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Quark First Impressions - Joy and Dismay


Luke

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Easy peasy for me, I don't even have to think about it. I would, no question, keep the Quark over a 60mm SolarMax or Lunt 60 or 50, for the extra resolution in larger scopes.

For me the weaker points with the Quark - e.g. needing power, warm-up time, tuning, 4.3x Barlow (though so far a 0.5x reducer seems to be working for me if needed to bring the focal length down) - seem insignificant when you are viewing the Sun through larger aperture. The views through my 100ED Pro yesterday blew me away.

I would ideally have the Quark and a smaller h-alpha scope, so I can use the latter for quick smash-and-grab views/imaging, or to look through while I image with the Quark, or to image while I view with the Quark, etc.

I would still buy the Quark even if I had no compatible fracs. If I were buying today from scratch, then it would probably be between double stacked Lunt 50 B600 (if suitable for imaging with my video camera, which I would think it is?) or Quark + 100 ED Pro. They are about the same price when you add in a couple of Tele Vue Plossls and a UV/IR cut filter for the Quark.

For me, right now, the best value in solar viewing is Quark and something like the 100 ED Pro.

I have so far used the Quark in four refractors (60mm, 85mm, 100mm, 120mm), doing imaging with three of those and visual with all four. I enjoy that flexibility. I like using the Feathertouch focuser on my 120mm :)

Anyone who is getting a Lunt 50 is I am sure going to get a cracking scope and will enjoy the advantages it has over the Quark, I would like one too - a pressure tuned 50mm, you lucky people! Though I will probably hang on to my trusty SolarMax 60. It has been almost part of me for the past year, and has shown me some incredible views :)

I have been interested to read about the results users are having in the Quark but most of these users seem to already have a solar scope of one kind or another. What my question would be is say you didn't have a dedicated solar scope and you had only borrowed a Quark and solar scope for a few days, which of the two would you most likely want to keep ?

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Thanks for your help Aaron

Can I ask how you are powering the Quark ? Are batteries the only way to go ? I know Maplins do some solar panels I'm just wondering if one would be a better long term solution given most solar observing is done when the sun is out. I have tried to find a Quark manual on the net just to see what's what. The only other concern I would have is the whole electronic thing with the Quark that isn't an issue with solar scopes. I see that there has been some QC issues with filters in the Quark but I am aware there is a 5 year warranty. Is this within the UK do you know ?

You're most welcome.

I'm powering it with a portable Panasonic battery designed to power/charge iPad and iPhone devices, etc. It's great. Very compact and works a charm. It provides roughly 7-8 hrs of power to the Quark and only takes a few hours to charge. It sits nicely between the scope and alt-AZ mount when being used and is really like it's not there at all. Certainly not a hindrance so far as I'm concerned. I know there is a battery pack available that has small solar panels which help preserve power when in use, which look pretty cool. The one I have does the job just fine... I like observing the sun, but can't see myself ever needing power for more than 7-8 hrs in a single stint. I don't like observing the sun quite THAT much :)

As for the warranty, I don't see why that wouldn't apply in the UK also. I'm in two minds as to what to do with the slightly warped filter in mine. Part of me wants to see if I can get it replaced, but another part of me doesn't want to be without the Quark for an extended period when I'm actually quite happy with the views I'm getting. Given my purchase situation, I don't think I'll be in as fortunate a position as Luke and be able to keep hold of mine until a replacement arrives.

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Great to hear you and Sarah are getting so much enjoyment out of your new toy, Luke. Also glad to hear the eyeguard extenders have worked out. I must place an order for one. Do they come with several extenders in the one kit?

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Great to hear you and Sarah are getting so much enjoyment out of your new toy, Luke. Also glad to hear the eyeguard extenders have worked out. I must place an order for one. Do they come with several extenders in the one kit?

It's just one per pack, if I need 8 for the 40 mm, it will cost as much as a Delos :D

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Thanks Joseki.

