sputniksteve

On 04/07/2020 at 22:45, nfotis said:

If you are thinking about adding dual speed focuser, filter wheel, guider, camera etc, you may add quite a load to the OTA

 

Cheers,

N.F.

 

Actually, it's not my intention to be adding all of that kit tbh. I might try a DSLR or something. I know this set-up isn't going to allow me to do backyard Hubble images, but that's not entirely my interest at the moment. Having said that, I've seen some great DSO stuff done with just a decent mounted DSLR. I'm more interested in planetary at the mo. 

This purchase is intended to get me back into the hobby after some years out. Last time, I experienced aperture fever and bought a 12" LIghtbridge. I loved it. Stupidly sold it 2014. I want to go for something different this time round, but my long term plan is to build up an arsenal of 'scopes over the years. I shall probably for an 8" or 10" dobbie too at some point. Or maybe a little refractor to try on the AZ-GTi. 

My current plan of action for next few years is:

- Get SM127 on AZ-GTi mount

- Get a good quality eyepiece or two, and maybe a barlow

- Save up and get a biggish dob.

- Keep buying stuff.

Yeah, there's no way I shall be spending that kind of money on it.

On 04/07/2020 at 22:45, nfotis said:

If you are thinking about adding dual speed focuser, filter wheel, guider, camera etc, you may add quite a load to the OTA

(I would add  3+ kg at the mass budget above the OTA)

If you stay strictly observer, you can stay in the existing mass budget, but (in my opinion of course) a HEQ5 mount would be a nice platform for even larger scopes like the Skymax 150 and 180 and imaging. I understand that's a lot of set-up and weight and money to consider, though.

 

Cheers,

N.F.

 

It would be a lovely platform! 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-heq5-pro-synscan.html -- this one?

Having only recently joined, I can't praise SGL enough. Such a welcoming, friendly and helpful bunch of people. I've already learnt quite a bit from reading the various topics and asking a few questions. 

On 06/07/2020 at 18:20, Stu said:

This was the original reason for the avatar... 😉

Can I see Sigourney Weaver sitting in the middle of that?

I'm joining in. 

1) My beautiful 12" Lightbridge dobbie. Alas, I sold this back in 2014 - clear evidence of post cardiac arrest brain damage.

2) My very recent resurrection of an old Tasco whose tripod head shattered decades ago. This lives in a cupboard at my parents' house where I've been shielding for the last 10 weeks. I was determined to get a view with it, and so I did! The mount here is constructed of a pier (a vacuum cleaner tube) attached to a cast iron base (from a garden umbrella) atop a raised platform (kitchen stool), levelled with inserts (two mug mats).

Sweet. 

I'm likely to get myself the Skymax 127 on it, thinking that I can get more scopes as the years go on to run on it. 

The tripod in the vid looks like the SW that comes with it - is that correct?

Nice.

Ok, cool. I can see it now. 

I wonder if theres something that could attach a smartphone holder to a dovetail, and use it in place of the finder ...

On 21/06/2020 at 16:32, Mopee said:

Hope it is not too bad!

 

 

This is a great image! 

What mount and tripod are you using?

1 hour ago, AdeKing said:

I have five Zooms in my collection, which now I've written it down sounds a little extreme, but here is my justification.

Baader Mk III x1

Baader Mk IV x2

Lunt 7.2 - 21.5mm x1 - A £40 bargain from an SGL star party

Nagler 3 - 6mm x1

The Baader Mk III has a crack in one of the internal elements (since I carelessly dropped it) and it tends to get used when I do H-alpha solar outreach for convenience as the fault proves useful for "Pointing" out proms and features to the public (an added benefit, though it still smarts to think that I dropped it and caused the crack).

The two Baader Mk IVs are in each housed in a flight case with the two OTAs that get regularly taken out to dark sites or used for outreach as it means there are less things for me to fiddle around with or lose in the dark, and means that aside from the flight case, mount and power supply I don't have to worry about picking up anything else when I go out in a hurry.  I did get the second one recently to make a pair for solar binoviewing but I haven't got around to putting them to binoviewer use yet.

The Lunt Zoom, equivalent to the one linked to above, is in the flight case with my ZS66 for the reason stated above and gets used mostly for WL Solar.

Nagler 3 - 6 is a luxury item that I thought wouldn't see a lot of use, but it is probably my most used zoom as it is useful for splitting tight doubles.

