Sumerian travel scopes - feedback please

[niallk]

Congrats on getting a top class dob! Enjoy

-Niall

[Helen]

Here we go It is BIG!!

Now out cooling

Helen

[niallk]

Looks the business! Best of luck with 1st light - a nice way to start into the New Year

[DRT]

Very nice, Helen - I hope it brings clear skies!

[Piero]

Wow, that's a great telescope!

Wish you a super night out and look forward to reading about your impression!

Happy new year!

Piero

[Helen]

This has now been christened the Tardis, following a comment from a friend and RobH's response that it does indeed allow travel in time and space   

First light was fun    It is big, but not too heavy, and between us we handled it easily.  Just manual mode, and it moves very smoothly.  The balance isn't quite right though with it being bottom heavy, so the counterweight system at the bottom doesn't help!  When I tried to use my hand grenade UWAN 28 to balance I found that I couldn't get to focus - and one of those frustrating ones where not enough out without an extension and not enough in with the extension.  So I need to sort that out.

I lined up on a star and that showed the collimation was a out - hardly surprising given the journey and I think John hasn't used it for a while.  But I decided to just get viewing anyway given the sky condition were decent for once!  Orion was perfectly placed....           and what a view!  Using a 24 Pan the nebula nearly filled the eyepiece - wings and detail, lovely!  Trapezium stars suffered from the poor collimation and the scope wasn't properly cooled - but I didn't really care, just gawping at the Nebula was great.  I then went to M45 before it clouded over for a bit.

While it was cloudy (clearoutside said it would clear, so I waited) I had a go at collimation and improved things a bit.  And then patches of clearness reappeared, so I headed off for my favourite open clusters - M35, M36, M37 and M38.  The small fuzzy patches from my refractor became bundles of individual stars.  The amount of detail I was seeing was reducing and I thought seeing was going, but it turned out the mirror had dewed up     At that point clouds came over too so I decided to call it a night.

It was really fun though    and I have some things to tweak before next time (get the right extension for the 2 inch eyepieces, get balance sorted out, get the motor working, re-do the collimation, get the mirror fan hooked up, and maybe get a dewshield).  And I probably I probably need to work out where to store it!  given the idea for the sumerian (which isn't completely off the agenda yet) was to make storage easy....

Helen

[John]

Great 1st light report Helen

[Moonshane]

Lovely scope and John is a true gent who knows how to pimp a scope for best use.

I have very little time for even my own projects (I hope someday to make a truss system for my 16" solid oouk scope) so unfortunately could not help with a build.

[Moonshane]

Well not physically I mean. Naturally I can gladly help with any queries etc :0)

[mdstuart]

Sounds lovely Helen....now you need to test it on a galaxy...[emoji6]

Mark

[Helen]

Yep Mark

[niallk]

Is that a ServoCat controller I spy mounted up near the focuser? If so, very nice indeed! Having the option to track at high powers on planets etc with that scope and mirror is a great add-on!

[Helen]

Yes, it has the basic servocat system (no encoders).  There was an option to buy with or without. but I decided for the relatively small extra amount it was worth it.   I now need to read up on how to operate it!  I may well get encoders for it as that would just finish off a lovely package 

Helen

[scarp15]

Looks great, the former owner was one of several people on here Id contacted for advice prior to purchasing my second hand VX14 -  best decision ever. Concerning storage it has a fairly small foot print and l am able to keep mine in our backroom. In terms of extension tube I use a William Optics 2.4" extension, when not using a paracorr  (nice but not in my opinion essential) and provides enough focus travel. Faulky, Mike's comments about the Badder Clicklock would be a consideration to. Enjoy the scope.

[DRT]

Hi Helen,

I use the TeleVue extensions in my scopes and although they are eye-wateringly expensive I have to say they are beautifully engineered and as solid as a rock - wich is important if you plan to hang any grenade-style EPs from them. I have also previously owned the Baader ClickLock extension and it is superb. Choices, choices

Derek