DaveL59

you can also get some of the plastic cases in various smaller sizes if you don't need the expense of a larger flight case right now. Foam isn't too expensive and you can buy that already pre-cut in various size cutouts to you can select appropriate ones to suit the size of the EPs, worth a search on the bay and amazon and see what suits what you're looking for. For sure keep the dust covers on and also add some silica gel packs to keep moisture in check.

Having said the above tho, you may find you want to also have somewhere safe for the finder, hand control (if any) and any other small bits you want to be transporting, in which case a larger case might be worthwhile. I got an ally flight case reasonably priced (was for a game system or something) and bought foam to fit it out to suit. Carries the EP's, diagonal, barlows + filters, finder and RDF, hand controller + cables as well as blower and cleaning bits. Buying one pitched for astro would likely be more expensive for much the same thing...

doh, maker Atlas, ok here you go
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/367880-atlas-multiple-eyepiece-binoculars-info/

tho not a lot of info, know I've seen other mentions but not finding them for now

2 hours ago, PeterW said:

Never heard mention of any in the main vintage binocular sites... 4eyes!!

 

peter

I have but of course can't locate the details now so can only suggest a search. Ideally if the maker can be ID'd that may help too. I've seen only a couple pairs come up when I was collecting so they don't seem to be that common, but a neat way to have dual magnification and not have the penalty of zoom EPs

they don't seem to come up often, should be ok tho if a good make. try checking on cloudynights and birdforum to see if there's any reviews or more details

well done  

I'll take a guess that you mean the tube rings have broken? You may be able to find a way to fix it or alternatively buy a replacement pair of the correct size. If you have one good one left as a spare that's maybe no bad thing as you can mod it so the OTA remains in the correct balance point each time you re-mount it or while rotating it to get a better EP position. 

Can't comment on the focuser, but if you've found a way to get visual images into focus and do plan on trying photography, perhaps save the cost and stick with the one fitted, given the prev owner was using it for this purpose?

However, you might consider adding a counterweight so that the OTA is balanced with the weights further up the bar to reduce oscillation when imaging.

What was the solution by the way? might help others in the future...

the 222 is quite easy to strip down and give the internals and ball and socket a clean etc, just don't lube the ball/socket or the brake lever that acts on it or it'll just slip all the time. It's a nice solid unit, just need the appropriate allen keys and work methodically. Once adjusted its very nice to use and a bargain S/H. If the paint is worn that's easy to retouch too and makes it look like new again, think I used satin black to touch the wear out on mine. Replacing the bubble level is a pain but can be done tho its not so useful for star gazing, did that on mine just to make the mount "complete" as it were. Also obtained a couple extra quick-release plates for it so can quickly swap camera, binos etc  

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.

26 minutes ago, MimasDeathStar said:

 

Hi Dave - no it doesn't come with any of those things but I have a diagonal and eyepieces already that I inherited from a friend a couple of years ago when I was thinking about taking the plunge then. Thanks for your point about the telescope weight. Is 3kg heavy for a telescope? I thought it was quite light but maybe thats just because I was comparing it to the big dobsonians. I'll see how I go with the tripod - you probably know way more than me about these things. I can always buy a suitable one in a couple of months if this one doesn't work out I guess (and from what you say I might need to!)

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/