Latest Addition, SW Evostar 150 & EQ6 PRO

[Aussie Dave]

It's been a while, I saved some spare pennies and have been holding back for the scope and tripod I've wanted for a while now.

The Skywatcher Evostar 150 achro was impressive from the start, as too was the EQ6 PRO tripod and mount even if a little on the heavier side than expected. They should keep me happy for a little while...

The SW hasn't seen first light yet as it's cloudy and raining (same ol story), that's uaually how it goes isn't it? The nights are getting warmer though and in a week or two it'll soon be scaning the night sky.

I set it up just to check it all out, yeah I know the scope isn't setup correctly on the mount, nor the OTA rings are in the correct position and probably not the weights either. It was a rough, "I think that's right" setup just to see what it looked like.

I do have a better finderscope, Orion illuminated 9x50 and a better Bintel 2" mirror diagonal. On the hunt now for a better focuser and I'm not sure what to search for.

Just wondering if any other members have this setup and could show me the position of the rings on their OTA, position of the weights for a good balanced setup and a good focuser upgrade.

Cheers.

Dave.

[xtreemchaos]

nice setup mate,i wish you clear skys.charl.

[Tonynexevo925]

That's as big as you!!! Bet you can't wait for first light

[laudropb]

That's a big looking scope. Hope you soon have clear skies ad you can try it out.

[John]

Nice scope Dave

I've owned a few of those. They are front end heavy because the collimatable objective cell and metal dew shield plus a couple of 150mm glass lenses put the bulk of the weight up there. I used to have mine someway back in the tube rings to compensate for this.

A right angled finder scope is a big help with these as is a pillar extension for the mount to get the eyepiece at a reasonable height when viewing the zenith area.

You will find that you need to perform some gymnastics to reach the finder and eyepiece when the scope is pointing in certain directions although turning the diagonal can help with this.

They show a fair amount of chromatic abberration (in my opinion) on brighter targets but it's not an issue for viewing deep sky objects. You can filter some of the CA out if it bothers you. I managed to find a CA/SA corrector called a Chromacor to use with mine, when I had them, and that gives you practically ED doublet performance but they are rather scarce unfortunately.

Hope you enjoy using it and keep us posted on your experiences

[Ouroboros]

My Gawd! What whopper! That's what you call a telescope isn't it! Good observing!

[nightfisher]

Nice scope, and you have a decent mount to handle it, a new focuser can transform these, but the old one can be okay with a little sorting out

Have fun with this yard canon

[Aussie Dave]

Thanks all.

Nice scope Dave

I've owned a few of those. They are front end heavy because the collimatable objective cell and metal dew shield plus a couple of 150mm glass lenses put the bulk of the weight up there. I used to have mine someway back in the tube rings to compensate for this.

A right angled finder scope is a big help with these as is a pillar extension for the mount to get the eyepiece at a reasonable height when viewing the zenith area.

You will find that you need to perform some gymnastics to reach the finder and eyepiece when the scope is pointing in certain directions although turning the diagonal can help with this.

They show a fair amount of chromatic abberration (in my opinion) on brighter targets but it's not an issue for viewing deep sky objects. You can filter some of the CA out if it bothers you. I managed to find a CA/SA corrector called a Chromacor to use with mine, when I had them, and that gives you practically ED doublet performance but they are rather scarce unfortunately.

Hope you enjoy using it and keep us posted on your experiences

John, yep I will drop the scope further down the rings. I do have the right angled Orion finderscope for it and use for my other scopes which I can also use for a guide scope, apparently. A pillar extension would be helpful for viewing higher celestial objects in the sky as it will hit the tripod legs, which I''ll need to be careful of when testing it.

I have read about the Chromacor's online but I doubt I'll ever come across one in my lifetime. Probably settle for a fringe killer or similar. More online searching required. I have read that this scope wasn't too bad with chromatic abberration, one of the main reasons I bought it. There are a few different models and wonder if they're all the same with CA.

