Worst Nightmare!

[CeeDee]

A week or ago the ultimate nightmare occurred: as I was successfully completing a two-star alignment with two calibration stars I directed the mount towards Jupiter AND…the CG5 GT saddle dropped my W.O. FLT110…onto concrete! Worst case scenario!! Ever seen a grown man crying?

The scope was not even dented and although the DDG focuser fell off (!) Apart from scuffs, scrapes and abrasions the scope appeared none too much worse for wear. However, although I checked it during daylight and optically it seems OK there is no substitute for a proper optical test so I send it back to Astronomia for repair. Fortunately, my household contents insurance will cover repairs.

Question: Will the scope ever be the same again? Has anyone had experience of a telescope which has suffered like trauma? Do they come back as good optically as they were?

Although I love this scope for grab ‘n go / star party use as optically it was first class. Even the new DDG focuser on it worked well. Will it be the same again……? Anyone hazard a guess?

:):icon_eek:

[johninderby]

Very similar to what befell an 80mm scope of mine.

http://stargazerslounge.com/discussions-scopes-whole-setups/113358-ts-ts-ed80-fpl-53-triplet-apo-its-misadventures.html

Focuser broke off and the lens cap was dented. However the rest of the scope was still perfect. Replaced the focuser with a new one and the lens cap and the scope was good as new and the optics were perfect and collimation was still spot on!

John

[Mr Spock]

If the optics didn't get chipped by the impact then it should be fine. A bit scary though.

[michaelmorris]

You never know, it may even come back better then before!

[CeeDee]

I'll let everyone know the out come of this event. If the scope still has good collimation then it's a testimony to W.O. build quality.

[AndyH]

Horrible story. My brain started to visualise the scenario.....puke.

Hope the scope comes back in tip top shape.

Andy.

[Gina]

Yes, that was my reaction too! Good luck

[Charon]

Dropping my baader zoom was bad enough for me CeeDee.

[CeeDee]

The (NEW) Beeder Skysurfer MkV also hit the deck with the scope..it is fine ..not a blemish and still works! Astronomia are sorting out the scope for me and have an optical engineer they use checking/testing the optics. Should take a week or three. Here's some very good advice from our C.N. colleagues across the pond:

"Slipping rails is indeed a not too uncommon issue, especially in the cold.

Always always double check all your threaded knobs that are holding stuff when you do your setup. If you make this a regular procedure you will feel a lot better.

Safety knobs at the end of the dovetail bars/plates are indeed very good insurance. If you don't have any threaded holes on the underside of your bars you can quickly solve this with a hand held drill and a tap and even if you've never used a tap before it can be quite easy in the softer aluminum of the dovetail plate/bar (besides you don't need to make a deep hole and if it's a little crooked or such who cares, only a safety bolt is going in there). The safety bolts themselves don't need to be anything special, just about anything will work as long as the head sticks up from the surface to catch the edge of the saddle if it slips.

Saddles with fixed sides and only a bolt or two putting pressure on the bar are notorious for slipping. Always double check them. The better saddle designs have a pressure plate on the bolts and the best design (IMHO) has a totally moving side plate which offers the most contact area with the dovetail plate/bar. One thing you do really have to watch for is the totally moving side plate allows you to side mount the dovetail plate/bar instead of slipping it in from the end. This is a great convenience (and especially if you have the safety bolts in place which prevent the slide in from the end) but you can if you're not careful not always fully insert the dovetail plate/bar. Always double check that it's flat against the top edge of the saddle before letting go of your valuable scope. "

In case you are wondering what the 'safety knobs' at the end of the dovetal plate are:

"...A couple of "safety" screws in the bottom of the dovetail will prevent this from happening. I have almost lost my Meade AR-6 while mounting it and the screw will save it. I have added them to all my dovetails. They go either at the ends of the dovetail, or near the middle right above where the mount attaches. Basically you just thread a longer bolt in so that it sticks out from the bottom of the dovetail. That way if it slides back it will catch on the bolt before it can slide all the way off.

Anyway, my standard operating procedure is now to put the dovetail and rings onto the mount with full illumination. The OTA is then put into the rings with the mount head on top. "

Hope this helps other astronomers to avoid the same disaster as befell me!

[Wobbly Bob]

In case you are wondering what the 'safety knobs' at the end of the dovetal plate are:

"...A couple of "safety" screws in the bottom of the dovetail will prevent this from happening. I have almost lost my Meade AR-6 while mounting it and the screw will save it. I have added them to all my dovetails. They go either at the ends of the dovetail, or near the middle right above where the mount attaches. Basically you just thread a longer bolt in so that it sticks out from the bottom of the dovetail. That way if it slides back it will catch on the bolt before it can slide all the way off.

Anyway, my standard operating procedure is now to put the dovetail and rings onto the mount with full illumination. The OTA is then put into the rings with the mount head on top. "

Hope this helps other astronomers to avoid the same disaster as befell me!

I was about to suggest the very thing mentioned so well above. This method also takes the worry out of balancing a heavy load on the saddle plate.

[Trull]

That's a great idea, all dovetails should have this feature.

Santa brought me a tap and die set, so I think I'll get busy on mine today.

The thought of my Vixen ED taking a tumble with all the AP rigging makes me shudder!