DaveL59

the summer house should be fine so long as you keep the scope sealed to prevent dust/spiders etc finding their way in and also protect it from getting damp on colder days.Do make sure it's aired out well tho after use so you don't trap moisture inside it. It would be worth removing batteries while stored tho if the temps are likely to get high (or low) so they last longer but also not leak inside the equipment. My scopes live in the conservatory which unfortunately can hit high 40's or even low 50's C on hot sunny days as well as freezing during winter. They've survived this with no ill effects so far and other than the step up into the garden makes it quicker to get out to play. I sometimes just point the scope out the conservatory doorway too if its too cold or windy and the target is in a suitable part of the sky

likewise for the little nat-geo I have, bought a regular RDF and a stick-on foot to attach it from Astroboot, tho you shouldn't need that given yours already has a finder attachment. Would an RDF really help though as you'll still need to contort to use it, perhaps a RA finder would work better?

thought I'd have a look with the TAL-1 tonight since the TAL-M is dismantled partly. With the 1.25-in focuser and mirror raised I used the vixen NPL 20 & 10mm EP's and TAL x3 barlow, lovely view. Even managed to grab a pretty poor pic via the 20mm+x3 barlow, with the eyecup raised it holds the note10+ camera just about the right height and level. Took me a bit of faffing to find the settings for the camera so I could get to advanced mode and set ISO100 etc and get a bit better of a shot... maybe I should invest in a phone holder to make it a bit easier in future, hmmmm.

I'd also suggest - avoid binoculars that are "perma-focus" - they do not suit stargazing as your eye's can't compensate for the fact that they are not focused at an infinity that is even close to non-terrestrial distances. You can fix this I believe, but not easily and for sure isn't something a beginner would want to be trying to do.

Not sure if this is the right section but thought I'd start a thread on the TAL-M that I can update as I get on with stripping it down and refurb bits. I bought this 1996 scope a while back, perhaps a year or so and optically it's excellent, mirrors in good order etc. The paint though has suffered during its previous life as a family scope and it only had the 3x barlow and 15mm eyepiece. Missing were the 25mm and extension tube and the spanner for the Latitude nut, though the TAL screwdriver and camel-hair brush (still wrapped in tissue) are present. It does also have the wood case which is in pretty good order and nicely fits in the boot of the car for transporting the scope around, still has the nice pine smell when opened too. So first up was to replace the failed foam inside the box with felt, so that the parts are all held snug and to remove foam powder from getting all over the scope. I did this not long after buying the scope. I should give the finish a sanding down and re-coat of varnish at some stage but its fine for the moment. I've since sourced a 32mm diameter TAL 25mm Plossl (by buying an older TAL-1 scope) but no luck finding an extension tube so far. One thing I did note was that unlike other reports where it was mentioned that you can set up with only the lower pier post, on this example the connecting thread is fixed in the lower segment. This means you'd have to fit the top half of the pier to be able to fit the mount head. Fine for me but was hoping to make this usable for the wee grandaughter so it could do with being lower. So after not doing anything on overhauling this scope I finally took the first step this afternoon. No not starting on the paint but adapting the pier so that I can use this as a short-pier. No sense painting the tube then having to drill and tap it after all So the 2 pier sections are connected by this impressive threaded part which is held in place with a 3.0mm set screw. Having removed the threaded coupler, I measured to offset to the setscrew roughly and then drilled the upper pier pole in the same place. Luckily I had a HSS drill exactly the right size to enable me to then run a 3mm tap through the hole and viola, I've reversed the threaded section and can now use the TAL-M in full or half-height config. Turns out I was slightly off in the offset so I used a dremel-a-like to make a nick in the thread so that the set-screw secures the coupler in the new location, a cludge nobody will see so no matter So I guess next job will be to strip the OTA, pier posts and the mount head so I can clean up the tatty paint back to a smooth surface and then respray with smooth hammerite white. Haven't decided on the OTA inner whether to flock it or try flat blackboard paint. I recall astro-baby finding flock wouldn't stick on her TAL-1 refurb so I guess I'll find out when I get to that stage.

I'd have thought most would last a reasonable time, tho given the tripod feet will be rubbing then that'll reduce paint life. Not sure that the guys that mark up the streets use anything special in paint type and that tends to last a reasonable time on the road/pathways.

make sure you have hammer turned off and use light pressure and also keep the area wet. I'd guess too work up in bit size unless you're able to get a suitable diamond bit

so I guess a can of fluorescent spray paint would be out of the question? How about boring into the patio slabs and putting in a brass disc at each leg position?

The times I've used it in the past you'd need to clean the enamel from the end before soldering. Not seen any of this type that you don't need to, since if the insulation gave way under heat it'd be of limited use in a winding that carries any current load.

yep, enamelled copper wire, handy if you need to redo an inductor too

a bittersweet memory but a lovely image to remember her by, sorry to hear of your loss especially during these times

didn't used to be, think it changed to that other county in the early 70's

ideally check them in the store before you pay and verify that they are collimated and the focus/adjustments all work as they should, as this does seem to be an issue with some of the stock they get.

funnily enough I used to live in Warrington for a short time as a kid, went to school in St Helens. That was back before it became part of that other county

In terms of what you have, the EQ1 wouldn't manage a 6-8-inch reflector so for sure you'd then be looking along the lines of an EQ5 or better and a big jump in cost. Sounds like you'd be better to look for (can't believe I'm gonna say this...) a dob like the skywatcher 200 as that'd give you lots of aperture for lowest outlay. That said tho, are you hoping to do astro-photography in which case a dob isn't the best choice and then you're into a lot more cost for a good mount to handle it all. Also you're familiar with an EQ mounted scope, whether you'd get on with a dob I can't say, many here love them and say they're easy to use but to me they aren't intuitive and I prefer a simple single slow-motion control to adjust when on a target. You could consider the used market as you could save a lot buying a decent scope and maybe even bigger aperture than you'd get for the same cost new.