I'm not sure which model I have. From what I've worked out, there was the solid dark blue coloured tube, then this model I have, then the black diamond. I have seen a solid black one and there may even be a white tube with black fittings from Skywatcher.

Nice scope, and you have a decent mount to handle it, a new focuser can transform these, but the old one can be okay with a little sorting out

Have fun with this yard canon

Yeah nightfisher, the focuser doesn't feel great at all, basic focusing unit. I can hear that sticky/tacky gease inside and there is a little movement in the draw tube, any gear I put on the end will certainly affect imaging.

If anyone has links to a good focuser or mods, It'll be much apprieciated.

[Gazabone]

Nice set up. I love my Evostar 120 on either the AVX or NEQ6. Hope the clouds soon roll back and you can get out and enjoy

[John]

Thanks all.

John, yep I will drop the scope further down the rings. I do have the right angled Orion finderscope for it and use for my other scopes which I can also use for a guide scope, apparently. A pillar extension would be helpful for viewing higher celestial objects in the sky as it will hit the tripod legs, which I''ll need to be careful of when testing it.

I have read about the Chromacor's online but I doubt I'll ever come across one in my lifetime. Probably settle for a fringe killer or similar. More online searching required. I have read that this scope wasn't too bad with chromatic abberration, one of the main reasons I bought it. There are a few different models and wonder if they're all the same with CA.

I'm not sure which model I have. From what I've worked out, there was the solid dark blue coloured tube, then this model I have, then the black diamond. I have seen a solid black one and there may even be a white tube with black fittings from Skywatcher....

I've had 4 of them:

- A yellow / orange one branded Konus. Non-collimatable objective lens cell.

- A black one branded "Helios". Collimatable objective len cell.

- A dark blue one branded "Skywatcher" - dark blue (non-metallic) was the European colour scheme for Skywatcher when lighter blue metallic was used in the UK. Collimatable objective cell.

- A black one branded "Celestron".

All were made by Synta and had the same specification. Optically all were very similar except the dark blue Skywatcher one which was selected by a German dealer as having virtually no spherical abberation and matched with the appropriate Chromacor II. I found a couple of Chromacor I's over the years on e.bay of all places !. I used those with the other 150 /F8 refractors above and later a Meade 152mm F/7.9 AR6. The latter performed rather similarly to the Synta 150 F/8's with the Chromacorr removed.

I had a Moonlite focuser on the Skywatcher one which was a great upgrade to the standard one although, with some tweaking and de-greasing, I managed to get reasonable performance from the stock focusers.

Hope you have fun with yours !

[Aussie Dave]

Thanks for that good 150 frac info John, I'm unfamiliar with Konus.

Maybe I'll try first de-greasing and re-greasing with the good stuff but I'm unsure on this "tweaking" you speak of... but I'm sure the info's here at the forum

I was reading about filtering late last night (one of many nights) and it's possible to lessen the CA with other less expensive filters. I do have a UV/IR filter and with another filter, a minus violet or #8 light yellow filter would help with CA/SA? Understanably though it won't perform as good as a Baader or Chromacor. Also chasing up a #28a light blue filter for my other scopes as it seems to give corrected colour and contrast to the major planets, going by the photo supplied of the Orion Premium 20-piece color planetary filter set.

If you happen to find a spare Chromacor in your bits and bobs John, please send it this way

[John]

....If you happen to find a spare Chromacor in your bits and bobs John, please send it this way

I doubt I'll ever see another one Dave but if I do, I'll let you know. Of the 3 I've owned, 2 went to the USA and one to Poland. They produce very impressive results but are rather fussy about their installation and the eyepieces you use with them.

I did a report for the forum some time ago - it's linked to in this thread:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/241920-chromacor/

[Aussie Dave]

So they work best with certain EP's and better with certain scopes, diagnostic star testing, positioning setups etc etc... think I'll give them a miss and go with what's available now on the market.

Did a search for Chromacor filters on the bay and it came up with about 25 chrome car parts, pfff, stoopid search engine!

Very interesting report John, very helpful and to hear you got well over the 300x mag with acceptable viewing, that's great. 2 thumbs up to you sir.

