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I will investigate what happened to your email to Bedford AS, it should have come through to us and been replied to. I am one of the instruments curators. Best wishes, Linton

Guillaumetmt, Saganite made contact with me just now. Welcome to SGL, I have owned a Titan mount with a 12” Newtonian and also one of the larger Hercules mounts with a tube for a 16” mirror. All Philip Stone’s work is very well engineered. His mirrors were supplied mostly by David Sinden or David Hinds so hopefully you will find the optics in your scope are very good. I am in regular contact with Phil as we run the community observatory in Bedford together. I will speak to him to check he is happy for me to pass on his contact details, provided he is I will send them by PM to you. Superscopes which was based in Bedford was a separate company to Astronomical Equipment (AE) and Luton Astro Systems although all three firms were in a very close geographic area. Best wishes, Linton

I had no idea there is a female T2 thread hidden inside a Baader 2”to 1.25” Clicklock adapter. I already have one of these, so it looks like my best route may be the slim SCT to T2 adapter threaded to the Clicklock. one of the great things about this forum is that someone else will so often have encountered the same problem and can help with a solution. Thanks for all the photos and ideas. Linton

Many thanks to all for the suggestions, plenty for me to look at. I’m trying to fit to an Orion Optics OMC 140, there’s not much room between the focuser and the existing visual back which is the typical single screw version supplied with most SCTs. I have tried a Baader SCT to 2” which I have on another scope and it’s just to large. I don’t need 2” fit so looking to find a better 1.25” connection. If your not familiar with this scope the focuser is the top of a micrometer which is small diameter, I'm looking to increase this diameter for even finer control, hence trying to keep room from the visual back. Best wishes Linton

Or a 1.25” diagonal with SCT thread? Although I’m never sure about diagonals that thread on, they somtimes make rapid and disastrous’U’ turns! Perhaps 1.25” would not be as bad as 2”. Linton

Has anyone come across a visual back with standard SCT thread direct to 1.25” and a decent non marking locking system? It’s for a smaller scope and I don’t have room for a Baader 2” click lock or similar because of the focus knob position. Any leads gratefully received. I asked the guys at FLO but they hadn’t come across one. Baader do one that is T2 thread but not SCT. Many thanks, Linton

Many thanks to both of you for the input, I like the idea of the 9V power pack, will look into it. Am I correct that the MT1 and MT2 motors are the same on the inside? I still enjoy using my Vixen SP bought new in 1986 from Superscopes in Bedford.

Thank you Peter, PM sent.

Just wondering if anyone can give guidance. The motors on a Vixen Super Polaris I think we’re MT1 and came with a 9V battery pack and DMD3 controller in my case (see photo) Later mounts such as the GP used the MT2 motor but I think the internal parts, the motor etc were the same. These came with a 12V battery holder and SD controller. What I want to know is whether the MT1 and DMD 3 can run off 12V or is this too much for the DMD3? 12V power packs are so much easier to use than fiddling around with 9V batteries. Any info gratefully received. Best wishes, Linton

Mods please move if this is in the wrong section. Thought I would share this in case anyone is searching the web for a solution to the same problem I had. I bought a second hand EQ5 pro this summer to evaluate the motors and goto system, I’m thinking of upgrading a Vixen GP to this system. ( The EQ3 pro has pretty much the same system I believe) The firmware on the EQ5 handset needed updating and using an old PC with a serial port this was achieved in minutes using the supplied cable. The old PC avoided problems others have encountered with some USB to serial converters. Anyway, thought I was on a roll so would update the motor controller at the same time. This was on version 2.04, version 2.07 promises better performance at low speeds. The instructions detail using the handset in PC direct mode to relay the firmware to the motor control box. Mine is an older model, I gather newer ones have a USB port. Rigged it all up, clicked upgrade on the software and…….. it wiped the 2.04 version but refused to load 2.07! Motors now unresponsive. Instructions say cycle power and retry, lost count of how many times I tried this. Then tried other versions of the loader software and the old 2.04 firmware etc, no joy still unresponsive. Searched on the web for a solution, found nothing. Reached out to Malcolm (Malc-C on SGL) who had contributed to various posts about EQ5 pro problems, he suggested using an EQDIR cable direct into the motor box instead of using the handset in PC direct mode. Luckily a friend (DAZ on SGL) had the correct lead and the upgrade went through in less time than it took to brew the tea! So thanks to both SGL members problem now solved. ##### NB It is very important to use the correct EQDIR lead (available from FLO), this reduces the voltage to the motor box and prevents blowing the board. Thanks to Malc-c for making this clear. #### Hopefully anyone searching the web in desperation, as I was, will find this post and will get the same flood of relief when they see the upload percentage ticking away! Best wishes Linton

Another possibility could be the soft loop part of Velcro . The heavy duty variety is really sticky but expensive. The cheaper less sticky version you can buy in shops like Dunelm would be fine inside rings. I used this to make some slightly oversize rings grip a tube.

