Jforson

After almost two years of illness post covid I am slowly getting back out with the telescope. Starting small and lightweight.  The moon is looking great. 

7 hours ago, Ratlet said:

There is currently a sale on the official svbony website.  There are a few shipping options but I usually go for the one that includes customs and taxes which is more expensive but avoids hassle.  Using this option you can pick up the eyepiece for under £100 including delivery.

Thanks for the heads up, now on order

59 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

It looks like the same model is also sold under the Orion brand on the other side of the pond?

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/631630-orion-8-24mm-pro-lanthanum-zoom-eyepiece/

https://www.telescope.com/Orion_8-24mm_Pro_Lanthanum_Zoom_Eyepiece/p/130974.uts

 

Thanks I appreciate the links

2 minutes ago, Voyager 3 said:

Did you see the first thread before you started this thread ? 

Yes, and that particular thread although titled Stellalyra Lanthanum Zoom 8-24 really focused on BHZ and BST starguider (Orion version).  I was hoping that in the few months that had passed someone had possibly used the Stellalyra zoom.

as noted above I am in real rush and will wait some user feedback.

Thanks, I had seen that thread in the past, limited user feedback on the Stellalyra Lanthanum Zoom 8-24.

Having been slightly disappointed in the BHZ in the past I am reluctant to buy another.  I had also seen the pentax XL zoom but that is significantly more expensive and larger.  I am in no rush so will wait for some user feedback on the Stellalyra.  

I have had a bit of a love hate relationship with zoom eyepieces in the past, I have had a couple of baader mrk3's which have always ended up with what can only be described as 'debris' within FOV.  

I did like the zoom for white light where seeing really fluctuates.  In that regard I am considering getting another zoom.  Has anyone experience of the StellaLyra 8-24mm zoom?

I have the frontier HD's in 10x32 and I really like them.  They do not have "Ed" glass but the CA is very well controlled and I really need to look for it tbh.  Image quality is very sharp across about 90-95% of the FOV.  

I have no regrets over the purchase.  

Although I live in a national park, my garden is plagued with being in close proximity to three street lamps within a 30m radius.

Therefore if I intend to observe anything beyond the moon and planets it has to involve a very short drive. 

As I noted I live in a national park therefore I have numerous sites with sqm readings of greater than 21 within a 10 minute drive - I consider myself very fortunate.  The interesting thing is, over the last 5 years I have only met one other person whilst out and he was doing some astro photography.  

I find that you do get used to the dark and isolation, if anything it is the noise from the wildlife that can unnerve you.  Key is to let someone know where you are going along with an expected return time.  

40 minutes ago, Coco said:

Just wondering how you got on with the Sabre and that super b looking red frac?   Did the long focal length get tiring constantly pushing at high mag? 

Still using the setup, the Ed-80 not so much (needs a new focuser).  Due to the long focal length an extension tube was required, raises the sabre circa 15-16”.   With the extension the mount and scope combo is really nice. 
 

Love the 102 f11 for the moon, planets and doubles.  Nudging at high mag is not that bad, but I tend to use wider angled eyepieces.  
 

I do not consider it a portable setup though.   This is important to me because although I live in a national park, I have three street lights within 30m of my back garden.   Therefore I am limited to brighter solar system targets from the garden.  Thus the 102 f11 really only gets used in the garden.  
 

But I can have access to multiple bortle 2-3 skies observing sites within a short drive <5km. So, my tv-76 and tv-60 with lighter weight mounts get used about 80% of the time.   

I have the 102 f11 AA scope (non Ed) in red.  Lovely view at the eyepiece and good fun to use.   I primarily use for lunar and planets.  
 

However, as you will no doubt be aware it is a long scope and therefore needs a decent mount. I use the AA sabre mount with the following extension:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/skywatcher-eq5heq5-extension-tube.html

Funnily I am actually thinking of adding a 6” SCT to the collection later this year. 
 

good luck with the choice. 
 

On 27/06/2020 at 18:31, scarp15 said:

Carrying equipment to my obs - a (significant) step up from my backyard, 1.5 mile walk close to the Scottish border and an overnight stop over. This was taken in March,  just before lockdown. My left side is TV-85 in carry bag, right side; porta mount in a bicycle rack pack. Shouldering a Berlebach Report tripod in a Berlebach shoulder / carry bag. Hefty eyepieces in the rucksack side pockets (neoprene camera lens pouches), along with camping stool. Also took filters, finder, charts and of course a Unihedron SQM-L devise. Thought at the time, I will not repeat this, but in the fullness of time, I know that I will.

 

That looks really good and actually very compact considering you are carrying the tent, sleeping bag + food and water.  
 