*wonders if he ever got his 8"er*

[John]

....*wonders if he ever got his 8"er*

Nope

I had a 6" F/12 achromat for a while but that was too much of a handful for me.

Hope you get 1st light with your 6" soon Dave

[Ohan Smit]

What a cracker setup you have there

Wishing you clear skies!

[Brian Nordstrom]

Hi Dave and welcome , sweet set up you have , I have the Saxon brand one of these in NZ and it is fitted with a Chromocor as well , these work well but like hens teeth and fiddly to set up , but you never know one might pop up as it did for me . I epoxied a few lead fishing sinkers into the cast alloy focuser adaptor painted them black  and fitted a heavier WO focuser  to move the OTA further forward  for a better look also a William Optics HD hardwood tripod  to raise the tube and mount about 400mm , nice seated viewing at the zenith now .

I too are in WA , Rockingham, working at the moment , missed my big frak so much  I built a 127mm f8 OTA  out of an iStar objective , where in WA are you ? perhaps we can catch up ?.

Here is my 150mm Saxon ,' dark blue ' in NZ and my 127mm  iStar  ,  ' white ' with me here in OZ set up with lunt wedge for solar.

Brian.

[F15Rules]

Hi Dave

Great "yard cannon" as the yanks say:-).

I had several of these too, my best one was a Celestron C150R black tube (still built by Synta) and it came to me with a Skywatcher Crayford upgrade which worked well for visual..I believe these can be had for c£120-£150 sterling?

A Moonlite would transform the scope but would likely cost as much as the scope!

Regarding filters/fringe killers, try the scope properly without first..its quite likely you won't find the CA too bad on most objects unless you go to very bright objects or high magnification (x200 or more)..I personally prefer a little violet fringing to the yellow hue imparted by a fringe killer..

Good luck and let us have a first light report!

Dave

[Aussie Dave]

Hi Dave and welcome , sweet set up you have , I have the Saxon brand one of these in NZ and it is fitted with a Chromocor as well , these work well but like hens teeth and fiddly to set up , but you never know one might pop up as it did for me . I epoxied a few lead fishing sinkers into the cast alloy focuser adaptor painted them black  and fitted a heavier WO focuser  to move the OTA further forward  for a better look also a William Optics HD hardwood tripod  to raise the tube and mount about 400mm , nice seated viewing at the zenith now .

I too are in WA , Rockingham, working at the moment , missed my big frak so much  I built a 127mm f8 OTA  out of an iStar objective , where in WA are you ? perhaps we can catch up ?.

Here is my 150mm Saxon ,' dark blue ' in NZ and my 127mm  iStar  ,  ' white ' with me here in OZ set up with lunt wedge for solar.

Brian.

Thanks Brian. I have been here a while, just don't post much. Have been buying stuff mainly over the last 12 months or so and getting ready for testing visually and hopefully do some AP work. I'm just south of you, about a 30 minute drive and I might take you up on the offer. Next time you're back, PM me and we'll go from there if I'm available.

I'm going to pass on the Chromocor for 2 reasons, price and the setting up for it.

Nice setups btw.

Hi Dave

Great "yard cannon" as the yanks say:-).

I had several of these too, my best one was a Celestron C150R black tube (still built by Synta) and it came to me with a Skywatcher Crayford upgrade which worked well for visual..I believe these can be had for c£120-£150 sterling?

A Moonlite would transform the scope but would likely cost as much as the scope!

Regarding filters/fringe killers, try the scope properly without first..its quite likely you won't find the CA too bad on most objects unless you go to very bright objects or high magnification (x200 or more)..I personally prefer a little violet fringing to the yellow hue imparted by a fringe killer..

Good luck and let us have a first light report!

Dave

Hi Dave. Yeah I'm just looking at getting the Crayford for now which I'll be happy with but a Moonlight would be nice. Gotta cut back on my spending.

I've been looking at filters online for the last few nights and will be going for the cheaper options later. I will also test the scope first like you say to see how the CA is. It might be acceptable, would still like to image through it as well though with prime focus and eyepiece projection just to see the results. First off though is getting in some much wanted viewing time, it's been a while.

