barkis

I'd award astrobiscuit an Oscar for that video, and certainly one for his star role.👍
Ron.

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.
 

1 hour ago, Lockie said:

Hi Ron, I will get there for sure, I just want to build the obsy first (If the mirror could end up in the Obsy that would be nice.) From memory I think it's turning out to be closer to f6.3 (f6.7 was my initial target though) I was working from a combination of picking peoples brains and the internet, but I do appreciate the book offer  I do have a book on how to grind lenses for a refractor which I bought when my eyes got too big for my stomach lol

Your input is always appreciated Ron, thanks. 

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.

58 minutes ago, Lockie said:

It's an 8.75" blank @ about f/6.3. It's been shelved for about a year because of a house move and me making a lot more Astronomy YouTube videos but it's always at the back of my mind so really want to finish the project at some point. 

I'm a bit rusty with where I am with it, but I think I had just finished the fine grinding and needed to make some kind of testing apparatus (foucault/ronchi?) I had bought a metal microscope platform with micrometer movements on x and y axis, but that's as far as I had got with making a tester. 

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.

1 hour ago, Lockie said:

You probably don't need to do this if you can tune the CA out, but have you ever tried stopping it down to 4" f12? I reckon that would be pretty nice on the moon!

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.

1 hour ago, Lockie said:

I've just ordered this to check SA correction:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/specialist/gerd-neumann-ronchi-eyepiece.html

I'm also wondering if I can use it to test the mirror I'm very slowly grinding (Ronchi gram?). I really need to get back to that project soon.

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.

13 minutes ago, pbyrne said:

Here's the link to the ad:

https://www.donedeal.ie/hobbies-for-sale/14-5-quot-dosonian-astronomical-telescope/24413241

The mirror looks good, though it is difficult to tell from a photograph.  There is no name on the scope that I can see.

I have no interest in buying the scope, in my mid 50s I don't think I want to be lugging this thing around and it would be wasted where I live, my garden is the place where the streetlights come for the fun, and they are all LEDs, which is worse again.

I am sure the seller is genuine and maybe for the reasons stated wants it gone quickly.

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.

34 minutes ago, SiriusDoggy said:

Ahhh yes, Trevor. I've followed AstroBackyard for a long time. I think when I started following him he had less than 200 followers. Great Guy. He's Canadian though, so you threw me even further off course saying he was a fellow countryman. 🤣

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.

21 minutes ago, SiriusDoggy said:

I searched YouTube for Steve Jones and couldn't find anything. Is his YT channel under a different name?

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.

2 hours ago, SiriusDoggy said:

Hello and thanks Ron for you kind words. Yes, I too wish it was permanently mounted in an observatory. Our backyard only had room for an observatory or a swimming pool. My wife wanted the pool.... So you can guess who lost. Oh well, "Happy wife, Happy life!". As for Polar alignment, I use SharpCap Pro's P.A. feature and it usually only takes me about 10 minutes to get it close enough that PhD2 can easily guide off of. Remember, I'm only shooting at 666mm FL so it's pretty forgiving.

The biggest hassle is just the setup. As you can imagine, with everything packed in its individual cases it usually takes me about 7 or 8 trips in and out of the house just to get the components out to the yard and 20-30 minutes to get it all hooked up and balanced.

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.

3 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

I went a similar route to Barkis

The power box has multiple 12v outputs plus a 5v out and a 19v out (for the PC) powered by a 12v 150aH leisure battery.

Total cost about £20

Circled in yellow here

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

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

My rig is in an obsy. Mains to the pier where I have a 12V 150W Meanwell power supply. Distributer box, usb3 hub, and Rock64 computer on top of my scope.

Before I built the observatory, I had that same power supply hanging off the tripod. All mains plugs away from moisture in a plastic box. I agree, 240 V power supplies and outdoors are not a good combo. Having to dry dew off a lense is one thing, having to wipe it off a power adapter is quite another. But a sturdy plastic box with lid goes a long way.

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

28 minutes ago, Craigyboy3542 said:

I think this is a bit beyond what i could do

I am like the look of the Pegasus Powerbox as saves me having to make my own cables etc. i know it more expensive but i guess it saves me screwing anything up.  

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.

16 minutes ago, Jonny_H said:

Hi all,

Thanks for everyone's comments so far.

I didn't notice any debris in the tube or the packaging and as this appears to be a localised chip I cant imagine this would have been caused by something in transit so I can only assume it occurred at the factory.....but who knows.  It is just a little disheartening on a brand new scope as you mention.

On a brighter note - I should be getting the scope collected and a new one re-distributed in due course so hopefully I will be back on-track soon.  I just hope the next one is all ok 🙄 

For now I can just stare at my HEQ5

 

Regards,

Jon

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.