DeathWarpedUp

havent tried myself, but planning too, as my old power tank has recently bit the dusk, lots of different capacity with extra USB slots etc.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16800mAh-Heavy-Duty-600A-USB-Jump-Starter-Battery-Car-Power-Bank-Charger-Booster/392831717029?hash=item5b76984ea5:g:~G0AAOSwYvJe36bd

Basing it on the 9.25 being your primary:

Don't worry about the Barlow in the 9.25 (as others have mentioned) it probably wont be needed in many circumstances.  Your 9.25 is also far more adaptable with  cheaper eps than the f5.

As a cpc800 user myself  I would recommend (as always) a Baader hyperion zoom 8-24 , which gives you good ep's in one and is quite fun in its own way. it has both a 1.25" nozzle and 2" screw on adaptor so can be used on both diagonals...Saying that I would then get a 2" diagonal (with a locking system, not the screws) with a 1.25 adaptor. Maybe a celestron one (it comes with a 2" sct thread so you dont need a 2" visual back), the reason being that I like the widefield views). You can stick with the 1.25 diagonal however.

And finally I would get a good wide field EP from explore scientific. if budget allows...probably a 34/68 this is a 2", so It depends if your smaller scope will fit a 2" diagonal (wfitting and comfortabe weight wise) and how much you want to use the bigger EP in the small scope. if you dont want the 2" ep then I would go for an explore scientific 24/68.

Personally id get the 2". If budget doesnt alow the wider ep, then cheaper alternatives as the william oprics swan, Orion Q70 or agenaastro (us shop) do their own version which is cheaper still. This I would consider a good base for your kit covering most things, and if and when you want something specific in the future tailor a future purchase ep for that. The kit mentioned above is considered flexible enough to keep you going for a long time).Of course everyone is going to recommend TV ect, but the sct can handle slightly cheaper (but still very good) stuff better than other types of scopes so the visual experience is (imo) fairly marginal and in some cases unnoticable Beware that some recommendations are based on people with refractors ect, so their viewing experience may differ from SCT's, so always good to ask.

so if brought in UK: Baader zoom £180, Diagonal £180, ES 2" "£210 or 1.25" £138. Thats coming up to near $1000.

Alternatively, scrap the 2" idea if you wish, get the zoom the 1.25 ES EP and save the money for another EP further down the road once you have a bit of experience with the zoom and 1.25.  You might want to use that $ to fund a filter of some kind (UHC or OIII) for help with nebulas.

The zoom pretty much covers planetry for me, the wide field is for the pretty stars and nebulas (ooohh, ahhhh ), as well as my general finder.

5 minutes ago, gary756 said:

Thank you taking the time to measure up, all very helpful stuff. Was out Saturday night and managed to drop my baader zoom,  luckily just a bit of paint scratched off.  Then skyportal went into meltdown and at one point actually put the scope upside down!!

Anyway the zoom ep was good eye relief I found to be comfortable even on max zoom.  But definitely think I need to upgrade my diagonal. Might just save for an extra month or so and go for a 2".

 

Oh dear, at least it was just the paint though. 2" are great, just check the field stop on the ep to make sure it's suitable  for your scopes spec

8 minutes ago, StarGazingSiouxsie said:

On a general not in relation to wifi telescope control, I found this article by Michael Swanson and thought it was very informative so I thought I'd share it here. His whole site has been a source of a lot of great information for me in general.

 

https://www.nexstarsite.com/PCControl.htm 

He is also a regular poster over at CN.

8 hours ago, Mariner74 said:

Cheers, even better tonight! A naked-eye comet too and I am very pleased that my second hand WO bino viewer added more value to the new scope. All looking fantastic.

Totally agree, Both Jupiter and Saturn for me where the best ive seen them this year, even with wife was impressed . Saturns cassini division was clearly defined for extended periods, as was some of the planets banding.

Great Post mate. A bit jealous, I have an 8" Sct Astronomik UHC 2" and waiting on the  lowest powered suitable ep I could find... Currently in the post (56mm/52). Itching to get out there. 

Solved it,  wheeled my arm chair into the garden 😁 Easy fix really (got the missus to do it)

Actually I got a US friend who is looking to bring over one from link above by Astromuni. Will post if it's a nay or yay.