I'd chose the lunt 50 for comparison based on price but yes given no-one will have actually gotten to look through one yet I should have really chose a different solar scope for direct comparison :icon_redface:

My concerns lie mainly with the whole tuning thing and inevitably wait. As Sean points out in this vid

that tuning may be require due to various factors like rotation of the sun, seeing, focuser slop, I assume also for where your looking on the solar disc and whether your looking at Chromosphere or proms, any changes in magnification and obviously initially when adjusting to get the best views. I have no doubt the Quark performs superbly and gives views that most affordable solar scopes simply cannot offer due to the lack of aperture I'm just weighing up the pros and cons in my own mind.

Thanks for your help Aaron

Can I ask how you are powering the Quark ? Are batteries the only way to go ? I know Maplins do some solar panels I'm just wondering if one would be a better long term solution given most solar observing is done when the sun is out. I have tried to find a Quark manual on the net just to see what's what. The only other concern I would have is the whole electronic thing with the Quark that isn't an issue with solar scopes. I see that there has been some QC issues with filters in the Quark but I am aware there is a 5 year warranty. Is this within the UK do you know ?

Thanks, yes I've seen that video. What I took that to mean was you can tweak it to improve particular details rather than needing to change it when you want to be able to see different bits at all. In practice you can see everything without changing the setting but perhaps different settings would help bring out particular features best.
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Thanks, yes I've seen that video. What I took that to mean was you can tweak it to improve particular details rather than needing to change it when you want to be able to see different bits at all. In practice you can see everything without changing the setting but perhaps different settings would help bring out particular features best.

Absolutely, John, I agree.

Most features can be seen on all settings. I find the starting position in the centre or either a click or two to either side of it to provide the nicest view, which shows everything you want to see. I do play around with the settings a bit, but more so because I can. In reality, I'd be pretty happy keeping it in the centre position if I really had to. Shows nice contrast for surface details, plus bright proms and spicules.

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Thanks all

Last question I promise :rolleyes: . As regards the UV/IR filters for larger apertures, I'm guessing you need only get one of a respectable brand and not a Chinese no named import off ebay??

Yes, it needs to be a UV/IR CUT filter. In the video, Sean uses an Astronomik L filter and recommends it, so that's the one I went for. Already had the 1.25" version, but needed to purchase the 2" for my diagonal. This is only used on my 110mm though, as the 76mm doesn't require it.

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Loos very similar but I don't think it will be the right fit, unfortunately,

I'm keen to try out a 2" adaptor in the quark, but to be honest, I'm not sure how the optical design of my 2" eyepieces are going to match in performance with the Quark. I'm fairly resigned to using the 32mm Plossl, which is giving great views at the moment.

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  • 1 month later...

I know it's an old thread but just updating on the QC issue.  I did like the Quark but I decided there was a definite mark on the filter surface - looked like a fingerprint but wasn't simply a fingerprint.  With Daystar's blessing (though I can't say whether this is official advice) I cleaned the surface with a manual air blower followed by careful use of Baader wonderfluid and cotton buds - it didn't shift it.  The filter went back to Daystar but the unit that returned had a number of small scratches on the filter surface (maybe 5-10 hairline scratches > 1mm).  It probably didn't have much of an impact but would have had a major impact on my ability to sell it later - so I returned it.  I guess the quality of the unit that Daystar sent the 2nd time is to do with the current pressures on Daystar to deliver stock.  Kieron at SCS Astro was very helpful throughout.  Would I get another one? Perhaps, since it didn't cost me anything this time but I'd be a bit wary of 2nd hand ones.  The Quark was very nice on use on the few times I got to use it.

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Hi,

Just to let you know my Quark has gone back for 'an attitude adjustment'.  Sorry I meant adjustment to the tuning as it wouldn't reach 'lock' on any setting below neutral and that looked slightly high.  I can only echo the comments by John and Luke, that Kieron at SCS has been fantastic in getting problems sorted.

I have yet to see the great views that the Quark can deliver, but hopefully once mine is working correctly it will rival my Lunt 60 DS.

John, the marks you can see in the filter are probably on the thin Mica at either side of the Etalon, see the following for details:

http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/resonant-spaces-part-2-an-introduction-to-solid-spaced-etalons-and-solar-telescope-technology-r1943

They are therefore inside the blocking filter and not possible to be cleaned.  It is a shame Daystar have had a few QC issues with this product, the views and images some people have published have been outstanding for such a [relatively speaking] low cost unit and I hope they overcome the issues as I can see the Quark been very popular. 