The quality of the Baader Mk III and Mk IV is fine, though all of them tend to rattle and I find the Click-Stops quite subtle.  The AFOV is narrower at the 24mm end and as previously mentioned gets wider as you zoom in, but I don't find that bothers me too much, the Lunt/Hyperflex/TS is the same.

The Nagler Zoom is, as you'd expect very high quality and very heavy for its size.  The elements are housed in a long nosepiece so you do have to be careful as there is the possibility of it hitting the prism in a prism diagonal, but this is a fantastic EP as many other users attest to.

For me, its all about the convenience of a zoom and not needing to take another case full of eyepieces out when I make the effort to go to a dark sky site, though I do tend to also take a 32mm Panaview (70 degree AFOV) with me to give me sweeping vistas. 

The quality of the modern zooms is good, but a compromise is the variable AFOV, which you will need to decide whether or not you can live with.  Personally I can live with this and I love the convenience and ability to fine tune magnification that Zooms give you, but looking at the above, I think that I might have a zoom problem as I really didn't realise I'd accumulated so many.

Are these on 2' or 1.25" barrels?

Very interesting. 

What are you clamping it to on the OTA, and what adapter is holding the phone?

8 hours ago, Dr Strange said:

I love my AZ-GTi. But as noted it looks like it is out of stock everywhere. Likely due to its popularity and the production interruptions in China. I would expect things to pick back up in the next 6 weeks or so. However a Dobsonian with encoders and a DSC (digital setting circle) is another great option. For encoders and a DSC I cannot recommend the Astro Devices Nexus DSC or Nexus II (if you want to use your smart phone as the computer) and their encoder kits. Serge, the owner, provides top flight customer service!

For example I had very straight forward issues installing my encoders on my DM6 (I was a rugby player for my Uni team and then played club so I am not very bright but am very good at brute force and ignorance). Instead of just replying by email Serge called me from Australia and walked me through how to fix what I broke! He has also called me about some questions I had on my Nexus DSC. He has kits for most popular Dob's including the Skywatcher and Explore Scientific lines. 

Speaking of which, while more expensive, I also recommend the Explore Scientific Dobsonians. Much more compact, easy to store, and easy to transport than their solid tube cousins! And affordable all things considered. Plus a 254mm Dobsonian with a DSC cannot be beat in terms of looking at things!

Hi @Dr Strange. What scope are you using on the AZ_GTi, and what do you love about it. I had settled on getting the Mak127, but I'm now beginning to waver again. Years ago I used to own a 12" Lightbridge until I foolishly sold it in 2014.  I loved it. But I did get a bit fed up with having to re-centre objects. Back then, I either didn't have a decent smartphone or never thought of using an app as a guide. Hmmm. 

I decided not to even try. Shielding at my parents' house in very suburban outskirts of Birmingham. I doubt I'll be able to get the angle I need. Plus, I needed to be at the computer for teaching at 9am!! 

Hoping it will still be around when I go home this weekend.

Sorted! Needed to update objects data. 

Nope. Not there at all.

I've got the Pro version. Just bought it.

How do I find it in Sky Safari? It won't show up??

On 10/05/2020 at 14:04, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

artificially recreate something that's been done before

 

Burn!

5 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Yes, Plossl's were a luxury.
I still have my first Bresser eyepiece set of Kellners and Reverse Kellners.

 

Reverse kellners? Do they make things look bigger?

You said that you cannot attain focus with the 9mm on the moon, but it seems to me that you absolutely should be able to. In fact, I think that should give a really nice view as if out of the window of the Apollo module!

Try getting the object dead centre in your FOV with the 25mm before swapping down to the 9mm. At that magnification, the slightest movement away from dead centre could lose the object for you. It might need you to nudge the 'scope around a bit to find the object. How accurately aligned is the finder?

Is your 'scope on a GOTO?

Welcome!

You've made a good point about the EQ mode - I'd got my eye on that as one of the future opportunity things. 

Hi all,

I'm still thinking of getting myself the SW Skymax 127. Currently, it's available on the AZ-GTi for £445 which I think is a pretty good price all told. But, it's also still available on the SynScan for just £389 at Rother Valley. Given that people are selling used ones of these for about the same, this looks like a bargain. I'd prefer the AZ-GTi because ultimately I think it will avail me of more opportunities for upgrading things in the future, not least that the AZ-GTi mount can hold 5kg - and I've seen people here say it can hold much more. 

But, although I don't have a problem with the idea of using the WiFi and my phone/tablet, I must admit that I'm drawn to the use of a physical handset. 

If it were you, what would you do?