Mr Spock

Such a shame. A scope like this was always destined to be popular. Now it looks like one to avoid (for now). Hopefully these QC issues will be resolved and we will have the scope we are all hoping for.

Every time I look at those CFF scopes my wallet wilts...

Looks interesting. Price isn't too bad either. Could be an ideal solution for planetary observers, though it would be nice to have an f20 option.

A hood is something you wear. Cars wear bonnets... ?

All I need for now

Nooo! My wallet canna take any more!

Indeed. I feel there's also a lot of wishful thinking going on here. 100mm is 100mm no matter what spin you put on it. You canna change the laws of physics as an erudite colleague once said

Exacly what I said above. The reality here is Skywatcher have said this bolt is made from soft steel for a reason. It's so the bolt thread strips rather than the mount thread which is more difficult to fix/replace. Bolts are bending because people are not following the manufacturer's instructions. Those of us who do follow the instructions don't have a problem. I've had huge amounts of kit on mine and the bolt is fine.

I should add, even with new or better bolts, you should not be using brute force to make adjustments!

I think for the money that wedge takes the EQ6 to the next level.

I tell you what I do with my HEQ6. I adjust it when fully loaded. What I do is unwind the locking bolt put my weight on the counterweight bar; now there is no weight on the adjustment bolt I wind that in until it's over compensated; I then take weight off the bar and unwind the adjustment bolt until it's just above where I want it to be; I then wind in the locking bolt which when tightened moves the mount the last fraction of a millimetre until the axis is aligned. I've had my HEQ6 since they first came out and have had no problems with the adjustment bolt.

Your scope is f6 - 1200 / 200 = 6

I have a pair of Chinon Countryman 7x35. I've had them since the '70s and were quite expensive at the time. They are still better than a lot of the newer binoculars and give a really nice wide field of view.

It's already been mentioned once in this thread, but, none of the images submitted here are eligible for entry. Please read the rules!

Depends on the target for me too. In the C9.25 I generally have: x235 on Jupiter, x294 on the moon and Mars, x392 on doubles. Since I've had this scope Saturn has never been high enough to get more than x107

Sunday night looks clear so the Variable Star workshop is looking good. Everyone welcome You'll get guidance first hand on observing variables using the scope I use. The morning session covers all the practical and science stuff. Do you know how many types of variables there are? Variables help us understand the science of stellar evolution from birth to grave There'll be practical stuff like how to read variable star charts; how to record observations; making magnitude estimates; understanding Julian dates and all the other wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff!

Mankini... That't the most disturbing thing I've heard in a long time

Cats rule the world. We are their amusing play-things

Epic burn - I can feel the heat from here

Birding only. Though they are suprisingly useful for astro.

Excellent printing!

Looking at the prices of equivalent specifications:- Vixen Advanced Polaris: £1896 Skywatcher nearest equivalent EQ5: £545 Skywatcher - better mounts: HEQ5: £776 AZ EQ5: £949 NEQ6 Pro: £999 EQR6 Prp: £1295 AZ-EQ6: £1412 Some serious mounts there for less money. My conclusion is the Vixen is more than THREE TIMES the price of it's nearest equivalent. Unless you have money to burn I can't see why anyone would choose this mount!

Extremely poor value for money. You can get a better mount plus a scope for that money!

Definitely a keeper

Great scope - especially for double stars. You can still get 24.5mm eyepieces and accessories used. Objective is easy to fix as they are air spaced. Take it out of the cell and mark the edges so you know the orientation. The two lenses will then come apart for cleaning