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uk_friendly_fire

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Everything posted by uk_friendly_fire

  1. uk_friendly_fire
    Thanks Dobbie, an idea to be considered. I have a SW heritage flextube 130 and am suffering aperture fever. Naturally I my mindset was get BIGGER. Your suggestion is likely to be the way forward for me if a noticeable image improvement will result.
  2. uk_friendly_fire
    Thanks Cosmic Geoff. I do intend to dabble in simple AP using a Nikon 5300 dslr. I don't think I could stretch to Zwo cameras or such like for serious DSAP so its only the brighter targets for me in the skies of northern M25. Many thanks
  3. uk_friendly_fire
    Really Useful plastic boxes with tray inserts. Even got my Celestron 5SE in one of the bigger boxes together with its original foam packing. The boxes are strong and see-through allowing quick identification of what's within. Works a treat and very practical for making an impromptu seat in the field if necessary.
  4. uk_friendly_fire
    I know the this is not a cheap hobby and being a pensioner makes getting the ideal kit out of reach sometimes - my aim is to use a second hand SW EQ3-2 mount which I already have; replace the spindly and sticking tripod with a SW EQ5 tripod in order to increase the payload capacity to accept a SW150 PDS reflector - hopefully without wobbling all over the place. I intend to use Onstep controller and motors on the mount which have themselves depleted the bank balance somewhat resulting in my current search for a cost effective design. Question 1 ) I can't find any quoted payload capacity for such a melange of kit. Does anyone know what it might be? I have read advice somewhere on the net that useable payload weight shouldn't exceed 60% of manufacturers max quoted payload weight in the real world to result in a steady mount. Question 2 ) Is this the general consensus of the Lounge or should I miss another year to save for an EQ5 mount and tripod?
  5. uk_friendly_fire
    Is it that simple? Scope + finder scope + eyepiece + RPi4 + balance weights must not > quoted payload of mount? Surely the balancing weights for EQ mounts must = Scope + finder scope + eyepiece + RPi4 in order to balance? Or does quoted payload exclude balance weights? Maybe someone knows a quadratic equation to sort this?
  6. uk_friendly_fire
    I have the following BST lens 25mm, 18mm, 15mm, 12mm, 8mm, & 5mm and short X2 Barlow. The newt is a blue painted pre-owned eBay SW114 probably parabolic. It has a hopeless focuser which doesn't stop when racking out. Nevertheless I was blown away by last night's view of Jupiter @ 10.30 pm bst. Using the suggestion in this thread I used a higher power lens, an 8mm lens with a x2 Barlow and saw for the 1st time in my life the cloud bands and 4 moons. I couldn't see the red spot but the jubilation of seeing the cloud band's using a very sensitive focus was fantastic. I WANT MORE OF THIS. I can't thank you all enough for the help you have given me in this thread. I'm over 60 years young and this has made me feel there is much more to accomplish and quite a bit emotional too. Thank you all
  7. uk_friendly_fire
    All my lenses are BST Starguiders except for one Celestron 18mm X-Cel which I think is quite good. I'm encouraged by your comments on Starguiders so I might invest in a 3.2mm lens. This would result in 156x with my SW 114 newt - is this too high a power for it?
  8. uk_friendly_fire
    Should I use a 5mm bst starguider eyepiece or Barlow plus 10mm bst starguider in preference? Are starguiders considered cheap?
  9. uk_friendly_fire
    I will try higher magnification the next chance I get. Thanks
  10. uk_friendly_fire
    Sounds like great advice. I sadly don't have a binoviewer. That might have to await Xmas. Still can't wait for another clear night to try higher magnification. Just had another thought, what about the tube cap. It's two part s9 I could put the outer ring on the scope and cut down the glare. Is that what it's used for? Thanks all
  11. uk_friendly_fire
    Saw Jupiter last night using my SW 114mm newt reflector from north london. It was accompanied by 4 moons. Everything looked pin sharp with a 25mm lens but too bright. How do I reduce the brightness and see more detail. Is it a matter of increasing magnification or using a filter of some kind of both?
  12. uk_friendly_fire
    Eureka-well maybe. Get a clamp on the reverse side of the mounting rail at the top end of scope and mount it there. Anyone have any idea if this works or done it themselves? Is there something I've overlooked
  13. uk_friendly_fire
    I bought the M42 Nikon adapter it arrived this morning with the Hoya lens arriving the day before. I'll have a go and see what happens. Sorely tempted by Mandy's idea on mirror lens. But funds need replacing first. Thank you all for your replies, the details provided have helped immensely in this somewhat daunting hobby. It's also dangerous to the bank balance watching YouTube videos first without consulting here first!