Robin

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I just want to add first, as mentioned in another thread, that since I posted here there has been a post on solarchat where dimples/ripples are mentioned as being normal and nothing to worry about, which you can read here:

http://solarchat.natca.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12713

A little recap on my Quarks with that in mind:

Quark 1 I was very concerned by the dimples and I had not seen these mentioned anywhere as being normal. I no longer have it and it was hard to be certain that the main dimple did line up with an issue in the eyepiece. Quark 1 was fine for imaging, but there were marks when using an eyepiece, so it was replaced.

Quark 2, the replacement, had a "scratch" in the eyepiece view. Imaging with my camera, again fine, it was visual where there was an issue. Now with this one there does seem to be something that I could see looks to me the same shape, orientation, size and relative position as the "scratch" in the eyepiece. However, this thing I can see, I have no idea if it is for example a physical scratch, which is different to what was being talked about on solarchat.

My replacement for Quark 2 was shipped by Daystar a few days back so I am really looking forward to getting it.

And my other news is that Sarah and I decided we would like to add a second Quark, a sort of his and hers. Waiting times were looking long, I was going to order from SCS Astro as I am very happy with how they handled the issue but I noticed that another retailer could supply a Quark very quickly.

So I ordered from them as it seemed a lovely idea to have one in place before sending my Quark 2 back to SCS Astro for exchange, just in case there was anything wrong with the replacement and of course it would cover for the little downtime during the exchange.

Anyway, this new Quark from another retailer arrived on Saturday and unfortunately I was not happy with how uneven the illumination looked to me with my gear that gave a nice even field with two other Quarks for imaging. Here's a little picture of the full frame with the new Quark that I have just sent back, to give you an idea:

14984458451_651c0b01a8_o.jpg

After I took the images, I covered the scope, popped on my other Quark that is similar-ish width of bandpass, and it was all fine. I checked different diagonals, scopes, etc.

My two other Quarks gave a much more even illumination, and since all my imaging gear worked fine with the first two Quarks, we decided all things considered to get a refund on this new Quark. So we are back down to one Quark!

I think Sarah and I just look forward to the replacement Quark now and when that is all fine we'll talk again about getting a second Quark, from SCS Astro probably as they have been brill.

The Quark is amazing, I highly recommend it though don't let me put you off in you have your pennies almost saved up for a Lunt 230 or a double stack SF100 :grin:

The Quark in my Skywatcher Evostar 100ED DS-Pro is really sweet for visual. That scope is a joy to use on my giro mount, nice and light despite being longish and the view really delivers. No slouch with a Herschel wedge either. If I did visual only I might well pick this as my main Quark scope. It can of course image as well but as I have to lug out my goto mount for that, I figure I might as well use my Equinox 120 while I am at it, which has the same focal length but of course more aperture.

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Yikes. 3 Quark units, all with issues (Luke's). 

  I forgot to add with my first one it wouldn't tune to the left, just like DrRobin's - but I didn't realize it until the 2nd one arrived - I returned it sharpish as I didn't want to get stuck with a lemon so I thought I was just being impatient.

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Neither of the three I own tune to the left. Seems to be a pretty common thing, as I've read others have had the same with theirs. When I say it doesn't tune, I simply mean the light never turns the same green that it does when tuning to the right. There is definitely a tuning effect to the image when going to the left though.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Good morning. I have a large kjłopot of Daystar Quark .. Do I have to send a complaint Oceans Quark. ? It has wade picture. He confirmed the man, to whom I gave the picture to the analysis of People write on the internet. Will nowawersja repaired and improved. Photos in the Annex show no sharp and blurred images from camera sun Chameleon and Grasshopper 3.


What nzrobić? It's a new Daystar Quark. 


Robert / Poland

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I have a SolarMax II DS but wondering if the Quark could be a replacement as I have a nice collection of refractors I could use it with. Would it be as good or better than a double stacked coranado, what do people think that have a Quark?. I've only managed a quick visual through a Quark today but the clouds came in.  

