Geoff Lister

Thanks for the heads-up. Just before lunch, I set up my Daystar SS60 on the Solarquest mount, and have been viewing the changing scene in between short gardening breaks, and some cloud cover. Great fun. I replaced the SS60 with my 90mm Mak + solar film. The sunspots were there, but no sign of the exciting stuff round the edge. Hydrogen Alpha wins. Geoff

I liked the Skymax 127, with Synscan handset, that I bought a second one for my holiday home, in France. The optional local red wine vewing aid complements the webcam and laptop for planetary viewing. Also a plus for portability:- All up, about 11kg, with batteries and eyepieces. The mount is fairly frugal on power:- This is a selection of power sources (the 6V packs are borrowed from radio controlled sailing yachts). As noted previously, when looking through an eyepiece, "Real" buttons on a handset are much easier to use than "Virtual" ones on a touch-screen. Geoff

As noted by Roy, above, it, too, is my first Ha scope. Together with the SolarQuest tracking mount, It takes several minutes for the "warm up" indicator light to turn green, and to settle again after any changes to the tuning switch. However, the mount locks on after about 30 seconds, and the views of sun spots are still excellent whilst the Quark is settling. The fine detail "texture" of the solar disk, and the edge prominences are the major plus over a normal scope with solar film. Although I tend to use mine with a 32mm Plossl eyepiece, for a view of the full solar disk, and shorter focal length eyeoieces for sectors of the disk, I have also used it with my GPCAM to tease out a bit more detail by adjusting the camera's settings and using a "live view" on my laptop. I have no idea what the neighbours think, seeing me with a thick towel over my head and laptop, whilst extending my arm to adjust the SS60's focus - it's the only way I can get enough contrast on the screen, when in full sunlight. The SS60 also seems to have an undocumented feature; when set up, and stable, with a clear, blue, sky, small clouds will suddenly appear in just the small area of sky between you and the Sun, and they can be slow to drift away. If I only have a short time for solar observing, I use a conventional scope with solar film, but, for longer sessions, it's the SS60. There may be better Ha scopes, but I have no regrets over my purchase. Geoff

Hello gzoom, and welcome to SGL. I am not familiar with this 'scope, but started a Google search with "Meade 114mm" and settled for its suggested "meade 114mm computerized telescope". The search results were strongly pointing towards Meade's StarNavigator NG range, and Meade's own web site provided a manual in their "support" section. If it is not quite the right model, it may still be adequate to get you operational. Geoff

Hello, and welcome to SGL. I have the same 'scope, and had similar problems, particularly when using a 2" eyepiece or my 1.25" binoviewer and a pair of eyepieces. The mount axis friction is a compromise between manual and motor movement, and I am sure that the initial friction on the clutch was too low. It is adjusted by tightening the Nyloc nut on the altitude drive shaft. Unfortunately, this nut is covered when the optical tube is in place; so it is a case of removing the optical tube, tightening the nut a few degrees, replacing the optical tube, and doing some manual and handset-controlled movements; repeating this sequence until you have reached a satisfactory compromise. From memory, I used a 13mm socket spanner, and tighened the nut about a quarter of a turn. I also checked the balance of the optical tube, using a piece of 40mm dishwasher waste pipe as the fulcrum. It was definately front-heavy, even with a lightweight 1.25" eyepiece. I ended up adding a weight at the primary mirror end of the main tube. This photo shows the weight that I needed to balance a x2 Barlow + Binoviewer + eyepiece + webcam. I think it was about 1kg. I hope this helps. Geoff

Hello JJJ, and welcome to SGL. I, too, am a glasses wearer, and I think your 6.3mm Plossl will not have enough eye relief to use with glasses. My advice would be to wait until you have tried out the eyepieces you already have, and the Es82 and x2 Barlow, when they arrive, and then decide if there is an obvious gap in the magnifications available to you. I have several 1.25", 32mm Plossl eyepieces, and these tend to be my initial starting point for viewing an object. I bought a 2", 56mm Plossl eyepiece, to go with my 10" Dob. It is heavy, and I found I needed a short extension tube to achieve focus. I use it on rare occasions, but there are few objects, or groups of objects, that need that wide angle view. Geoff

+1 for the Lacerta. I fitted one on my Skyliner 250PX and it makes fine focus much easier than with the standard Skywatcher original. Geoff