  14. uk_friendly_fire
    Your scope looks fantastic. Are any supports required to stop the shroud collapsing?
  15. uk_friendly_fire
    I don't think zwo clone + T7c is light enough or practical to mount it in place of the red dot finder, so where and with what is it attached to the 130p?
  16. uk_friendly_fire
    Was looking at 500mm mirror lens but got put off when I saw the video as mirrors were 3 to 4x the cost and look much heavier. Do Samyang go under other brand names?
  17. uk_friendly_fire
    Thank you both for your answers. Looks like I may have made a mistake. I need budget buy recommendations if I'm going to heat my house this winter. Here is a link for the YouTube that set me off on the quest
  18. uk_friendly_fire
    Has anyone tried this? I'm on a really tight budget now 5 years into retirement and still after a compact lightweight go anywhere rucksack kit. I've seen a YouTube video suggesting you can simple wide field AP with such a lens and DSLR. I will use my SW az gti lightweight mount. I just bought lens from Ebary for £20, not delivered as yet. It has an M42 thread and have many questions 1) what do I need to connect to my Nikon d5300 2) a 1.25" lens 3) can a Barlow lens be used 4) would it be better to use a SV305 or my D5300? Any help much appreciated
  19. uk_friendly_fire
    I have been using v 1.7.1 until upgrade recently, now 1.7.2 64bit and both have been stable and working well on an RPi4 b+ (8gb). If you have issues with it check your power supply is the correct type. It must be 5v and 3A - more amps needed if you have many usb devices attached. I have a 4A power supply in reserve for heavier demands and powered hubs for even heavier demands. I run Stellarmate wirelessly with a Sky Watcher AZ Gti mount and a RPi 3A supply. I have attached usb GPS dongle and Zwo T7c clone and a RTC on the GPIO. It runs flawlessly 15m from my house network. If you have long cable runs voltage drop might cause problems, furthermore I discovered that even with a GPS dongle, time and date were not properly set in the software as a RTC is needed. This is mentioned buried in Stellarmate help notes. The RTC cured all erratic behaviour of the mount so that each session is now simply started by pointing the telescope level and magnetic north. Being a novice and able to get images of M31, M13, Saturn, Jupiter in polluted north London skies with a 50mm Sky Watcher Evoguide I'm well impressed with Stellarmate.
  20. uk_friendly_fire
    Thank you all for your replies. A Parfocal ring might be part of the solution but I think you would have to wind the ED50's focus ring out a number of times before achieving focus so still no neat pop-in-camera-and-go solution yet..
  21. uk_friendly_fire
    Yep using that "extra" tube, but the camera, which is a shotgun cartridge in shape, is free to slide in and out of it changing focus until clamped by the thumb screws at the correct distance - 242mm behind the objective lens taking into account the position of the camera sensor in the camera body. It's this forward and backward movement that needs setting to provide a perfect focus at the sensor e.g. 242mm minus the recess depth of the sensor from the forward edge of the camera casing (I think that's correct?). Problem is I don't know its correct depth or how to accurately repeat this setting for each night's use. It must have a simple solution but I'm not there yet - perhaps I looking to over engineer this?
  22. uk_friendly_fire
    I'm a newbie to this astro stuff and bought Stellarmate OS for use with my Skywatcher AZ Goto mount and RPi4b now with an SSD. It is a complex piece of software but well worth it and regularly updated. I used a Skywatcher Evoguide ED50 on it with a T7C camera as my first mobile remote telescope. It is controlled remotely on my home network but also capable of self networking in 'station mode' with the mount and android phone/Amazon tablet away from home. On my 3rd attempt out at night I blew my mind when it centered on Orion Belt nebula and later Andromeda galaxy. It was fantastic & I hope you achieve as much joy and feeling of breakthrough success as I did. Now I want more....I plan to upgrade the Pi with a UPS to give me true self sufficiency out in the field with a small lightweight but powerful package.
  23. uk_friendly_fire
    How i.e. Stellarmate settings and with what hardware? Any pointers much appreciated. I know you like the challenge so someone must have mastered it?
  24. uk_friendly_fire
    No flattener. The scopes focal length is 242mm so by my reckoning I just take off the T7C focal plane measurement as measured from behind the ED50's objective lens. Is this correct?
  25. uk_friendly_fire
    Thanks - It's an idea but sadly the requirements are the kit can be ultra transportable. My setup needs to be dismantled to pack away small enough to go caravanning (or hiking?) and enjoy better skies than I get here in greater London. I also wish to learn the principals and apply it to my other scopes if the need arises (Celestron 5se, Skywatcher ED72, 114P, & Heritage 130P
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