steveex2003

May I ask which phone mount you used?

Last night I decided to have a first play with some low-rent, sit-up-and-beg, filters specifically Olll and UHC on Nebula targets. Some quite pleasing results. Some lessons learned. Much more time at the EP needed. More aperture. Anyway, SkySafari. Really quite helpful for at least pointing you in the general direction for unfamiliar targets. Or at least it would be if it were remotely accurate. Now i'm never expecting military-grade accuracy from an old phone but i would estimate it being out (always biased west of actual when pointing south) by anywhere between a just a couple and a seemingly improbable 20+ degrees! I put the phone down, to pick it up 10 minutes later with continually wildly varying degrees of inaccuracy. The built-in compass app, which I use regularly and i assume to which SkySafari references, never seems to be so wildly inconsistent. Am I missing something or am I just expecting too much from a free app (which I really like in all other instances, i find it a great quick reference tool) and old tech? Thanks.

Fairly sure this one is possibly the worst performing

Given my rather grab n go attitude to this hobby I have collected a few, and am always interested in, Alt Az heads. I did read up on your (adulterated) 405 head on the basis of references you had made to it on another much earlier thread and clearly it is at the right end of the quality scale. I can't deny however I do slightly wince at that visual impression of that big ol' scope on that teeny tiny head. Its a nice change from the usual 3-20kg's of of mounting steel.

If it hasn't already been mentioned, this is a very diminutive and portable head. Obviously no slow-mo controls. Decent discount too at the moment. https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9334_TS-Optics-Tilting-Head-and-Altazimuth-Mount-for-photo-tripods.html

Yes, that you explain it. that makes perfect sense. Having only continually suffered from user error, rather than design foibles I can see that my Vixen LVW and Pentax Zoom have undercuts whilst the remaining Baader do not. As said, having no imaging or bino kit i'm afraid only my own stupidity has caused drama thus far. We live, and eventually learn. Possibly?

Can I ask what is the hangup with undercuts?

Dave. The LVW 22 and Morpheus 17 are my favourite EP's of those that I own. Personally, I am enamored with the Morpheus EP's I have. I find the FOV entirely engaging, and by a country mile they are the most comfortable (and forgiving) for eye position of anything I have had a look through. I am aware that the very edge loses a little, but for me it really isnt an issue given how far away from focus that is. I notice the EoFB brightening in the infrequently used 4.5mm immediately (fast scopes). I think if it were in use anywhere near the frequency of the 9, 12 and 17 I could possibly become annoyed by it. The Morpheus gives me all I need, at least for now. If I am honest, and i'm probably showing some at the EP naivety here, I am not sure how much difference I could detect between them and something like Delos on-axis beyond a change in colour temperature perhaps. I am sure the vastly more experienced members here would say different. I have no doubt Tele Vue know exactly what they are doing, and why they are held in the regard they are. I satisfy myself that even If I am getting 75% of Delos performance (and i reckon it's probably a fair bit higher, at least to my eyes) for 1/2 the price then i am winning. Everytime I look through them I am delighted, and that's what it's about for me. I may well be wrong, and your reviews of the XW14 was very much part of my reading, but the repeated analysis paralysis seems to indicate the 14mm Morpheus, XW and Delite all seem to be degrees of compromise. The minute you hit the considered reports of the Delos 14mm terms like fuzzy field stop and considerable FC all vanish. TL:DR I have spent a little time with various EP's, some I can't afford and I don't feel short changed with my purchasing of 2nd hand or sale priced Morpheus.

I have all but the 14mm in Morpheus. To my (inexperienced) eyes they all are a little loose at the field stop (compared to on-axis) and the 4.5mm has noticeable EoFB. My favourites (for whatever it's worth) are the 17 and 9mm. I ignored the 14mm as it seemed the most problematic across amateur and more serious reviews. For whatever reason it seems that the 14mm has noticeable detractors across their respective ranges for the Pentax XW, Morpheus and Delite EP's. As and when I can afford, and get around to it, I am confident that the Delos is the 14mm I want to try with the required eye-relief I need.

Can i ask, is this for mounting a solar scope? (as opposed to a camera) Do you think this is a better way of balancing the load to the head? I have the same head, and in weighing my Lunt (with EP etc) it is now just shy of the stated 4Kg mount capacity. The net effect has been even when balancing the Lunt with an extended dovetail, i am having to use a 1.75" Skywatcher tripod for what I find to be acceptable performance. Using a much ligher CF Manfrotto 55 tripod being far more vibration prone.

...... and packaging 😆

For whatever its worth it is always a pleasure to read of yours, John's, Dave's and many others here (mostly 😉) unbiased experiences of some very nice bits of kit.

Well us peasants can only drool at the quality of that packaging 😆

I aspire to a position of disgruntled Tak cardboard box ownership 😉

A brand new in the box, long since discontinued Baader Classic NT focuser, for my Lunt 60. The Feathertouch option was frankly a little rich for my blood. When this one popped up, it was almost too good to be true. Literally a 5 minute install and exponentially better than the outgoing original focuser it replaces. Most pleased.

I just had a little look at this on Zoltans site. It's a really nicely specc'ed scope for a good price right now.

Will look forward to hearing about this.

Definitely still some available carpet space there.

Can I ask? Is that frac a very long FL? Having looked through it is it, for want of a better phrase, worth it over a reflector with twice the aperture and considerably less in stature? (if the FR's are roughly similar) Or, Is my question directly scalable to the more modest fracs & dobs many here have?

The team of Sherpa's, Logistics and Mechanical Departments and Catering all graciously out of shot here?

*May bring cloudiness to user experience

Typically, you either have the scope mounted 180* (back to front) or you have the EQ/AltAz firmware (right arm) version installed.

Personally find CI secondary to the comfort convenience of the right angle. I only use RACI's regardless. Not having to change back or neck position, particularly for near zenith targets is it's own joy for me. Others mileage will surely vary.

Yes, that's the joy of it eh? We can indeed completely agree, to utterly disagree 😆 Regards Steven

Im not going to drag this out, but you should only take Paypal on collection via Friends and Family to which you void protection anyway. eBay themselves will advise you, if you take a Paypal services payment you have no recourse if the buyer then initiates a chargeback claiming he never collected the item having allegedly prepaid. No recourse!! You cannot prove otherwise. The forums are littered with this obvious scam.