Hi and welcome to the forum. I've an older SW130 but likely close enough. You can get a nice view of the planets and moon with that scope, venus at the moment becomes visible toward the west as the sun is setting and you'll be able to view the brighter objects once you've learned how to locate them. A lot will depend on where you are and what view of the horizons you have, as well as the light pollution in your area . The original eyepieces aren't bad to start off with and if you feel the hobby is one you want to stick with then you can always upgrade these to improve the view later on. You can also add an RA/Clockwork drive which will allow the scope to track an object once you have it centered in the eyepiece so you can watch it a while and not have to fiddle with adjusting the scope every 20 seconds

saw it go over by eye, was out putting food out for the wee hog so didn't have the binos with me. Gotta admit I was hoping to see it turn into a nice big flame-out but no such luck, maybe next time huh 😉 Just seen the little hog on the cctv but he's turned tail and really shifted out the garden and across the area out behind the garages. Who knew they could move that fast! Wonder what got it so panicked...

I meant for visual use if you move the mirror, you'd need an extension to bring the eyepiece back away from the secondary to hit focus Moving the mirror up the tube brings the focal point up the focuser tube to compensate for lack of in-focus travel, but doing this for a camera has the potential drawback of rendering the scope not usable for visual, hence an extension for the eyepieces. Moving the mirror by say 25mm isn't going to lose you much aperture so I'd not worry about that too much, 6 bolts and 3 springs for around £10 vs how much for a low-profile focuser...? Your call tho

if you do find you need to adjust the scope, rather than cutting the OTA you might achieve the same effect cheaply by replacing the collimation and lock screws with longer ones and also springs to suit the extra length. That'd move the mirror cell up the tube to shift the focal plane and also be easy to return to factory later if you wanted to sell it on. I did this on my TAL-1 when adapting it to use standard 1.25-in eyepieces, am sure it'd work on your SW200 also. You may find that you'll need an extension tube to use it for visual once done though depending on the amount of back-travel there is in the focuser.

ahh that was it, yes I remember reading about his scope, nice to have the room to be able to build and use something like that

hi Mike What sort of size scope are you thinking you'd like to upgrade to? it may be possible to get a new OTA and the correct tube rings and fit those to your existing mount, but there are some other considerations you'll need to make too. The weight of the new OTA may be too much for the existing Tasco mount, which is probably going to be an EQ1 or equivalent. These will struggle with a larger OTA and you'd also need to add counterweights to achieve balance. Likelihood is that you'd be better to consider upgrading the whole unless the mount you have is better than the originally supplied one.

wasn't that the one built with a NASA mirror that had a slight flaw so he got it for a great price?

one thing you've not mentioned Mike is where you hope to be using the scope from, balcony, garden or transporting it to darker locations, level/uneven ground etc. Likewise storage of the scope and accessories and how portable you might need it to be to get it in and out for use. Also availability of power if you want GoTo and other powered stuff to work. In my case the most I spent on a single scope was £260 (TAL100RS) and the least £10 (76mm tabletop reflector), all bought used and with a little adjusting in some cases all give nice views for me. Depends what your appetite is for used gear but it can save a lot of cash for what comes next or buy you something better than your budget compared to new. Probably spent more on eyepieces, another bottomless pit that'll be waiting for you to step too close I'll also note that while a goto scope is useful, it does need to be set up each session or when you ask it to goto xyz it'll do it from where it thinks it is and end up anywhere, potentially. That part can be frustrating to learn, but a mount that can track does make for more relaxed viewing once on a selected target. You can achieve that with a RA motor rather than going the full GoTo rig at several times more cost.

ooh no, please do not point the scope at the sun! You could seriously overheat the optics if not careful, not to mention other risks like starting a fire. It's enough that natural light is entering it so that UV permeates the lens, so leaving it open but at say 30 degrees behind the sun should do fine. You'd be ok to do this once in a while rather than every day too, and let it air well before sealing it up after a session so no moisture is trapped in the OTA/lenses.

if it were me and there's no effect on the viewing I would leave it alone but keep an eye in case you see any deterioration around the edge - as in signs of rusting from the lens cell or fungus build up. Given there was soap/detergent in the mix used, if that would add fuel for fungal issues I don't know but exposure to sunlight/UV will help there to keep it in check. You may find that over time with future cleans that the streaks will fade if small quantity seeps by the edge, assuming you only use proper lens cleaning fluid from now, though hopefully you'll be using fluids more sparingly now . Collimation I can't comment as I've not messed with my TAL and don't plan to unless something happens to require, but I expect it could be quite frustrating and you also need to watch you don't pinch the optics too. Might be easier than shimming prisms in old binoculars but somehow I expect a lot of patience and care and loads of time would still be required.