleabay.  

Like others have said I wasn't sure what those seals do, maybe anti vibration or prevent the halloween sleeve rotating??

However as I was having eye placement problems I bought some cheapo rubber cups off the bay but no way to secure them so added some of the spare seals I had, these overlap the existing seal and gap this holds the cups in place very nicely, see pics below.

A very quick session using the Tak FC-100DL, BV's & Pentax 8.5's on Venus. Started off about 8.45pm just before it was naked eye visible, atmosphere was steady and Venus was crisp and sharp, unfortunately was unable to detect any cloud formations with & without filters.

Ditched the BV's in favour of cyclops to view Mars in the Beehive cluster, initially used the the 31mm Big Boy then 14mm Delos but most satisfying views were through the 24mm Panoptic.  

Some strictly amateur at the eyepiece iPhone pics below of Venus through the Pentax 8.5's & BV's using orange & blue filters.

Got to be honest @Franklin never heard of this site before. Just had a quick browse through and there’s some lovely stuff at very reasonable prices. 
Have you bought from here and if so what’s the postage and import costs into the UK like? 

56 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Q. "What are "bright" DSOs, really?"

A. They are easily visible small grey smudges, as compared to barely visible, wispy grey smudges.

🙂

Dave

From my back garden using a 4” frac ‘Smudges’ or ‘Fuzzies’ are great descriptions of DSO’s.

Two that have frustrated & eluded me the most are face on galaxies M33 in Triangulum & M101 in Ursa Major! 
 

On 30/04/2023 at 11:32, PeterStudz said:

I use the PushTo feature in an iPhone app called PSAlign Pro. It cost (at the time £2.99). After aligning to a know objects(s) it’ll put a target within the FOV of my 25mm eyepiece every time. Something like Starsense might be better but you’d need to purchase a “cheap” telescope and as PSAlign Pro just works I can’t see the point! I’ve also used it, aligning to the sun with a white light filter, to locate the planets - Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn in complete daylight which has been very rewarding and fun. 

 

Hi Peter 

Just downloaded that app to my iPhone SE and it looks very, very promising, also sussed out the go to and align functions after a bit of digging around.
I’ve got an old phone holder and will look at mounting it on my 4” Tak over the weekend. 
As a visual Alt Az observer I’ve been looking for something like this for ages, and for £2.99 it saves a good bit on Celestrons Starsense. 

Many thanks for the heads up on this 👍
 

Very nice Mike!! wonder if duck egg green would be an even closer match 🤔

I know its a few months ago but I eventually found a roll of anti rattle felt tape on the Bay of Fleas for £3.82, it's very thin but ideal for my needs.

I cut three small sections approx 20mm x 10mm and stuck them equidistantly over the original tape which seems to have done the trick. Screenshot below of the tape. 

Nearly bought one of those screw on Extender Q's a few years ago but price, ergonomics and faff of fitting & removing put me off, having said that the slip on extender that @JeremyS mentions is a lot smaller and seems easier to fit & remove.

I've had my 2.5 - 1.25" Powermate for a few years and it is brilliant, and views through it are exactly as others have said.  I use it on the BV's and cyclops. If you are on a budget they do crop up second hand from time to time, think I paid £100 off ABS.

Nice one @Stu 👍😊 had a hunch an SGL’r would snap it up! 

Be interested to see who goes for it, the seller is accepting offers 🤔

Bought my Tak FS-60Q second hand and it came with the same 1.25" visual back as yours and also a Tak 2" as mentioned by @mikeDnight 

I tend to use the 2" VB with my Baader prism diagonal and 2" nose piece #2408150.

Not 100% sure about the click-lock but asked FLO a similar question about my FC-100DL and they suggested click-lock #2956268 which would screw directly onto the focuser tube, no original adapter required. 

Your focuser tube is smaller than the FC-100DL with an outside thread (55mm OD?) so I think the click-lock #2956255 you mentioned might need another adapter ring to fit, I would contact FLO.