I have a 90mm Mak as an integral part of my Heritage 90p Virtuoso system; and the OTA has a side-mounted dovetail rail, an RDF, and a 90 degree diagonal. I also have a C90 spotting Mak; which has a bottom-mounted rail, a dinky finder scope (works better in sunlight) and a 45 degree diagonal. With a swap of diagonals, the spotting Mak fits on most of my mounts (see my signature), but the finder would be in the lower-left quadrant (upper right on the iOptron Cube). Even with a 32mm Plossl eyepiece, the minimum magnification of about x40 is a bit high for bird-watching. The Travescope 70 (refractor), with its 400mm FL, is much easier to use for bird-watching. The Virtuoso mount, with its built-in tracking (or full GoTo if I borrow the Synscan handset from my Skyliner), is, given the Mak's long FL, much easier to use than a simple tripod. Geoff

This is my Heritage 130P OTA mounted on my Skyprodigy mount. It is comfortable to use, as long as you do not extend the tripod legs too far. The H130 OTA is a similar fit on my Skymax mount. Geoff

Excelent news Sarah. I just hope that, by the time that your 'scope arrives, the guys at the Met Office will have sorted out the current cloud cover. These are two of the "table tops" that I use with my 130p. It is important that the table top is not too wide - so you can lean over it from all directions. These are the additions that I made to the base - just for convenience, and certainly not essential. Geoff

I have both. The 45 I use for birdwatching, and other terrestrial objects - to get the birds the right way up, and viewing horizontally; the 90 for astronomy - it transmits slightly more light, and is more comfortable when viewing objects high in the sky. I am very pleased with my Heritage 130 Dobsonian. It is quick to set up - I usually use mine on a glass-top patio table. I checked the collimation after a few months of use, and it only needed a very small adjustment. I wear glasses as I am short-sighted and have mild astigmatism. I find that the widest eyepiece view is without glasses, and there is less reflection of stray images. I still need my glasses handy to find, and change, eyepieces; and when using the finder (small telescope or red dot). Best of luck with your final decision. Geoff

+1 for the Lacerta dual-speed upgrade kit. I found it easy to fit on my Skyliner 250 flextube, and it certainly improves ease of focus. Geoff

I have the flextube 250P, and I have a 2" 56mm super Plossl. It is a lot of glass, and, as it is my only 2" eyepiece, I have to swap adaptors to use it. Most of the time I use my 1.25" 32mm Plossl for the wider views.

+1 for the 32mm Plossl eyepiece to maximise the narrow field-of-view. My Skymax 127 came with a 6x30 straight-through finder, and I replaced it with an equivalent RACI. Geoff

If I take the optical tube from my Celestron Astromaster 130 (the 'telescope' bit) and attach it to the mount and tripod from my Skywatcher Skymax 127, I have the equivalent to the NEXTAR 130p. The Celestron NEXSTAR and the Skywatcher Synscan handset software are different, but have very similar functions and features. As mentioned above, an 8" Dob. will gather more light from dim objects, but, a computerised system will give you full GoTo; and I found it helped me to start learning the night sky. The other, often overlooked, benefit of GoTo, is tracking - the 'scope keeps pointing at the target, so you do not have to make frequent pointing adjustments, and can swap eyepieces without having to find the target again. You mention the "glass of red", I liked the Skymax system so much that I bought a second one for my (former) holiday home in France. This is it set up with a modified webcam replacing the eyepiece. My Skyliner 10" Dob. has the same Synscan system, so I have the benefits of both larger aperture and full GoTo/tracking - but at a price! A system wit a 5" mirror and full GoTo/tracking is a good place to start your voyage of discovery. Geoff

I think that the responses, above, are far more informative than anything that I could add.

It's difficult to anticipate the effects of stray magnetic fields on a compass - Elmer Sperry developed a gyrocompass system for use on ships, so avoiding this problem. I bought several, cheap, compasses on eBay, and, by holding one, and, moving it around the assembled mount, found the best position where the OTA had least effect. I don't think it is worthwhile spending lots of money on a compass, provided the needle swings freely around on it's pivot. Geoff

This is how I did it with my 127mm Mak. I marked the positions for "normal" (25mm eyepiece), binoviewer (with 2 eyepieces), and my D3200 DSLR. I used tippex and a coat of varnish, and sat the OTA on a piece of 40mm dishwasher waste pipe to act as the fulcrum. On my other OTAs, I have just marked the balance point for use with a typical eyepiece. It speeds up assembly, and cuts down strain on the mounts' gear trains. Geoff

The OTAs of my Skymax 127mm Mak and Heritage 130p fit well on each other's mounts; but with the Mak's eyepiece at the rear, and the 130p's at the top, the mount has to be set lower for comfortable use of the 130p (or standing for the 130p and seated for the Mak). With care, I can swap the two OTAs, on the Skymax mount (with tripod legs almost fully retracted), and still retain reasonable GoTo alignment. Geoff

