Andy ES

A bit of helpful info below mainly for those fairly new to astronomy like me. I was having a bit of grief setting up the 3 star alignment with this CPC925 scope as it was a bit difficult to get the right stars in the finder without lots of contortions and neck ache, this was also taking a while and resulting in a few failed alignments after my initial success. I decided to get a Telrad after some SGL advice. I also got a 2” riser. This was next day delivery from FLO. So this afternoon I set it up (stuck it on with the included pads) on the sky end of the CPC925 and set up a remote house TV aerial in the finder and eyepiece. Then I adjusted the red circles in the Telrad up on the same spot, which was really simple, the riser also made it a very comfortable position to use. I must say the CPC tripod is rock solid even at full extension, which was required to look over the fence. Then I picked lots of other targets to simulate star locations that I would use for the alignment. WOW this was a revelation, an epiphany! So easy to do and so quick to get fast accurate alignments in the finder then the eyepiece. This bit of kit is fantastic and I have high hopes now for future sky alignments. I would throughly recommend getting one of these. I hope all you old hands out there are nodding sagely, but for a newbie this is brilliant 😁 love it and so does my neck!

Alex Thanks very much for you time and trouble in answering these questions, really appreciate your advice. regards Andy

OK thanks here’s some extra info to asses: Celestron CPC 9.25 Alt Az dual fork mount the centre of the eyepiece of the current finder stands off the tube by 50mm (2”) using 2” diagonal most pointing done by computer standing while pointing & observing Scope stored striped down of accessories in garage. Telrad mostly going to be used to assist with 3 star alignment process. I’m finding it fairly difficult to locate stars initially in the finder. Thanks again hopefully someone has used this set up.

Hi I'm thinking of getting a telrad finder as I’m struggling a bit with the 8 x 50 finder that came with my 9.25 SCT. can anyone advise please if it’s worth getting the riser for it either 2 or 4 inch? also is it best to install it at the eyepiece or corrector end. Thanks for any advice or experiences.

Dan I’ve just bought a similar amount of gear after about 30 years away from astronomy. I wanted a new hobby in early retirement and knew after watching the weather over a long time that this would be an intermittent hobby! so I thought that this would be a long journey over many years and that the times out would be very special and worth the wait. if you have a family maybe they can enjoy it with you. There will always be something more pressing to spend money on, but I have found sometimes a diverting hobby is worth the investment, particularly in these testing times.

I was thinking how to label my EPs so I can select them in the dark. Then I had a revaluation when looking at the Baader site as I now know what the little clip in the new EP box is for! problem sorted.

Yeah clear outside app seems pretty accurate

Good stuff I had a first night out last night

Great views Trevor got my cpc925 out for the first time last night with similar views

Welcome happy learning it’s great here

Welcome this is a great place to learn, welcome

Welcome Sam this is the place to learn I have learnt so much in 2 months, ask away!

Luckily the first observing night had a bit of wow factor so I think everyone is on board!

Geoff Thanks I noticed that I had to manually enter the location and time with the sky alignment mode. I thought the GPS would do this or does this only happen with 2 star alignment? I read in the book that at first use it might take a while for the GPS to download relevant info? i had the scope switched on outside for about 3 hours. Thanks

