HollyHound

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Just a little Bresser MC100/1400 mak. Wanted something smaller and lighter than a 127 mak. Will start a thread on it later.

Now that looks like a nice little scope, interested to hear how it performs... very occasionally I miss the little Mak 102 I had when I started out all those long months ago at Christmas, but it's gone to a good home 😁

1 hour ago, John said:

When you have a look at the filter, see if the word "Profil" is printed on it or not. Some seem to have that and some don't but I can't find out the significance of it

1 hour ago, IB20 said:

Just “Astronomik” and “UHC0010067155”.

I have the same filter (ordered from FLO back in March), has exactly the same "Astronomik" and "UHC0010066070" (which is also printed on the case as a serial number). No sign of anything saying "Profil" 🤔

4 hours ago, Daf1983 said:

After some trouble finding a copy, the Sky and Telescope pocket sky atlas got delivered today. Need to make some FOV circles now to use while star hopping

Love this, it's my favourite sky chart. I got mine just before Christmas, but noticed that it went out of stock earlier this year and (as you say), very difficult to find anywhere 😬

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Berlebach 212 Report with a subtle mod. 🙂

As the 212 Report doesn’t have markings on the legs for setting the height of the tripod I decided to add some. Thought about adding some stick on clear measures but they were too thick to fit through the leg clamp bracket so decided to use some Letraset rub on transfer numbers as they are really just thin paint.

Removed the sliding leg sections and marked out the postions of the numbers using masking tape. The numbers are just postion indicators so no need for any measurements to be shown. After applying the numbers gave the legs a couple of coats of Osmo oil finish which matchers the existing finish perfectly. Once fully hardened it is tougher than polyurethane.

The end result is subtle yet makes it easy to set the legs at a specific height. 👍🏻

 

Nice mod John, makes all the difference having some reference like that, especially for a lightweight tripod, I’ve reset the legs a few times whilst using mine 👍

18 hours ago, LeeHore7 said:

This little peach was delivered today, happy times, just need the clouds to do one as I didn't order clouds with it 😉😁 , it will compliment my explorer 150p nicely on my eq3-2 mount 

I have the same, lovely little scope and super sharp for both lunar and planets. I’ve recently got a Mak 150, and whilst it does make for a slightly brighter view on DSOs and a tiny bit more detail on lunar, the difference is not massive. So bang for buck the Mak 127 is superb 😊

Maybe I’ve been lucky, but both are also really very collimated too 👍

10 hours ago, Sunshine said:

The postman has been a joy to see these days! bringing me my third Pentax XW. This 5mm should be great for those nights when seeing may not permit using my 3.5mm. Pentax XW’s are a bit like potatoe chi....sorry, crisps, you can’t have just one!.

Oh no, don't say that... I've just had the opportunity to use my new Pentax XW 40mm last night and loved it, but I didn't realise it came with a "buy more" warning 😬 They really are very nice thought, aren't they 👍

2 minutes ago, markse68 said:

ebay £10.83 delivered- just ordered

Nice one 👍

4 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Arrived this morning direct from Greenwich Observatory. A Map of the Moon drawn by Percy Wilkins. Some people view Wilkins map as overly complex and containing errors. However, I think its a genius work representing a lifetime of lunar study, and containing detail you're unlikely to find anywhere else. I've used Wilkins drawings as reference for years as depicted in his book The Moon, but i didnt know his complete Map of the Moon was available until it came up secondhand a couple of weeks ago. Sadly it had been claimed, but a quick search revealed its still available from the Royal Observatory shop for around £12.

Lovely book... I bought this last month, at the same time as getting Luna Cognita (which is also a fantastic book BTW). Just for information, I got mine from Amazon for £12.99, but the Royal Observatory Shop is indeed a tad cheaper, and direct of course 👍

Hi Robert,

Welcome to the forum, it’s a very friendly and informative place 🙂

Cheers

Gary

40 minutes ago, johninderby said:

One thing I miss though compared to the Uni is the markings on the legs that make it easy to set at a particular height.

I did notice that the Report 2x2 and 1x2 models have no markings, whereas they are present on the 3x2 and 4x2 models. Seems like a strange omission as like you, I find them incredibly useful. Glad you have a potential solution 🤞

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

An Astro Essentials 9x50 RACI finder for the ScopeTech 80 f/15. Replaced the 6x30 finder I had originaly fitted mainly so I could use the solar filter I had for a 9x50 finder.  So much easier to find and centre the sun using a proper finder. 👍🏻

ScopeTech looking good on the Report tripod 👍

You'd think with such a long scope that it would need a really massive tripod (Uni 28 etc), but I've found the little Report to be remarkably sturdy too 🙂

It is possible that this counterweight bar (from the Star Adventurer, but also used on the AZ EQ Avant), might work... if required 🤔

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-star-adventurer/skywatcher-star-adventurer-counterweight-kit.html

16 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Can’t find the spces for the counterweight bar but it looks like an M8 or M10 thread? 