I have the V1 Virtuoso mount, and sometimes use it with the Synscan handset from my Skyliner. I measured the current consumption of my various mounts, (at +12V), and this will give you an idea. With a minimum voltage requirement of 7.5V, a set of 8 NiMH rechargeables, with 2500mAh capacity, should give you a good evenings observing before they drop below 1.0V (almost flat) each. My Synscan handsets require a minimum of 11V, so I tend to use batteries of 10, rather than 8, NiMH cells. This is a range of 12V power supplies that I use. Geoff

"Budget" and "Baader Zoom" do not tend to fit well together. I like my 8-24mm Baader zoom, and, together with its companion 2.25x Barlow, gives me a 4mm to 24mm eyepiece range. I also have a "budget" 8-24mm zoom - it cost about a quarter of the price of the Baader, but is not far behind in performance. With my 250PX flextube Skyliner, I tend to start with my 32mm Plossl, and then go to the zoom. When I bought my Skymax 127, probably a couple of decades ago, the Skywatcher/Celestron importer for the UK, OVL, were offering a discount on the, cased, eyepiece and filter set. I am a glasses wearer, and the 6mm & 8mm Plossl eyepieces do not have enough eye relief, but the 13mm, 17mm & 32mm Plossls are fine. I also have the Svbony "ultrawide" (about 68 degrees) 6, 9, 15, & 20mm eyepice set, and these are worth considering. But, as "Spile" suggests, give your existing eyepieces a proper evaluation, and then consider filling the gaps. Geoff

Is it possible that, during the GoTo slew, the extra current drawn caused the voltage at the handset to drop, even briefly, and the handset software to "forget" its position. This can be a problem with the Synscan handsets, that need at least +11V for reliable operation. The Starsense hardware may not be quite so voltage-sensitive, but it is worth a check. My Celestron SkyProdigy mount, with its built-in camera, and dedicated handset, takes about 250mA more (for the camera) than the equivalent Skywatcher Skymax mount and Synscan handset. Geoff

+1 for Copper Slip. WD40, or "Water Displacement, 40th Formula" is not a long-term lubricant, but works as a releasing agent and temporary surface protection. I have had my trusty tube of Copper Slip for several decades, and I would not expect to fit any steel-to-steel fixings without a thin film. I have also used it, in bulk, when replacing steam loco boiler washout plugs - without it, the high-pressure water and thermal cycling, can make them difficult to remove. Geoff

The usual advice, is to use the 'scope with its 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, and then decide. The 10mm is probably the weak link. I can only advise, based on my experience, but this would be my order of purchase. 1 A 32mm Plossl eyepiece - the Mak gives a narrow field of view, but this will give you the widest view with a 1.25" eyepiece. 2 A x2 Barlow - this will give you the equivalent of 16mm and 12.5mm eyepieces, using the 32mm Plossl and the supplied 25mm. 3 An 8-24mm zoom eyepiece - the Skywatcher and Celestron offerings at about £80 work for me, without breaking the bank. 4 A suitable power supply - the Az-GTi mount is not thirsty, but 8-off alkaline AA cells will probably not last very long. This is what I use:- The 6V packs were "borrowed" from my radio-controlled model sailing yachts, and the plug-top supply came from an obsolete ethernet switch (the white, heavy-duty, bell flex shows up well in the dark), but there are plenty of 1.5 or 2A equivalents, often sold for powering the 12V LED flexible, stick-on, lighting strips. Geoff

+1 for the 127. The AZ-GTI mount is an improved version of my Skymax mount - mine does not have the manual clutches. The Synscan GoTo is very effective, but I found that I had to do a bit of homework on my bright stars to speed up alignment. Quite often, I would select the suggested second alignment star, only to find that it was behind a tree, roof, or fence. I spent a couple of hours with the excellent "Stellarium" program on my PC, and, by adjusting date and time, for dusk at the middle of each month of the year, I was able to produce a table of 14 bright stars, visible from my garden's patio, and select a few of these, with rough compass direction and altitude angle. I did the same for an hour before dawn, but that table is rarely used! By selecting a pair of alignment stars with about 90 degrees difference in alignment, the Synscan software does a good job of compensating for any errors in leveling the tripod. Once the bug takes hold, it is possible to use different OTAs on each other's mounts, although there may be some limitations on maximum altitude angle. If I want a wider angle view, I can (carefully) remove the 127 Mak OTA and fit the Newtoian OTA from my Heritage 130P, or my Star Travel 120mm refractor, without having to repeat alignment. Geoff