Show us your Frac

[balzer]

 

My WO Megrez 90

Not had chance to used it yet.

Too much work going on.

Newbie at this game

 

 

[nicoscy]

Takahashi FC76DC with 2"FTF and Borg Series 80mm rings, mounted on a Discmount DM-4 and a Sirui R-5214X tripod 

[Paul M]

17 minutes ago, nicoscy said:

Takahashi FC76DC with 2"FTF and Borg Series 80mm rings, mounted on a Discmount DM-4 and a Sirui R-5214X tripod 

That's a very attractive looking combo!

Are there any beauty pageants for telescopes? 

Edited February 12, 2017 by Paul M

[nicoscy]

Paul,

I'd promised Tom Peters of DiscMounts some cameo shots of the mount and well, I went wild with my DSLR 

[John]

My TMB / LZOS 130mm F/9.2 on the Skytee II mount and the Berlebach UNI 28 tripod. Hoping to catch views of Venus and tiny Mars before the clouds roll in

This setup has ticked one important box for me already - I can pick the whole setup up and move it around the garden without too much trouble !

 

[John]

PS: @ Mike / iPiece: The Ercole will be next up !

[Pig]

Nice one John... I also think ease / portability is key

I can see Venus and some clouds, hopefully I will get a peak. I also want to experiment with the refractor and the spectroscopy grating.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Pig

[John]

Guess what happened about 20 mins after posting these photos ? ......... thats right

Silly hobby !

[DRT]

The Berlebach tripod makes a big difference, John. Very stable and great dampening but also light enough to make the job of shifting the set-up around the garden a bit easier that with a stainless steel tripod. Great set-up!

[Helen]

1 hour ago, DRT said:

The Berlebach tripod makes a big difference, John. Very stable and great dampening but also light enough to make the job of shifting the set-up around the garden a bit easier that with a stainless steel tripod. Great set-up!

Are the Berlebachs lighter than a heq5 tripod?  If so, I'm tempted!!

Will get some photos of my fracs tomorrow ?

Helen

[Paul73]

New Toy Alert! 

I really shouldn't be this excited about a new (to me) scope?????

Having met DRT in a northern motorway services at an indecently early hour this morning to do the deal. Here is my new SW ED120. Complete with a Baader Clicklock diagonal and a 24mm Panoptic that was kicking around in the case (think that he might want the eyepiece back at some point).....

Paul

Edited February 16, 2017 by Paul73

[Knighty2112]

8 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

New Toy Alert! 

I really shouldn't be this excited about a new (to me) scope?????

Having met DRT in a northern motorway services at an indecently early hour this morning to do the deal. Here is my new SW ED130! Complete with a Baader Clicklock diagonal and a 24mm Panoptic that was kicking around in the case (think that he might want the eyepiece back at some point).....

Paul

 Nice! Did the handle on the scope come with it too? Wouldn't mind one (or two) for a couple of my 'fracs if they are available to be had at all!  

[John]

Very nice Paul

I like the handle on the scope as well - I could do with some of those on my fracs.

I guess you mean ED120 - or have Skywatcher produced an exciting new 130 and kept it quiet ?

 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by John

[Paul73]

@DRT I'm sure that Derek will know the origin of the handle. Seems good and solid. 

And, the prize goes to John for spotting the 130 mistake (now corrected to 120)?

Paul

[DRT]

13 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

@DRT I'm sure that Derek will know the origin of the handle. Seems good and solid. 

And, the prize goes to John for spotting the 130 mistake (now corrected to 120)?

Paul

Glad to hear you are happy to be the latest SGL foster parent for this ED120   - it has previously been in the care of @Stu and then lived with me for about 14 months so it seems to attract gentlemen of good standing and impeccable taste as father figures. Hopefully one day the lad will meet someone who can teach him self-restraint because he isn't getting that from any of us three! 

I have only just seen your post because since I left you at that "northern" service station (Watford Gap!) to drive home at 7:30 my attention was turned to an antique bookcase that was being delivered at 10:00 for my upstairs home office. A few minutes after I got home it turned up - it was the size of my house and roughly the same weight as Pluto   I have only just finished re-building it upstairs. I am absolutely knackered. If I can summon up the energy after something to eat I will search for the source of those handles, which are excellent and an absolute steal at around £13 each

 

[DRT]

Found them!

The handles are sold by a firm called WDS and can be found here.

They come without fixing bolts so it is worth contacting WDS to see if they can supply them with it.

I had to drill out the camera threads on the top of the SW rings to fit the bolts, which from memory are M8 10mm with countersunk heads. (check, don't rely on that info)

[Knighty2112]

9 minutes ago, DRT said:

Found them!

The handles are sold by a firm called WDS and can be found here.

They come without fixing bolts so it is worth contacting WDS to see if they can supply them with it.

I had to drill out the camera threads on the top of the SW rings to fit the bolts, which from memory are M8 10mm with countersunk heads. (check, don't rely on that info)

Thanks Derek. Will order a couple when I get paid. Cheers!  

And @Paul73 I hope you realise to us Northerners that Watford Gap services is most definitely a southern service station! Hehe!  

[nightfisher]

46 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

@DRT I'm sure that Derek will know the origin of the handle. Seems good and solid. 

And, the prize goes to John for spotting the 130 mistake (now corrected to 120)?

Paul

Paul, welcome to the ED120 club, great scopes

[paulastro]

3 hours ago, nightfisher said:

Paul, welcome to the ED120 club, great scopes

I quite agree Jules.  I've just retrieved mine from a very good friend down south, where I fostered it out for two years.    It's nice to have it home.

[nightfisher]

On 2/16/2017 at 17:07, John said:

Very nice Paul

I like the handle on the scope as well - I could do with some of those on my fracs.

I guess you mean ED120 - or have Skywatcher produced an exciting new 130 and kept it quiet ?

 

 

John, dont suppose you know the diameter of the ED120, mine is all packed away and i have been thinking about getting CMC tube rings for it

[iPeace]

Just now, nightfisher said:

John, dont suppose you know the diameter of the ED120, mine is all packed away and i have been thinking about getting CMC tube rings for it

116 mm

[nightfisher]

Thanks Mike, sounds like i might have trouble getting these

[iPeace]

1 minute ago, nightfisher said:

Thanks Mike, sounds like i might have trouble getting these

Actually, it's a well known diameter. I bought CNC rings off-the-peg for my 120ED:

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p3283_TS-Optics-CNC-Alu-Rohrschellen-fuer-Teleskope-mit-116-mm-Tubusdurchmesser.html

[nightfisher]

1 minute ago, iPeace said:

Actually, it's a well known diameter. I bought CNC rings off-the-peg for my 120ED:

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p3283_TS-Optics-CNC-Alu-Rohrschellen-fuer-Teleskope-mit-116-mm-Tubusdurchmesser.html

would you say they are a lot more sturdy than the stock skywatcher rings?

[iPeace]

3 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

would you say they are a lot more sturdy than the stock skywatcher rings?

Well, I do prefer them, but I can't consider them an essential upgrade.

They are a bit more sturdy, and offer more options for mounting on either side of the rings (more holes, and all M6). There is no room for bolts to protrude between the ring and the scope, so keep that in mind.