Surreydocker

4 hours ago, StevieDvd said:

I had mine (AZ-EQ6 GT) pier mounted and left in situ for over 5 years - it's since moved on to new owners.

Did not need a service and looked as if it was a year old at most.  To protect it I used a barbeque cover as first layer and then a quality scope cover over that. Then used some ratchet straps to provide a good tight seal around the pier tube.

 

 

Thanks, much appreciated

Hi, the novelty of lugging my AZEQ6 and tripod outdoors to set up every time is starting to wear off so I am in the process of installing a pier in the garden and I intend to leave the AZEQ6 permanently set up on it (but not a scope).

My question is, apart from protecting it from the rain, is it worth doing something to protect it from extremes of temperature, condensation etc. Will it need to be overhauled every year due to the effects of temperature humidity etc ?

Any tips gratefully received.

Ian

I used an AZ GTI with a 100mm refractor for EEA and it was perfectly adequate. There is no need for an EQ mount for EEA where your subs are short. If you ever felt the need, you can convert an AZ GTI into an EQ mount with a wedge. 

3 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Staying out until 4am is beyond the call. 😉

I hope the results are worth it. The above pic is only an hour and a half outside and an hour at the laptop, so I'm still clinging to the edge of the rabbit hole. 😄

TBH, it's a bit meh - I have loads more data but like you, I'm not sure I have the patience for endless hours of processing !

I ended up down exactly the same rabbit hole as you last night, capturing images until 4 am and then I spent what seemed like hours this morning with wavelets (whatever they are ) - I need to get back to visual and EAA, it's much safer !!

Very enjoyable demonstration. It's great to be able to compare the camera and stacking settings you are using with those that I use.

Ian

I'm also fairly new to astronomy and I live in a grey zone. I started out with binoculars before purchasing a 4" refractor (because it suits viewing from an apartment balcony).

I have managed to view some of the brighter DSOs such as M13, M31, M42, M45 etc both through the scope and the binos. With less LP and a bigger scope, you will certainly be able to see some DSOs through the eyepiece and as Pete mentions above, filters help. Stars, double stars, planets & the moon are brighter and therefore less affected by LP.

There is however, a limit to what you can see in high LP areas and I've now chosen to go down the EEA route but, from one newbie to another, I'd advise a decent pair of binoculars first then choose a scope based on what sort of targets take your fancy.

Have fun

Ian

1 minute ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

With tube rings it's 4.2kg. Adding the 1.25" diagonal and an eyepiece should keep it just below 5kg. The rather heavy metal finder is just for show. Whilst on the AZGTI I'll use a plastic rdf.

 

I have the same scope, mount, metal RDF, and a 2" prism diagonal and it all works fine. No need to worry about the weight !

1 hour ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Brand new direct from Altair. A couple of days after requesting an 'in stock' notification, the golden ticket arrived. £35 added to the 'out of stock' price but still a nice telescope for £495.

I have the exact same scope - you won't be disappointed !

Amazing ! >1 billion lyrs - that is mind-boggling ! 

I guess I'll need to move to the country if I want to see such things myself !!

Ian

Hi Rob, I'm very interested in this thread as I have the 102 ED. Were you using your 2" diagonal with your binoviewers and 102 ED-R ?

The Altair 102 f7 triplet is listed in Astro Tools and you can use the Zwo camera with the 183 sensor which is also listed to give you an idea. I have the Altair Starwave 102 and 294pro camera and in Bortle 9 I have so far seen lots of the brighter globulars and planetary nebulae (using Sharpcap). Galaxies are tougher for me because of where I live (and lack of aperture I suspect) but I'm gradually getting there (I haven't been doing this for long). I guess my point is, give it a go with the gear you have then decide which way to go. 

Ian

I use 3 star alignment on my AZ GTi because I read somewhere that it was better than 2 star but after reading the posts in this thread I'm beginning to have doubts - what are your thoughts ?

