doublevodka

@Bongo I have a Skymax 127 on an AZ-GTi and it's a good little scope, easy setup, one handed carry from the shed to the garden, works fine on AA batteries (and before other chime in, yes I know I should use a powerpack, but it's easy and works for me). They turn up on the used market quite a bit around the £300 mark if you have patience. It is a really good grab-and-go setup and could be complimented with another OTA further down the line if you wish.

It is pretty decent on planets, but with your intended budget and previous experience of dobs, I'd maybe go another way.

For example - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/celestron-starsense-explorer-8-dobsonian.html

The Starsense Explorer system seems to be well-loved around here (have a search for it and you'll see what I mean), plus it's a bit more versatile for other objects due to the larger size, faint fuzzies will be brighter, this is also going to give you a better resolution on planets, so more detail will be visible

Alternatively for a little less money and no Starsense - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html - again well loved on the forum, also has some nice upgrades compared to a standard dob such as a dual speed focuser and RACI finder.

Just a couple of things to mull over, good luck with the search!

On 09/07/2023 at 02:13, nfotis said:

It seems like a folded telescope which provides a mounting place for a current smartphone to record images on the optical exit?

Looks like a minimalist product, where you have the camera and software in your phone, and you just attach an optical tube in front of it.

 

This is pretty much what I was thinking, they've updated the page now to say the launch date is the 18th July.

My other guess is since it has a 1.2 inch objective there will be provision to attach standard 1.25 inch filters externally, especially as it mentions the upcoming eclipse, but I guess we'll see on the 18th!

Just been announced https://vaonis.com/kickstarter-2023

Another different take on the "smart telescope" at a very low price.

Not much info at the moment, but it appears to be a simple device that uses the smartphone camera for imaging. no mount included unless they decide to give a tripod with it

On 26/06/2023 at 04:12, StarDuke82 said:

According to a diagram I found online it’s a straight through cable were each wire is connected to the same pin on the opposite side, also thank you for the answer you have saved me a lot more searching, possibly my pocket book, and definitely sped up the time it will take for me to get back out with my Scope. 

Compare the colour order in the two plugs, if they look the same then you should be fine with any of these for example - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rj12+coiled+cable&crid=2AYX8QW1HMVG2&sprefix=rj12+coiled+cable%2Caps%2C149&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

With the connector being pulled off, there could be damage to the cables inside so probably better to just replace the cable

Looks like a 40/32mm plossl at a guess?

I would also recommend getting one of these - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/jumbo-silicone-hurricane-blower.html to clear the bigger bits before cleaning

It may also be easier for you to remove the eyecup first to give a bit more room to work

The pens are ok if you are not too fussy and have cheap eyepieces, but you still need to go carefully

Grabbed from the manual - https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/Synscan_V4_Hand_Control_Manual_SSHCV4-F-161208V1-EN.pdf

Geographic Coordinates

The LCD screen will display “Set Longitude” or “Set Latitude“ on the first line, and display the longitude and latitude on the second line.

• Press the numeric keys at the cursor position to fill in the longitude or latitude digits.

• Use the scroll keys to change east/west longitude or north/south latitude when the cursor blinks on the corresponding characters (E/W for longitude, N/S for latitude).

• Use the Left and Right direction keys to move the cursor. • Press the ENTER key to confirm the input and proceed to the next step. • Press the ESC key to return to the previous step.

However, I had some weirdness with the Celestron version some time back so I feel your pain! You could also get a wifi adapter for your scope, using the app the scope would automatically grab the details from your phones GPS, it's an option 🤷‍♂️

3 hours ago, powerlord said:

😛 hope that wisnae directed at me.. because:

1. Im no expert !!! 🤪

2. i ordered one as soon as it was announced.

I stand by my comment - they have to protect their market to an extent - 2mp is fine for eev and stuff.. sticking a 12mp sensor in it might just make it 'too good' and drain other lines. at least that's my guess. If its sucessful, my guess is they will produce a 'pro' version (yeh yeh..not really pro but they'll call it that maybe) with a higher mp sensor, maybe additional features, etc. that's the way any market works at the end of day.

 

stu

 

Think you've hit the nail on the head there, test the market first with a little teaser, then launch a "pro" or similar

From various threads I've seen, something with a swappable camera and filters would be good

Still haven't seen anything about EQ mode yet, but it's small and light enough that it should be easily possible...

1 hour ago, LDW1 said:

I agree but there are some, not as bad as another well known site though, not nearly. Because of my comments I have been accused more than once that I work / represent a great up and coming company. It really makes me laugh but I am tough, lol !   PS:  But I think my comments, my personal experiences are proving correct !

There's a reason I stopped going on there, I have to say the Celestron section was very useful when I had my Nexstar 4SE though, but they really like a strong opinion over there!

In SeeStar related news, some more info on the Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/seestar?sorting_setting=CHRONOLOGICAL it seems to be quite active and ZWO reps posting in there which is good.

