Alan White

I think you still ned a differing thread, FLO and others were supplying an adapter plate, no need to cut off the pin.

Happy Birthday @ScouseSpaceCadet, have agood one. Nice book, enjoy.

An update, not a lot done as distracted with many things going on. I have fully inspected the main mirror against a bright light and it has lots of small holes in the coating. So mirror recoat is needed, but let’s face it for its age that’s rather good. I also wish to make the rebuild collimatable, so a rear cell needed and this will move into the tube, so focuser etc moved up, but not enough tube left…. So how about a new home for the mirrors? Do I try and build a Dobson and make it portable? Talk to someone like OOUK and get a special vx6 made? I really do not know what way to go, so any suggestions will be much appreciated, please fire away…..

Reading this sometime after posting @Highburymark, sounds wonderful, what a portable set up that is. What is the Finder in the pucture, is it a Baader by any chance?

Francis OOUK dobsons are nice and light for the size, used to love my 10 I saw the one you are buying and was highly tempted, so pleased you have taken that temptation away, enjoy your new scope. Alan

Good to see progress Olly. 👍

As a very much 4" scope user and fan, from that list I would go with the Starfield myself as f7 to f8 is a great point for visual allrounder. The AZ75 will easily handle any of the list you have, so the mount will be super, I should know after all.

Listening to various things said, including the comment by Skybadger, I have decided to give it a go at repair if I can. The lenses are not cracked or broken by the way, so you never know.....

Welcome to SGL and by the looks of things the start of your journey into this fine hobby. Your book choice is good as is the going to your local astro society, perhaps soem from SGL are members?

Your post made me smile starhiker, wonderful when you track targets down for the first time. Lots up above to find and see, many become old friends. Thank you for sharing this.

Two recent delivereies, one by hand and one by DPD. Both make me very happy indeed. Firstly a book kindly given to me by a friend, thank you. This is something that I have wanted a copy of for some time and am enjoying reading it already. Secondly another pair of Binoculars, bought a set for one of our Daughters for Christmas, I was so impressed purchased another for myself. All arrived at a great time and lifted me back to normality 🙂 10x50

I had thought that, but held back 😉 The other thought is we are very keen glass recyclers..... hang on a minute, some of us are.

I think most non-Astronomers have no idea what the dome contains, Lots of plastic structures in the wild that hold electrics etc.

Olly, one thing I would expect you to be doing is your home work, so we’ll done on this. On the Netland information, yes you have to tread carefully as a lot of old twaddle is spouted as fact. As you say Meade would have unlikely used a jack to spring apart in production, so why do this in reverse,? This is like getting a bigger hammer to drive things apart, break it and then spot the hidden locking screw…. clearly that’s not my own exp erience talking 😉 I await your next instalment.

That makes great sense, only way to find “the spot’ is to hunt it down. Having the scope on a cart (if the ground between store spot and observing spot) allows makes sense too.

Yes, a horrible sliding noise, I now know what those stope screws achieve.

After some time getting myself in the right head space, it is now time to share my tale of woe with my friends of SGL, some folks already know about this. ......................................... Some weeks ago, my Vixen ED103, my much loved scope and one that gave perfect images and star tests, slipped out of the clamp and landed some 5 feet bellow onto the eyepiece, diagonal and draw tube. That was my intial heart stopping moment......but it got worse! The darn scope then bounced up, just missed the mount and in an arc then landed optics first, the sound was quite horrific. See it got worse! I have to admit, I do have a tendancy (quite wrongly) to utter some rude words, but at this event, apart from one quiet and very mild rude word, I was rendered speachless and indeed found myself welded to the spot upon which I stood in utter disbelief and shock. Mustering great sterngth, I picked up the scope and wandered indoors to see what damage was done. I was close to tears at this point as the 103 was my forever scope......or so Ithought. The focuser had twisted in its threaded connection to the scope. The eyepiece and diagonal were sitting at an odd angle and not looking well. The dew shield is bent. The optical cell is bent and the optics obviously moved, so not good at all. The baffles have shaken loose and the cement that held them is all over the lens cell rear. So the kit is done for and an insurance claim with my home insurer set in motion. After some messaging, photgraphing and some time with a specialist optical assessor, the claim is being settled, thankfully. They have told me to dispose of the kit or try and fix it if I can, thye don't want it. I think the scope itself is sadly done for, But the LVW22 may live to see another day. The TV diagonal perhaps will not be OK, we will see. The Rigel finder is in about a million pieces all over the garden. ............................................ So that is my story. What caused it, who knows, too slack a tightening on the clamp knobs? an issue with the clamp and my vixen rail ? or just pure bad luck? I know I am not the first and sadly not the last to live through this experience, I just hope it does not happen to you dear reader of this thread. ........................................... The LVW was loosened on the retaining bottom thread and gently tapped, nothing changed. So back to the second method, you got it, tap it harder..... Well more aligned than it was, so perhaps another tap on another day, I will bide my moment on that. This is posted as it can happen to any of us, however careful we are, so be careful outside folks.

2 scopes, so alongside or another spot near by Mike? I take it this is the larger incoming dob.

@Saganite that is sweet, nice tracking isn’t it.

@badhex Joe that’s a nice simple solution.

Congratulation on a fine scope, nice aperture and focal length. Looks super on the AZ100. Enjoy. I might have similar news tomorrow if all goes well.

Welcome back Rob, the sky patiently waits when we are away.

Nice to see folks doing proper Astronomy and building things. Tinkering and building is part of the fun after all.

Welcome back Ron, pleasure to see you returned and rebuilt. Knee replacement lies in my future so always good to see folks doing ok afterwards. Any lay off let’s us forget things and things move on, it’s not you at all.

I think this is more the ticket for @JeremyS, saves on fuel and is of course TV colours as requested!