[Ruud]

That looks just great!

Happy observing.

[DRT]

Hi Dave,

Great set-up!

I bought the Helios branded version of this scope last month and have upgraded the focuser to one of these: http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-dual-speed-2-crayford-focuser-for-refractors.html

I am delighted with the results and it has completely transformed the use of the scope as the original focuser was awful.

As John has already mentioned you would be wise to invest in a pillar extension to lift the eyepiece to a comfortable height.

I use a Baader Semi-APO filter on the nose of the diagonal to combat the CA and it works really well.

Derek

[Aussie Dave]

Hey Derek, that full black Crayford does look nice and it will suit my scope well. I'm hoping one of these will come up online on the second hand market within the next month but I don't like my chances.

The pillar extension I'll leave for now and will see how my neck and back holds up haha.

So the Baader semi-apo works well with this scope, that's good to know but isn't there another similar cheaper brand that does the same job. I'm off to search for filters...

[Brian Nordstrom]

That looks just great!

Happy observing.

Derik , that's the same focuser I have on my iStar 127mm , I got mine from Andrews Communications  here in Sydney Dave  for  $49aud , I am sure they still have a few at this price ,  I just got an adaptor machined up and it is a very nice focuser made by LongPerng  .

It holds my MONSTER !!! 1kg plus Celestron Axiom 31mm with the scope pointed at the zenith without slipping   this is an awesome 82 degree eyepiece in a nice large refractor , it gives me 32x in this scope .

Brian.

[Brian Nordstrom]

Hey Derek, that full black Crayford does look nice and it will suit my scope well. I'm hoping one of these will come up online on the second hand market within the next month but I don't like my chances.

The pillar extension I'll leave for now and will see how my neck and back holds up haha.

So the Baader semi-apo works well with this scope, that's good to know but isn't there another similar cheaper brand that does the same job. I'm off to search for filters...

Dave , I am sure I have an old ' Fringe Killer' 1 1/4 inch hanging around here somewhere , I will try and find it and bring it along when we catch up so you can screw it into a few eyepieces to see if you like it , some people don't like the yellowish tint they impart on brighter objects so they also use a 'sky glow' filter as well  screwed onto the FK filter ?  I;ve never tried it but it seems to work according to the internet chatter , let me know about the fringe killer .

Brian.

[Aussie Dave]

Derik , that's the same focuser I have on my iStar 127mm , I got mine from Andrews Communications  here in Sydney Dave  for  $49aud , I am sure they still have a few at this price ,  I just got an adaptor machined up and it is a very nice focuser made by LongPerng  .

It holds my MONSTER !!! 1kg plus Celestron Axiom 31mm with the scope pointed at the zenith without slipping   this is an awesome 82 degree eyepiece in a nice large refractor , it gives me 32x in this scope .

Brian.

What was the part and the cost that you had to get machined for the LP duel focuser Brian?

Dave , I am sure I have an old ' Fringe Killer' 1 1/4 inch hanging around here somewhere , I will try and find it and bring it along when we catch up so you can screw it into a few eyepieces to see if you like it , some people don't like the yellowish tint they impart on brighter objects so they also use a 'sky glow' filter as well  screwed onto the FK filter ?  I;ve never tried it but it seems to work according to the internet chatter , let me know about the fringe killer .

Brian.

Sounds good, try and dig it up if you can Brian and I'll definitley give it a try. I guess I'll need to buy a skyglow filter too. I've seen a cheap one on the bay but it's has no brand name on it. Hope it is a skyglow and not a single polariser filter or moon filter, it says moon skyglow on the side of it $16.95 free shipping. I don't know about buying this one.

[John]

I didn't find Skyglow type filters did much, if anything to be honest. A UHC filter will enhance the contrast of nebulae much more than a Skyglow. If you already have it then give it a go but ultimately the UHC and / or O-III filters are the ones to have for viewing nebulae.

For galaxies ? - dark skies !