The only thing I'm confused about, why isn't the SeeStar red? 😂

19 hours ago, LDW1 said:

Nothing wrong with the arguments, disagreeing but its the deriding of this new sensation that can really make one wonder where some fellow astronomers come from !  I don't know what they think they are doing, gaining out of it ? Maybe change some minds ?

18 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

The "purists " ( not all of them) who are mainly into astrophotography scoff at the whole EAA idea . Maybe it twas ever thus , i can imagine when scopes started to be mass produced , "purists" dismissing them as "toys" . I do find an undercurrent of aloofness which tends to infiltrate the hobby . (personal opinion) . Strange really , after all , we are all in this hobby together , whatever equipment we use , whatever standard we are at ( i for one  still class myself as a beginner ) . Indeed this forum encourages newcomers to the hobby to ask a question without being derided and ridiculed  even if the question be a basic one . Surely we owe the same courtesy to a new product that brings another fascinating avenue to the many people who will be put off buying the larger variants due to cost . As the hobby evolves so does the equipment albeit at differing levels and quality .

18 hours ago, LDW1 said:

Agree 100% but its not the 1st time ! This great hobby is sometimes rife with this ' better than others ' shall we say comments, envy can do funny things.

There is certainly a subset of elitists when it comes to astronomy where it's their way or no way, thankfully most don't find their way here from the other forum 😂 Honestly I feel a little sorry for them, you'd think being into astronomy and it being a slightly scientific discipline they would be a little more open minded to new ideas. Thankfully over here on SGL there are a lot of helpful and like minded people who understand the benefits a new product like this could bring to the hobby, and also a bunch of great mods and admins who keep things in check  

28 minutes ago, raadoo said:

Food for thought, indeed.

Alternatively, I could reconsider the 8" f/4 and try and pair it with the minuscule pixels of my 183.

Definitely have to do some back-of-the-napkin math for this one.

Save yourself the brain ache - http://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

53 minutes ago, raadoo said:

RASAs are the fastest option by far - my only concern is that they're a bit of a one-trick-pony. You can always un-hyperstar an SCT and use it for planetary work. And you can always chuck a 1.5x Düring Barlow on a Newt. But a RASA is a RASA is a RASA.

They are a bit of a one-trick pony, but they do that trick very, very well! A member of my local astro club has a RASA 11 and the pictures are really something else

A 9.25 though, f/10 standard, f/2.2 hyperstar, 0.7 reducer for f/7, 2x barlow for f/20 on planets really can be a bit of a Swiss army knife, albeit an expensive one once you add all those accessories, but there are lots of them around so the used market is ok and well supported with accessories etc. so maybe a little easier overall than an exotic newt?

1 hour ago, raadoo said:

I've googled long enough to confidently resort to your collective knowledge in helping me track down a bit of unicorn.

We all have some personal limitations when looking at OTAs and quite often they refer to size. In my case, I'm limited by my long, but narrow, balcony - specifically 90cm. This 90cm limit includes image train and possible dew shield.

As I'm looking to dip my toes into some short exposure DSO imaging, aperture and speed are my main priority for any OTA, so a fast Newt seems like the most cost effective way to get there*. The obvious go-to would be a 10" f/4 but a quick bit of math puts any Newt of that configuration at about 100cm long.

An 8" would fit, but I doubt that's enough aperture for the intended purpose. Anything over 10" would be too heavy for my mount and certainly longer than my 90cm limit.

To cut a long story short:

Does anyone know of a 10" Newt with a native f ratio of between 2.8 and 3.5?

*RASA / Hyperstar setups fit the bill but cost is beyond what I'd be comfortable with.

2.8 to 3.5 seems to be quite exotic, had a quick search myself and no results in the size range so far, but I suspect they would be very expensive and niggly to collimate to say the least

An 8 inch Quattro would fit the length limit though - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-quattro-f4/skywatcher-quattro-f4-imaging-newtonian.html and there are dedicated coma correctors

Alternatively the StellarLyra - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f-4-m-lrn-newtonian-reflector-with-2-focuser.html (slightly cheaper on the coma corrector side too)

I know you ruled them out, but with a bit of digging on the used market, you may be able to get a hyperstar based setup in the same ballpark, they do occasionally come on the market

Even an 8 inch F/3.2 is £3,199 - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sharpstar-telescopes/sharpstar-2032pnt-f3-2-paraboloid-newtonian-reflecting-astrograph-telescope.html, can't imagine what a 10 inch would be, an 8 inch RASA is cheaper for referrence - https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/celestron-8-rowe-ackermann-schmidt-astrograph-rasa-ota.html

There is now a more official Facebook group here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/seestar

Some interesting info coming out, definitely worth bearing in mind that this is a new product, and features will be added over time, for example

An interesting product that is already causing excitement and arguments around the globe, I quite fancy one myself but waiting to see some more videos of it actually live and in use

ZWO seem keen to listen to feedback and implement new features so I think this could be interesting, and maybe lead to a whole product line of Seestars in various sizes, the purists will still hate them but there is certainly a market there for ZWO to cash in on 

Defo follow the astro baby guide above, it is very good.

