jock1958

2 minutes ago, IB20 said:

Have just tried every conceivable configuration before/after the BVs with a Celestron Omni 2x barlow and a longer TV 2x barlow. No luck however! It’s not far off focus, but I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to be lengthening when i have too little inward focus travel.

Any chance of a photo of your set up?
BV’s extend the light path so anyway you can reduce that by shorter adapters in front of your diagonal will help, that’s how I managed that with the ultra short clamp. As I said a prism diagonal has a shorter light path than a mirrored one. 

2 hours ago, IB20 said:

Is that replacing some or all of the Tak visual back? Seems inexpensive so might be worth a go. There are so many Tak and Baader adapters it’s really hard to know where to start. 

I use the original Tak 2” visual back or a Baader 2” ultra short clamp depending whether I’m using my mirror or prism diagonals and what magnification I want to achieve.

Not sure what the visual back is on your FC 76 but if it’s similar to my Tak FS 60Q then my BV’s work on that with a screw on Tak 2” visual back that came as an extra. 

I would experiment and get some experience with what you already have before buying stuff that you probably won’t be able to use.

Some pics below with my different configurations.
 

Ahhh the curse of insufficient inwards focus!
I bought a pair of WO BV’s 18 months ago for my Tak FC-100DL and initially used the supplied 20mm eyepieces, Baader mirror diagonal, Baader 2.25x barlow or TV 2.5x power mate to reach focus.

Since then I’ve also been using a Baader ultra short clamp and prism diagonal (shorter light path) to reach focus natively with a variety of eyepieces.

I’ve found its a bit of a challenge with lots of trial and error but the rewards are well worth the effort. 

44 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

The lunar X etc are old hat. What about something more challenging staring out from the crater Chladni - The Lunar SKULL?  😲😱 You may need a good imagination! 😆

Difficult one Mike but I can see top half of skull & eyes from your pic 🤔

There’s a very good chance you’ve seen it.
I’ve been trying for the last few years with my Tak FC-100DL + TV 3-6 zoom and failed due to the low altitude and unsteady atmospherics but will keep on  persevering.

I’m sure Dave @F15Rules will chip in as he’s seen it very recently through his Tak FS128. 

Had given up any hope of seeing the Flame nebula through my 4" Tak, however @mikeDnight's excellent post & sketch has renewed my enthusiasm to try harder!

Looks like a very substantial and well engineered mount Mike. With the worm drives refitted is it possible to attach some slo mo's cables while you are sorting the drive motors or is it nudge along for just now?

I persevered for ages with a nudge along Giro Ercole but struggled with high power viewing & balance so it’s Slo Mo all the way for me especially ones with nice long bendy cables 😜

Hi Mark and a warm welcome to SGL, hope you enjoy it!

9 hours ago, JeremyS said:

If the undercuts still get to you Alan, try adding a parfocalising ring. I’ve done that to all my TV EPs and I don’t even think about undercuts anymore.

Good idea Jeremy and I don’t think they are that expensive.  Got a pair of Pentax 8.5XF’s that tilt over slightly when tightened in my WO BV’s thanks to those dratted undercuts. I’ve tried tape but it still catches in the eyepiece holder lock ring 😩

On 12/02/2022 at 20:10, Stu said:

It’s my Gitzo GT5542LS, bought it off eBay for a decent price a number of years ago and have never regretted it. It gets a lot of use.

Very nice setup Stu, I would love a Gitzo but I don't think I could justify the expense ☹️  As a matter interest where did you get your bendy slow mo cables?

8 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Hi Iain,

Thanks for that..I should have mentioned, I used a moon filter too, and that definitely helped!

Oh, and its upper right through your Tak if you're using a normal diagonal or prism...image is right way up but East and West are reversed..😉

Good luck!!

Dave

Thanks Dave, I’ve probably compounded my own problems by looking in the wrong place thanks for putting me right 👍
Will try my moon filter as well!

14 hours ago, F15Rules said:

So I upped the magnification with a 1.6x Barlow and this time I was pretty sure I could see the Pup, east north east of Sirius (refractor view, 2" diagonal) at between 12.30 and 1pm position.

Well done Dave, I tried for it again last night with my Tak FC-100DL & TV 3-6 zoom (150x - 300x). It was the best I've seen Sirius for some time with two to three diffraction rings showing sporadically, however there was still too much scintillation obscuring any chance to reveal the Pup. Maybe the extra bit of aperture in your FS128 gives you the edge 🤔  

Never mind there's still a few weeks left before it gets too low and I know roughly where to look, (upper left looking through my Tak!)

