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Unboxing a Quattro 8" Steel OTA

Deneb

By Deneb
in Member Equipment Reviews

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Deneb

Deneb

Posted
Posted

Hi

I received my 8" Quattro this morning, Originally was going to go for a 10", but found it too cumbersome to handle so it went back.

There still some more pics to come, but here's some for now...

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The focuser has a nice & smooth run, with no stiffness compromising with two lock knobs on top & bottom of the focuser. I see later how my 383L+ & Filterwheel will mount on it. One thing which I detest on the focuser which I think lets the focuser down are those locking hand screws on the 2" collar & the eyepiece nosepiece which marr your eyepieces & nosepieces, they look just cheap & nasty. What would it cost Skywatcher to fit the focuser with compression rings, like what other clones are doing..:)

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As im only going to be using mostly the scope without the eyepiece nosepiece, I have made a slight modification to the 2" collar..

VOILA ! ! ! - Now you have compression rings. This useful adaptor is Supplied by Telescope Service ( & NO i have not been asked by TS to advertise this before someone lays into me).

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Away with the Skywatcher 6" and in with a 15" ADM Losmandy Dovetail.

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Cheers

Nadeem

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Deneb

Deneb

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Well it seems okay with the 383L+ & the EFW2 with the Baader Coma Corrector. I'll give it a test run after i've had a bit of time with my 115 triplet.

@ Spaceboy, im no way rich mate, just working class like the majority of people here. But go through kit like I go through eating my wifes chappatis..:) & thats all im going to say....

Some more pics...

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Must remember to fit those Bobs Knobs I got lying around.... 9 Baffles are showing...

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The DIY 60mm Guider with a QHY5, Balanced on both axis.

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Cheers

Nadeem.

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Macavity

Macavity

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Interesting to see WHERE it focuses. Was surprised to find my TS/GSO unable to visually focus,

a standard Plossl, with the kit (35mm extension, plus 2"->1.25" adaptor) supplied. Eventually, it

needed an 80mm extension to use Hyperions in 2" mode. <Grin> Still requires a 50mm for the

Watec too. But I guess all these scopes are designed for DSLR use or addition of filter wheels,

coma correctors etc. :)

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SlipperySquid

SlipperySquid

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Would be interesting to see how the focuser holds out with a bit of weight on? Even the skywatcher low profile focuser I bought as a replacement for the crayford on my 200p wasn't really up to the job of holding a ccd and filter wheel.

Also can't wait to see if the baffles etc improve contrast compared to a 200p?

Thanks for posting the picks matey...you really are a gear tart :)

Matt.

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Macavity

Macavity

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Nice Pics, Nadeem. Nice thing! :(

I sense (looking) it's at least as good as the TS/GSO F4 Newt,

hardware-wise. But you're all dying for me to say that, right?

[teasing]. However, as someone once said (quipped) the latter

is "worth it", just for the "Steeltrack" focuser alone? Add Bob's

Knobs and, who knows who / which would win... :)

Carbon Fiber versus Steel OTAs have both their advocates and

detractors - Either side able to produce "compelling physics" to

back up their arguments? Idem the (turbulent) bafflers versus

the (smoother, upgrading) flockers etc. :D

I'm trying to decide between a

Quattro or an Explorer 200PDS, or something else...

In retrospect, for my smaller (1/2" Video) chip work, I suspect

a bog-standard F5 Newt would have "done me". F4 scopes

are more for DSLR imagers. Theory suggests that F4 is TWICE

as hard to collimate as F5 too! On the other hand, an F4 / 8" is

LIGHT - Can be easily lifted by a decrepit (ME!), and doesn't bang

into the walls of a semi-automated 6' wide observatory. :)

ASIDE: I thinK it great / helpful that people explore and discuss

the "more adventurous" solution. Notwithstanding the purist

past-detractors that later "convert" to these ideas. [teasing] :D

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Coco

Coco

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Looks very VERY nice indeed.. It certainly looks like it can do the business, sharp spiders, baffled, robust crayford etc.. tube looks stocky too.. :D

Question is... are you going to ‘keep it long enough’ to learn its strengths & weaknesses and produce a master piece :(

I believe the 10" is a fabulous but massive OTA... Unless I had a BIG obs I cant ever imagine setting one of those up every night for an imaging run.. :D

Congrats on your new tube anyway...:)

.