Thanks for your kind comments. I'm sure others here, more experienced than me, can give better advice but I use a Bahtinov mask to focus. If you don't have one handy, I have also found that you can aim at a bright star and set the camera exposure time to a short interval (1 - 2 secs) and then tweak the focus and watch the results on screen.  It's then trial and error to get the best focus.

1 hour ago, Waldemar said:

The fuse you used is too heavy and in the wrong place. The only function it has now would be to protect your battery against fast drain, which is not needed.
There should a fuse before every outlet, just big enough for the intended use. For example 3A fuse for USB; 2,5A fuse for the mount; 3A fuse for dew control. 
What will happen now if something is going wrong, is that your 20A fuse will not protect anything, for it will not blow in time to protect your equipment so your fuse will still live and your equipment will be fried... Just a warning...

Lower rated fuses for each circuit are a very good idea but I would keep the 20A fuse (as close to the battery terminal as possible) as a safety back up.

2 hours ago, robhatherton said:

I can’t work out how to post a link here but if you look at my activity I posted a review recently. I’ve been very pleased with it although I only had a 120 achro to compare it with.  The build quality is excellent and I love the views. It’s a good compromise for widefield with a 2” 40mm eyepiece up to planets and tight double stars with a Barlow and zoom. I think the very popular Sky-Watcher 100ed might be better at some things (and a little more expensive) but the Ascent is a very versatile scope. There is a long thread on the AT 102ed on Cloudy Nights. The company which sponsors the forum buys in and badges up what is believed to be the same scope and its owners seem very enthusiastic about it.

+1

I'm fairly new to astronomy but I'm really pleased with mine.

3 months ago, I didn't own a telescope so I'm absolutely delighted with the results I got last night. On the first night with the camera (Monday), I couldn't get Sharpcap to recognise any stars so it wouldn't stack. Last night I tweaked a few settings and it all started working. I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with different settings on the camera and histogram and eventually got something I liked. At this stage, I'm not concerned with getting perfect quality so much as being able to view things that I can't otherwise see in my Bortle 9 skies (and horrendous street and amenity lighting). I am using an Altair Ascent 102 ED f7, Altair 294C Pro, Altair Tri band filter and SW AZ Gti. It's all mounted on a homemade bracket that clamps to my balcony handrail. I am really impressed with the AZ Gti, it finds and tracks really well for visual and EAA. If your scope weighs 5kg or less, it's well worth considering.

Ian

Thanks for all your responses - very helpful.

I'll be back with more questions, I'm sure !

Having done some more research, I'm going to have a go at answering my own question......... the answer is, generally, no you don't need to guide.

The question of which mount is probably down to budget and personal choice as I see people are successfully doing EEVA with a wide variety of mounts.

I'm a complete novice with a 102mm F7 refractor and by chance, I had a go at this on Wednesday night at 100X and failed.

Yesterday, a 4mm Nirvana arrived though the post and last night, at 180X I could clearly split both pairs, so I went back to 100X and I could see that they might be doubles but couldn't honestly split them.

I put it down to inexperience and old eyes !

I'm starting to daydream about EEVA. Do you need a guided mount or will unguided work ? I suppose the answer will depend on what you are trying to view but I live in Bortle 9 and it's all new to me so almost anything is a bonus (although I think it would be great if I could see some DSOs)

If unguided works OK, is it just a question of picking a mount with sufficient payload capacity for the rig plus a margin of safety ?

Thanks in advance

3 hours ago, robhatherton said:

Yes I believe that’s the one - it’s some time since I bought it. You may find with the rdf and low power eyepiece you get on fine though. 

Thanks for that, much appreciated. I'm very much looking forward to first light !

After much research and deliberation I pulled the trigger on the same scope earlier so it's very gratifying to read your report. I ordered a red dot finder but I would like to get a RACI finderscope - is that the SW you are using ?

9 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

Unfortunately, I've just sold mine, so all I can confirm if that it is at least 7mm, as that's the length of protruding thread on the Avant/AZ5 extension column (which I still have).

Thanks very much for the swift response

Can anyone tell me the depth of the 3/8 threaded hole in the base of the SW AZ5 please ?