Starting Minimal - What You End Up With

[iPeace]

* TS INED ED 70: I'm certainly happy with it - which is good, as it's my first scope
* 1.25" TS diagonal: stated 99% reflectivity, certainly gets the job done for me - time and experience with other gear will tell
* TV eyepieces: certainly happy with them...
* Rigel Quik Finder: all the hype is true, fantastic bit of kit, once you learn how to use it. Must write this one up someday soon. A DIY fudge to mount on this small scope (with tie wraps on dew shield) but very much worth the money and the faff.
* Orion 9x50 illuminated RACI: had to get one to see what the fuss was about; very nice, may prove indispensable
* Manfrotto 405 geared head: obviously not designed for astronomy, but very portable and very nice for slo-mo tracking
* Photo tripod: very sturdy and adjustable

...and then there was a TV85 on its way to the bay, which had to be stopped...

But that's another story.

[laudropb]

Very nice looking portable set up. The Rigel looks enormous on your scope compared to on my Dob, but totally agree, it's a great piece of kit.

[iPeace]

4 hours ago, laudropb said:

Very nice looking portable set up. The Rigel looks enormous on your scope compared to on my Dob, but totally agree, it's a great piece of kit.

Yes it's definitely a case of a pair of finders apparently making off with the scope...

[Mr Fiery Jack]

Started in a really minimal way, built up quite a collection of eyepieces and scopes. The longer I am in this game the less I have come to realise I actually need. I try to keep things to the absolute minimum these days and always buy secondhand. Better for the environment, better on the wallet, easier to use in the field.

[AndyWB]

To be honest, I don't bother with a find on my little refractor; with a low power eyepiece it has such a wide field of view I don't think that it need a finder scope, not when I'm using the Rigel Quickfinder too. 

It's a nice looking setup. 

[iPeace]

23 hours ago, AndyWB said:

To be honest, I don't bother with a find on my little refractor; with a low power eyepiece it has such a wide field of view I don't think that it need a finder scope, not when I'm using the Rigel Quickfinder too. 

It's a nice looking setup. 

Thanks - I agree, the Rigel may prove the RACI redundant, but we'll see.

[mikeDnight]

I hope you don't mind me voicing a different opinion here. Although I love your beautiful little refractor, for me the Rigel and the right angle finder would have to go. I'd have fit the scope with a Televue red dot finder. They are handsome, Slimline and have a wonderful flip mirror in which you can view the stars with great ease. There would be no struggling with a right angle finder and it would liberate your beautiful scope from having to carry that ugly Rigel contraption designed by a criminal maniac.

 With the Televue finder your scope would be far easier to pack into a back pack or case, and there'd be no chance of catching the finder with your head. It would also look super cool! 

Mike

[bomberbaz]

47 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

I hope you don't mind me voicing a different opinion here. Although I love your beautiful little refractor, for me the Rigel and the right angle finder would have to go. I'd have fit the scope with a Televue red dot finder. They are handsome, Slimline and have a wonderful flip mirror in which you can view the stars with great ease. There would be no struggling with a right angle finder and it would liberate your beautiful scope from having to carry that ugly Rigel contraption designed by a criminal maniac.

 With the Televue finder your scope would be far easier to pack into a back pack or case, and there'd be no chance of catching the finder with your head. It would also look super cool! 

Mike

Don't hold back Mike, say what you think won't you 

[mikeDnight]

1 hour ago, bomberbaz said:

Don't hold back Mike, say what you think won't you 

I get all emotional when refractors are involved. Sorry, I can't help it! It's an illness!

Mike

 

[Peter Drew]

And the TV finder would cost almost as much as the scope!  

[iPeace]

11 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I hope you don't mind me voicing a different opinion here. Although I love your beautiful little refractor, for me the Rigel and the right angle finder would have to go. I'd have fit the scope with a Televue red dot finder. They are handsome, Slimline and have a wonderful flip mirror in which you can view the stars with great ease. There would be no struggling with a right angle finder and it would liberate your beautiful scope from having to carry that ugly Rigel contraption designed by a criminal maniac.

 With the Televue finder your scope would be far easier to pack into a back pack or case, and there'd be no chance of catching the finder with your head. It would also look super cool! 

Mike

Thanks, I truly appreciate this. It's clear I've gone for "function over form" here, and aesthetically speaking this begs to be ridiculed. But it does work, for me.

By a strange coincidence, I've just managed to secure a TeleVue Starbeam from a fellow SGL member. He gave me a really good deal on it - even included a matching TV85 which he kindly attached to the finder, very decent of him, I must say.

So I live in hope - bordering on confidence - that one day soon, justice will be done and you will no longer suffer the image of a Rigel atop a refractor in my care. Perhaps you'd be interested in the details, as soon as my new, pre-loved Starbeam with matching refractor arrives?

[mikeDnight]

6 hours ago, iPeace said:

Thanks, I truly appreciate this. It's clear I've gone for "function over form" here, and aesthetically speaking this begs to be ridiculed. But it does work, for me.

By a strange coincidence, I've just managed to secure a TeleVue Starbeam from a fellow SGL member. He gave me a really good deal on it - even included a matching TV85 which he kindly attached to the finder, very decent of him, I must say.

So I live in hope - bordering on confidence - that one day soon, justice will be done and you will no longer suffer the image of a Rigel atop a refractor in my care. Perhaps you'd be interested in the details, as soon as my new, pre-loved Starbeam with matching refractor arrives?

It would be nice to see your starbeam sitting on your little frac. I hope you like the thing now I've mentioned it. Personally I think they're great!

What a nice chap your SGL friend is for attaching the TV85 to the starbeam.. It would be nice to see that too. 

Mike.

[iPeace]

5 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

It would be nice to see your starbeam sitting on your little frac. I hope you like the thing now I've mentioned it. Personally I think they're great!

What a nice chap your SGL friend is for attaching the TV85 to the starbeam.. It would be nice to see that too. 

Mike.

Who knows? I may just leave the Starbeam on the TV85...

[iPeace]

On 2/22/2016 at 21:18, mikeDnight said:

I'd have fit the scope with a Televue red dot finder. They are handsome, Slimline and have a wonderful flip mirror in which you can view the stars with great ease. There would be no struggling with a right angle finder and it would liberate your beautiful scope from having to carry that ugly Rigel contraption designed by a criminal maniac.

Ah, well...the Starbeam has indeed proven to be all you said.