DaveL59

depending which model, the 222 this may help: https://enzocontini.blog/2017/10/09/how-to-make-your-tripod-head-manfrotto-mod-222-work-again/ or the 322: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3066927

which model is it, was it new or used? They're quite easy to overhaul (I did my 222 recently) but either way there's usually an adjuster that adjusts the amount of play, maybe its too tight and slackening it will give easier motion for you.

hmmm hopefully someone else can answer, but I've the SynScan upgrade on my EQ5 and it works just fine without - my tripod has the squared legs so the holders don't suit it so I just leave the MC unit sitting in the tray.

a lot would depend on the style of bino, porro ones you can get a clamp that latches to the hinge bar, for example: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KAISER-6032-BINOCULAR-CLAMP-TRIPOD-ADAPTER-MOUNT-BINOCULARS-TO-TRIPOD/191495324391?epid=1848421955&hash=item2c9602c2e7:g:AM4AAOxyGqZSZ7WN for roof types there's various velcro strap versions like: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-Binoc-U-Mount-Universal-Binocular-Tripod-Adapter-820-UK/233207931620?epid=20024594494&hash=item364c46a2e4:g:V8kAAOSwAT5dDlA~ tho not so sure the velcro type would be too useful with the bins pointed skyward (or downward too far) lest they slip but there may be ways around that.

never seen one, so unless you're lucky to find a tripod screw fitting that's the right size to swap out... you might be able to drill out and tap the appropriate thread into the existing one but might not be enough material in it to make that viable. Bear in mind it'll be the hinge pivot end-screw so weakening it too much could be bad news in the long run. Otherwise depending on the bino format you'd need a mounting that can carry it, there's a few options out there that might suit

thinking about your earlier remark that out of focus rings are elliptical rather than round, could this be collimation of the lens elements I wonder? The Tal100RS I have gives circular discs and sharp images so that's a possibility to consider, perhaps. No idea how you'd adjust that on your scope or if you've any collimation eyepieces to work with.

not messed with the polar scope on my EQ5 as yet, but my understanding is that you need to collimate it to the mount. As in, during daylight aim at a distant static object and centre it, then adjust the retaining screws such that you maintain centre of the object as you rotate the polar scope (not the R/A - on the EQ5 that'd cause the axle to block the polar scope portal). Once the object remains centred the polar scope is collimated to the mount and ready to use for polar alignment, no further adjustment to its adjuster screws. Make sure you've nipped them up so things don't drift, then recheck alignment and redo as needed. You'd have to redo this process if you later remove and reinstall the polar finder tho.

I think it'll depend a lot on your tripod and its spec, if it was for heavier video camera use it may well be fine. 3KG isn't so much heavy for a scope, my TAL100RS is a lot heavier and longer. I was more thinking that as the load increases, to get the fluid head to stay put you need to tighten the clutches which will make very small fine adjustments in alt and Az less smooth and you end up overshooting the target. Can get frustrating to zig and zag trying to relocate and you only get a short viewing window before needing to readjust. Balancing will be more of a challenge too as you effectively have an offset load when you crank the scope to point upward, tho you can always hang a weight under the scope to help there. Only way to know is give it a go and decide from there

no experience of it but it does look a nice scope (the opticron), I take it that comes with diagonal and eyepieces, finder etc? Only thing I'd say on the tripod/fluid head, you may find it a drag to try tracking objects as they move across field of view as it won't have any fine-motion features that an astro tripod would have. At 3KG plus the finder, diagonal etc you may struggle to hold aim unless you tighten the head damping which would them make small movements more jerky, plus if aiming at or near azimouth as there won't be any counterweight to balance the scope. Could be worth trying to obtain a reasonably portable astro tripod+mount to make using the scope easier and not frustrating. Alt-Az or Eq would be down to your personal preference. EQ with an R/A motor would enable the scope to follow objects which may make life easier if sharing the view with family/friends, tho Alt-Az can seem easier at first.

