25585

31 minutes ago, Piero said:

I must admit that I have recurrent thoughts about replacing my 24 Pan with a 32 Plossl for similar reasons. 32mm is also more distant from 21mm (the longest f.l. of my nikon zoom)... thoughts thoughts thoughts... 

Just add a Plossl.

Its my OO UK VX10L ?

No just a(nother) dob. 

Got a strimmer but also a bad shoulder at present. 

My 60th birthday present to myself. 

On 09/06/2018 at 10:52, Dave1 said:

Well look what I went and collected from the post office today! Very excited to receive this. Brandon 12mm Flattop. 

Welcome to the Brandon Club! Only a few of us on SGL.

On 07/06/2018 at 10:18, balzer said:

I'll look into 40mm. Seems interesting thing. Thanks for your advice.

You don't need a finder scope with a 14x mag ep. I use one of my 2 inch 40s as one on the 500mm TV Genesis and a 1.25 40mm Plossl for my 80 Equinox, also 500mm FL.

On 07/06/2018 at 14:42, Louis D said:

Having been observing for over 20 years, it's kind of exciting to see familiar patches of sky in a new way.  You pick out relationships between objects you don't notice while panning about.

Thats the aperture increase thrill as well, of course. But big FOV on OCs are like gazing into a jewel box. The Hyades are a favourite of mine, with the bright red star in the middle, a ruby among diamonds.

8 hours ago, DRT said:

Thanks, Neil. I'm in two minds where to go on the high mag end of this lot as both Lunt and Pentax have 5mm and 3.5mm in those ranges. I think I need to use all of my legendary willpower to avoid jumping in before testing the ones I've just bought  

 

You can barlow the 7 to get 3.5. ?

On 04/06/2018 at 07:44, Stub Mandrel said:

I visited the centre last year, there was no info on the observatory but it must be a great location.

I like the green obso, nicer for gardens.

As a FYI snip the Japanese site does not show a FC100DL as a current model, but here is the page on DL http://www.takahashijapan.com/ct-news/news_topics/newst_170530_fc-100dl_17.html . Production it says was based upon orders made in 2017, presumably from retailers.

So to another Tak topic. Extenders for DLs. Ian King is asking T'hashi Europe which is the best for strictly viewing. The Japanese site has this chart http://www.takahashijapan.com/ct-products/prod_topics/products_ex.html that shows a TOA 1.6x is best viewing, while the Q 1.6x (50.8) is standard. 

The Q 1.6x is that shown on a DL system diagram, and is the model IK gave, however he is running it by Tak UK.

Whichever is best, my DL would be a 1440mm F14.4 with an ED 1.6x extender, the purpose being use of longer FL eye pieces for higher magnifications, specialising the Tak further as a lower weight longer FL telescope.

Today my Sky Atlas 2000 2nd Edition De-Luxe laminated came, a pair of TS binoviewers & ... my Senior Railcard!

22 hours ago, iPeace said:

 

I probably don't really need the 3.5 XW for the newt - 342x is a lot for my skies. But it completes the XW Short Set and I thought: what the Herschel...

Its gotta be done! For your TV 80 though, just right!

Researching the 90 deg BBHS Amici. Baader have it up on their own site. https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-2"90°-astro-amici-prism-with-bbhs-r-coating.html

They are expensive but (so are Astro Physics standard diagonals & Baader Hershels) they can enable ordinary refractors to turn into terrestial scopes. Compared to a new spotting scope as a whole, the price is acceptable, allowing for digiscoping & wildlife as well as star hopping using eyes, atlas & Telrad etc. Also good for outreach, as I find with my 1.25 correct image diagonals - one less "why is?" to answer.

@iPeacedo you still use both your Baader Amicis since you last posted in this thread?

18 hours ago, Saganite said:

I did not sell it Richard , I bought it,  on behalf of Mike, and posted it to him !!

When I did sell my 8mm LVW to you a month or so back, I don't recall you being too concerned that I was selling a rare gem.

