Susaron

First attempt over M33, this object has been the one with the longest exposure I have done up to date around 2 hours. I still need to perform a wavelets pass so it is a preview.

Pleiades 2018, 25x180 subs with the SW130PDS and the QHY168C. Processed with Pix.

Go best for the QHY model, better dew control and amp glow reduction.

http://www.qhyccd.com/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=94&id=9

Change your camera, go for a 1600MM, QHY163M or Atik Horizon, and those 3 hours productivity will increase exponentially.

I am thinking on going for a QHY168M once it will be on the market

For the record of the SW130PDS

23 hours ago, moise212 said:

The TS reducer should work best with 420mm FL at 65mm backfocus. I'm curious if you can reach focus.

Due to the clouds I was not able to make an imaging test, but even at a distance of 65mm between the sensor and the reducer, because of the TS geometry I have gained around 27mm in-focus.

I did some measurements with the ED80 reducer and the FLO adapter, putting the sensor at a distance of 55mm from the reducer. The total length measured  from the focuser mouth to the sensor was 108mm.

With the TS reducer ( I got the one with 2'' barrel without the M54 thread), it inserts perfectly into the drawtube, having measured a total length from the focuser mouth to the sensor of 80mm, so even increasing the distance from the sensor from 55mm to 65mm I have improved the infocus travel around 18mm.

I am eager to make a test soon.

I will receive the TS reducer tomorrow, I hope to make a test along this week.

Meanwhile the 130PDS did the work last weekend shooting 3 objectives in one night.

The balance and  stability improved a lot when I added the Losmandy dovetail (335mm long), with it the weight balance moves backwards so I can move the scope a little bit forward. The hub with the abs box weights only 300 grams, the 30mm guide tube around 500 grams, and the power distribution unit only 100 gr. Also I added to my AZEQ5 a dual Vixen/Losmandy saddle from Geoptik. its length is 14mm so you have a wider support surface.

Cheers.

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Are you sure there is a scope under all that?

I know it is hard to believe. With all that staff, specially with the losmandy the weight has raised to around 6.5kg, (including the 30mm guide tube etc..), plus the 0.7kg from the QHY. All very compressed around the tube. I removed the motorized focuser so it can even be worse.

My new setup for the SW130PDS Moonlite (with steroids), I have added a Losmandy dovetail to improve stability and my DIY power distribution unit (up to 8A) and a usb hub, also you can see a voltage boost to keep the QHY voltage around 12.4 volts.

I did the field tests yesteday and the guiding was for the first time superb, around 0.4 RA Osc (never seen before). The objective due to the Moon was the Double Cluster.

Cheers.

Mario

Finally I will send back the Reducer to the seller, it is impossible to me to reach focus. With the adapter to thread the reducer directly to the focuser drawtube I achieve focus but it is only at 4-5mm from the beginning of the focuser. So as in visual this scope focus point has not been calculated properly. A shame IMHO for SW.

I will try with the Ts x0.79 reducer, it has M48 filter thread and and a M54 thread so I will be able to put both filter and reducer directly to the drawtube, moreover the TS reducer body length is only 27mm against the 44mm from the SW, so I figure out that I will get around of 18mm margin to reach focus.

I will let you know.

Regards.

Mario.

8 hours ago, moise212 said:

You mean the adapter to connect the flattener to the focuser?

The one provided by SkyWatcher at least is thinner, it adds maybe 5-8mm, I say this from memory.

No I mean the adapter from the M48 thread in the reducer to the QHY, the QHY168C has a M54 female to M48 female adaptor which I connect to the reducer, it measures 32mm, but I have another one of 21mm.

The problem here is that I am not able to fulfill the requeriments of focus and correct distance reducer-sensor at the same time.

My imaging train will be Tube with Geoptik ring + FLO M56 to 2'' adaptor + ED80 reducer + 32mm M48 to M54 + QHY.

I need to make another test, but I am almos sure that I will have to send back the reducer to the seller.

Well I need to post it, yesterday I did some basic focusing test and with the ed80 reducer I was not able to focus my qhy168c, having a distance of 57mm. I changed the m54 to m48 adapter from.one with 32mm length to another of 21mm assuming it is not the correct distance, and at least I was able to reach focus, but very very close to the inward focuser limit.

To me it is a shame from Skywatcher not having tested properly the limits of the scope, they are selling it for AP and the reducer is so thick than it is not possible at the same time to reach focus while having the correct reducer distance. I am.about to send the reducer back and I will buy a simple flattener

11 hours ago, Lead_weight said:

Is there an equivalent version of this scope in the U.S.? I would love one of these smaller fast scopes, but can't seem to find an equivalent, and SkyWatcher doesn't carry it on the U.S. site. 

You can find it in Skywatcher Canada.

