cajen2

Oh, short note for anyone considering the Vixen 30mm: eye relief is tremendous (nearly an inch!) and even with the eyecups fully extended, I seemed a mile away from the lens.

Well, I was amazed to find a virtually clear sky a couple of hours ago, so time to try out my new EPs! Orion was up and relatively high, so I've just spent two hours on a tour of that. Firstly, the Vixen. I just wanted a decent-quality Plossl for touring the night skies, but I was blown away by the quality of the 30mm! Stars were clear and sharp with no obvious distortion at the field edges. The Orion nebulae were gorgeous, too, despite the low magnification. I switched to my BST Starguider 8mil, then down to the Svbony 6mil. Both gave impressive results in the 150p. I'd just switched targets to the Pleiades, which were also wonderful through all three EPs when oncoming cloud cut that session short. All you experienced astronomers with your wonderful scopes....do you remember the simple thrill of seeing such things for the first time with your own equipment? It even makes staring gloomily out of the window at rain and 10/10ths cloud night after night bearable! 👍😊

Ah, good knowledge....thanks, P.

Ah, there you go. Who can you believe? 😳

Despite what @Tiny Clanger and others advise, while I'm waiting for my Barlow, I'd still like to get a decent-,quality zoom. Sorry, Heather, but perhaps the advantages outweigh the disadvatages in my case.🤔 Apparently, the Baader Hyperion range doesn't suit my scope, so I might go for an OVL Hyperflex or its clone, a Svbony. I'd probably choose the 7.2 - 21.5 one.

Hehe, no, even I had already sorted this out....the 30mm has an eye relief of nearly an inch (24mm) so I made sure there was a healthy eyecup extension. It's really not like me to be so forward planning!😄

Two more toys for the box: a Vixen 30mil Plossl for star hopping, DSOs and Barlowing and a BST Starguider 8mm for more detailed planetary views, hopefully. Both look solid and I can't wait to try them out!

Actually, you're right: my original plan was to go for the 2x Barlow, but while ordering I clicked the wrong box 'Never mind; the 3x will be just as useful,' I thought after I noticed the error, but on reflection I agree with you. I've amended the order now. Thanks Stu.

Oh, just a point for anyone making the DIY dew shield/light shroud: don't do what I did and buy very thin foam. I bought the 2mm foam, which buckles with use. What I might do is make a new one to fit the outside of the tube/ truss with cutouts for the focuser, RDF etc and just fit it just before viewing.

Hi Dave. I'm no expert but 350x mag is too much for most seeing conditions - I think at best I'd just get a larger ball of fluff rather than a small one. Most people seem to think that there's no point in trying to go higher than 200x except in absolutely ideal conditions. My idea was to use a fairly wide-field EP, as the ES 'Tele extender' is supposed not to affect eye relief, exit pupil, etc. I haven't decided which EP to go for yet, perhaps a wide-field 12mm. I can also use the TE on the Vixen for different sized targets.

Well, the first chance tonight to do some fairly extended viewing. I'm always bit late catching Venus before it goes behind trees and buildings and, to be honest, I don't much mind as I find what looks like a shrunken moon a bit underwhelming....😳 My first real prize was an extended view of Jupiter. I was using a Svbony 6mm 68 degree EP, which is cheap and cheerful and gives me about 125 mag. - not really enough on my scope for more than a hint of banding on the planet but showing pin-sharp images of the moons. Relative axial inclination means that the moons are strung out either side of Jupiter, as if, well, on a string!😄 I'm currently waiting for the delivery of some more EPs: a Vixen NPL 30mm for star hopping and DSOs and a BST Starguider 60* 8mm for more detailed work. I also have an ES 3X Barlow/focal Extender on long-term order.

@Stu you're a genius! That sticky-stuff remover is brilliant. Five - minute job.

Hi Ali and a warm welcome to SGL.

Great.....can it run off an external 12v power supply as well? And / or is the battery rechargeable?

It isn't designed for tracking DSOs, for AP, I suppose because it isn't accurate enough. Like yours, my scope would benefit from a bit of extra height.... Maybe a purchase for the future, after I've finished upgrading my eyepieces (though I suspect that's a job that's never finished!).

So nobody, then......🥺 Just wondered if they worked or not.

From the album 'Motivation Radio', which has a radio telescope on the cover! (tenuous connection with an astronomy forum😄). Track is just called 'Light in the Sky'.

You'd be too young, Claire, to remember Steve Hilllage ... "Oh me, oh my, there's a light in the sky!" 😄

Just for anyone who hasn't bought a dob yet, don't go supposing that these finder upgrades are possible on any design.....I found this to my cost when trying to upgrade the RDF on my Heritage 150p Flextube, as documented on my thread "Stupid, stupid". https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/386339-stupid-stupid/

Any dob owners tried one of these: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/equatorial-astronomy-mounts/asterion-ecliptica-light-tracking-platform-for-dobsonian-telescopes.html Looks interesting if rather pricey....

Cheers, Stu. Just ordered some - I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks David. I did contact FLO and Chris said he'd tried all his stock finders, but nothing fitted as there's so little real estate on the front of the scope (except the Baader that I mentioned before). In view of my execrable DIY skills, I think I should avoid doing ANY surgery on my scope! 🥺 Xgaze: you're quite right - the shoe on the RDF is tiny, which is probably why you have commented that it goes out of alignment so easily. I think I'll just put up with it! Thanks for all of those, Z.

Thanks for that, TB. Any other experiences with removing that double-sided foam stuff?

Oh, and for anyone else wanting to replace the RDF on a flextube, almost no other finder will fit, according to FLO. There's a Baader, but it's a straight through job, so no advantage.

As usual, I've been my own worst enemy. Definitely behind the door when the common sense was.being given out! 😥 I have a weakness in my lower back and so was suffering when using the RDF on my Heritage 150p flextube dob. Switching from the RDF to the focuser was giving me severe gyp! So, mistake 1. I ordered a Rigel finder to replace the RDF, thinking its extra height would help. I didn't think to check if the mounts were compatible or if the RF would fit on the end of the scope. Of course, inevitably, neither..... Mistake 2. 'No problem: I'll mount it on the solid tube instead.' Here, of course, it's even more difficult to view than the RDF. The electrics on the Rigel didn't work either, so I've returned it and gone back to the RDF. Now, my problem is the double-sided tape used to attach the mount on the Rigel. This is clinging like a limpet to the tube and defies all efforts to remove it. Does anyone have any ideas what I can do to get it off? I've tried nail polish remover - no go. Moral of the story: research and plan ahead before buying....I'm an idiot.