barkis

I remember BCF. so well. Every London visit had to include the Trek down Farringdon Road to browse around and dream one day I would buy one of those monster telescopes. never happened though, I remember buying an illuminated guiding eyepiece once. The thrill was just being in there drinking in those wonderful instruments. Those days are gone now, I miss it a great deal. I tried the Widescreen Centre just off Regent street, but there was no magical feeling generated in there, sorry chaps, no hard feelings. Flo. when is your showroom going to get born?😀. Ron.

I went back to your original thread Chris. You got some good input there for sure, and you can certain on plenty of encouragement on your progress. You will get there, and we'll all be waiting for your first light post. I won't wish you luck, you don't need it, just plain old determination diluted with a sensible approach. Ron.

@Lockie I'm pleased you are re motivated. It would be a great shame not to finish the task, especially as you have already made substantial progress. The Sagitta may be shallower at f6.7, the figuring may seem an easier proposition, the only other consequence, is the shadows under the knife edge when figuring will be a bit fainter that a faster mirror. Nothing daunting though. My biggest headache proved to be the diffraction round the edges of the Coudre mask apertures, the can be quite bright . I resorted to the Everest method at times. That method uses fine pins or headless nails pinned at the positions of the various mirror zones (ie) 30%, 50%, 71%, and the edge, the very crucial bit. Don't get worried about the dreaded turned edge, the mirror makers nightmare. With care, easily avoided. I take it you are working with the aid of a book on mirror making. I still have my Howard book if you wish to borrow it. I sold my Texereau one, which is a more in depth one. Ron.

I made a number of Newt. Mirrors way back in my younger days. I just got addicted to the process, and enjoyed so much. I worked with NE Howard's Telescope Making book, and my testing and figuring was done with the aid of a home made Foucault tester, and Coudre masks. My first project was also with a 8.75 Mirror kit, bought from a Charles Frank shop in Glasgow. It was a long task, as many mistakes were made but as with any other task, mistakes are how you learn. It also was an F6, which is a good photo visual instrument. SGL has quite a number of guys who have made their own mirrors, some are in the very large category too, so we all wish you well on your project, and should you need any help or advice, you will get a good response here I'm sure. Ron.

I've cut a couple of diaphragms for fun's sake, but I enjoy the full aperture on the moon. I've used it a number of times on Doubles which I enjoy a great deal too. This scope is no Rolls Royce, but I'm very satisfied with what I get out of it. It's quite a heavy lump, but the EQ6 is more than a match for it 😀. I must add, I have not used it since I had my cataracts sorted, so aperture reduction may more advantageous now.

What size blank are you working Lockie, are you still in the polishing stages? Ron.

I own a Long Perng 150mm. f8 Frac. Sure it's CA is poor, but the lunar detail is so good, I can make the aberration disappear by just not thinking about it. Ron.

It does look very nice, and the seller probably is quite genuine, and I've no wish to pass any doubt on his integrity. I'm sure someone will buy it, and be very satisfied with it. Along with the extras, it does seem a tempting bargain. If your home site is not conducive to good seeing, then it certainly is no Grab and Go telescope.

You could ask a few relative questions of the seller, such as how long has he owned the telescope, was it new at purchase, does he belong to any Astronomy Society for example. If he was, was the scope offered for sale to any colleagues of the Society. Sometimes knowing more about the seller, is as important as the item he's selling. This might seem intrusive, and I wouldn't like you to miss a bargain, but the more you know, the safer you might feel about going ahead. As already intimated by John and Gaz. Good stuff does come along occasionally, and hard to resist. Ron.

Cracking job you've on these, a lot of time collecting the data, and the processing has produced excellent results. Well done. great scope the MN190. Ron.

Yeah! Sorry about that, didn't hurt too much I hope 😁😁. I have watched Trevor's Astro.shoots a few times, always interesting and a great sense of humour too. I'm impressed by the amount of gear he has. The last one I watched, he was trying out Sequence Generator Pro. He stayed loyal to PHD 2 for guiding though. He was a bit overwhelmed by SGP, but he'll persevere until he has tamed it, and I'm sure he will too.

Sorry, I got that wrong he's on YouTube, Trevor Jones astrobackyard.

Funny you should mention the Bahtinov Mask slip up. I sometimes watch a countryman of yours on a You tube channel he has, a keen Astro. Photographer Steve Jones, he did the same thing during a session he was preparing to image m81 m82. He did say it wasn't the first time it had happened. Not hard to understand that though, so much to do preparing go when all the gear has to be hauled outside and setup. He's a real pleasant guy with a nice wife and a large dog, which enjoys getting in his way. I'm sure over time you will make some friends on SGL, this is a great forum with helpful and pleasant members aplenty. Sorry you are laid off work, much the same situation here. This Virus is a vicious one, and as well as many casualties, the economies of many Countries are being decimated. My biggest gripe is, not able to get onto the Golf Course. A bit selfish I suppose, but it's pretty much the only exercise I get. I've got a Mountain Bike, but at My age mountains are out of the question, it will have to be a jaunt around the road I live near 😀. Stay Safe, there is much to live for. Ron.

