First light Skywatcher Skymax 127 mak with Supatrack

[Epsilon Kastorensis]

Hi everybody. After months of deliberation I bought the Skymax 127 yesterday, set it up, and noted some minor problems, which prompted me to search for a users' forum. I found this one, and was interested and gratified to discover that my findings were the same as others. Great optics, dustbin finder, etc. Thanks for the great review, AlexG, and the sandbag idea, GigglingF. Two questions (which will betray my newbiness and are probably obvious): Is it possible to get a red dot finder with a prism for ease in viewing? and: Does it matter what part of the dovetail bar the tube is clamped to? I guess there must be a reason for having a long bar - is it just to accommodate the height of the user? Also - is there any way of improving the focusing at high magnification - by stepping down, or somehow making it remote? (Okay, it was a few questions.) Thanks.

[mcut]

i have the 127 on an EQ mount. i use a Baader SkySurferV red dot:-

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=bskysurferv

the length of the dovetail bar is for balancing the scope

I do not have the supatrak but i am assuming you will simply move the scope to a position on the dovetail where it sits in the supatrak without falling forward or backwards when the scope is not tightened in place and any gears are off allowing the scope to rock forwards and backwards on the arm of the supatrak. it helps to balance the scope as it makes life easier for the motors. do it once you have placed diagonal, eyepieces and finder etc on the scope.

as to focussing. i use one of these

http://www.wolfcraft.co.uk/jcatalog_generated/en/products/product_groups/869_product.html

this provides a lever for finer focussing adjustment, they sit clamped onto and at right angles to the tube body around the focussing knob. they are light enough that they do not alter the focus.

[AlexG]

Hi Epsilon, Welcome to SGL. Do introduce yourself in the Welcome section if you like, then people can pelt you with welcomes and remembrances of what they have got up to near your home town!

Good question about the dovetail bar. I certainly hadn't thought about it. Mcut hasn't got the Supatrack so he might not know that it has just one groove for the bar and only a screw on the other side to hold the bar in that groove.

What he says about balancing the 'scope nicely makes perfect sense and makes me think it would be a good idea for us to slide the bar back and forth until you can find the tipping place about the screw coming in from below. As he says that might help the motors and improve the tracking.

I must get hold of his Wolfcraft pegs too because the focussing wobbles around as soon as you touch the focusser.

AG

[Epsilon Kastorensis]

Thank you mcut & AlexG. The clamp is a great idea. It's on the shopping list. The Baader is still a straight-through, neck-crick job, but I guess a bit of enforced contortion is a small price to pay for good equipment, so I'll probably get one of those as well. Thanks again, both. I'll go to the Welcome department when I get a minute.

EK

[mcut]

you can obtain a right angled red dot, i am sure there was a post recently on here somewhere about one, will leave it to others to explain.

i am sure the length of the dovetail is for balancing scope. can one of you explain the holding mechanism on the Supatrak

Good question about the dovetail bar. I certainly hadn't thought about it. Mcut hasn't got the Supatrack so he might not know that it has just one groove for the bar and only a screw on the other side to hold the bar in that groove.

having read through your reply AlexG i can confirm that the 127 on the eq 3-2 is held exactly the same way. one side of where you put the scope into is angled for the dovetail and the other side is flat so it would look a bit like /___| --- and holds the dovetail in place with one large screw, shown in my Rubbish illustration as the dotted ---, and on the eq3-2 there is one small screw behind that.

when you know what sort of kit you will normally have on the scope, i anticipate you would disengage the motor and slide the scope backwards and forwards so that it "balances" itself. then tighten the screw. you can then mark a point on the dovetail so that you can quickly set it up at a later date and know that you have the scope in a fairly balanced position.

[AlexG]

Hi Mcut

Yes the dovetail shoe is like your diagram - but literally with a twist as the Supatrack one, because of the one arm mount, is rotated by 90 degrees so the screw is underneath.

That makes putting the telescope into the groove like hanging a picture on the wall. All the weight of the 'scope is on the screw, and if you don't tighten the screw properly the 'scope falls on the floor.

But your point is absolutely right, we should still balance the tube so the weight is even for the motors. We Supatrack owners could maybe lie it down sideways, so the shoe is horizontal and balance it that way, marking the balance point for the future.