Very nice! But we need to see inside!!

Peter, I’m interested to know how you got on with the Teflon sheet? Linton

Many thanks for the link I will try contacting them All the Best, Linton

Hoping to get some information on a telescope I bought a few years ago. 12 truss style Dob, very solid construction by Glen Oliver / Custom Telescopes U.K. according to a small sticker on the base. Has ‘Stargazer’ on side. I’ve tried the contact details on the sticker but these are no longer current. I’m particularly trying to find out who may have made the mirrors. I found an article from 2003 when the company was set up also a note that he was building scopes in Hartlepool in 2006 Please have a look at the photos, any info or contact details for Glen appreciated. Many thanks, Linton

Hi I just came on to post a question about the rear thread of a Skymax 150 and found this thread. So I have this earlier version as well which seems to have a thread around 67mm. It looks as if it threads onto the smaller rear thread that these OTAs originally had which I think was around 44mm. there was an adapter that then converted this to SCT thread which is what I want. Has anyone tried removing the black adapter shown in the photo from Fedele? Is it perhaps glued on with thread lock? There are two small holes which I guess could take the correct tool for fitting/removal? Any information would be helpful. Thanks Linton

It does look very similar to that Bresser mount, many thanks for your reply. Best wishes Linton

Hi Jeremy, if only it was mine! I have just picked up an identical tube assembly a Japanese 60mm f15 by Circle T. I was looking on the internet for contemporary mounts and this photo came up. I thought it looked an ideal match and rather better than the EQ1 (ish) version the scopes seem to normally come with. I will rig it up on my old Vixen SP to test the optics, all reports suggest they are quite good. All the best, Linton

Described as a ‘minigem’ equatorial…but can anyone put a make to this? Couldn’t find any information on the internet. Many thanks Linton

One of the most aesthetically pleasing platform builds I have come across. Congratulations! It would be good to see an updated image and any further modifications Linton

Weather looks good for the next few days so let us know how you both get on. Linton

Thanks all for some great suggestions coming in. I’m planning ahead for 2022 and beyond, committed to Devon for this year. We book a seasonal pitch and then go up and down as the weather dictates. We’re lucky enough to be in the semi retired bracket so can be free from May to mid September. Thinking of changing tack in 2022 and booking a couple of different venues to see a bit more of the stunning areas that GB has to offer. Don’t really know Wales or the Peak District at all, and Suffolk and Sussex are close enough for short breaks, so had better get on with exploring! Will be up at the top of the Red field at Kelling in October with Daz & Mrs Daz, fingers crossed. Linton

Many thanks for the suggestions so far. Also found this which may be a useful website https://www.campsites.co.uk/search/dark-sky-campsites Linton

Not sure if there has been a thread on this before, if so please direct me to it. For many years my wife and I have spent a few weeks each summer in South Devon on what used to be a small unspoilt campsite. What a pleasure to step out of the caravan awning and see the full Milky Way! We take a Dob with us (currently an OO 14”) and get some great observing, the sky is certainly darker than Kelling….or at least it was! Sadly a new generation have now taken over running the site and it is being ‘developed’, specifically this includes lighting ‘to make people feel safe’. I know, don’t get me started, I’ve tried my best. Anyway events have set me thinking it might be time for a change of scenery, so I was wondering if any SGL members have any favourite sites that are in reasonably dark locations where the owners then don’t flood the field with light all night! I’m not expecting star party conditions, we are quite realistic that others will have lights on when they are up and about, but often at this time of year we don’t even start observing until midnight, most have gone to bed by then. So any suggestions welcome, dark quiet location, electric hookup, reasonable horizons, friendly owners, good walking and countryside or coast nearby, I’m sure you get the idea. Website links would be very useful. Many thanks in anticipation. Linton

2010! Where do the years go! I wonder if Robin still has it? Jonny by the way hidden behind the pillar in your photo looks to me like an AE probably 6” or 8” Newt on one of their ‘B’ type Equatorial mounts. You were probably too distracted by the main scope to give it much attention! My first ‘proper’ telescope was an AE 10” Newt on the larger ‘C’ mount. A cracking scope in its day but things move on. You can see the scope in my little picture thingy…(senior moment can’t remember what you call this) All the Best, Linton