I kinda knew you would have a quick alignment method, and SharpCap has a great tool for that. Although I have the Pro version, I haven't tried the Pole alignment element of the prog. It's a pity you don't have room for an Obs. for that high quality equipment, but the prime reason is understandable. My own good lady was more than a bit miffed when I built my first one, it had a rotatable dome too, but the galvanised segments meant it was tough to hand rotate, and I got fed up with the effort. It wasn't a pretty sight, but neighbours were happy to have a looksee inside, and enjoy some of the sky's inhabitants. I changed it all for a Roll off Roll On model, and as the Obs. was a double shed, It, and supports for the roof rails were all painted a Spruce Green to match the surrounding fences, so it complemented the whole garden, which is her pride and joy. The only pond we have is for Goldfish, and Shubunkins. Sorry for the long quote, but my fault is I often harp on a bit.🙂 Ron.

I like the choice of the Dog Star to construct your username😀. That surely is a great setup, and all needs catered for. I'm a little surprised it is not sited in an observatory, although I Know it is not a prime requirement. That it is an Imaging rig is obvious, but is polar alignment not a headache for you on a session? Perhaps you have a method to align quickly. Anyway, that deviates from what a superb setup you have there, a good video presentation too is enlightening. Thanks for posting it up, I'm sure it will inspire members who are thinking of taking the plunge into Astro Photography. Hope you are enjoying SGL. Best Wishes Ron.

Some quality on show here Billy. Splendid outfit. Ron.

Well your set up for success with all that at your disposal. Nice one. Ron. 👍

You should take the route that suits you best Craig, less chance of frustration grinding you down. Good Luck with it matey. Ron.

@wimvb Are operating your rig from an Obs, or outdoors? If out doors, why not power your rig runner with a Deep cycle 12 volt battery, You could keep a trickle charger connected, it will monitor itself, But the charger needs mains supply so that would need to be ultra safe, and well away from any moisture. Suitable cabling and an ultra dry area, (House even) would be a prim requirement. Seems a convoluted route, but feasible.

I Constructed my own, using an ABS enclosure, half a Dozen Buck converters, toggle switches, some 5mm LED indicator lights, a number of small Aviation grade plus and sockets. I used a Maplin 10Amp 13.8V PSU. The Bucks were mounted on a circuit board, and the appropriate output voltages trimmed to suit whatever device I fit to the scope,and ffrd out to the output sockets My Canon supply is 8.2Volts, Olympus 7.4volt. Atik314L 12Volts, Startech usb hub 5.2 Volt Dew strap hub 12 volts. Lakeside focuser 12 Volts. Filter Wheel, Usb only. Not forgetting the EQ6 mount supply . One power cable, to the box input, and one Usb cable to the Startech Hub. All the supply and Usb cables mirror the movement of the telescope. The only ones that I need keep an eye on, is the EQ input, and the guide usb. Ron.

Best Wishes Jon. The wait will like waiting for a kettle to boil, it seems as though it will never happen. But it always does 😀.

What a shame, not something that occurs often, but a bit of a downer on a brand new telescope. Did you find any glass particles in the packaging when you became aware of the damage? It is likely it occurred in transit, as unlikely the supplier would release a damaged scope for sale. Reputation is everything to them, and a pre-delivery inspection would most likely have been done. Hard to visualise what would have caused that damage, without other obvious clues apparent. It's an odd one, it would require a Sherlock Holmes Analyses I suppose. Hope you get a satisfactory outcome. Ron.

Buy yourself a decent pair of Binoculars, they would offer some decent views of the night sky 8x50's would be fine for both terrestrial and sky views. Serious observational Astronomy demands a good quality instrument, and they really do not come cheap. You could of course look in the used equipment classifieds, good bargains can be secured in those. Choose a forum based sales though, you are much less likely to be ripped off. Ron.

Hi and a warm SGL welcome to the best Astronomy group on earth. Nice new scope you have got yourself, and hope the skies cooperate to allow the great results it is capable of. Looking forward to your comments on the great sights you see. Great team of members here, always ready to help or assist with any problems. Best Wishes. Ron.

Well, the good thing is, you have at least found a solution to the problem to permit full use of your instrument. My first Newtonian was a 8" f6, and I got so much enjoyment out of it. Best Wishes Ron.