Depending on how quickly you want to acquire it, I found ebay was a great source, all of my scopes were purchased that way, there's also local ads like gumtree and sometimes even the bigger charity shops as alternates to trad optics retailers, tho you won't have any guarantees or help figuring things out. Buying used over the internet is a risk of course, will it be as good as described, undamaged optics/mirrors etc but I've been lucky in that regard and was prepared to do any refurb in the future if needed. I was fortunate enough to buy a TAL100RS this way, with finder, diagonal and eyepieces on an EQ5 mount for around your budget, a lovely refractor, tho it is pretty long (1 Meter) and with the EQ5 mount very heavy at 23+KG. Its a lovely scope to use and I've since added synscan goto to the EQ5 for my convenience and a possible play with some photography down the road. A tracking mount does make for more relaxed viewing once you're on target. Alongside the 100RS I've some reflectors (Tal-M, Tal-1 and skywatcher 130) that also give nice views and have been simple to collimate. Do beware tho if you find a Tal 1 or 2 reflector to check that it has the later 1.25 inch focuser and eyepieces as the older model (pre 1996 I think) uses 32mm and can be problematic with modern 31.7mm eyepieces unless you modify the mirror position as I and others have done. The Tal-M you either mod the mirror and lose the in-built finder, or settle for the eyepiece range that comes with it (25mm and 15mm + barlow) to have both useable. I do like the pier mounts the Tal-1,2 and M come with tho, less ground spread than a tripod and very stable. Occasionally a nice vintage refractor can pop up, the Prinz 660 or vixen for example and if lucky in your budget too. These also tend to be quite long and some older refractors may use the smaller 0.96-inch eyepieces that are hard to get quality versions of these days so worth confirming before you buy. Does sound like you need to decide on what portability limits you are prepared to handle tho, lugging a large unit around may not suit when out camping etc... Oh - should add, best to collect if you can when buying used rather than courier shipping, be a shame for precious optics to be damaged in transit, especially vintage where repair parts may be very hard to source

hmm you set that option on the PC you are making the remote connection from (the in home one not the mount one), yes? The target PC (mount) should then just divert the audio as per the options you selected, so I guess you'd need to capture/"record from this computer" selected in order for the home PC to pick up the mic from the remote one. You may then also need to select the correct audio (mic) source on the PC for it to play the captured sound through its default speakers, or it may still be using its own mic input.

should be able to set that in the RDP options page... I don't do this myself so can't vouch but that'd be the usual way to get remote audio. I have used those settings tho to capture/playback audio when I had a PC set up for noise monitoring so would think that should work.

as others have said, better to have bolted on terminals that can be insulated and always connected with correct polarity and an in-line fuse to protect the load and battery. Sure you can use something like this and you may well never have a problem, but there's always the risk that in a rush or poor light, someone catches the cables and you/they quickly clip them back on, get them on the wrong way and you've blown all your electronics.

at least that's a fairly easy result, you may be able to improve the barrel "tightness" by adding some sort of gasket to keep it all stable. Something like sugru eased into the gap might work if you unscrew a little further and lay a thin segment round and retighten, or even a turn of ptfe tape on the thread may do it. If you do want to get a more expensive pair, an optical shop that does bino repair may be able to sort an offset adjustment to suit, assuming there's a good target to use and you present to test with them of course. Would likely affect warranty tho...

For daytime the OV27xx sensors would also do ok in that case, but as the sky darkens the Starvis ones to perform much better. You'd get away fine too with a CS or 12mm mount fisheye at F2 ish, its only as light level falls that the lens speed reduces what if any stars will show. You can get faster lenses but none of the fisheye's go much below F1.8 and get pricey at that point. Ideally aim for a module with a switchable IRCut filter so day colours show right, for night use if there's any IR sources for other CCTV then leave it set to day/colour only else the IR sources play havoc once you switch to night/B&W mode. There's a few you can buy via Ali that are bare board modules with IRcut and fisheye, just needs a housing and power/LAN cabling to be up and running, depends how much you want to DIY. Here's an image from mine at the moment, darkness is creeping in but the perimeter CCTV is only just switching to night mode and was showing a bright colour image just before the switchover. The front cameras are still showing colour as the street light is keeping the light level up just enough. All the same starvis camera modules as the skycam.

A lot depends on what you want it to capable of as that'll dictate costs to some extent too. If you want it to show good star views then the more expensive caperas which can do longer exposure would work better. For me I've used a couple of cctv modules with Sony StarVis sensors in modified regular dome housings, and they work fairly ok. Thread on that here: Not really had much chance to try capture video and try stacking to see if they give any decent starfield images now I'm back into work and with a couple other distractions like sorting some old scopes I picked up, but another member posted in that thread using a similar module with nice images, tho I expect he has much better skies than here. Gina's setup is much better but then I expect it cost a fair bit more 🙂

sounds fine, in fact a 10Ah LiFePo battery is as good as a 17Ah lead in performance terms so it may well last better. The batteries are quite expensive to obtain tho 3x or more than lead cells but then they may well last better so give a longer service life