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For me my Quark in a 60mm scope versus a SolarMax 60 DS is a draw. The spicules are better in the Quark, the Quark has no obvious sweet spot, but the SolarMax 60 DS has more contrast.

Where for me the Quark wins is being a "one scope solution" (I now take one scope for doing white light and h-a, and even a spot of DSO viewing) and if you use it in a larger scope.

The view with my Skywatcher ED100 is really quite something. I would say there is a bit of a parallel with lunar observing. You can see more lunar fine detail with a 100mm frac than you can with a 60mm. There is more detail to see in active regions and proms with the extra aperture, and the spicules are amazing with my 100mm scope!

The SolarMax has the advantage of being a shorter focal length and being a bit quicker to use (the Quark needs about 10 minutes or so to warm up - not usually a big issue for me as I plug it in first then set up my gear, and unless I rush, the Quark is ready to use by the time I have the goto etc. up and running).

Ideally I would keep the SolarMax and have a Quark but we will probably sell the SolarMax as my other half wants use of a Quark as well (I take mine to work to use during lunch), so we are thinking of getting a second one, and it would be daft I think for us to have three solar h-a setups.

I can imagine some folks will keep a small h-alpha scope and have a Quark as well, to have best of both worlds. But if just one, I would take the Quark, it blows my mind in my 100mm scope!

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I am not in a position to confirm as my Quark is still away for repair, but I am now thinking it is not going to out perform my Lunt 60 DS. If it doesn't then it has no future for me and I am going to consider a radical change, perhaps a Lunt 80 DS.

I hope it does perform, I like the idea of 'one scope suits all' solution.

Robin

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Good luck with the replacement, Robin. I thought you were going to say Lunt 230 then :grin: When I used an 80mm for white light, I found it a pretty handy aperture for solar and thought then that a Lunt 80 must be a flexible scope. Can get you in quite close yet full disc is still very do-able.

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Thanks Luke, great to hear from someone with the same scope as I have who has compared it with a quark. I'm just about to have a session with my 60DS and still have a picture in my mind of the view through the quark.

I like the idea of being able to use it in larger scopes, the 66 will give a nice full disc for public but I'd be able to go in deeper with the 85 and possibly use the 127, could always stop it down to 100 which should be very nice I'd think.

That view I'm never going to get in the coranado, really hovering over the "buy" button  

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Thanks Luke, great to hear from someone with the same scope as I have who has compared it with a quark. I'm just about to have a session with my 60DS and still have a picture in my mind of the view through the quark.

I like the idea of being able to use it in larger scopes, the 66 will give a nice full disc for public but I'd be able to go in deeper with the 85 and possibly use the 127, could always stop it down to 100 which should be very nice I'd think.

That view I'm never going to get in the coranado, really hovering over the "buy" button

Go for it, your make it back. ;)
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One thing I like about the Quark is being able to switch it around the scopes. Just like a Herschel wedge, really. For grab and go, my 60mm scope. Long visual session, my ED100 on a giro mount. Long imaging session, my ED120 on a goto mount. A shorter session, or seeing not good enough, or too windy for the 120, 85mm scope :) I am regularly using all four of these scopes and it makes me feel like I am getting really good use out of them :)

Just to mention for everyone not that familiar with the Quark, be sure to read the info on Daystar's website and you can also download the Quark manual from there. It will explain what type of scopes the Quark is compatible with and also, very important, whether you need to use a compatible UV/IR cut as described or a front energy rejection filter with the scope.

I won't make any UV/IR cut or ERF suggestions myself as I will leave that to the PRO's, as it's a safety issue! If in any doubt what is needed for a particular scope, I'd check with Daystar.

Thanks Luke, great to hear from someone with the same scope as I have who has compared it with a quark. I'm just about to have a session with my 60DS and still have a picture in my mind of the view through the quark.

I like the idea of being able to use it in larger scopes, the 66 will give a nice full disc for public but I'd be able to go in deeper with the 85 and possibly use the 127, could always stop it down to 100 which should be very nice I'd think.

That view I'm never going to get in the coranado, really hovering over the "buy" button  

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