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iPeace

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Everything posted by iPeace

  1. iPeace

    Sky

    From the album: Skies

    © iPeace

  2. iPeace

    Sky

    From the album: Skies

    © iPeace

  3. iPeace

    Sky

    From the album: Skies

    © iPeace

  4. iPeace

    Sky

    From the album: Skies

    © iPeace

  5. Excellent build quality and views, certainly the clearest, sharpest high-power views I've enjoyed. The eye relief somehow seems more than specified, so they're more comfortable in use than you might expect. The only real drawback for me is the FOV, which is important as I only use undriven AZ mounts. So when it came time to thin the herd, I let the HRs go in favour of Nagler Zooms and DeLites; views nearly as nice, with more FOV and/or flexibility in use. If I used a driven mount, it may have been a different story. If orthos are your thing, you'll absolutely love the HRs.
  6. Bump - a friend on SGL asked for the particulars concerning the use of a Baader adapter to lengthen the path and avoid using the Tak prism's clamping mechanism; I've edited my post above to share with anyone interested.
  7. It can... ...and it is. I always check Clear Inside before checking Clear Outside. So, permission granted to stay in, but feel free to join me / us outside tonight, if it may get your mind in a better place.
  8. Been there. Breathe. Don't do it for a result. Just have some fun setting up your kit and mucking about. I'll be out with you - and I see b-all below 30 degrees, so there! We can share sightings here. Nothing fancy required - easy favs will do.
  9. Nice one, I've turned it into an observing list to try soon.
  10. Yes. Love it. This is true insofar as it is comprised of parts milled to the same spec. As such, I'm inclined to regard it as equal to a GM8, but I've never used one of those. I'd like to help, but I must tread carefully here. I use a 8" f/6 Newtonian on the AZ8 atop a Berlebach PLANET tripod to my complete satisfaction. Smaller refractors, as you might expect, are handled with absolute glee. On the other hand, I wasn't so happy with a 120ED on it - but in hindsight, I wasn't used to such a large scope back then (long before the Newt), so I may have been wanting too much. ...so that might have been the issue for me. Now, the AZ8 doesn't hold the 8" f/6 absolutely rock-solid-dead-still when you work the focuser whilst wearing oven mitts, but then I don't expect it to (could any mount?). It does very easily carry the weight very smoothly, properly counterweighted of course, and it's a great solution for my current herd. So, what to say? It's portable, very well made, will not fall apart and will carry the weight. But how much you enjoy the experience (and this may apply to any 'portable' mount), especially at higher magnifications, may well depend more on your expectations than on anything else. Good luck.
  11. As I suspected - you already know all you need to know to proceed.
  12. My largest telescope - ever - is an 8" f/6 Newtonian, like your old 200p. And it's enough for me. Like you (it seems), I prefer manual control. I've never used anything with motors - and never will. Your post reads like you already know what you should do - find someone with a 200p who wants to trade up. In any case, thanks for sharing and good luck!
  13. Excellent kit; just stays out of the way while you crack on (no news to you, I'm sure). Best of luck with it!
  14. Well, I'm no authority on this, but I do very happily use the Tak prism with a TV-60 at f/6 and with a Borg 71FL at f/5.6. Whether I'm seeing and just not minding what others seem not to like - or not - I don't know. The one thing to keep in mind is that the Tak prism has a relatively short path; I need an extension tube to reach focus with the Borg with its short-travel focuser (the TV-60 has a nice long drawtube). You can see here (with a TV-85) how I use a Baader adapter on top of the Tak prism both to lengthen the path and avoid having to use the prism's turn-all-night-long-and-snag-the-safety-undercut locking mechanism. The adapter is T2 threaded on the bottom and has a T2-1.25" adapter screwed onto it which inserts into the prism; it remains on the prism when not in use. EDIT: a few pics to clarify ...and the part numbers are:
  15. I'm not familiar with your scope, but assuming the dovetail protrudes forward of the mount's clamp, you could use a weight attached to its own clamp, thus making it easy to slide it along the front of the dovetail to find the perfect balance point. Berlebach makes clamps with threaded holes and weights with protruding bolts to match.
  16. Tiny addition - if not the Losmandy AZ8, then ANYTHING made by @Doc.
  17. It would have to be the TeleVue 3-6 Zoom. I gaze most contentedly at Luna, Jupiter and Saturn, so I'd weld it to the diagonal and have done.
  18. No polar alignment. No motors, or anything else that might break. No bits falling off at awkward moments. Left and right, up and down with dreamy slow-mo control. Carries an 8" f/6 newt to my satisfaction - on a Berlebach Planet tripod, that is...
  19. P.S. It makes more sense to keep the 8 inch f/6 newt, but I could never let this one go...
  20. Don't recall ever having applied one myself, but I wouldn't hesitate to use for hiding paint damage, inferior brand markings, price tags from her, or anything to prevent taxation. One of my scopes - no longer with me - came with one very neatly applied and it was quite fitting.
  21. I let my 16 T5 go, nice as it was, because I suspected I wouldn't miss it. I don't mind the gap between the 24 Panoptic and the 13 T6. But this is unreasonably practical and all very well, I admit. The 19 Panoptic seems to provide just about the same FOV as the 16 T5, with less magnification, of course, but more of the Panoptic Charm, if that's your thing... That's another reason I let the 16 T5 go - I really like the Panoptic views and I had the 19 mm as well. But, I don't really use the 19 Panoptic very often, either...
  22. I use the Baader Mk IV Zoom, and enjoy it very much - for what it is. I don't regard myself as especially discerning in these matters, but I do notice that the view towards the edge of field is not as nice as towards the centre. It doesn't bother me, which probably has to do with how I use it - namely, for the zoom function, and mostly with wide-field refractors. I have owned and used the matching barlow, but have since passed it on. It's a very nice combination, but if you are particularly interested in high-power zooming with excellent edge performance, you can do (a bit) better. The elephant in this particular room bears green lettering. My 'management summary' would be: with a fast, manual dobsonian, don't expect too much from the Baader Zoom. If you're particular enough to query the barlowed edge performance, you may well be a TeleVue 3-6 Zoom man. P.S. This may read as an injustice to the Baader Zoom. To be sure, it can serve as one's only eyepiece. Many use it as such and are ecstatic. I love mine.
  23. Not cheap, but absolutely brilliant for aligning a second refractor: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-guider-mounting/adm-mini-max-guider-guidescope-saddle.html
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