Thanks all
 

26 minutes ago, FMA said:

It came with 28mm.

england is *1 gmt, isn’t it?

i begin from Polaris in middle of main scope( almost sure it is and polar alignment app says I’m right. Beginn alligement and tell to go to Vega which is easy to see from my garden and , it’s not even is the finder!!So if I’ve to begin to slew with the arrows I get lost in the intensity of the sky......id expect to go closer in a 1000 pound system!

thats why I got the stellarmate , to see if would help me. And I can say, he’s is NOT my mate.

can see the pigeons in the neighbours roof though.....it’s something......

 

 

 

I'm 99% sure the 28mm will be easier than your zoom for alignment. Without mentioning the dreaded ££, Even a cheap 32mm 1.25 plossl from flo or the bay will make initial alignment even easier, as they allow you a bigger field of view.

Yes +1 summer right now. Have you also (before you get to searching the stars) aligned the finder with scope itself. This should be your 1st job. Find a chimney or Ariel on tree branch as far away as you can see in the finder, and then point the scope at it, does the view match? If it doesn't that's the 1st thing to do.sorry if you know some of this already.

Hi, you have the zoom at 24 mm. Do you have any others ep' maybe a 40mm that came with your scope?

With alignment, ideally it's easier with the largest mm/degree u have, zooms at 24 tend to narrow. And as others have said align against the brightest stars that initially show up at first light. Vega and arctacus are recommended. Use a phone app like sky safari to find these roughly, and know where to point your scope.

Alignment is one of those things that is a doddle once you get it nailed down.

Also check that the site location time dae and bst setting are correct. I live in the UK and my scope originally arrived set for california.

Finally if you haven't already, have a look around YouTube, there's probably guides to help. You're definitely not the 1st person stumped with goto, trust me.

oh and "come on mate you'll do it" 😉

On 09/07/2020 at 22:31, John said:

Probably but I don't recall the results being any good !

I later realised that stacking a UHC and an O-III is pointless when I thought it through. What you end up with is an O-III filter with a lower peak pass %.

 

I think i'll stand on the shoulder of giants with filter stacking and let someone with more brains, money and time than me crunch the numbers. Any takers?

20 hours ago, gary756 said:

Yep very helpful and you are right  it does come loose especially after the kids hanging off it trying to spy on the hill walkers. Just had a quick look and id say ive got a couple of inches of clearance at the zenith, so maybe enough?

Sorry if you know half this stuff, I always work the assumption someone may not.

The heavier and bigger the stuff the more terrifying it becomes, this is a big reason clicklocks are so popular  when you have £200+ eps swinging about . Regarding Johns comments earlier about the 1.25 I agree the diagonal tighteneing screws are a pain in the backside  as they scrape againt the zoom  when tightened, To combat that I slightly lift the zoom out and tighten it, not ideal but it worked (until I got the 2" which it sits in nicely).

The big reason why 2" diagonals are popular is because the widerfield views over the 1.25, this can also be achieved by a focal reducer (basically a barlow in reverse). Some people prefer this as it allows them to stick with 1.25 ep's. I don't know which router is better, some say the focal reducer is cheaper in the long run, but I think this comes down to the amount of ep's you end buying as 1.25s are on the whole cheaper. The zoom in many instances will probably cancel that out  as it saves the ep pennies.

In regards to the kids, I have 3 year old trying to put jam sandwiches on my eyepeice lens, I have him using the EP's as a climbing frame yet to come!, The torture never stops Train them never to touch the diagonal or eps, just look through it.

Ok, I just measured it for you. Please note this is a rough measurement taken with a tape measure and my fingers bending it in. so probably best to work to the closest 5mm either way

I have a cpc800 Celestron, which I basically pointed north. with the sct thread pointing stright down at the base. so first off my rough measurement from the top of the 2" vb thread (the scope base where the thread joins it, and not the top of the vb thread itself) to the closest part of the base (directly below) was roughly 16cm (no idea how this fares against your scope)

I then screwed to the scope the 1.25 stock diagonal (part number 94115-A) and  the stock Visual back (part number 93653-A) , these maybe the stock parts you have also, check the side of the kit or the box it came in. Anyway, there was roughly 7cm from the closest point of the diagnol to the base. I did the same thing again with a baader clicklock VB and the baader clicklock 2" diagonal and the distance shortened to about 4cm.

I then took the 1.25 diagonal and the 1.25 vb and attached them together (without the scope) and measured between the VB base  along the line running past the nose peice turret to the furthest corner of the diagonal (the longest length) this measured 8.5cm (measure yours see if this is the same distance, it probably will be). I then did the same thing with the Baader VB and 2" diagonal and got 13cm

I hope all this makes sense, its probably hard to visualise what im saying above, if it does make sense  based on this you can possibly recreate my steps with your 1.25 and vb and see how much room you have with yoru scope.

