Televu Delite unboxing and 1st light

[Live_Steam_Mad]

On 12/21/2015 at 07:17, baggywrinkle said:

Spent yesterday trying a few things and finding out about some of the limits on these ep's.

Below is an image of my solar observing set up, PST on one arm an AA ED70 with a Herschel wedge on the other.

I had no trouble using the Delite range on the ED70 and wedge, perfect focus achievable and I also got to use the Powermate. There was a very good sunspot yesterday, shaped rather like an Ace of Spades. All 3 gave good viewing.

However the three did not work with the PST. There was just not enough focus. So I went back to using the Celstron 9mm Excel.

In the eveninf I had the Mak 127 out and used all 3 with the Powermate on the Moon. Great views, sharp across the whole field of view. I did have to drop in a Moon filter as it was very very bright. The Powermate was good with the 18mm but the viewing caused problems with the 7mm, the 11 was just about acceptable.

Interesting, I am surprised the PST did not reach focus with the 7, 11, or 18.2mm Delite eyepieces, since according to this information ;-

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/542889-delite-5-9-15/#entry7317593

...the Radians and Delites are parfocal. And I have myself used my MK1 8mm Radian in an original gold coated PST, and it came to focus just fine.

I think some explanation is because there are two types of Radians, the MK1 and MK2, and some of these (not sure whether MK1 or MK2) are not parfocal with the others in it's group, according to ;-

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/393403-radian-parfocal-groups/#entry5036511

...and there are also two different models of PST, the original gold coated objective PST's, and the later ones where they have a blue coated lens and they moved the Energy Rejection Filter coating to an ITF filter located below the blocking filter in the eyepiece barrel holder lower section, I suspect that the focus travel is different between the two models of PST, and I have also been warned that there is also some variation in focus travel in two otherwise identical PST's...

Which PST is yours? An original one with gold coated lens, or later one with the clear blue objective?

Also, when you mention the X-Cell 9mm eyepiece, there are apparently two versions of it, the X-Cell and the X-Cell LX. Which one is yours?

Regards,

Alistair G.

[Paul73]

Re PST focus. Just pull them out by hand (unclamped) until you reach focus. A quick measure of the extension and order up the relevant extension tube. £15 later. They'll be perfect (better than the Delos on Solar)!

Paul

[Highburymark]

1 hour ago, Paul73 said:

Re PST focus. Just pull them out by hand (unclamped) until you reach focus. A quick measure of the extension and order up the relevant extension tube. £15 later. They'll be perfect (better than the Delos on Solar)!

Paul

Agree Paul - Delite much better with my Lunt 50mm than Delos. TV plossls and Nagler T6 also excellent

[YKSE]

1 hour ago, Highburymark said:

Agree Paul - Delite much better with my Lunt 50mm than Delos. TV plossls and Nagler T6 also excellent

Would you care to elaborte? in what way are Delte, TV plossls and Nagler T6 much better with lunt 50mm?

[jetstream]

The Delos underperformed for me on solar WL too...

[Stu]

I seem to recall that an 11mm TV Plossl was my favourite eyepiece in a PST when I had one.

[YKSE]

I find details are most often more revealing than description in general terms, that Delos underperforming in solar is not exactly shockling news to me

Better to know how excatly it did? That's the first step for a possible better understanding

[John]

very interesting stuff, this. I'm not an avid solar observer but when I have dabbled with it (PST and white light filters / hershel wedge) I've found that that some of the best eyepiece performance has come from low cost, simple designs that I'd not really give much time to for nighttime viewing whereas the more complex and expensive types seem to have lost their edge in the daytime

 

 

[Alien_Photons]

 The single best accessory I ever bought is my twelve year old 2.5 powermate. Looks well used but still works great.

I am swapping out my hyperions and LV's for delites after picking a 9mm and being very impressed.  Vixen LV's are still a bargin in my book.

I'll catch you up soon enough : )

[Stu]

12 hours ago, John said:

very interesting stuff, this. I'm not an avid solar observer but when I have dabbled with it (PST and white light filters / hershel wedge) I've found that that some of the best eyepiece performance has come from low cost, simple designs that I'd not really give much time to for nighttime viewing whereas the more complex and expensive types seem to have lost their edge in the daytime

 

 

That agrees with the generally held view John, Plossls and orthos work very well, simple designs with low scatter.

Bizarrely though, the Leica ASPH Zoom was the best cyclops eyepiece I used for white light solar, better than either of the above. Seems counter intuitive given the complex design, but the results spoke for themselves.