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Simple(?) Finderscope question

heathenwoods

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heathenwoods

heathenwoods

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The one thing missing from my seond hand Tal-1 is a finderscope... and I'd like one! The mount is still fitted so.. is it as simple as fitting a.n.other 6x30 finderscope? I can see one in the astroboot for £11 which looks like it should do the trick.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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hi Andrew in a word yes. Most scopes have a standard dovetail shoe and finder holder /bracket. If I were you though, I'd consider using a red dot finder like the First Light Optics - Baader 30mm Sky Surfer III

This is only £10 more and will fit the shoe I think.

This will make initial placement of the scope easy and allow the target (generally) to fit in the field of your lowest power eyepiece.

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heathenwoods

heathenwoods

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Most scopes have a standard dovetail shoe and finder holder /bracket. .

Cheers Shane. I had considered a red dot finder but my scope is an old Tal and hasn't got a standard bracket. The finder holder (probably not correct term) is mounted on two screws ~40mm apart (at a glance it looks like 38mm but my eye's could be deceiving me, especially this early!). The attached picture should show what I mean.

Having said that, I'm relieved I can just slap a regular 6x30 in there. And as a bonus, my missus has just said she'll get me one.

post-29819-13387770003_thumb.jpg

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AndyH

AndyH

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Hi.

A non Tal 6x30 should fit the backet fine. There is another option of removing the Tal finder bracket and putting a universal shoe on the tube. This could let you put a bigger finder on. I'm currently doing this and will have a homemade(or really, home-put-together)60mm right angled finder on the Tal 1. Whilst one of the original threaded holes lines up, I'll probably in time, need to drill & tap another. For the moment, the 1 screw seems to hold the finder & bracket securely. Something to think of down the line?

6339734927_a6b7120002.jpg

I've uploaded the newer manual. I think the two I uploaded before, were the same or similar older ones. It's a mix of the various newt scopes and mounts, but it has better pics, explanations and is far better translated, rather than the pidgeon english of old.

Many of us Tal mount users use the scope the following way. After aquiring a target, rather than fully tightening both the RA & DEC axis lock screws/knobs, do the following...

With the tension/locking knobs locked, slightly loosen it til the scope can be moved to and fro by hand, on both axis. Not too loose. You should still be able to use the large slo-mo knobs to finely move the scope. If the tension/locking knob is too loose, turning of the slo-mo knob won't move the scope(or it will move intermittently).

I find using the scope this way, is far easier and enjoyable.

If racking of the focuser feels a bit tight(or too loose), it can be adjusted by grabbing the left hand wheel and turning the right hand one either anti-clockwise to loosen, clockwise to tighten. Make sure it's well greased. Both the rack and pinion and between the focuser tube and body. A strip down and rebuild/grease, can turn a horrible focuser into one that is lovely and smooth. I've uploaded a pdf which explains it.

Cheers,

Andy.

TAL1,1M,2,150P,150P8.pdf

TalScopes Tal focuser rebuild.pdf

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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to be honest, yh Baader one is so light, you could use car number plate adheasive pads to stick the base on. I have both optical and RDFs on my bigger scopes and maybe you could too. As you are buying one anyway, consider a right angled finder (corrected left right too) as these make life so much more comfy although I only prefer them in conjunction with a RDF.

good luck whatever you do.

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heathenwoods

heathenwoods

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Thanks Andy and Shane, that's really helpful. It's funny, I'm quite happy with bodge jobs on my pushbike but I hadn't even considered them for the 'scope.

I'm just getting used to RA and DEC axes after using a mini-dob. There's a definite learning curve but, thankfully, it's not too steep.

The documents you've posted, yesterday and today, have been brilliant and the point about the focuser is well made; mine is a bit sticky at one end of its travel. The new manual is useful too - I was getting a headache making sense of the first one late last night ;) Thanks again!

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heathenwoods

heathenwoods

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Bit of a development... the 6x30 arrived today and it doesn't fit! The screws of the collimation rings don't reach the barrel of the finderscope. I have, however, thought of a temporary bodge. A hard plastic pepper container is a perfect fit (ie fits in with enough in the rings so i'm going to cut an opening at each end, pack it with bubble wrap and slide it over the barrel of the finderscope as a shim.

Of course, if there's a neater solution, I'd love to know it ;)

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