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Deneb

Deneb

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Well it be interesting to see if skywatcher have got it right...

My primary concern at the moment is would I have to change the focuser out or not. As all my previous newts have needed a focuser change, apart from the MN.

Even though the 200P DS is a nice scope, & was being being considered as a purchase the main weakness with that scope is the Focuser. The focuser was not able to take the amount of weight which I am planning to use it for. At least on the Quattro's they have added two locking screws to keep drawtube sturdy... How the ota will perform will be another thing from collimation to imaging & how the focuser performs. Time will tell ....

But the weather is not playing ball atm, & im more keen in using the 115 triplet with the televue reducer I have for it now, before the Quattro gets a turn.

@ Macavity - Im no way a Purist mate, far from it actually, im more likely to go against the grain & I do welcome constructive critiscm :) & certainly I do not wish people sing my praises over gear that I buy either..

At the end of the day, we buy gear with our hard earned cash, we expect manufacturers of astro gear to provide us with decent products. If they fall halfway, well there's no point of covering their mess up is there. I will tell them what I think of their product... Even if the Dealer does not like it :D

Nadeem.

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FLO

FLO

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Posted

At the end of the day, we buy gear with our hard earned cash, we expect manufacturers of astro gear to provide us with decent products. If they fall halfway, well there's no point of covering their mess up is there. I will tell them what I think of their product... Even if the Dealer does not like it :D

Nadeem.

Precisely :)

Good reviews are objective, constructive and based on off-the-shelf kit. Whether a dealer likes the review or not should be the last thing on your mind.

Personally speaking, I believe reviews that are essentially pre-arranged 'advertorials' intended to promote a product are worthless. This is a forum, not a magazine. I know you don't post reviews like that Nadeem so, other than perhaps taking you to task if I think something is not fair or accurate, I don't think I would ever complain. Besides, who would listen :(

This useful adaptor is Supplied by Telescope Service ( & NO i have not been asked by TS to advertise this before someone lays into me).
I doubt anybody will criticise you for mentioning the TS adapter. TS do a large range of adapters, some of them unique. I might even put some into stock :D

HTH,

Steve

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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My experiences (very limited) of Newtonian imaging caused me to centre my attention on the way the weight of the camera hangs out such a long way from the Tube. This means you need a stiff focuser and, very importantly, a stiff tube. When the system is very fast the focal plane is only microns deep and so the orthogonality of the chip is ultra crtical. SInce the manufacturer cannot have an extra long drawtube (as they can in non Newtonians) they have an issue to think about.

I'm going to be watching this scope with interest because, if ti delivers, it will obviously have a lot to offer. In a nutshell very fast systems need very good mechanical engineering around them.

BTW, there is no implication in these remarks that SW won't have managed it. I'm just saying that it will need managing, that's all.

Olly

PS, Nadeem, how I miss chappatis in France!! And parathas. And Naans. Oh dear!

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Earl

Earl

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Actually I be more interested if I would be able to focus with my gear on it... Without changing the focuser, which im no way going to do...

Nadeem.

Totally, the scope is aimed at imagers so it should do the job out the box without needing to replace the focuser.

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Coco

Coco

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Totally, the scope is aimed at imagers so it should do the job out the box without needing to replace the focuser.

F/4 scope with serious imaging in mind it should be capable for at least a couple of seasons.. well one would expect it to...

As it looks a beautiful bit of kit if it did the job I wouldn't mind upgrading to Moonlight or similar in a couple of years..

800mm f/4.... now thats damn right fab!

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Deneb

Deneb

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i've just done an indoor run with collimating it with a crosshair hotech with bobs knobs fitted, took about 10mins, dead on centre.

Guy, fitting a Moonlight or a Baader is one thing, so long as Skywatcher have not moved the mounting holes of the focuser pertaining to baaders or moonlights universal fitting plate then your home dry otherwise forgot it.

I found this on a 150P DS, did not matter how you oriented the universal fitting plate for the moonlight focuser the holes would not just align, I ended making some holes myself. No fault of Moonlight of course, their stuff is Hardcore.

Nadeem.

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