Mandy D

2 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

From Which magazine. Is an extension lead on an extension lead really a bad idea?  and many other sources.
 

Yes it is. You should never 'daisy-chain' extension leads together. If you use more than one extension lead per socket it will significantly raise the risk of overloading the socket.

Read more: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-to-avoid-overloading-your-plug-sockets-at-home-aTSuv5g17VME - Which?

No. If you connect two or more extension leads together (sometimes known as 'daisy-chaining), the resistance of the extension leads increase. This can lead to overheating and fires. Only use one extension lead per socket and never plug an extension lead into another.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. You really should not take much notice of Which? magazine. The important thing is the total load current as measured at the wall socket where the first lead is plugged in. Nothing else after that matters! Which? is just putting out information to ensure that idiots do not accidentally overload a circuit. Yes, the total resistance in circuit as contributed by the copper in the cables increases, but no matter what that rises to (as long as the cable is rated for the total current) it will not overheat, nor will it catch fire. The above is, as usual, poor quality advice from Which?

You really don't need to worry too much about the resistance of an extension cable until it is over about 100 metres. The only real impact it has is voltage drop and if the voltage at the end of the cable is too low for the connected appliance to properly function, it may cause problems. In the case of small, low power appliances, such as phone chargers and TVs you can connect many more than the 4 sockets on the first extension cable. Looking at a 5 volt, 2 amp USB power supply in my office, it specifies 0.3 amps input current. To reach the 13 A rating of a UK socket, would require 43 of them plugged in and fully loaded. I'm guessing the 0.3A input rating is the surge at initial connection, as it is way too much for the rated output and expected efficiency of a switched mode power supply, so you could probably add a load more and still be OK, but let's not recommend that.

On 08/05/2022 at 23:11, wookie1965 said:

You should not be running a extension lead off another extension lead it is a serious fire hazard.

 

Only if you overload it!

18 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Looks indeed like an old Fullerscopes MkIII mount head or maybe a MkII with a paint job. The feet on the pier look to be homemade, maybe the originals were removed at some point and misplaced!

Yes, the feet definitely seem homemade. I've just had a close look at them and they are steel box-section with some small bolts in the underside, presumably for levelling. So, a Fullerscope MkII or III, then?

It looks like it is going to be a lot of work to restore this beast, but it seems very solidly made, with the obvious exception of the feet. The welding looks sub-par on all parts of the mount, but I don't think it is going to let go. I inherited an old SIP stick welder with it. I wonder if that was an encrypted message?

@doublevodka It is quite similar, but like you say, I'm tempted to think that it may be home made. Looking at all of these pictures and comparing what I have, I'm begining to get a clearer picture of how equatorial mounts work. I have just agreed to buy a Starwatcher 200P, so that would be a better fit for this mount than my RC, so no need to increase the pier height.

I'm currently trying (and failing) to remove the counterbalance weights from the shaft. Once I have it stripped I'll assess the parts, then (hopefully!) get them professionally cleaned and finished. I can then return to here and see if someone can help me get it set up and working, initially as a hand guided EQ mount. I'd love to have a clock drive on it, but that would have to be much later.

35 minutes ago, doublevodka said:

Reminds me of a fullerscope mount, maybe have a look here to start with? https://www.bcftelescopes.co.uk/about-broadhurst-clarkson-and-fuller-ltd/broadhurstclarksonandfullerltd/ it almost certainly had a long reflector on it at some point

Interesting read. Thank you. I'm not sure mine is quite as professionally made ...

On 26/07/2013 at 14:53, Michael1971 said:

Hi, for AP, can someone recommend a reducer for this scope? I am also wondering if it produces a flat field without a flatner on a DSLR (1100D)

I bought the RC6 expecting a flat field for full-frame, but, no, it doesn't appear to cover even crop-sensors adequately.

The 1100D is a crop sensor, right? Try this from FLO.

18 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Some good stuff on that website, I bet if those cases were sold as astro gear they would be at least 50% more 🙂 

Steve

They even have star cloths for those cloudy nights!

https://www.terralec.co.uk/star_cloths_/led_star_cloth___cool_white_3_x_6m_dmx/35068_p.html

I'll apologise now. Sorry!

