x4 Teievue powermate

[daveb]

I have a Televue powermate x2 which i do find very good for general observing, i am now looking to get  more out of my eyepieces by using a x4 powermate but all the reviews are for imaging only. I have an Orion Optics vx12 with a 10pv mirror and 1600mm focal length F5.3. My eyepieces are of a good quality as well (Televue or Explore Scientific) am i asking to much from my OTA to stretch the focal length from 1600mm to 4800mm?

[catman161]

You should be fine depending on which eyepieces you use it with. Once you go over 250-300x mag the uk seeing will mean that whatever you look at will seem pretty blurry/unstable.

I used to use a 4x TV powermate with my F6 OTA and it performed well visually (at lower powers) and well when doing planetary imaging.

I now have a native focal length of 4500mm so do not tend to use any type of image amplification anymore.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[daveb]

Thanks Catman' i understand about the seeing, i was just want to get more out of my larger focal length eyepieces as they are so expensive i want to get midrange and a bit more out of them! 

[John]

Hi Dave,

I have a very similar scope to yours - Orion Optics 12" F/5.3.

The highest powers that I use are 400x - 500x but those are only used on very specific targets under good observing conditions.

For most planetary and lunar observing I use from 200x to 320x. Jupiter tends to look more contrasty at the lower end of that range. Saturn and Mars benefit from the higher powers.

I used to use a Powermate 2" 2x with my Tele Vue and Pentax eyepieces but I now prefer dedicated eyepieces at the shorter focal lengths. My shortest focal length eyepiece is a 3mm.

I'm not far from you, at Portishead. I take my scope along to Bristol AS open obeserving sessions and their publis star parties. Maybe I'll see you at one sometime

[daveb]

Hi John, sorry i've been along time getting back but i've been out. Looking at what you have written i've noticed you go up 320x under normal conditions, now i have the intentions of using a 20mm explore scientific 100 FOV with a 4x powermate just for lunar observations which should give me 320x mag. Do you think this would be ok?

[John]

Hi John, sorry i've been along time getting back but i've been out. Looking at what you have written i've noticed you go up 320x under normal conditions, now i have the intentions of using a 20mm explore scientific 100 FOV with a 4x powermate just for lunar observations which should give me 320x mag. Do you think this would be ok?

Under decent viewing conditions I use 318x on the Moon quite a bit. I use a Pentax XW 5mm eyepiece for this purpose but the ES20 + 4x Powermate would do a decent job as well. I used to use a 20mm ES 100 with a 2x Powermate from time to time and it worked pretty well but it was a rather tall and daunting combination

[daveb]

At the moment i use a 14mm es with a x2 powermate and the 100 degree FOV is like looking through a window in a lunar orbiter.  i now want to stretch this further but instead of buying a specific eyepiece i want to get more out of my money by getting more combinations from other eye pieces. is this a good way to go or a false economy in the long run?

[John]

At the moment i use a 14mm es with a x2 powermate and the 100 degree FOV is like looking through a window in a lunar orbiter.  i now want to stretch this further but instead of buying a specific eyepiece i want to get more out of my money by getting more combinations from other eye pieces. is this a good way to go or a false economy in the long run?

100 degree eyepieces are both addictive and expensive so the Powermate route is probably the best value way to get those views.

[DRT]

I have had both the 2x and 4x Powermates and ended up selling them as I just didn't enjoy using them. I use big EPs and with the Powermates the length of the focuser/EP set-up just feels awkward to me. Like John I prefer to have EPs at the focal length I want to use rather than including more glass in the optical path.

I did manage to use the 2x Powermate successfully, but cannot recall the same for the 4x for visual use.

[daveb]

Sorry i took so long to get back, i'm using a dob set up and i don't have a problem with the 2x powermate and a large eyepiece which i'm sure i would with an eq6. In your opinion would you say the x4 powermate has a longer eye relief or is of a lesser standard than the x2  in which i do get on with very well? 

[John]

Sorry i took so long to get back, i'm using a dob set up and i don't have a problem with the 2x powermate and a large eyepiece which i'm sure i would with an eq6. In your opinion would you say the x4 powermate has a longer eye relief or is of a lesser standard than the x2  in which i do get on with very well? 

Powermates don't change the eye relief of the eyepiece they are used with. They don't affect the focus point either. All the Powermates I've used have been of equally, very high, quality. If anything adversely affects the view it would be factors external to the Powermate such as the seeing conditions not supporting the magnification.

My 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics is dob mounted as well.

[daveb]

Hi John, is the reason you don't use the powermates any more the bulk of them in the focuser more than the quality of the image in the eyepiece?

[John]

Hi John, is the reason you don't use the powermates any more the bulk of them in the focuser more than the quality of the image in the eyepiece?

It's that and the business of fiddling with a further expensive piece of kit in the dark. They do work really well though, no doubt about that

On one memorable night last year I was able to use the 2x Powermate with my 6mm Ethos and the 12" dob for a crisply defined 100 degree 530x view of the lunar surface. I felt like Neil and Buzz coming into land back in 1969 for a while

[daveb]

Funny you should say that because with a 14mm explore scientific and a x2 power mate i felt like Michael Collins in the orbiter! I am convinced now that the x4 powermate is a road i can go down to maximise what i can do with fewer eyepieces and may be sell the powermates at a much later date when i have a large enough collection of decent eyepieces. Thank you for your advice

[catman161]

If you're going down the powermate route another piece of equipment that would be awesome to go with them is an eyepiece turret simple mount all your eyepieces you're planning on using for the session then put the powermate in the focuser and when you want to change eyepieces simply turn the turret and view at the new magnification [emoji106]

[daveb]

I do think the turret is a very good idea for the smaller eyepieces, but when you put 2 or more of the 2" (grenade type EP's) in i think it will be to heavy for the focuser! I'm using an OO VX12 newt and the body of the scope is so thin i even think that it would bow slightly out of shape. saying that i do think for a smaller scope and 1.25 EPs it is a good idea