Stardaze

I’m going to order a concentre today anyhow. How do you mean orient the adaptor? I saw one video where it was recommended to draw it up to roughly the focus point of an eyepiece?

Are you a Cheshire fan too then John? Not too fussy about absolutes, or it just works for you? Good to hear differing views.

Not sure about throwing good money after bad, maybe just wait and buy the hotech next month. I’ll look into the barlowed laser @Ricochet technique too. Do you tighten the Cheshire in the focus drawer? Mine seems to want to tilt to the left and the outer circle of the secondary drifts with it?

I'll have a look at collimating a laser. The TS ones are €49 so mid-priced, was thinking of staying away from the £20 versions. I'll read up tomorrow.

@johninderby which concenter have you, the 1.25" or2"? I really don't like the play in the focus tube of the Cheshire! Guess the 1.25" is a bit more flexible, just wondering what the fit is like, given my criticism of the Cheshire. I'm going to order one of these, but... what are the TS Optics lasers like? Half the price of a Hotech. I know, scrimping, but struggling with £100 for a laser on top of a concenter. Should get the replacement alt bearing tomorrow, fingers crossed. Still the end of the month for the 9x50 though.

What are the tell-tale signs, or is it quite noticeable just by looking at them? My little starter was bought 5 years ago and I didn't really look after it other than some time spent in the garage and some of those years in a spare room, the primary had some dust on it but it looked perfectly ok to the eye, to me?

I actually don't use geared heads, favour ball heads, but I have various manfrotto tri pods, so a third of the way there..

I thought it was a manfrotto head but it didn't quite look right.

Looks great! Not going to get carried away, will enjoy my dob this winter and learn what I can. But, I do fancy a frac and I have the ‘legs’ to put one on too ha! What’s the mount you have there?

How old is the dob John? Do they dull with age? I was under the impression that washing mirrors was a very last resort? So many questions...

Looks like a lifetimes obsession John 😃 Does the StellaMira take some setting up? How much sharper are the images for planetary subjects and do you do a little astrophography? Sorry, lots of questions that's intriguing for a newbie working out what is used for what purpose. I can translate this into my lens collection (and many I've owned)

Wow! So what gets used when? What’s the mak?

Should elaborate...there's a spot in my garden that works nicely but is a nuisance, and, I've got more time on my hands than normal 😁 Did I clock that you also have a mak? Storing my camera kit isn't too bad, but several telescopes would probably earn me a decree nisi.

I've discounted castors for now on the basis that my patio isn't that castor friendly (plans to sort that soon!) I've thought about building an adjustable base so that I can level it anywhere, we'll see. I do think that 10" isn't too wieldly and can drag it around fairly easily, not sure how a 14" or above would bein use.

Have mirrors got a general life expectancy under ‘normal usage’ John?

So is being a 'dob owner' a tinkerers delight? I'm hoping I've bought into a dob that will last me a good few years. If anything, I'd probably complement it one day with a frack or mak, but that's a good while away, after an Orion base ha! @johninderby I note you've added a handle to the base, is that to assist moving in use?

Done. There’s always a box of bits with random packets of Allen keys in everyone’s ‘spares’ box, right?

It’s typical isn’t it? My daughter was playing with my Allen key set and the 1.5mm is missing 😂

Good to know, thanks for the advice John. I’ll work on the EP’s first and add those two afterwards.

At least 2” covers any EP. An UHC and O-III are on the list then. There’s always something, huh! My camera gadget bag adds up, can see this pursuit taking on a similar path 🙄 I’m still contemplating the handle, might wait for the replacement alt baring to ensure it’s all ok before modding.

I’ll go astronomik or televue for sure and probably 2”. Is there a thread at the base of the 2” - 1.25” reducer then? I did wonder this last night, that would make sense. The 24 ES is 2” anyway and plan to add to it. Also the kind of thing that probably get picked up secondhand too. Do you personally use a filter more often than not?

Brace yourself for this dumb question fellas, but... just looking at the focus assembly with a view to change the angle as @Ricochet mentions, I’ve just seen the little black knob in between the two main adjusters. Is that a micro adjustment?

I had two of exactly the same brackets packed?

Which was how mine was 😂 Got an email from Bresser yesterday confirming the replacement bracket has been despatched. The SW 9x50 RACI isn’t due till the end of the month though 😔 Thanks for the focusser tip, I hadn’t noted that before so will change I mine.

I’m thinking of additional bits that I’ll be needing soon enough, as you do, and a filter or two will be on there. I’d like a nebulae filter to begin with, so should my first filter be an OIII? Quality over quantity so wouldn’t scrimp.