never bought an astro powerbank but I know the 7&17Ah batteries as I use those in various UPS and the 17Ah is pretty heavy, 7Ah is around 2.6Kg and the 17Ah around 6Kg, so the powerbank will weigh a bit more than these numbers.. For the LiPo ones, amazon have several under the car starter search such as: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TACKLIFE-Portable-Car-Jump-Starter/dp/B075HBDN95/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=lithium+car+starter&qid=1567167387&s=gateway&sr=8-15 Best to test the output voltage tho and if needs be add a buck converter between this and the mount, such as: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SUPERNIGHT-Buck-Converter-Voltage-Reducer/dp/B07CZBKZ9Z/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=12v+buck+converter&qid=1567167603&s=gateway&sr=8-16 Tho you can get lower cost ones depending on your current draw, best to check what current the battery pack can deliver as some smaller ones may not do well pushing a steady 2A out as they're really geared to low duration surge or low Amp steady load, check reviews before buying and if needs be ask the seller. You'd need to fit appropriate connectors on the in/output of the buck converter to allow it to connect to the scope and use suitable cable to handle the current. Note I'm not specifically recommending either of the above as I bought different ones but I don't find them on a quick search at the mo. I posted my setup in this thread which should give some clues to how https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/338273-battery-for-powering-the-slt127/

do you know what the power draw will be for your complete setup? The 7Ah will likely work fine but no idea what runtime will be. It will be heavy compared with lithium packs but then it has lighting and USB which not all the lithium starter units do. Don't forget to keep it charged tho and also don't drain it much below 50% too often, regular sealed lead acid batteries don't do well sat unused for months esp if low on charge or fully drained. Relatively cheap to replace the internal battery tho

thinking a bit more on this, you might be able to determine which side to best adjust by alternately closing one eye and see which side seems the most offset (or keep both eyes open and cover/uncover one objective at a time)

hi Richard Porro designs I've worked on don't all have prism tilt screws, some use small shims under one side of the prism to achieve tilt, tho these are not adjustable without dismantling. Al have a metal strap to secure the prism and some cemented also. Cemented prisms do mean you can't easily tilt them to adjust but that's not to say that the prisms weren't shimmed to the required tilt and then cemented so they can't easily move. The other method is to have the prisms set into place and correctly aligned to each other and mount the objectives in an eccentric ring, so you adjust alignment by rotating the ring which alters the image position at the eyepiece. As Peter says, if you can unscrew one objective barrel a little you may find the image diverges/converges to suit your optical requirement. If that's the case then the objective lenses may well be eccentrically mounted and that'd be where you would adjust collimation. Only thing then is if you've had to unscrew more than a tiny amount the barrel can tilt a little in use, or work looser, neither of which would help the image stay "true" to your adjustment over time or even during use. If the body is fully rubber coated then unscrewing the barrel would mean cutting/removing the armour and reducing any resistance to future moisture ingress. If that's the case take a close look at the objective end. Usually there's a beauty ring, or you'd peel the rubber coating away a little to reveal the lens retaining ring, below that would be the eccentric rings. Ideally you need a lens spanner to be able to slacken and remove the retainer without risking damage to the lens though, 2 small screwdrivers can work but one slip and... Adjusting eccentrics can be time consuming, working out which way to turn and the effect on the image, not losing position when tightening the retaining ring up etc, but can be done if patient. I'd suggest only work on one side initially and see how that goes. Do you know which eye of now slightly offset, or is the condition affecting both? Just thinking if it might be best to start with the one that you know is offset and adjust that side of the bino first. If both then adjust for your less dominant eye, perhaps? This is just a guess tho, ideally you don't want to offset the alignment on one by very much so you may end up having to make a smaller adjust on each objective to get a better balanced image for you. Worth noting also, these would then be specific you your needs, nobody else would be able to use them without getting the effect you currently do and eyestrain/headaches.

could be, but wasn't going to take any chances, not knowing what if any regulation there is in the pack itself

I bought a LiPo car jump start unit, came with a car ciggy socket outlet too, was Yaber 20000mAh unit. Only BUT was I measured the output before hooking up and it was 16v, my SynScan upgrade manual says 15v max. So I added a 12v buck converter in-line from the ciggy socket to a 2.1mm plug to go direct to the mount and that gives a steady 12v to feed the GoTo. Not really had the chance to use it out under the stars, but spend a while testing and familiarising myself with the operation of the controller/mount, so had it powered and sweeping to targets for a good 45 mins and it hardly drained the battery pack at all. Nice and light and compact compared to a lead battery unit, some advertise they're perfect for telescopes but I'd check the fully charged output before hooking up...

ahhh the IR for the CCTV here draws them because of the little bugs that swarm toward them. One of my outdoor cameras has 5 spiders competing for the IR light. Fine in the day but sure messes up the image at night with reflections off the webs and the huge glowing long-legged alien biengs that appear across the image from time to time

looks good, well done! now for a star test and see how well it improves the views. As you pass focus either side you should get an airy disc for each star, hopefully they're nice and circular and focus snaps in nice and sharp. Don't fret if still a little out tho, enjoy the scope and the views and revisit later on