Checking equpment list before buying

[dyfiastro]

Hi everyone

After purchasing a mount this weekend (A little sooner than I thought) I have got my equipment list together and just wondered if there was anything that I should change / add / remove before purchasing.

The mount is a Skywatcher HEQ5 PRO Synscan with a few upgrades.  It already has the Rowan Astronomy Belt drive upgrade installed, it has also had a the saddle upgraded to with an ADM Universal Saddle and the original altitude adjustment bolts have been replaced with the larger Astrodevelopments versions.
I did not intend getting everything for at least another few weeks but when this came up at the right price I decided to go for it.
The other equipment that I have in baskets ready for purchase are as follows:

Skywatcher Explorer 130P-DS OTA

Premium Cheshire Collimating Eyepiece

StarSharp Bahtinov Focus Masks (for the 130p)

Baader MPCC Mk-III Photo-Visual set

Sky-Watcher 9 x 50 Straight Through Finder & Bracket

QHY5L-II Colour

100/240V AC Input 12V DC 5A Output PSU with Right Angle Plug I already have a laptop ready to install the guiding software and will be getting a T adaptor for my camera off amazon (for the fuji XT1) Is there anything that you can see wrong with this list or recommend any changes / extras? Thanks everyone in advance

 

 

 

[brantuk]

Looks fairly complete to me - assuming you are using the straight through finder for guiding. The only other main item that occurs to me is dew control. Or do you have that covered?

[dyfiastro]

19 minutes ago, brantuk said:

Looks fairly complete to me - assuming you are using the straight through finder for guiding. The only other main item that occurs to me is dew control. Or do you have that covered?

Thanks for the reply.

I had a quick read on that and was going to use a camp mat or something of the like as a shield for the main scope and a pop bottle with some black fablon as a shield for the guide scope.  will this be good enough?

Yes i do intend using the 9x50 as my guide scope, having a read I thought this may be a better option than a ST80 due to weight and trying to balance the 130.
Out of interest will the 9x50 just sit in place of the standard finder that comes with the 130? is it a direct replacement or will I have to drill / adapt anything?
 

[brantuk]

A camping mat dew shield is a great idea - you might also want a dew heater on the secondary mirror - and a heated dew strip on the finder/guider objective lens. I would mount the finder/guider on a dovetail and mini guide rings, attached to the main scope rings, to reduce likelihood of flexure. Then you still have your visual finder if you need it - and no drilling required.

Something like this:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=50mm+finder+guider&biw=1213&bih=614&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijjrna8pbMAhVIOBoKHbZBBRwQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=o_c8h5Q0kR2bWM%3A

 

 

 

[dyfiastro]

6 hours ago, brantuk said:

A camping mat dew shield is a great idea - you might also want a dew heater on the secondary mirror - and a heated dew strip on the finder/guider objective lens. I would mount the finder/guider on a dovetail and mini guide rings, attached to the main scope rings, to reduce likelihood of flexure. Then you still have your visual finder if you need it - and no drilling required.

Something like this:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=50mm+finder+guider&biw=1213&bih=614&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijjrna8pbMAhVIOBoKHbZBBRwQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=o_c8h5Q0kR2bWM%3A

 

 

 

Thanks for the information.

I dont think I am going to be able to push to a set of guide rings and dovetail and the same goes for the dew heaters. I may end up having to get these in a few months looking at the prices. Can the 9x50 fit as a direct replacement for the standard one for now until I cannot afford the upgrade mount setup?

If dew does become a problem for the finder then I may have to rethink or may be hand warmers like I do at print with my wide angle lens for astrophotography. 

[brantuk]

For the 9x50 (with bracket) you linked to in post #1 - it should fit the standard SW shoe on the 130PDS that otherwise holds the 6x30 finder scope. Confirm the shoe size with the retailer though before buying - they may offer a better solution. I've never tried the hand warmer idea on a finder/guider - I guess it depends how long are the exposures you are planning to do, and how long the hand warmer lasts.  

Also - keep a regular eye on UK Astro Buy Sell - you may find the bits you want for a fair bit less.

[brantuk]

I don't know if it helps but there's some reasonable looking second hand finder/guider rings in the classifieds right now:

Check with the seller if they will fit though. Hth