1 hour ago, gary756 said:

thank you very helpful as always. It is a stock diagonal, I'm currently using an evolution 6.  I have been looking at click lock diagonals,  but not sure about 2" because of size and etc. 

Theres a couple of factors to consider with all of this. The weight and the swing to the zenith (the ep/diagonal smacking against the base of the scope).

Weight wise going to 2" means diagnoal and ep's are heavier, which is where the clicklock types are better, as they lock in so tight compared with the screws. The good news is the mount you have is alt az so the eye peice will not be slewing round in all types of angles (if its set to 12 o'clock it tays there). However if you are observing from the side (say 9pm), the weight of the ep might cause the screws to loosen and the thing come crashing down (even on 1.25's I am sure you are probably noticing that sometimes with the stock diagnoal screws getting loose..makes you anxious right).

The other issue (which may not be an issue) is when looking at stuff at the zenith the distance from the bottom of the scope to the base below may not be long enough for 2" diagonal and 2" EP and the Visual back. The good news for you on that is we can hopefully measure it to see how tight it is. I have the baader clicklock and the Baader zoom and a baader sct vb click lock also, so I can nip out and give you the full dimensions, I can also measure my 8" Celestron cpc  from the sct vb screw to the base as something to possiby bench mark it with. Ive never used an evoluton 6 so I dont know, my hunch is length wise it will probably be ok.

Obviously this may not help you decide but at least it will help if the answer might be a flat out no. Hope this makes sense.

P.S. John makes a good point about the 1.25 fit.  however it does fit, so personal preference on that one i'm guessing on if you eventually want a 2".

11 minutes ago, Dark Vader said:

Excellent advice, thanks all.

The telrad is certainly something I need to look into 🤣 (ugh)

Seriously contemplating the zoom ep as well, but as long as I got enough to start off it'll all come together in time. And a few more paydays...

Andy

 

A zoom is something I totally recommend. Its handy for things you didnt even realise were making your life more difficult.

Theres a few other threads on here that people mention zooms, the Hyperflex is supposedly good and cheapish (£85 on flo) another of a smiliarish  price range is  the celestron, I have the more expensive Baader hyperion one which I love.

For me since getting it, its an essential and as said, its a good way of trying lots of peices.

**I still subscribe to the earlier comment of getting out there 1st a few times and getting a bit of experience with your set up, working out the kinks, limitations and what yu like/dont like. Its no rush, the skys not going anywhere

22 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

Seriously though I think you should go out and enjoy the scope before shelling out more money.
If you come back after an evening saying 'if I had more magnification' or 'I want a zero magnification finder' that is the time to spend more.

If you take one thing from this entire thread, let it be this.

49 minutes ago, gary756 said:

Should I also be thinking about upgrading my star diagonal. Are there any decent ones for around £50-£100 or less would better. 

The zoom is a 1.25" and comes with a 2" screw on attachement so you should be good to go.

Upgrading the diagonal is a whole new ball game, I'm guessing you may have a stock one probably 1.25" (did it come with your scope?). you can upgrade that one for sure to a better 1.25". Going to 2" will depend on if you want to get 2" ep's in the future and are a bit pricier Also bear In mind what eps you have currently  and their sizes, and what you may want in the future. Some people exclusively  use 1.25, some 2 and some a bit of both. The scopes size and weigh is also a consideration if your on something small.

Based on your budget I would go for this, its a 2" with a 1.25 adaptor:

https://www.telescopehouse.com/diagonal-dielectric-99-quartz -lx.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwo6D4BRDgARIsAA6uN18P8vtISypK2iqIebU2gOqbDg6L1OmwbtRCZ1bgiP5Sc7apV5JwrfoaAkTBEALw_wcB

If you are willing to spend a little more a click lock (sometimes called a fast lock or twist lock or positice lock) are genereally seen as a slicker design that holds the eye peices more securely than the traditional screws. Cheapest is probably this (again a 2" but without an adaptor) ** I just noticed its out of stock**, the others normally start around £150 https://www.altairastro.com/altair-premium-positive-lock-diagonal---dielectric-2-inch-pushfit-2247-p.asp

Or just buy used, diagonals are allways selling. Just make sure its dielectric.

1 minute ago, matthasboldlygone said:

You're lucky, there's no close topic button

I guess what I want is to see everything, take some quick pics (without hours of processing), let others peer through the eyepiece at a large crystal clear view of Mars, see galaxies and nebula and generally have fun. In reality that isn't going to happen...

