Requirements for a guide scope

[Stub Mandrel]

My impression is that a guide scope does not need to be of any great quality.

I have a 110mmdiameter 333mm fl acrylic lens I bought for making an illuminated magnifier. It strikes me that it could easily be made into an F3 scope that could gather enough light for guiding with an unmodified webcam.

Even though it will suffer bad CA, I could always include a filter - surely the colour of the guide star is not significant?

What do the panel think?

[StuartJPP]

I bought the QHYCCD miniGuideScope and even it is a doublet/achromatic lens i.e. a crown and flint, I wasn't expecting that to be honest. The stars aren't perfect and towards the edges they are a bit comet-like. It isn't so much the colour of the star but the roundness of them that matters.

Since you have already got it, it will cost nothing to give it a try but you may suffer, especially away from the centre of the FOV.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I think I have a bit of 4" aluminium flue that might do as a tube, even if the lens overlaps a bit. I can mock up something for a try with a cardboard hood and a crude focuser. If it works I can 'upgrade' the design.