Robindonne

Thx very much.  These advices will help a lot. 

2 hours ago, robbymain said:

The Vixen APP-TL130 tripod is a lot better than the standard one supplied with the Porta II....

Thx.  Yes looks very solid!!

just saw this video and it looks okay.    The contrast with the standard tripod is big (maybe also because that new standard is made weaker).   I had last night actually decided to get rid of that porta.  Or at least go search for something else.  
But your suggestion makes me thinking of upgrading to this tripod.   Thx   

What a nice slomo knobs😍

May i ask you something about the setup-time of this mount?   I planned to buy this summer an eq6r.  I planned it in a time when i really was completely new to all this.    In the mean time the “to carry” equipment has become a bit heavier, and I’m still somewhere in the valley on my climb into this hobby, so my guess is that i will keep upgrading during this hobby.  Therefore i found out my chosen alt-az mount  is also getting outdated.   I’m getting very interested in this az-eg6. I just dont know how much it will effect the easiness of a grab and go setup.  Compared to the 3 minutes of mounting the scope and unleash the light with a grab and go, how long will it take to have this mount up and running?    Do you guys always use the electronics? And related to that, is it possible to open the clutch and just look around without first having to look at an orange screen? Thx for any advice.  
 

Oh and i meant of course just for the alt az settings!!

Helloooooooooo

10 hours ago, knobby said:

Oooh, I'd check collimation first then. Looks very weird.

Thx.  I will give it a try.   I did find another tread today here that talked about tube currents.    But first the more precise collimation.  Thx very much

Something like this.   It’s not really a clone of what i saw last night, but it’s close.   The right half was more fuzzy then this image.   No matter what I tried.  It kept this vague area.  

Thx for this quick help.   Yes you are right.   Thats what i see when i use a refractor.   But then quite sharp.   The c8 however shows something like a “tail” of blurring on one half of Mars.   It might be a coincidence but it was also acting like a tail.  When Mars moved out of my eyepiece, this (half planet) tail followed it. I tried to zoom out/in to have a quick check on collimation, but no noticeable size difference of that donut.  Do i maybe need to collimate more precisely?

Goodmorning.   I have an issue what might be related to collimation but i’m not sure.   
 

The last two nights i aimed mij c8 on Mars. Let it cool for an hour+ but the results were disappointing.   The view was 50/50.   One half of Mars was blurred   Not only blurred/fuzzy, but a vague blurred area around the planet.   Is this caused by a bad collimation, or does it need more cooling?  Its not there when using a refractor.  
 

Last two nights i didnt manage to let it cool much longer because some foam squared thing in my bedroom was calling for me.
 

Also didn’t notice it when looking at other planets or the moon.  

Hello and welcome from also a noob from NL

The metal colored or the black ones?   I can remove one for you and take some measurements 

37 minutes ago, johninderby said:

With 1.25” eyepieces it doesn’t matter what size diagonal you use as long as it is decent quality. No real advantage in a 2” diagonal other than it lets you use long focal length 2” eyepieces.

Just get a 2” visual back. The Baader is nice but a bit expensive but good quality ones can be had for about £20.00.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-click-lock-2-for-celestron-meade-sct.html

Or cheaper alternative.

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/revelation-sct-2-visual-back.html#SID=627

Ah thx.  Well i have some visual backs.  Some different types of 1,25 and 2”.   I was just wondering if the 1,25 diagonal wont show all. Dont know how to describe.....a cropped view?

So in my case, only having one decent diagonal, the 2”, its better to mount that one tonight.   
 

Just thought of it while assembling everything. I realised i dont have a good 1,25” diagonal.  Immediately added it to my to-buy list.  
But then a new question pops up: Does one really need a good 1,25” diagonal, while almost every scope supports a 2”?
 

A short question i cant find an answer for.  What is the best option to mount to the back of a C8.  Does a 2” give a better view than a 1,25”?   I have just 1 dielectric diagonal.  And that’s the 2”.  My other diagonal is the stardiagonal that came with the C8, that’s the 1,25”.  
Most of my eyepieces are 1,25”, but of course fit the adapter of the 2”.  
 

thx for helping me out...

