Is this any good?

[EdF_uk]

Hi,

My next purchase is going to be a collimator and I'm not sure I can stretch out to the Hotech at this time. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the Antares version is any good?

Antares Laser Collimator. New & Improved Version | Telescope Accessories | Rother Valley Optics

If not, are there any other cheaper alternatives to the Hotech?

Cheers

Ed

[Daniel-K]

if youve ever seen the guy on astro shed he swears by it lol i suppose they all do the same job just depends how fussy you are but thats seems a good price

[Adamski]

Hi, at the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs have you tried the 35mm film case yet? Very cheap alternative, with astrobabies guide I can not fault it.

[ollypenrice]

The big question is, it this laser collimatable? My Astro Engineering one is, using thee screws. You make V blocks using 4 nails and then rotate the unit while shining the beam onto a distant wall.

I wouldn't buy a non collimatable one myself.

Olly

[John]

....I wouldn't buy a non collimatable one myself.

Olly

Me neither. I had an out-of-collimation Baader laser collimator a while back which is shaped in a way that does not work with the V-block approach. It was a pig to get collimated again

[spaceboy]

I honestly don't think you can beat a good old fashion Cheshire for getting the most from your newt. Laser collimator's seem all too much fuss. Great for in a dark field when you can't see a dam thing but other than this I think there are too man variables to upset accuracy.

[Ad Astra]

These are sold in the US as the Orion LaserMate Deluxe - and they are brilliant.

I use them to collimate all the school's dobs, and they make the job easy and quick, as you can adjust without having to nip round to the front of the scope every time you tweak the mirror position.

Highly recommended.

Dan

[DaBozUK]

Hi, at the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs have you tried the 35mm film case yet? Very cheap alternative, with astrobabies guide I can not fault it.

Don't you still need a collimator eyepiece to align the primary mirror though? I can't see how you'd do that with just the eyepiece cap/35mm film case with hole in.

Cheers

Boz

[Peter Drew]

Like AdAstra, I use an Orion laser collimator. You have to unwrap the stick- on labelling to reveal the adjusting screws. .

[spaceboy]

Don't you still need a collimator eyepiece to align the primary mirror though? I can't see how you'd do that with just the eyepiece cap/35mm film case with hole in.

Cheers

Boz

A single point laser collimator will often show correct collimation even when the secondary position isn't correct. To align the secondary to the correct distance from the primary you can either do so with the above mentioned film cannister or a Cheshire. As said previously IMHO you cannot beat a Cheshire collimator for accuracy as the secondary is checked each time you collimate. There are advantages of using a laser collimator but these do not always guarantee perfect collimation every time without first using a collimation cap of some form.

[DaBozUK]

A single point laser collimator will often show correct collimation even when the secondary position isn't correct. To align the secondary to the correct distance from the primary you can either do so with the above mentioned film cannister or a Cheshire. As said previously IMHO you cannot beat a Cheshire collimator for accuracy as the secondary is checked each time you collimate. There are advantages of using a laser collimator but these do not always guarantee perfect collimation every time without first using a collimation cap of some form.

So if you have a Cheshire, do you need to use a cap and hole?

[davidlf]

I have one of these , really good piece of equipment. Came out of the box collimated but I have been using it with a barlow lens which removes any error otherwise.

[spaceboy]

So if you have a Cheshire, do you need to use a cap and hole?

The hole for alignment of secondary and primary is in the end of a Cheshire Astro Babys Guide to Collimation. I have both Cheshire and laser collimator but find that all I need do is collimate the scope in daylight with the Cheshire and then when I'm observing is do a star test to double check collimation. If the collimation is out I need only make adjustment to the primary until the rings are concentric on the star Diffraction pattern and aberrations . This can also be done with the laser/ barlow for more convenience if your OTA is long but again you need to make sure the secondary is correctly aligned prior to this using a collimation cap of some sort.

[Moonshane]

I use my Cheshire even at night - shine your red torch onto the angled face.

generally you don't need to touch the secondary once it's set as it scarcely moves unless given a proper bang. so it's only the primary which is dead easy.

my scopes are 1600mm focal length although I have pretty long arms.

[DaBozUK]

This is all really good collimating advice, thanks!