A similar option.is the Bresser/ Explore Scientific 130/650 but its focuser it not prepared for astrophoto, a pity as the Hexafoc from Bressee is a solid focuser.

Moreover I am sure that if you contact Skywatcher USA, they will be happy to bring you one scope from Canada.

Actually I measured the distance and it is around 57mm. As soon as I could make a picture I will let you know.

So do you think that with an APS-C size sensor the distance to the sensor will be really around 55mm?, I still have not tried my set-up, QHY168C+ED80+flatener+SW72.

3 hours ago, Adam J said:

Very nice, I have been thinking about that focuser, what coma corrector do you use?

I am worried about how it grips the MPCCMK3?

Adam

Hi Adam I use the Baader MPCC Mk3 coupled to the QHY168C, the distance from the sensor to the MPCC is around 57mm in order to avoid coma.

Needless to say the Moonlite transforms this scope in an upper class one. It holds perfectly without tilt the "heavy" QHY (700 grams), with your 1600 it will be even easier.

Cheers.

Being unable to go out these days due to the storms, I have spent my time fine-tunning (a bit more) the SW130PDS Moonlite. I have added a second hand (but new), Losmandy dovetail (330mm), and tested how they fit my home made 3D boxes for the hub usb and my power distribution unit. Due to the lack of space the dew controller box (the one I made following the project myDewController3 from Bob Brown) will be fitted on the RA mount axis.

Cheers.

Mario.

One more thing to add. The usual FLO compression ring suitable for the ED80/ED100 etc. does not fit into the ED72, as the internal drawtube thread is M54, you need to use the compression ring for the SW newtonians, so instead of using this:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/flo-compression-ring-adapter-synta-skywatcher.html

Use this one:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/flo-compression-ring-adapter-for-skywatcher-newtonians-m54.html

Regarding the reducer spacing I have checked my numbers with my QHY168, (another nightmare of camera with a lot of spacers), and it gives me around 56.5mm, when I use the camera with the Baader Mpcc I need around 57 to 57.5 mm to eliminate the coma, I will see what happens with the ED72.

Cheers.

I still need to test the scope for photo, but it would be interesting to know if there will be any other focuser which could suit the ED72, in particular I am thinking on a low profile Moonlite, the 38mm drawtube one could be a solution to the lack of in-focus problem.

Cheers.

I have an ED72 since June, and with 1.25'' like the Baader Zoom when the set up is 20 or 24mm is not possible to achive focus. I have no other 1.25'' pieces as I keep my eyepieces to 3 ES 100º ones (20mm, 9mm and 5,5mm), with all off them being 2'' I achieve focus without problem, but as said when you increase the distance adding the 2'' to 1.25'' adapter from the diagonal in order to use 1.25'' pieces is not possible to get in focus at lower magnification.

Cheers.

And the last image from the same night a duo M52 + C11 (NGC7635) Bubble Nebula. 24x180s subs processed with Pix.

QHY168C (Gain 10 Offset 30 Temp -10ºC) + AZEQ5 + SW130PDS Moonlite tuned + IDAS D1 + Baader MPCC + ASI385MC + 30mm guidescope.

Cheers.

Second picture from the same night, the Moon was then out.

A Crescent Nebula 27x180s subs, definitely it needs longer subs in order to catch fine details inside the nebula.

Dear 130PDS friends.

Last Friday with quarter Moon we went to the La Mancha fields as this year we are not suffering in our spanish skies from clouds of Sahara´s dust.

I did shoot 3 objects from 23h to 4AM, first was this M17 and M18 couple. I changed the position of the camera and my mistake was not to recalibrate PHD2, so I found some small trails on all my subs.

The M17 & M18 is a stack of 27x180 subs with the QHY168C at Gain 10, Offset 30, Temp = -10C. Processed with Pix.

Clear skies.

Mario.

9 hours ago, dyfiastro said:

Hi everyone, fantastic shots everyone is getting

My 130PDS is currently in storage until next month but cannot wait to get it back on the mount and start imaging with it again.

Has anyone replaced the secondary mirror on the 130PDS with a larger one to help with vignetting?
I have just won an ebay auction for a 200p spider to replace the one I currently have that has kink in it.
The auction also comes with a secondary mirror, I was thinking about replacing the secondary on the 130 with the spare I will have from a 200p

Any thoughts on this?

regards

Mark

Be carefull with that change, as far as I remember the 130PDS secondary mirror axis is 46mm long. So you shouldn´t use any secondary larger than 50 or 52mm. Think that on one side you reduce vignetting but on the other you reduce the amount of incoming light.

The vignetting can be erased with flats, anyway if you take a look to my last pictures they have been calibrated without flats, as the PixInsight DBE tool makes miracles.

Cheers.