banjaxed

Not having watched the program yet I am unable to pass an opinion but it should be pointed out that amateur astronomers are a minority in the great scheme of things and Television programmes are aimed at the masses.

I bought a selection of knurled screws some have plastic heads and some metal heads and they do the job perfectly for a fraction of the cost. If I can remember correctly the primary screws were M4 and the secondary M3. If you buy 20/25 mm long they can be cut to size.

I have the AZ5 on a stainless steel tripod and it is very steady but it has been mentioned before that the maximum load should not exceed 5/6 kilos.

Hi Rick, welcome to SGL.

Looks like my patience has paid off as the focuser shaft made its way back to the rear of the scope enough for me to tease it all the way back out and refit the focuser knob. After a quick daylight test the images are as clear and in focus as before my (silly) mistake. Hope my experience will be of use to anyone else who is unsure about removing the focuser knob with the tube the wrong way up 😀

Thanks for your reply. I am not normally in the leap before you look school but I must admit to a mental aberration with this project 🙄. The scope is presently situated in an upright position and the focusing shaft is about 5/10 mm from the back of the scope so gravity appears to be working. My thought is if it is left in this position it may eventually emerge from the OTA sufficiently for me to coax it out fully so I am keeping my fingers and legs crossed 😀

Having successfully fitted motor focusers to 2 of my telescopes I decided to try and fit one to my 127 max. To find out the diameter of the focusing shaft I loosened the 2 Allen screws and removed the knob only to see the focuser shaft slowly disappear into the OTA 🤭 not being very familiar with the workings of these scopes I thought it would be best to ask advice before I proceed. The scope has not been moved since my unintentional sabotage so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

If it is M3/4 or 5 I should be able to sort one out for you.

Hi Tommy, welcome to SGL.

They must have a very fancy patio if it has a window 😀. On a more serious note I think some people are so wrapped up in their own world they just don’t consider anyone else, sadly.

I agree with Heather, I have been using DuckDuckGo for about 3 years without any problems.

Welcome to SGL, hope you enjoy.

I,m afraid you are suffering from GAS which is a term used among us guitarist to describe Gear Acquisition Syndrome for which there is no known cure.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

BST Starguider eyepieces have a good reputation without breaking the bank and I particularly like the OVL Nirvana.

Hi David, welcome to SGL.

I once tried a scope weighing just under 6kg and it was very unstable so the the 9kg suggestion in IMO is not viable.

Thank you very much for your input. I have a pair of 26mm eyepieces with smooth barrels so when the next opportunity arises they will be the ones I will use and hopefully solve the issue. As an afterthought the image of the moon was sharp and clear with no double vision

Friday evening was the first opportunity I had for testing my WO binoviewers so the moon was my obvious first target which did prove to be a wow moment, others have described it as seeing a lot more depth which was certainly the case with me. Jupiter was in a good position but when it came to focus the image became double and I was unable to merge the 2 images. The clouds then appeared so I was unable to continue. Am I experiencing something normal or am I just doing something wrong ? Suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Hi Geremia, welcome to SGL.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

IMO dual speed focusers are very useful for obtaining sharper focus.