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S@N Tried and Tested Reviews.. anyone taken part

Fozzie

By Fozzie
in The Astro Lounge

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brantuk

brantuk

Posted
Posted

I would be inclined to try and find out their criteria for choosing you and then play to those requirements - whilst at the same time giving honest measurement and opinion. Also have a word with Olly Penrice - he's done one or two reviews for astro mags so should have some good pointers. :)

(I actually purchased my 115edt based on one of his reviews)

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Fozzie

Fozzie

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1 minute ago, Chris Lock said:

I think Derek aka DRT had one for a little while, mybe give him a quick PM :)

He did, he had Old number 30.. it's not turned up yet on here...? Wonder where it is now.  Believe it or not I've had mine since September 14..

 

3 minutes ago, brantuk said:

I would be inclined to try and find out their criteria for choosing you and then play to those requirements - whilst at the same time giving honest measurement and opinion. Also have a word with Olly Penrice - he's done one or two reviews for astro mags so should have some good pointers. :)

(I actually purchased my 115edt based on one of his reviews)

They approached Greenwitch as an AA main stockiest and they passed my details on (after I'd agreed to speak to them), It's apparently just a 170 word owners view type of thing, the why, where and what of using it choosing it...

 

Read Olly's report on the 115 this morning, almost went and bought one soon after, think Altair make good stuff, all in all I've been impressed with the 72mmed and the F11..

Thanks for the thoughts.

Fozzie

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barkis

barkis

Posted
Posted

Steve Richards (Steppenwolf),  Is an accomplished S@N equipment reviewer.         I'm  not at all  sure he has  reviewed the Altair 4" f11 refractor though,  however he may have some advice he can pass on. 

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

Posted
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The Sky at Night Magazine will not be looking for a final and polished piece of text, just your personal findings having had the equipment for a while. A 'Tried and Tested' review is different from a 'First Light Review' as it deals with a product that has been out in the field for some time whereas a First Light concentrates on new products that have caught the editor's eye. I'm sure your first draft will be fine and the editor will put finishing touches to it without affecting your opinions and findings in any way.

HTH.

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recceranger

recceranger

Posted
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Not dealt with reviews as such but I did write to the editor to invite the magazine to our opening of an Astro Observatory.  We got funding and built it for the kids (military and civilian).  As yet no response.  Having said that I wrote a letter of invitation to Prof Brian Cox and Tim O'Brien - not a sausage have we heard! 

 

What at can you do? At least the kids got the observatory???

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mikeDnight

mikeDnight

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People are interested in the optical performance above all else, so put the beast through its paces and push the boundaries of magnification. How near to text book perfect are its star images? How does the scope perform in terms of contrast and definition; and how does it perform on DSO's? Avoid meaningless statements such as "the ring nebula looked nice!" I'd want to know how it handles close binary stars, (not Castor!)? Can it detect the E and F stars in the trapezium, or similar test targets such as the 13.2 mag star on the periphery of the ring nebula? And inform the reader of what kind of eyepieces you use for the tests and only use eyepieces of the highest quality, that way the reader can have confidence in your conclusions.

I'd also want to know about optical coatings, tube baffling and focuser arrangement/style, and weight of the instrument.

How cosmetically attractive it is should be kept to a brief comment, such as" This is a handsome telescope with its........" , and leave it at that.

Far too many times in S@N magazine, the reviewers have spent time saying virtually nothing, and leaving the reader no better informed than they were before they read the article. And the percentage ratings that the magazine publish are the most meaningless, valueless and utterly pointless, unscientific rubbish of any magazine. The only reason for a review is to inform people of the critical truth, so don't be overly nice about a product you think it isn't really up to spec. People will respect your honesty and your critique, so don't pull your punches. 

Mike

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