AG

[GB-UK]

Great thread!! I've just purchased one of these scopes and am awaiting it's delivery, was a bit worried about the lightness of the supatrak after reading this thread. The sandbag suggestion sounds like an ideal sollution, but how do you attach it? Yes, spot the newbie ;-)

[Mik3]

I'm going to try wrapping roofing lead around the legs of mine, the base is very light and does shake alot.

[AlexG]

Good idea Mik3 - lead flashing would probably be the best solution.

After a year or so grappling with light pollution I am toying with the idea of taking the plunge and buying the AZ Goto mount. Are there 127Mak owners who have it and can give us a review?

My problem is that I can't star hop - dammit I can only see about 14 stars in the whole sky most of the time, so I am hoping the computer will point me to what looks like ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and I will find a vague dim object lurking there.

AlexG

[j.finn]

Had my skymax 127 for a about 6 weeks now great little scope many good nights and more to come.

[AlexG]

Hi JFinn

Good to see this old thread is still alive and kicking. I would be interested how you find the AZ GoTo mount with the 127. Do you suffer from light pollution and can it find dim objects that you could not find otherwise?

Apart from using my 20x80 binoculars to see the Int Space Station/Shuttle, I have lately been trying to use the 127's Cruise control to look at the ISS. Haven't quite got it right yet, but you can point the 127 at one point, FIX it in the memory, then go to another point and FIX that too. Then it will go from point A to point B at the touch of a button. If points A and B are the appearance and disappearance points of the ISS in the sky you should be able to track the ISS... I am working on it!

AG

[Macavity]

I retro-fitted my (original sky-blue) MAK127 to a SynScan GoTo and it works fine for me. I also sense it is about eliminating as much wobble (bending?) in the TRIPOD as possible. A MAK127 with Baader RD finder, (2" diagonal & Hyperion) is [iMO] close to the limit of the mount.

But with the whole thing on firm (concrete slab) ground, when the GoTo is set up correctly it is *usually* possible to GoTo objects and they will be in the field of a longer focal/wider eyepieces... Just.

As others have said, balance is important (The motors aren't overly strong!). I just take the whole scope assembly (including eyepiece) and mark the balance point over a "cricket stump" (large dowell)!

Recently I've had the whole shebang up and running and driven by "Stellarium" software, running on my little Samsung Notebook. Frankly, all a bit time-consuming! But it's quite fun to click on an ARBITRARY object (position) on the screen and have the scope slew to it. Plus I'm not the best at remembering the Messier numbers, Caldwell numbers, NGC's, Arabic names... etc.

Regarding "Dim" (to me anyway) objects, I am very happy with the performance of a MAK127 on many DSO's. I'd certainly never found M35/36/37 with a non-GoTo scope. But then I could try harder!

[AWR]

Epsilon,

I too have the Skymax127 but on a EQ3-2 mount.

The first thing I replaced was the red-dot finder. I went for a combination of a Rigel Quikfinder and a 9x50 right angle finderscope. I find the Quikfinder great for getting me in the general area and the the RA finder allows me to find my target. My skies are very light polluted and a proper finderscope means I can actually see the guide stars.

As has been said, the dovetail length is so that you can balance the scope (remember to add your diagonal, EP etc first)

My latest upgrade has been to a 2" diagonal but this will be the story of another post once I've done some testing.

Andrew

[j.finn]

Well to tell the truth I have not even aligned my AZ scope yet sorry. For the six weeks I have been on manual slew in my garden looking south south/east on a clear night which is not often. I am yet to align two stars for the completion of the auto goto system am looking very forward to the night which I hope well be soon .there’s far too much light pollution to capture dso s where I am so I have found a dark site 15 mins from me which will be the first night using the scope at its full potential I have upgraded the eye picies with a 32mm super possil and a focal reducer .since I have been laid of work for the past six weeks ,with a lot of time on my hands ,I went and bought a camera to go with the scope it’s a canon 450d i know 0 about cameras and 0 about astronomy its only in the last six weeks i have learned so much about my skymax and canon camera I will post pictures and reviews here for the skymax 127 (mines the black one )