PaulG_SF

Sorted! I was dummy. The reducer replaced everything and goes on the focuers. I didn't realise it had its own rotator - doh! Thought I'd post in case anyone has the same issue... I doubt they will, I like to complicate the simple!

Yeah fired off an email yesterday and left message. I figured I'd ask on here too - I feel like it's something I should know - like how to change a headlight bulb, or change the fuse in a plug.

On the scope side there's the rotator, the two inch compression ring and the 1.25 adapter. The reducer is basically a supplied. The thread on it will only fit the focuser with the rotator removed. I can't see anything I can change on reducer. It's very weird

Hi all I wonder if anyone can just confirm if I'm a dummy or if there is something else I need here. I just had an Altair Astro 72EDF Deluxe Refractor delivered. I ordered it with a 1x flatenner, but it came with a Starwave 08X Reducer V3. I don't mind this because it speeds things up a bit and gives bit more wideness. The problem is I cannot work out how to fit it. I have tried just about every combination. The only way I can get the reducer to fit is to take off the rotator and screw directly into the focuser. I then can't connect the rotator. The Rotator is too small, if I take the outer red ring out, it's too big. I'm rubbish with thread sizes at the best of times and now I am so confused I'm not even sure what way round it goes (I'm only half joking too!). I've given Altair a ring and email, but not had a response as yet. I'm sure they'll come back to me soon, but thought I'd ask some advice - just to make sure I'm not compeletely mad. Also if you're in the south of england, enjoying the rain... yeah that started just after I ordered the scope... sorry.

I've had the evostar 120 for 10 years. Although it has been laid up for half that time due to time issues. I have recently started using alongside by Reflector. I found it to be very sharp, Lunar views are amazing. I discovered the joy of splitting double stars and Bright DSOs are also pleasing. You can get great planetary views, but I struggled to get focus with anything bigger than a 2x barlow. CA is present. It's well controlled but you can't escape it. I did some really basic imaging - mainly luna with a webcam. I also fixed my DSLR to the end and did some shots of M42, Andromeda and M51. The stars were blue fringed, as you would expect - but given I was more visual biased at the time I was not overly bothered. Not particularly specific, but hope that helps. I'd say it's a good choice if you are on a budget and imaging isn't in your future or you just want to dabble a bit with imaging.

That's interesting - focal lengths, dew and focusing were factors I had not considered. Dew control never even entered my thought process (it should have as my Evostar 120 is a due magnet!). Having hopped around the net yesterday, the feeling I'm getting is OAG is a lot more convenient - certainly in my circumstances.

Hi everyone. This is a question that has no doubt been done to death, but I want to ask it because tech has changed so much since last time I considered guiding options. Was not too sure where to post this - Mods feel free to move it if there is a better place! It's kind of a question of two parts. My current setup is - Skywatched 200P-DS on an EQ-6 Mount. I'm not permanently mounted so have to set up for every session So first general question. What's the current wisdom re guide scope vs off axis guiding? When I've built "dream setups" in the past it never occured to me to investigate it. I appeals to me as it seem like a good way to reduce weight, but I wonder how it would work if imaging something with no obvious guide stars. The second part of the question assumes using a guide scope. My initial thoughts were to acquire a colour camera capable of planetary imaging and guiding - like the ZWO ASO120 and hook it up to a startravel ST80. I figure this would be a flexible setup. However the idea of a a dedicated mono guide cam and dedicated guide scope (around 50mm?) again this strikes as a more compact solution - less weight, hopefully less setup. Anyway that's kind of where I'm thinking at the moment. Really keen to tap into your opinions, experience and so on. I'm open to all options - so of if there is something I've missed - let me know! Thanks Paul

Hey everyone - thanks for the warm welcome.

Thank you all for the welcome - I've been having a bit of look round. Sooo many interesting thread.... I'm getting so many good ideas and inspiration.

Hi there! I'm the guy who broke the summer - yep bought a new telescope. Non stop cloud ever since. Here's a little about me. I've been dipping in and out of Astronomy since I was 10 or 11 (back in the early 80s). I've always had a succession of scopes but never really been able to put a system together that really delivered the results I wanted. My enemies were cash, time and security lights. About 10 years ago I decided I needed to dive in properly - I figured on a programme of visual, then imaging, then better imaging. I worked on the basis of mount first, scope secondary. So I started off with an EQ-6 and an Evsostar 120. I had some good times with the evostar (I still have it), but rapidly found my desire to image was stronger than I thought. Of course the 'frac wasn't best suited to acquiring images - however I got some okay stuff of the moon, planets and bright Nebulae (Well M42). I did have some fun doing moon mosaics with a stupidly overkill barlow and celestron NexImage. I kind of recognised the need to move to a better scope and provisionally considered the SW 200DPS Due to life happening I had break for 5 years. Then roll on troubled 2020 I popped outside and noticed how clear the sky was and also how light pollution had reduced in my local area. I decided to revisit what I had and consider what I wanted to do. Already owning a mount meant all I had to consider was a OTA. Again the 200DPS was front runner, but I noticed how popular scopes like the ED80 had become and how relatively affordable they are. I seriously considered going this route, but in the end opted for the 200. The way I figured it the savings made on the Newt would allow me to look into guiding options sooner. I may well end up with a refractor (I've always preferred refractors for no other reason than they are refractors). I figure it will be an upgrade I can grow toward. So far the newt has been amazingly good fun and very forgiving in comparison to my 120. I've been hooking up my old EOS50D and have taken some encouraging (if a little awful) images of M101 and M13. I've even dusted of the NexImage and produced some moon stuff (serioulsy it is terrible, but it works... a bit) That's me in summary. Pleased to meet you all. I will probably have loads of questions on guiding and cameras coming up... There's been so much progress in the past five years I'm more than a little out of date!