Oh. I thought you had broken a bv pair of 8s, sold me one & kept the other for yourself. ?

2 hours ago, iPeace said:

The unstoppable onwards march of the United Front For Japanese Eye Relief continues...

This mint specimen arrived in perfect condition, something that simply could not and would not have happened without the most considerate and selfless support of @Saganite

A true gent if there ever was one.

My grateful thanks and appreciation are for Steve.

You won't need the super XW 7mm now, with the excellent 8mm there. ?

 Steve, really, to sell such rare gems to buy a common Takahashi DC model ?

3 hours ago, iPeace said:

Wow. I think I should have done this long ago.

We toldja so! ?

I find the 10 and 7 are best of short FL eps. Vixen did not cover between 8 & 13 in their range, maybe thd 10's excellence us why....

The 5mm Vixen LVW is my preference for that FL, also slightly narrower for bino. LVW 8mm & XW 7mm very close.

TS GSWA50, 50mm Erfle eyepiece. Eye relief fine. For a ep kit for a longer FL scope.

On 30/05/2018 at 21:09, iPeace said:

Here's one of those impulse buys that's been a long time coming...

Considering one, but this may be a better alternative.

So the black Baader 2 inch diagonal is a prism & white a mirror. Or are there other variations?

6 hours ago, Demonperformer said:

You want to know what's really sad ... there are occasions (I'm not going to say how many, but just think of a number and increase it) when it's a clear sky and I can't even make the effort to set up at home. Must be getting old!

Me too

My 100 & 120 Equinox scopes have only their very good CNC OE rings, but I have replaced the Vixen bars with longer Losmandy D ones. 

I paid less for both together than half the price of my Tak. 

There will be no more photos of the DL posted. 

2 hours ago, Stu said:

I’m sorry Richard, I can’t let that stand. The standard practise of two rings or a clamshell is perfectly adequate for a lightweight OTA such as the DL. Your setup may make you feel safer, but please accept that it is entirely unnecessary. I know of no one else who does this, and we cannot have this accepted as necessary practise, it is not.

I totally accept your right to do whatever you like with your kit, whatever you need to feel safe with it, but as Piero states with far more eloquence than me, please do not represent the standard practises as unsafe, they are not.

As I said, it's up to the owner. But just because a manufacturer provides certain mounting hardware, that does not mean it's anything more than adequate. 

Upgrading focusers, using centering clicklocks, better finder scopes, eyepieces etc are all part of the same scene. What comes in the box is cheap and adequate, but can and in some cases should be upgraded to better quality and design. 

Looking at my Tele Vue Genesis, it is in a clamshell ring. But that ring is held closed by 2 Allen bolts. The tube secure in that clamshell is attached to TV's Panoramic mount by 2 wing head bolts. In that case I feel one clamshell is fine. 

Well then, for sliding, an alternative is the ADM saddle for Tak clamps that @FLO sell. 

Fitted by 2 bolts to the bottom of a clamshell, the saddle slides fastens & can slide when slightly loosened, along the ridged side of a dovetail bar. How much depends on the length of bar, which would need to be attached to a mount flat side facing. 

Photos of my clamshell on a saddle below. 

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Peace of mind is fine, no problem with that, but I think it is best to set reasonable expectations with those who might be new to this about what is reasonable and what is quite frankly belt, braces and gaffa tape too! If you are an over cautious person that is fine, but two tube rings are perfectly adequate and new starters need to know that.

The issue of using the top bracket of the SkyTee2 mount is quite frankly poor advice. The end mount point on the main axis is the best place for your heaviest scope, it is designed to cope with the rates weight and the fact that you are mounting in line with the centre of mass means things are much more easily balanced.

No gaffa or any other tape. Just 2-extra-rings, for an expensive long OTA. DLs now cost a lot more than they started off doing, and always more than the F7.5 models. Irreplacable funds as well as common sense dictate adequate security & protection of my outlay. 

My heavier scope, the 120 Equinox does indeed go on the side. Balances out nicely thanks.