Ah.  Thats called a sudden death in soccer

Yes. Just took some. A bit dark but good to see.   It’s approx 8 mm?   I removed that standard screw to fit it one of these from the 4th picture, otherwise it hits the mount.  I have to say, the slomo cables were part of a used mount i bought.  And although i assumed it was a standard fit, i also thought these were sw cables.  If you say they sw cables are 6,5 mm inside, then these aren’t sw.  
 

I then have to add some cables to my “desperate-to-buy-list”. I hope i can find some blanco part on that sheet😥

2 hours ago, jock1958 said:

All the end fittings of my slo mo cables are approximately the same internal diameter of 6.25 mm and slo mo stub shafts on my Skytee 2 & Vixen mounts are approx 6.0mm outside diameter with flats on for the grub screws to tighten onto. Have you any pics of your problem? 

4 hours ago, jock1958 said:

I agree the legs are very flimsy on the Vixen Porta II but it works pretty well with my Tak FS-60 as an ultra lightweight grab & go.
Also replaced the low rent plastic Slo Mo controls that @John mentioned with skywatcher cables  which improves things immeasurably! 

What other options of slomo cables would you suggest.   I think i have the skywatcher ones but they seems to have such big openings in it. When i Have thightened the screw, it’s so much pushed to the side that it almost hits the mount on a mm

Its like Tesla.   In 10 years we love it

4 minutes ago, Andy38416 said:

That’s what I thought. This was first night observing with my new 8se and wasn’t expecting it to align first time, but it did no problems. I have the WiFi portal to use the app but I find it easier to align with the hand controller. I was 99% sure there isn’t a way, I guess it’s about learning and using some decent apps like you say.

Well i dont know how It works with a celestron set, but once you have the paid pro version of skysafari, (and it’s really at the cost of a cheap eyepiece) and connected with the mount, you’ll start to hate the standard handcontroller.   With the skysafari app you just move around the sky, zoom in or out, tap on the object on the screen and the mount will follow you to that object.   No more alfabetic scrolling through the database.  

Yep.  They are worse then the first edition.   Ill go for an upgrade, but first swap the legs with my daughters porta 1.   When she is at school in September she wont notice the swap around I hope

I guess thats not going to work.   It does skip the “below horizon” object, but not the “behind houses” objects.   The best way to solve this is probably use your smartphone with an app like skysafari(free).  That way you can already see if slewing to a particular object makes any sense

On 22/06/2020 at 13:27, Lockie said:

OK then, seems like the polished reverse side of the primary is Skywatchers new vibe after all. It would be cool to know why? it seems like more work than just grinding the back of the mirror flat with the frosted finish. 

Im not a specialist in this Mirror-production.  But my cnc-woodworking head lets me immediately think of the flat surfaces (on the back of the material) i need when “clamping” my material with vacuum suction cups to work on it.   Maybe, but im not sure.

Im not sure if there is no recommendations made for this scope.  Try finding some picture off this scope in action, or maybe contact the local store.?

Cant give a good advice cause im not familiar with this scope

Hmm yes.  Very clever they made it exchangeable.  Because thats probably the first thing you’ll do🙄.   And indeed the same plastic knobs.   Although the “push fit” kinda Internal shape does make them immediately fit tight (for now). 

Let the search for a sturdy tripod begin!!!

Hello.  And very sorry to hear about your loss.   If you asked it last month i would have said, buy a vixen porta.  But i recently found out its not near stable.   Im on the search for a stable tripod myself.   Of course there are plenty available.   But the ones that have a good cost/quality ratio is really hard to see on a picture, showed by company’s or shops.   Im more and more thinking of buying wood/carbon.   The instability of a mount takes all the fun away.

Hope some good advices show up here.   Ill steal one from you if you dont mind.    You too stay safe.

1 hour ago, banjaxed said:

The Skywatcher 3/8” stainless steel tripod is a big improvement on the standard one assuming it is the same fitting.

Yes i believe you right away.   I have one here and maybe ill start using it for the porta head.  But that idea of a nice short extendable lightweight tripod was 50% of the reason of buying this porta.  I’ve read a lot from users complaining about their wobbling porta tripod.  I just never agreed with them.  Now with the “new” porta ii the tripod feels so bad compared to that first porta edition?   These legs feel like alu foil.  😒.