Taking images is definitely high on the list, and I've now come to accept they will take processing.  Not professional level, just something nice to share with friends.

Seeing through the eye piece, some deep sky goodness, nice Jupiter, Saturn and Moon views. But from looking around I guess everyone gets that hazy wobbly atmosphere even with the best equipment.

Quick and easy setup is important I think. So I am leaning towards a good refractor, maybe an ED if I can stretch the budget.

Oh, ok. You want all that. Here my tip then. Answer Louis's questions

14 minutes ago, x6gas said:

Oh don't spoil our fun!

 

From the man who brought us  "Can someone just tell me what to buy" no less.

5 minutes ago, John said:

If the skies are really dark you can hold a UHC or O-III in front of your eye and see the NA and a few other large Nebulae apparently. I've tried it but not with much success so far.

 

 

Have you tried filter stacking before John (or anyone)?

Just now, StarGazingSiouxsie said:

Thanks. The tube and mount are brand new, so odds are they won't need an update. But I was so looking forward to plugging it all in and checking for updates. I love stuff like that WHEN IT WORKS but get very irritated and sad when it doesn't. It just drives me nuts not knowing why I (and others) can't make jar files executable. My instinct is is it may be something to do a matrix between the security software and Java. Security software / anti vrus issues might accaount for why some Windows 10 peeps have this problem and others don't.

is there another Pc you can try it on?

Obviously always nice to have the latest version, but most of the updates as far as I understand have been about fixing old bugs, I doubt your missing out.

Answer Louis's questions, thats my tip.

How olds the scope out of interest, theres the "firmware" manager and then theres "ye olde firmware" manager.

Don't panic anyway, you may of hit the motherload:  https://www.nexstarsite.com/Firmware.htm

4 minutes ago, Pain in the Neck said:

I should add straightaway that I am not looking for any advice or help,

 

Thank the lord

Welcome to the forum.

As John said, in the price ranges you are talking about, the TV's or explore scientific or a decent Baader, you can't go wrong. Personally to save a few coins, I'd go for an ES 34/68. However as said earlier, you need a 2" Diagonal to use this . If you plan to get one of those I recommend a clicklock (sometimes called a twist lock, or positive lock or various names), as opposed to the traditional screws, as they hold the bigger more expensive ep's securely, however lets not open this can of worms just yet

Dude, these are all well trodden paths from people who know their craft (speaking of John here ) They have spent a fortune trying things so you and I don't have to (arent they kind). Even if you buy something recomended and don't know quite why, if you keep at the hobby, one day it will hopefully make sense...and if not the resell value on these things is pretty decent anyway

29 minutes ago, Shaun Sr said:

To be specific in what I'm asking..

.I had to think about it. I want another eyepiece.  I only have the 10mm delos.  I dont even count that 40mm it came with.  Maybe it has a use idk.  But ok I saw Jupiter and Saturn with the 10mm.  I need something to look at the other cool [removed word]. Like I want a breathtaking view of the andromeda galaxy.  You know I want other cool [removed word] that's out there.  So I figure that the 10mm isn't gonna be big enough for me like the andromeda galaxy. But I want a piece that's gonna make it and other things look great and big as they can be with a nice background. So what would I need for that. I like the delos I have. Idk it's in my head that delos are the best so I was gonna get all them eventually.  Someone offered me a es 14mm 100 for 350. But I'm hesitant and you know why because it's not a delos lol.  I appreciate your help. 

OK cool, so this is what I would do, based on larger targets.

See what diagonal you have 1.25 and/or 2" and ensure you are looking for the right ep's based on the diagonal size, otherwise they wont fit. (2 to 1.25 adaptors are available however) 2" is bigger and offers  a wider view

Your scope  is a c8 so 2032mm, F10 scope, so those are its limits, that you want to add into the links below

Spend a bit of time with these links below sticking in various ep's you like the look of against your scope spec, as said in my previous post, think of it like how close you want to get to the big cinema screen 68 to 82 is comfortable viewing for most people however they are most likely 2" eps, so you need to check they fit your diagonal.

The 1st link allows you to add a bunch of ep's so you can see the diameter/size of each ep against a target, Bear in mind for wider than 32mm you will need a 2" diagonal. Ideally for wide stuff its 34mm/68 degree up to 40mm and around there is a good place to start.  For the bigger stuff like nebula you will also probably want a filter most likely a UHC and/or an OIII thse come in 1.25 and 2" sizes also and screw onto the eyepeice or diagonal, recomended makes for these are Astromik or Lumicon, others are decent too.  Food for thought