The local council changed the street light at the front of my house a few years ago without any hassle.
I posted some pics on page 2 of this thread a few years ago. 

As others have said I think dew spots are the culprits!!  My Tak FC-100DL lens had all sorts of crud on it,  I went through all sorts of mental anguish before cleaning it....a real nerve jangler for sure 😩

I bought two new Baader cloths and their wonder fluid and the lens was a minter after I'd finished.

One tip I got after lots of research is to divide the lens into quarters and clean one segment at a time, this seems to have worked for me, however others may disagree and have their own techniques 🤔

Check out my post below from a few years ago.

Target for tonight was lunar using my Tak FC-100DL, BV’s, 15mm TV plossls & 2.5x power mate.
Starting with Posidonius, then directly below was the Aldrovandi ridge I think? down further the highlight for me was the well illuminated Taurus Littrow mountains where Apollo 17 landed, first time I’ve had a good look here and it didn’t disappoint.
Scanning further south through the Sea of Tranquility to Theophilus then down to Fracastorius at the bottom of Mare Nectaris. 
Only a quick session before clouds rolled in and the cold started to bite!
 

16 minutes ago, Pixies said:

Just sayin'!

In my youth I used to spend part of my summer holidays near Gairloch on the West Coast of Scotland, what a beautiful place with fantastic views, unfortunately there are clouds of those cursed  midges especially in the evening just as the suns setting 😩

Must admit I do like the look of your Vixen SP mount @F15Rules Dave and being able to switch so easily from Eq to Az gives you some nice options. Can it be adapted to incorporate a motor drive? 

Hi @huddo and a warm welcome to SGL.

Like others have said I would keep things as simple as possible, for me portability, comfort and ease of use are my priorities.
Just now I’ve settled on a nice 4” refractor, Alt Az mount with a steel leg AZ4 tripod which I can lift into my garden in one go.
Ive accepted I won’t see everything with my setup but as you will find you might have to compromise!

Below is an excellent thread which will give you an insight into what you are likely to see with a variety of instruments. Good hunting 👍

26 minutes ago, Astroscot2 said:

Unfortunately Es is tied up with work  commitments,   I've reached out to RVO also,  SCTelescopes web site is not working, any other suggestions who could help?

There’s another place worth trying opticalrepairs.com down in Selsey, also I would email Steve Collingwood and see if you get a reply. 

Funnily enough I've been looking at getting rid of fungus on the back of my vintage binocular lenses, I'm still at the investigative stage but intend to do it my self as they were obtained free of charge, something that I wouldn't attempt on your scope though!

My online research showed lenses far worse than yours that cleaned up really well, also as Dave @F15Rules says its getting it down to Es is the problem,  there is another guy that could help Steve Collingwood (SCTelescopes) unfortunately he's in Tonbridge which is even further away but just a thought 🤔

1 hour ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

Jock my home sky is 20.29 which is bortle 5 and I can see M33 in my 15x70 binos. So your lovely Tak + the 31mm Nagler should detect it.

I am sure giving a good transparency you will get it.

Thanks Mark will keep on preserving, will also try my bino’s and maybe my little Tak FS-60 🤔

1 hour ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

After the frustration of the outreach event I came home to a totally clear and transparent sky. Unfortunately my 12" Dob , star maps and eyepieces were all in the car.

Anyway I grab my 130P Heritage and the SvBony 10-30 zoom (on PST) and had an hour session. First up the comet c/2019 L3 (Atlas) which was a  faint smudge. Then I had a tour around M1, M44, M67 M35 + NGC 2158, NGC2244(no nebula filters in car), M38, M36,M37, M81, M82, NGC7789 and finally M33.

It was surprising that my 5" Newt was showing more detail than my 12" Dob a few hours before so at least the observing night ended in a high.

Congratulations on seeing M33, I tried again last night for the umpteenth time with my 4” Tak & 31mm Nagler but not even a hint of a smudge!
Maybe because it’s a face on galaxy, my bortle 5 skies and relative small aperture are my problem 🤔

I have similar issues with M51, the best I’ve seen is what looks like a pair of very small cats eyes with hints of nebulosity.
Looks like Ive reached the limitations of what I’ve got and I’ll have to invest in a light bucket 😩
 

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

Crabtastic! Picked up the crab nebula in the 102mm. Only a faint smudge, but I bagged it 

I found it very faint through my FC-100DL so popped in a UHC filter and that made all the difference! 

Tell your friend @Debo that’s a brilliant picture!!