Finding the right finder

[Joel Shepherd]

Howdy - I live in a light-polluted area (Seattle, US west coast) and have a Celestron Omni XLT 150 (entry-level Newtonian) with which I can track down globular clusters, small nebula, etc.

I have an awful time with basic aim.    For finders, I've tried the straight-through 6x30 that it came with, a 6x30 RACI and a 9x50 RACI. The RACI's are fine if I can aim them at something I recognize but more often than not I wrestle the scope around to try to get the finder gun-sighted/aimed at an identifiable star, look through the finder and see ... empty space. Certainly not what I was trying to aim at.

So ... I'm considering getting a red dot finder of some sort, so I can use that to more easily align on a visible star, and then switch to one of the RACIs to star-hop from there.

A few questions I have:

* How practical is it to swap back and forth between a red dot and RACI finder? Will I need to re-align them each time I swap (the existing finders use a common dovetail mount with thumbscrew).

* How good of a RACI do I need? Orion or Celestron sells very basic models, it looks like Stellarvue or Williams Optics sells nicer models. Is it worth shelling out a little more? What will I get in return?

* Is a "Multi Reticle" finder essentially a red dot finder?

* Will a finder like this http://www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/finders-guidescopes/stellarvue-multi-reticle-finder-w-047-dim-reticle-f002 mount on the existing dovetail mount or ... ?

Thanks for your shared wisdom -- Joel.

[CodnorPaul]

Try a Rigel quickfinder

[ronl]

I agree with Paul, the Rigel is very good, easy to fit to your scope, it's very

light so you don't have trouble with balancing your scope, and has very good

settings, you can have the cross hair target  flashing, which helps you to see

your target easily, and you can dim or brighten the light, keep both eyes open

when using it, once you get used to the Rigel it makes such a difference.

 

[Fozzie]

It maybe worth considering the use of both, you scope will accommodate both the red dot and a raci finder.. a lot of our fellow members have great success, myself included, using the red dot to align to the actual location, and fine tune the target more accurately with a raci afterwards.. personally I'm great with both, rubbish with just the raci (mine cost £100, but if you not pointed at something it works just as well as a £1 one)

+1 for the rigel by the way...

[AndyWB]

+1 for both. I have a rigel quickfinder stuck on next to my 9x50 RACI, and often use the former to get close, the RACI to get closer, and then use the eyepiece.

[ronin]

As you have a newtonian an RDF may not be very usable. To use them you need to be looking along the length of the main tube and on a newtonian that is not very practical. For a newtonian you really need something that has a right angle format, or a laser pointer mechanism.

[CodnorPaul]

As you have a newtonian an RDF may not be very usable. To use them you need to be looking along the length of the main tube and on a newtonian that is not very practical. For a newtonian you really need something that has a right angle format, or a laser pointer mechanism.

Not sure about this - I know a lot of people using Rigels and Telrads on newts.  You don't need to look down the entire length to the finder - it can be mounted anywhere on the tube, and you just need to look through that?

[Mr Spock]

It sounds like you need to use both - one to point and then one to find the faint stuff.

[Alfian]

Again + 1 for both. Tried it and its fine. As 'Paul mentioned and from my own experience the Rigel will go almost anywhere on the OTA  where you can sensibly get an unobstructed and comfortable view through it. By way of experimentation, I've even had mine at the primary end of the scope - and it works. Also given that it comes with two bases and some very sticky pads, you are not restricted to swapping it in and out of a shoe. The Rigel "clicks" in and out of its base if you need to take it off and I've found that it pretty much keeps its alignment. Its very easy to adjust in any case.

[Floater]

My vote for RDF plus RACI.

It's true that sighting through the RDF involves a bit of contortion along the tube and that's why I added the RACI. But with the RACI alone I struggled to know where I was. I'm sure more experienced observers can do with only one finder but I need all the help I can get. So I suggest you go for both.

The RDF is easily placed alongside the RACI on the tube of my Dob.

[Joel Shepherd]

Thanks for the responses! It seems consensus is a Rigel alongside a RACI. (I definitely feel a need for both: even a basic 6x30 viewfinder reveals 5-10x more stars in a given area than the naked eye around here.)

Is the only option for mounting the Rigel to use the supplied tape? Can it fit a common dovetail (Vixen?) mount?

Thanks again -- Joel.

[flanker]

What do you guys say to a TravelScope 50 mounted parallel to the main scope? It gives a pretty wide angle view as it's a 360mm FL refractor. I'm thinking of doing this and need advice.

[Herbig]

You can get a twin mounting shoe so you can hang two finders from the one finder base.

[CodnorPaul]

I don't think the Rigel will fit - uses a different mounting, but the supplied bases can be screwed on, cable tied on, or stuck on

[Joel Shepherd]

Alright, Rigel it is. I'm a little leary of mounting things with tape simply because lining things up straight is not my strong suite, but ... it can't be that hard, right?

Thanks again -- Joel.

[Alfian]

Hi Joel, The Rigel's base is rectangular which helps a little to square it against an appropriate edge or line on the scope, but I've found there is quite a lot of leeway on the adjusters on the Rigel so getting it lined up should not be too much of an issue. The Rigel comes not so much with tape as little sticky pads which are very  sticky indeed so it good to go through the motions first before putting them on. If however it doesn't work out first time or at some point you want to move it, I found that my Rigel came with more than enough pads to use. The sticky stuff can be removed from the scope with white spirit. Good luck with it.

[AndyWB]

The sticky stuff can be removed from the scope with white spirit.

So does WD40, I discovered when fitting mine.

[SparrowsEYE]

I use a straight through viewfinder on my 4.5 in dob and aim with the top center adjust screw of the finder scope ( laying head on OTA)  to get me roughly into the neighborhood . Then use the finderscope to zero in.

 

On my larger scope I use a RDF and then the 9x50 RACI to zero in.

Hope this helps....

Spar~

[m37]

Before mounting with the sticky pad thingies, make sure the tube is super clean with a little IPA solution or some such. Helps them stay put.

The size of the teltad base makes it the most stable of any I've tried and you're not limited to the mounting shoe that comes fitted to your scope. They also have a riser option but I think the Rigel has more height anyway. Should suit you very nicely.

Cheers

Chris

[Joel Shepherd]

Just a short update: The Rigel arrived yesterday and I spent a little time playing with it affixed to the scope with masking tape, alongside the optical finder. The two together seem to work well: it's much easier to get aligned to a landmark star with the Rigel, and from there -- especially with the help of the illuminated rings -- it took much less effort to actually find a target. It's now properly attached and I'm looking forward to using it some more tonight.

Thanks again for the suggestions! -- Joel.

[Charic]

Glad the Rigel is working for you. I used  a Telrad finder before, but Since I sold it, I've considered  its replacement ever since, They are handy, not too expensive, and do what their supposed to do. Its not until after something has gone, that you sometimes realise, perhaps  that I/you should have kept it a bit longer?