Couple of pics below of my Tak FS-60 & Baader prism diagonal with 2" nosepiece.

4 hours ago, Mandy D said:

I've spoken with the supplier who has told me the backlash can be adjusted out and is going to get me a manual for it from Synta. I guess backlash is inherent in any system with moving parts and the general idea would be to minimise it to the point where it no longer matters. Mine seems to have an awful lot in the azimuth gears. Are you using it purely for visual or are you doing imaging with it?

I’m visual only, adjusting the worm gear housing is straightforward  requiring basic tools ie Allen keys and a bit of trial and error, I’m sure there’s a few threads on here which will point you in the right direction. 

22 hours ago, Mandy D said:

After waiting over six months for stock to arrive, I finally got my new Skytee 2 mount yesterday. I swapped the saddles out for some better ones with two clamping screws, as I intend to mount my 200P on this, or perhaps even my 250P at some point in the future alongside my RC6. I've noticed that there is a lot more play in the azimuth gears than I would like, so will bring this up with the supplier on Monday. The altitude is fine and everything else is as expected, including an abundance of clouds in my region, so for now, here is a photo of it on my bathroom floor.

Had mine for over 6 years now and it does the job really well although a bit agricultural. Replaced the sticky grease and adjusted the worm gears and everything runs nice and smoothly. Wasn’t able to get rid of the backlash completely but good enough for my needs. 

11 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

I am trying to understand why people get so enthusiastic about Taks…..

 

Wow 🤩 two TSA 120’s and a Mewlon, suppose it saves money on another pair of MB II’s BV’s 🤣

PS mount & tripod look the biz as well 👍

Looks very nice Dave and I’m sure all it needs is some of your TLC to restore it to its former glory.
As far as unscrewing the lens what about trying some rubber garden gloves for the extra grip and getting someone to hold the bottom of the tube while you do it?

And if that doesn’t work there’s always the oil filter strap wrench when and if you get desperate 😩🤣

Bought my 31mm T5 Nagler over  3 years ago off a fellow SGL’r in as new condition. 

It works very well on my Tak FC-100DL + Skytee 2, its a chunky bit of kit but the views through it are impressive, I also bought a TV eyeguard extender which allows for comfortable eye placement.

As John mentioned you need to slide the OTA forward in the tube clamp to balance things out.

I also tried it on my Tak FS60 for kicks, it does work but the focuser struggles and it’s a faff trying to balance things out. 

And once you’ve sorted any issues with the mechanicals think about re-assembling with a grease that works well in low temperatures.
My Skytee 2 Alt Az mount was originally lubed with that horrible Synta glue which was useless in the cold, since then I’ve stripped it down and used standard grease for wheel bearings which works nicely, next strip down I’ll be using Aeroshell green grease 33 as used in aircraft undercarriage and flying control systems, at 40,000 ft outside temp is approx -50°.

Lovely looking scope Dave, and like how you managed to smuggle it in without your other half finding out 🤣

I used to have large Astro items delivered to my mate across the road, unfortunately he sold up to go travelling 😩

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

Sadly not, although I didn't ask. I was just happy to get my hands on one. 

I had first light with them last night. I found that my 35mm Ultima's don't quite reach infinity without the use of a gpc or barlow, but that's not the binoviewer or the eyepiece,  it's the Takahashi visual back. I'll need a low profile Baader click lock so I can use them at their native focal length. They should be awesome, as when I used my 25mm Parks Gold the view of the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula were every bit as good through the Maxbright as through a single eyepiece. 

 I struggled with the Maxbright at first. I found the diopter adjustment to be a bit too firm and am hoping it will ease over time. I suppose its like driving a new car and just takes a little time to get used to the peddles. The only other issue I had last night was that the left hand eyepiece holder was a bit tight when inserting eyepieces. I've yet to see if I can find the cause and if it can be rectified easily.