The more I look at the mount it seems like it might not work properly without the counterweight. Unequal loading on the az bearing without? 🤔

You're right, it actually looks a little bit like my very first mount... the Skywatcher AZ EQ Avant (https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-eq-avant/sky-watcher-skyhawk-1145ps-az-eq-avant.html), when operating in AZ mode. Nice, but very low payload (3kg) and swapped between EQ and AZ, but even with the supplied Mak 102, I found it needed the provided counterweight when used in AZ mode, otherwise it tended to bind a little bit.

On 26/07/2020 at 12:08, johninderby said:

Just got the Berlebach 212 Report tripod and am surprised how stable it is for such a light tripod.

Can carry the whole setup outside with one hand. 👍🏻

+1 on the Report tripod range, I have the 372 Report and it’s a lovely lightweight and stable tripod. Like @johninderby, I can also carry the tripod, ScopeTech Zero mount and C5 around with one hand 😊

The ScopeTech is also a mount worth considering...  more information here.

3 hours ago, Pixies said:

My first 2". AN OVL Aero ED SWA 30mm

You'll enjoy this 😀... I have the 35mm version, which works really well in my StellaMira 80mm f/10 👍

I am putting it up against my latest acquisition... Pentax 40mm XW... if I find the Pentax vastly superior, then the 35mm maybe heading towards the sale section...

26 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The wee little Berlebach tripod arrived. Set up for now with the Manfrotto 405 geared head.

Looks a bit small next to the Uni tripod. 🙂

Very nice indeed, they do complement each other well 👍

I love that having both gives options, most of the time the lighter weight Report is absolutely fine, but the Uni 28 is there to support the heavy stuff when needed 😀

4 minutes ago, johninderby said:

A couple of boxes. 😁

 

No idea what these could possibly be 🤔🤣

At least yours came together, mine arrived on separate days 😮

2 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Now 1.40pm???🤣🤣

No pressure then 🤣

21 hours ago, johninderby said:

All Skytees have an M10 thread. A 3/8 thread sort of screws into the M10 thread on the Skytee but it’s not a good fit. 

 

Agreed. I've come close to damaging a thread too, trying to fit 3/8 and M10 together, so do very careful 🤞

12 hours ago, johninderby said:

BTW just found out that Berlebach is closed for “company holidays” until the 17th August. The only mention of this seems tombe on their Contact Us page.

11 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Found APM has stock in Germany (unless they’re taking holidays too? Slightly odd to take time off right now.....)

FWIW, I've noticed APM has some of these on eBay, but they may be subject to the same holiday issue, as they're possibly coming from Germany too.

You will love the Report, I've got the C5 with 8-24mm zoom and mounted on the ScopeTech permanently ready to go just inside the back patio door now, and it's made it so much easier to pick it all up and wander anywhere around the farm I want to get a good view 👍

I can also very quickly swap out to the StellaMira too when required. The Mak 150 and ST80 now stay on the SkyTee, which remains on the Uni 28.

I do love these Berlebach tripods 😀

4 hours ago, johninderby said:

Just received a delivery notice from DPD saying it will be delivered today. Nothing from Berlebach at all which is a bit odd. 🤔

Still showing the same the same message on the Berlebach site though.

I'm guessing they cleared their order backlog before they went on holiday, but didn't push through their own dispatch email. I've found that suppliers that use DPD (which I love BTW!), tend to have "personalised" dispatch emails coming from them followed by a DPD only one 🤔

At least it's arriving... which model did you get in the end, or shall we wait for the big reveal on "What did the postman bring today ?" 😀

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

I know what it is now. An updated version of a Gerrman stick grenade. 😁

With the screw thread though, it would imply that it's reusable... gotta love the efficiency 😬

Welcome to the forum Ross, those are fantastic photos 😀

Cheers

Gary

Just to clarify... the ScopeTech does have clutches, but they can be tightened easily to the point where it is still possible to freely move the scope around normally and also use the slow motion controls, without having to tighten/loosen the clutches. I've found that even when moderately tight, free motion and slow motion are free and easy, so I just keep it like this and don't touch the clutches again 👍

I believe they use a ball bearing based clutch ?