True to its word the clear outside app provided a fantastic clear sky with pinpoint accuracy at 23:00 last night. This was first light for the above CPC925 and I wasn’t disappointed. it was the first opportunity to move everything outside and lift into position. I found this comfortable to do but I am really happy that I didn’t opt for the 1100 version in the end! had all the eyepieces arranged in boxes to help and was able to set up in about 10 minutes and only had to use the red light tourch once. I used the sky align 3 star method and used 3 bright stars in a SE SW NW triangle. This was a bit tricky at first as I was trying to pick precise stars, but then realised if I could see others in the finder while looking then that star would probably do instead. After the fine alignment (with the slew automatically slowed down) I pressed the button and waited with fingers crossed. I was as pleasantly surprised when the alignment was confirmed first time, especially on this moon lit night! So obvious first target was the moon. I selected solar system and moon and the scope slewed straight to it and centred it perfectly in the finder (it couldn’t miss really!) this is still impressive though if you’ve never seen it before. I used all the different eyepieces and was amazed at the crisp clear image using the 6.5mm EP. Got some fantastic views of Mare Imbrium, Montes Apenninus, Plato and Eratosthenes. Couldn’t make out Apollo 15 landing site though ! 😂 Then had a look at Mars next door and I could make out a white polar area. the sky tour function also listed Uranus so selected that and an object did come into view which one of my family said it looked blue or green without being prompted so maybe the pointing accuracy was spot on. Also managed to see the Orion nebular but most of the sky was really washed out by the moon, which was the star or the night. This was really good though as the rest of the family were really impressed by the new scope on its first outing. I don’t really know any better but I would say the optics on this scope were very good. When I looked at bright stars out of focus I was getting the correct pattern which I think confirmed the collimation was OK. some early learning points from last night are need to label the EPs better to pick them out in the dark, do every in a logical way and know where all the kit is and left and right are now swapped over! 😁 So overall had a successful test flight of the kit and managed to see stuff for about 2 hours and nothing dewed up. Looks like Saturday night might be ok for another session, very happy with the kit. Cheers

Thanks for the advice

Hi I’m just starting to use my new CPC925 and as I’ve read on SGL I’m expecting dew problems with this SCT. I just wanted to ask what would be the best procedure to follow to try and minimise this? The scope will be stored in an attached garage which is quite cool to start with. I also have a dew shield which is heated and I’ve got a desiccant cartridge on order. So please, what is the best way to pre cool it or warm it, then use it and bring it back inside and store it after. Basically I’m not sure what temperature it should be at, what the cooling/heating times should be or when and how to remove dew when it forms during or after use. One other question is where exactly should the dew shield be placed? Should the heated band be in line with the corrector plate? or a bit further back towards the eye piece end? As always thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

This one is pretty toe curling ! 😬

“Don’t loosen the clutches” and “Buy Meade their still operating” classic 😂

Yes these videos are delivered very well. This one helped me make the right decision.

Welcome you are definitely in the right place for help and advice!

Yes I did consider the 1100 but thought it would be a bit too much. moving this 925 is not going to be a problem for a few more years anyway. 😄

Stopped raining today so managed to get out and set up the finder and have a play with the slew speeds. View looked clear and focused ok surprised how quick I could set up and take down (in day light anyway!) started sunny but now clouded over I think Thursday is the best bet based on clear outside app.

This Black CAT is only 3 days old still hasn’t opened its eyes yet!

So out of the box came this Celestron CPC925, a thing of beauty! The boxes got delivered really quickly by FLO and all looked in great condition. Looking visually it all looks undamaged. First impressions of this scope are that it has excellent build quality, I hope the optics match. The tripod is fantastic, I think you could balance a circus elephant on it! I think the tripod is standard for the whole range so I guess it is a bit large for this mid range scope. My Mrs face was a picture as she came into the room. “Gee willikers, 😳what is the killer robot from Robocop doing in the dinning room!!??” I suppose I didn’t quite explain how big it would be ! 😄 something I wanted to get sorted out quickly was the weight and manual handling issue that had been slightly bothering me. Fortunately it was easy to lift out of the box and onto the tripod on my own so I don’t think it will a problem for a few more years. I think fitting it to the locating pin will be a technique to master. However an SGL member has already pointed me to a locating guide that can be fitted to help with this. I have done a lot of research on this scope to check it will meet my requirements, visual planetary and small DSOs but not photography. I have also asked lots of questions and SGL members have been great in helping to give advice. to this end I have also purchased a few upgrades: Baader 2” visual back, diagonal, Astro zap heated dew shield and battery. The click lock system seems very good. Eyepieces are Baader Morpheus 76 and Explore scientific 82. I understand these might be a bit more than this F10 SCT needs but I’ve got them for the future and other possible scopes. Looking forward to powering it up today and hopefully at least lining up the finder. (If it stops raining!) I’ve read a few members would like to hear more news of how newcomers are getting on after they have asked initial questions, so I will do this as I go along hopefully it might help someone else. Thanks again to all who have posted past and present to help me make decisions. I’ve been out of astronomy for about 30 years so it is good to be back. Cheers