 Optically, after I'd messed around getting an precise focus and setting the viewer to my eye seperation,  I had some very pleasing views, I caught a brief view of Venus early on, but once properly dark I first tested out my new 30mm Ultraflat by first checking out the Pleiades, then M42, and then to assess the clarity of the night as much to test the eyepiece I turned the scope to look at M1. Immediately the Crab nebula revealed itself, so I knew I had a good night for some brighter  deep sky.  I wanted to make a sketch of the Leo Triplet of galaxies for Gerry (Jetstream), but first I spent my time just playing with the Maxbright and my eyepieces. Mars looked very good to begin with but the seeing started to become a little turbulent and definition was lost.  I then turned to Leo to try and find Gerry's galaxies, but to no avail. A halo of mist now surrounded me as the temperature dropped. Returning to the Maxbright again, I began to notice red fringing around stars. I was a bit disheartened at this point, and as I was frozen to the bone I decided to call it a night. Only after closing me observatory roof and before capping my scope, I took a look at the objective while using a bulb blower to remove any dust, then noticed the lens was completely dewed over. I brought the scope back into the house uncapped and let it dry out overnight. I was happier now I knew the red fringing wasn't due to the binoviewer but to the moisture on the lens. 

 I was impressed by the brightness, clarity, and sharpness of the Maxbright on stars and some deep sky objects. As yet though I haven't given it a proper lunar and planetary test drive, so for me the best is yet to come - hopefully!

 

Thanks for that Mike, sounds like they are a good purchase. Once the diopters have loosened off they should be so much easier to use than the ones on my WO BV’s. 
Didn’t realise Baader do low profile click locks, tell me more?

I’m currently using their ultra short clamp which allows me to reach native focus with all my bino pairs from 8.5mm to 26mm. 

31 minutes ago, Saganite said:

I have been irresistibly drawn to the Maxbright II binoviewers since they arrived on the market, particularly because of the eyepiece holders and the dioptre adjustment, and so ,on Saturday at PAS when I saw Mike buy his and with a few pairs still for sale, it tipped me over the edge, and I too bought one. The arrival of stock replenishments sell instantly, and I had missed out several times in the last year, so to find some for sale at the show was very unexpected...but very pleasing !!

Another satisfied customer and sounds like you all enjoyed the Astro Show. Looking forward to see how you get on with yours and if you have same bedding in issues as Mike.

13 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

So did I, but it was all designed to leave me into a false sense of security. There were a few "under the counter" Mark ll's at WideScreen. 

Assume it also came with a nice “Under the Counter” discount Mike?? 😉

Very much looking forward to your first light reports as they are top of my wish list 🤞🤞

41 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Not exactly what the post man brought, but more like what I was "encouraged" to buy by some rather persuasive SGLers.  Effectively they bought for me while I paid! Never the less I'm very pleased.

Maxbright II 

 

Then of my own free will I bought a 30mm Ultraflat and 2" mirror diagonal. 

 

Then i picked up some lovely free journals from The Society for the History of Astronomy.

 

And finally a Webb Society beanie hat. (I am a member despite using only a 100mm refractor)!

It was a long journey, and costly, but getting some nice new toys and meeting a good number of  very nice SGLers, all in all it was a great Day. 

 

 

Wow 🤩 I thought these MB II’s were unobtainium!! 

55 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

If you are on 'Cloudy nights' they have a dedicated 'Bino-viewer dedicated forum, and there is a ton of stuff on there, with loads of expert advice.

 

Agree there's loads of excellent info on Cloudy Nights, for me Denis Levatic & Eddgie certainly know their bino-viewers!

1 hour ago, Space Hopper said:

I can recommend the Baader Planetarium viewers. Excellent all round, a very flexible T2 system, and very well designed gpc,s to take care of your focusing requirements, as well as correct for bino induced aberations.

And if your budget can't stretch to Badder Maxbright BV's then I've been very happy with my mid range Williams Optics BV's, I bought these second hand in excellent condition (£150ish)

IMO its an excellent starter package which includes two good 20mm eyepieces and a 1.6x glass path corrector, if you find you are having problems merging or you can't get on with them then you should be able to resell with minimum loss.