Manual for what looks like your scope attached which may help a little, specifically page 16.

6a779054279e1f0d788601fa8aba78ec.pdf

To my eye, it looks like the secondary vanes are very slightly off too, may be worth measuring from the screws marked in red, to the center marked in green.

Alternatively, there are quite a few astro clubs in the area, worth joining one and maybe there is a member that could help if you are really struggling with it?

http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/Clubs/Default.aspx?CountyId=55

3 hours ago, gold682 said:

I absolutely love that last picture of that high tech equipment sitting in a secure padded case along with a wooden clothes peg 😁 (but yes I’ll try the clothes peg mod and if works I might 3D print something) 👍

The peg works, I've stuck with it as in the garden there is a useful supply of spares, otherwise known as the clothes line 😂

As for printing, you don't have to dig far to find people have already provided the relevant files e.g. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5006844

Personally, I get on fine with the AA batteries, I know many recommend against it, but the AZ-GTi mount is a lot less fussy about voltage than other mounts that can be AA powered, like the Celestron ones, if it gets you out using it then go for it 👍

This thread is also full of useful info, although it's a pretty long read these days, started by @AstroNebulee who's posted above 👍 - 

16 hours ago, bosun21 said:

I was considering flocking my 12” SL dobsonian but at 1500mm fl I can’t get my arm half way down the tube. I foresaw a wrinkled mess occurring so I gave it a miss.

In theory with this stuff you don't have to stick it down so maybe an option? - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-flocking-material/protostar-flockboard-flocking-board-10cm-increments-custom-cut.html

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/motion-sickness/#:~:text=Motion sickness is feeling sick,it or relieve the symptoms.

That would be my guess, a lovely throwback to part of our early evolution as I understand it, the brain can't interpret the signals coming from our eyes so figures it's been poisoned and tries to get the poison out of your system.

The perils of high-end eyepieces I guess? With a wide view and no frame of reference it seems the easiest explanation at least

21 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

Yes, it's only the "WayBack Machine".

We need the "WayWayBack Machine".

How's your French? https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65067013/f233 You can find almost anything if you dig hard enough 😂

Ah the old debate...

Truth is, everyone has their own preference and you're not going to know your own until you try some scopes out. Nearly everyone here has bought something, then bought another to compliment or upgrade and so on. I think it's fair to say we're all striving for own own version of perfection on our own budgets, and that's hard! Hell just look at people's signatures on their posts, not many have just one scope, if at all possible, get to a star party and try some stuff, chromatic aberration might bother you, it might not, but there's only one way to find your own preference, look through some scopes 👍

I still don't know what my ideal scope is, and not sure I ever will 🤷‍♂️

More info here on the Facebook group if that helps - A Second Look: Reusing Old Lenses for Astronomy 

A quick Google image search dug up this old thread with some very similar-looking bins, so I suspect like the ones in that thread they are around 12x60

For free they are a bargain in my book 👍

9 hours ago, billy86 said:

I was looking at trying to get a push to kit for the bresser but currently there isn't one on the market for my dob. 

Worth you having a look at this thread - 

It does require buying a whole starsense telescope such as https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/celestron-starsense-explorer-lt-70-az-refractor-telescope.html as for some reason Celestron haven't had the idea to release it stand alone, but at that price, it's cheaper than most push to kits anyway, certainly worth a look 👍

On 03/05/2023 at 22:39, Turbocoo said:

Thanks, I have both uv light and baader fluid, it's separating the two lens that bothers me. Wonder if anyone had disassembled an 80ed lens cell 

Had a read online and can't find any guide for taking the cell apart itself so I don't think many have tried.

However, it does look like the whole cell can be removed in one piece so you can at least get to the rear of it without affecting collimation, pinching the optics etc.

The dew shield is friction fit, the cell itself unscrews from the tube, it may be tight, and be careful not to cross thread whilst reassembling.

Decent guide on cleaning here - https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/clean-a-refractor/

The primary piece of advice, slowly and carefully! and if in any doubt send it to a specialist for cleaning

Really like Ed's videos and as usual a balanced view although he should definitely be on TeleVue's payroll 😂

While I don't have anything green and black in my collection, 2 eyepieces and a Barlow are what work for me for a general observing session so there's a lot of sense to what he's saying. Using anything more just ends up frustrating, and more to pack away afterwards 😂

1 hour ago, Coco said:

My wife asked what that central heating boiler was doing in the garage pointing at my solid tube 12" dob.

I think you are onto a winner for us all there, camouflage! 😂

"No darling, its' not another telescope, it's a water heater/recycling bin/hazardous material container"