Hi David

Thank you. Yes, now that I look at it I can see that it is wheel gear for driving with a worm. That would make sense as it came out of an observatory. It would also explain the odd bracket adjacent to it as a mount for the motor.

Hopefully, someone will turn up with said pics or more info.

Mandy

Hi David

Thanks for replying. The scope that may go on this is an RC6, so fairly short.

As stated in my original post, the axes move smoothly. I've just checked and cannot feel any play in either of them, so I am hopeful that they are OK. It feels like there is grease in there, i.e. no rubbing or scraping as you move it.

I totally agree that a new mount would be a better bet, but I don't really want to throw £200 at one right now, as I am saving for an HEQ5 Goto. As I mentioned, the mount belonged to someone who is no longer with us and I'd really like to put it into use. I would propose to strip it into it's component parts, have them shot blasted and then powder coated.

I'm just a little confused as to what exactly is there. For example, what is the bracket for above the setting circles? Is anything important missing?

Thanks again for your comments.

Mandy

I was given this equatorial mount and pier a few years ago, but never got around to setting it up. I'm thinking about using it with my RC6. The RA and declination axes are free and seem fairly smooth, but it seems to have an awful lot of balance weights on it. From the height of the pier, I am guessing it was probably used with a Newt, so I will probably have to extend the pier height or buy a tripod. Can any of you nice people give me some advice and guidance on setting it up, please or tell me if I would be wasting my time and money with this, but I would prefer to get it working as it was given to me by someone who is no longer with us. It seems to have setting circles on one axis, but not the other.

I know I will need some Vixen dovetail mounts and will have to drill the mounting plate on the mount. Are these what I want in the link below?

Please keep in mind that I have never used an equatorial mount before, so I am a complete beginner. I understand the basic idea and know I will have to polar align it, but the rest is pretty much a mystery to me.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/adm-vixen-style-dovetail-plate-adaptor.html

Ooh, that's nice for carrying the accessories in. I'm tempted to get one. 

On 06/04/2022 at 12:42, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Looking for best case or bag for a RC6.
I have seen THIS one which looks okay and I think will just fit the scope with focusser attached, but if dimensions are to the outside of the bag then it will be close and I really do not want to remove the focusser at all. I just wondered what other RC owners use.

 

Steve

I guess you've got a bag for your RC6, now. But, for those viewing this thread later, I was in the same position as nothing seemed to be listed for that scope, so I settled on the one linked below for a 180mm MC, which has a nice section on the end for accessories. My RC6 fits perfectly with all the extension pieces and focuser on the OTA. I'm very happy with it.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-bags-cases-storage/oklop-padded-bag-for-180mm-maksutov-cassegrain-telescopes-with-pocket.html

I think you'll find the Skymax a lot more portable than the RC to be fair.

The Skymax 127 was on my list, but I rejected it in favour of the flatter field of the RC6 as I wanted to do imaging. The RC6 is not as small or portable as I imagined it would be as it has a baffled tube and lots of back focus, but the Crayford focusser is nice and smooth.

8 minutes ago, Ags said:

Surface detail is subtle - I don't know how it might look in another scope, but I think the human eye does struggle a little with distinguishing deep shades of red anyway. But I can see sunspots and plages and swirls and mottling. The scope shines with showing off prominences and filaments however. It took a while to find the right tuning setting - this required methodically photographing at each setting and comparing the images. What also helps is stopping down the aperture as quarks work better at f30 than f15.5. I typically stop down to 43 mm (f22) aperture using some cheap dslr step-down rings.  I have posted a few pictures from the Scout on the forum; I am very happy with the photographic performance.

Thank you! I've managed to get sunspots as you can see in my photo. It's always been the other stuff which requires tuning of the filter that has been the problem. I'm never sure when it is in focus. I'll definitely try stopping it down, now. I've seen surface detail and prominences through a Lundt, so expected this to be similar, but maybe it is not. I just need to find my USB battery pack, which I've not seen in months!