Living in a national park I often do something similar but with a smaller scope (tv-60) and mount.  Easier to carry but probably not as useful on the aperture front.  I have had great fun with it though and although I have larger refractors there is just something that I love about my portable setup whilst wild camping. 

1 hour ago, MarkAR said:

A Celestron or Skywatcher Powertank will be fine for roaming around.

 

Will look into it thanks

Cheers for both links.  

It would appear that the option put forward would be useful when used in the garden.  TBH most of my observation takes place in the garden but I would also been keen on any recommendations for a re-chargeable option for use at a dark site?

Just wondering what options people have considered and ultimately chosen?

I am looking to purchase a power supply for this mount and would welcome some feedback.  

On 29/11/2019 at 11:20, JeremyS said:

Thanks for the heads up on this Manfrotto offer. I just went to the Wex website and they have a Black Friday deal with 25% on the 055. It also seems to say you get get the £50 cashback on top! This seems amazing if true!

That is brilliant. Thanks for noting this, exactly what I am after!

I am planning to update my grab and go options and I am after some thoughts / feedback on tripods that people are using with the skywatcher AZ GTi WiFi. I intend to use it with a tv-60 and tv-76, both with 1.25” eyepieces. 

I have a 2” stainless steel tripod for my heavier sabre mount and I am looking for something lighter.  

I have previously used a Manfrotto 190x (not fully extended) tripod with a Altair Astro mini az mount that worked well. 

Has anyone used a similar tripod with the GTi WiFi?  What sort of mounts are people using?  Budget for a mount would be approx £200.  

Or is the standard Sky-Watcher tripod suitable? 

8 minutes ago, lukebl said:

Two hours to go and these wretched French thunderstorms look like they'll prevent play tonight!

Impressive thunderbolts and lightning though. A view from the obs. Canon 6d, 30s exposure, ISO200, 35mm f/22.

Fantastic photo, very atmospheric!

Some absolutely cracking eyepiece cases on show. 

I have taken some inspiration on the Camkix case for the 102mm f11 kit.  Thanks to @F15Rules for the 22mm LVW, I am really looking forward to trying it out under some dark skies.  

The second case is a maplin special.  The 32mm plossl was an impulse buy a couple of weeks ago from astrobuysell. Early test with TV-60 was promising.  

I have some overlap in the 18-25mm and 32-35mm range. I may need to thin out eventually.  Ultimately I will probably keep the 19mm panoptic and 22mmLVW and the 35mm Baader.  

The next target is a high power 4mm for the tv-60/76.  Early thoughts are a vixen slv or a delite.  No immediate rush though, and if anyone has done a comparison I would greatly appreciate feedback.  

3 hours ago, Mr niall said:

Yes actually - the tube is 3.65kg which in theory was fine for the azgti but found a little bit of wobble at anything above 150x. Tried balancing everything perfectly and weighing the tripod it was just never quite right. Not a big deal though - to be honest it was more like one of those things that wasn’t an issue until someone pointed it out! But it was mainly for my son and it was just a tad too advanced for him too. Mentioned it to FLO and they agreed to an exchange which was damned decent of them!

That's good to know. I have a pretty decent photo tripod and I also have a couple of lighter refractors that I would be keen to try the mount with. 

Thanks

3 hours ago, Mr niall said:

Ooh - not sure I’ve added my two pence on here yet. Here’s my Opticstar ar90s gold. 90mm achromat, 800mm f8.8 all metal, 1:10 focuser. No longer on the AZGTI though, need to pick up an EQ2 orAZ5 head from somewhere! Cracking scope!

Looks lovely on the AZGTI.  Is there a specific reason it is no longer in the AZGTI? 

12 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

Oops sorry I hadn't appreciated that you already had the Starwave.

No worries.  I enjoy using the ed80 but I have really fancied the long achro for a change.  

I think on the mount both scopes look great.  

25 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

Great looking set up and the candy apple red is a lovely colour for the big frac.. hope you'll be pleased with that for time to come..

I am pleased with the setup I can see it being used for a good number of years.   I am especially looking forward to getting the kids out with it.  Just need the perma cloud to disappear!

Well the sabre mount arrived today and although the clouds have set in I could not resist setting up in the house.  I will need to get an extension for the tripod but for now it is certainly useable.   I may need to move the tube rings forward on the 102mm but I will wait until I setup with diagonals and eyepieces.   

The good news is that it appears rock solid.

I appreciate all the assistance and feedback.   I will post a short first light report when the skies clear.

8 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Pics please :-)

I am out tonight but I will aim to try and get some up over the weekend. I will also do a 'little and large'  with the starwave 70ed and the f11

The 102mm F11 'the big red tube' has arrived. Lovely looking scope very pleased.

It is not as heavy as I thought it would be, but it is the length that will be the issue. 

Just need to sort out a mount now in order to enjoying using it.