gadusmorhua

Thanks for your experimentation, I can understand how it works now, to grip a heavy camera and lens requires a big spring to clamp the ball, which requires a similarly matched spring on the lever. In some respects it is more than is needed for lighter loads like my bins. Until now I've been using my camera gear and the small ball joint on my monopod was awkward to lock. I find the 222 on the monopod is great in that respect, I just wish the lever was easier.

No, it was brand new , in the box and unhandled, even though I appreciate it's an old model now. I've turned the allen screw 360° and it may well have helped a little. I read an old post where the spring was replaced with a weaker version, but it lost its grip under a heavy load. If my arthritis can stand it I'll sit and squeeze it a while It is certainly a nice trigger grip in every other respect though, serious bit of kit. I'll find it o.k to use, I'm sure. I just think the trigger grip feels a bit unrefined.

I realise this is an old post but I've just found a new 222 on eBay. I am finding it harder to squeeze the lever than I anticipated. As far as I can tell the tension-adjust wheel simply changes how easily the ball joint moves once the lever is operated, and the allen key adjustment allows wear to be taken up. Is there anyway to make it easier to squeeze, without compromising its locking ability?

I have on order a Paragon Plus p-mount for Helios II 20x80 binoculars. I've just discovered the p-mount weighs 5.5kg, nearly the weight limit of my (photo) tripod, so started thinking of making a more substantial tripod. I then reasoned I could make a permanent observation pier (I think that's what you call them) somewhat easier. I am lucky, not only to live under dark skies, but to live on a small farm, so bar keeping sheep away I'm laughing. What would be an ideal design for a binocular observation post? I thought of just concreting a steel post (a bit of railway track?) into the ground, with a plate welded on top with the appropriate mounting bolt in situ. Would this suffice? When it comes to locating the pier I am thinking of heading to the highest field which looks south, well away from barn roofs etc. I would need to locate in the middle of the field as my hedgerows contain quite a few mature trees, which would obscure low views. Is there anything else I need to consider? edit: I've now found an old Acrow prop, and am thinking I could weld the inner extender to the outer tube, and concrete 70cm in the ground, with a couple of bars through the tube at base level, to tie it all in. With, say, 1.7m above ground I'm hoping it won't flex, but have no idea what will be acceptable.

I have 6mm aluminium bar,and quite a few 1/4 UNC screws, with and without knurled knobs in my camera kit. If you look closely at the image the plate also requires tapping for the camera screw, which is no problem, I have a workshop on the farm.. All I wanted was the centres of the two fixing screws so I could make the plate in advance of taking delivery of the p-mount. Does anyone have this information?

Yes, as I said, I need the flat plate, which is part no. 5379. Linking to photos of it won't help me really, I know what it is and what it looks like, but need to know the diameter of the twin holes, and the centres of all three. Whether I make it out of ali or steel matters not. Thanks, but I was assuming there must be lots of people who think £33 for such a basic plate is ridiculous, and made their own. I could of course just wait until the Paragon plus arrives, and make one to fit, but knowing my luck it will arrive on the only clear night of the month!

I've ordered a Paragon Plus binocular mount, but couldn't bring myself to pay £32 for the aluminium plate No. 5379 needed to attach my Helios Stellar II. Can anyone give me (accurate) sizes and hole centres so I can make a plate before the mount is delivered? I'm used to outrageous prices for small accessories as I've been into photography for years, but Orion are really being greedy here, I feel. Ten quid would still have given them a huge profit margin, but all they have achieved is for me to avoid them in future.

I have Celestron Skywatcher 15x70 bins, and just bought the Celestron RSR tripod adaptor to mount them on either my monopod or tripod. When I screw the adaptor nut into the binoculars it doesn't tighten them 100%, they can pivot on the bolt, to the point gravity will cause them to tilt. This doesn't seem to matter when I've been using them on the monopod so far, but is it intentional? Removing the washer to give more travel doesn't help.

Yes, I am blessed here. I think I'll just use my bins up in the hills and create a spot for my scope here. My house is in a bit of a hollow, and sited near my barn, so I'm going to go to the high spot on my land, I can drive it if it's not too wet, ie about half the winter! Thanks for the LP map, fascinating.I am SW of LLandysul, so avoid what LP exists there, but if looking south Carmarthen is 15 miles away, though I suppose that's only a smallish town, but you can still make out the glow. Having said that I can see Dublin's lights a hundred odd miles over the horizon when I'm fishing- with the naked eye.I couldn't figure out what I was seeing until I took a bearing.

I hate to tell you this but I had a 12lb bass on a surface lure on the night of 20th October, right in the middle of a busy meteor shower! I'll never forget that night, the skies were dark , and the fish were in.. I have to climb down the cliff (not as dodgy as it sounds), so only take my 7x42 as every gram counts on the climb back up! I have to confess the fishing takes priority, if I'm catching it's naked eye only.

For the past couple of years I've been using my 7x42 birding bins to look at the sky, taking them with me fishing and dog walking. I've just bought some 15x70 to use at home on a tripod, and will probably think of a scope in the future. I am blessed with living on a farm in west Wales, given the right conditions I can just see the Milky Way. I think I am at a good altitude (170m) because the valley below me is often in mist, and the hills above me get more cloud. However, the remote beach I fish on faces SW, has cliffs behind, and excellent views of the Milky Way. I'm guessing any coastal sites would be out for serious astronomy in anything but the calmest weather, because of the super fine mist waves seem to generate? My other fishing location is up in the Cambrian Mountains, altitude 450m, and the skies up there are so impressive, even in summer, I'm minded to take a look this winter. If it's freezing I know the mountain tracks will be too dangerous, even in my 4x4, but I can go down to the dark sky site at Strata Florida abbey in that case. I just love the panorama you get on a hill top, it makes the experience for me, and I enjoy it most alone. When, or if, I get a scope I can't see me taking it out that often, given the faff and the fact I enjoy pretty good skies at home, but is there much advantage in a bit of altitude ?(the Cambrians are not the Andes mind😁) I can see that the hills get more cloud, but if clear is it worth the 30 mile drive, or is that something I will have to find out for myself ? When it comes to my binocular viewing I'm fairly casual with my ,ahem, observations, but I do like to be in a nice spot. Nothing finer than sitting on a hill summit, in the dark, with nothing but the wind, though I'm guessing that's detrimental to good views too? Not just moving the scope, but distorting the atmosphere? Sorry about my rambling post. I

Hi everyone, Just joined the forum, and thought I should introduce myself. I have always been interested in the night skies, but rather informally, and most of my viewing has been with the naked eye, whilst fishing. Having said that I live in West Wales and when it's not raining I've seen some spectacular skies which have caused me to put my rod down and just look up. Last year I bought a cheap tripod bracket for my 7x42 birding binos, not ideal but they have given me so much pleasure. I had no idea star clusters would sparkle enough to be that impressive- to be honest I found actually seeing the Pleiades more impressive than the best of Hubble images. I am now looking at telescopes, fortunately pandemic shortages have prevented me from making a snap purchase, though I think I'm going to go for an 8" dobsonian, though the ease of a goto mount has to be considered. I'm not the most technical type, I just want an instrument I can learn to use reasonably well, and to be honest I can't see astronomy taking over my other hobbies. I hope that's not heresy here!