4 minutes ago, Elp said:

Never used one but I have their quark. Have you started with the tuning in the middle? If it's anything like a Coronado PST which I think it is you'll either shift the bandpass to be able to see prominences clearly or surface detail/sunspots, not both at the same time (though the quark does display more broadly than the PST). I also find you have to look for a few minutes unbroken and let your eyes adapt to the brightness and concentrate your vision on a particular detail. Make sure your head is covered and not able to see sunlight diffuse reflection from around the telescope or the ground (just like night viewing and blocking stray light at the eyepiece).

Yes, you shift the bandpass to see one detail or the other. Maybe I need to get a new Supergirl cape made from Kryptonium to keep the light away from my eyes. Next time I get this thing set up, I'll try this and spend more time at the eyepiece. Thank you.

My Samyang 800 mm f/8 mirror lens on a Nikon D3200 looking for sunspots. Didn't find any this time!

11 minutes ago, badhex said:

Nice. I was just lamenting going from Bortle 5 skies in Ducky to Bortle 8 at home in Berlin on another thread! 

I don't know the Bortle rating of my skies, but when we cross the road in the hamlet where the big Dob is, you cannot see where you are going at night unless you leave a light on, hence the streetlamp behind the scope.

2 minutes ago, badhex said:

Nice! Not a bad size to start with if you've got the space. Also I note you're another Derbyshirean? I was just visiting my parents in Duckmanton! 

Yes, yes, I am and not too far from Duckmanton. You definitely need the space for that scope and it is under a south facing verandah in my photo, but not in the UK. I bought something smaller for the UK, as Covid restrictions were preventing us from getting to the big one.

This little beastie: A Skywatcher 250PX. I'd been looking at getting a telescope for years, but always considered them too expensive, prior to Chinese manufacturing taking the marketplace by storm. I spotted it on the internet, ex-display but otherwise brand-new with a substantial discount. It was probably a bit bigger than I'd been planning, but hey, aperture rules, right?

What does everyone think of the Daystar Solar Scout? I have one, but have never yet been able to tune it to see any detail.

On 07/02/2022 at 19:04, Altair8389 said:

1) How do you store the equipment ? Do you put tripods, mount heads back into the case or do you leave them in an empty room (I don't have much empty space or rooms) with mount heads on their tripods to maximum height (takes up so much empty space)

2) For large telescopes, how do you store them ? In a shelf or on a table or in their boxes ?

3) For setup, I find it can a long time, because I have all my filters, and things like adaptors in various boxes, sometimes in their original packaging. Do you have to be super organised and get them packed and arranged logically like a library ??

How do those with big scopes cope ? I find it cumbersome and hard to manage heavy big scopes which is why even the 150pds is not going into imaging just yet !! (not learned collimation yet, have to buy all those Cheshire collimators and lasers!!, no coma corrector - too expensive).

Many thanks.

Magnus.

I keep my OTA in a bag / backpack like these:

https://oklopbags.com/telescope-bags/bag-for-newtonians/

Mine has a compartment for eyepieces and accessories. The DSLRs and lenses have their own case. This one:

https://www.parkcameras.com/shop/veo-select-42t-bk---pilot-style-roller-shoulder-bag---black_9775560w

My big (photo) tripod came with a carrying bag, but is usually kept in the back of the Land Rover to save lugging it back and forth. I have a backpack for the laptop.

It would help to be super-organised, but I never am!

M42. It is so pretty and the first DSO I ever imaged.

An Oklop padded bag / backpack for my iOptron RC6. The bag is designed for a 180 MC, but is the perfect size for the RC6 with all the extension rings and focuser fitted.

On 06/05/2022 at 10:11, FLO said:

As you observe, you can also listen to hundreds of audio descriptions and view detailed information about thousands of objects within the app’s database. 

 

 

Oh no, please, No! It'll be like using a self-service checkout at Tesco! Can you imagine several of these at a star party all with audio commentary turned on? Other than that it looks like a great idea.