Latest version of my grab and go setup

[RobertI]

With an impending house move just weeks away, I have had to pack up all my astro gear in boxes, but have kept my grab and go setup ready for quick sessions. Last night was the first time using a new configuration comprising the following:

- WO 72mm frac with a Seben 8-24mm zoom + Rigel quikfinder

- Altair astro 60mm achro with Baader Hyperion 21mm giving a huge 6 degrees field of view!

- Giro WR mount 

- Horizon tripod

 

I'm really pleased so far, the setup works very well and can be easily lifted with one hand, and the Giro mount is wonderfully smooth and solid.The purpose of the 60mm scope is to act as a finder as I have a bad neck at the moment and am struggling to twist in order to look through the red dot finder. Even though the 60mm scope has over 6 degrees FOV I could still do with a wider FOV, say 10 - 12 degrees for quick finding (I tried a 40mm plossl eyepiece but the huge exit pupil of 10mm and large eye relief didn't really work). I'm thinking a really wide angle low mag RACI finder. Do such things exist? 

Rob

[Stu]

Very nice setup Rob, just the sort of grab and go kit I love! The Giro-WR is a great mount, isn't it?

I doubt you with find a 10 degree fov finder, if you did I suspect it would be very fast and with horrid abberations. Have you tried a Telrad? Still going to mean you have to crouch down but easier than a Rigel I think. They do do a mirror for it so you can look at it from above, but you lose the benefit of the wider perspective when you do that.

Enjoy your kit  

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Looks very nice indeed

[RobertI]

16 minutes ago, Stu said:

Very nice setup Rob, just the sort of grab and go kit I love! The Giro-WR is a great mount, isn't it?

I doubt you with find a 10 degree fov finder, if you did I suspect it would be very fast and with horrid abberations. Have you tried a Telrad? Still going to mean you have to crouch down but easier than a Rigel I think. They do do a mirror for it so you can look at it from above, but you lose the benefit of the wider perspective when you do that.

Enjoy your kit  

Thanks Stu and Michael. Yes Stu, the Giro is a superbly engineered, quality piece of kit. Makes a nice change from the norm. I shall look at the Telrad with mirror idea, although I think you are right about losing the wider perspective. What about a laser? Do you think that would be good enough to get me into the right vicinity so I can switch to the finder?

[laudropb]

Very nice looking set up. Good luck with your house move.

[Chris]

That looks the business, Rob  Good luck with the house move, and I hope your neck feels better soon, I'm having similar problems with my lower back. 

How is your new pad for astronomy then? 

[RobertI]

1 hour ago, Chris Lock said:

That looks the business, Rob  Good luck with the house move, and I hope your neck feels better soon, I'm having similar problems with my lower back. 

How is your new pad for astronomy then? 

Thanks Chris, sorry to hear about the bad back. We are moving to a rented house for a few months before our new house is ready in April. The rented house is much nicer than our new house (!) with a large south facing garden and no street lights - astronomy heaven.  The new house has an easterly facing garden but with a good southerly aspect down to the horizon; it's a new build on a development of around 100 houses, so I am not 100% sure about street lights, but I have carefully checked the plans and I think I am pretty well shielded all round (that was one of my buying critera  ). I've waited a long time for a decent garden so keeping all fingers crossed. Of course wherever you go there is always the chance of neighbours with 1000w security lights. ?

Let me know how you get on sourcing your Heritage 130P, I've always wanted to see one in the flesh.

[Chris]

 

1 hour ago, RobertI said:

Thanks Chris, sorry to hear about the bad back. We are moving to a rented house for a few months before our new house is ready in April. The rented house is much nicer than our new house (!) with a large south facing garden and no street lights - astronomy heaven.  The new house has an easterly facing garden but with a good southerly aspect down to the horizon; it's a new build on a development of around 100 houses, so I am not 100% sure about street lights, but I have carefully checked the plans and I think I am pretty well shielded all round (that was one of my buying critera  ). I've waited a long time for a decent garden so keeping all fingers crossed. Of course wherever you go there is always the chance of neighbours with 1000w security lights. ?

Let me know how you get on sourcing your Heritage 130P, I've always wanted to see one in the flesh.

Hi Rob, Wow it's all going on isn't it! Well I hope you get time to enjoy astronomy heaven for a few months before the move to your new build. fingers crossed your bought house will be pretty decent for astronomy, I know everything is relative and I know you've said where you are now isn't great so chances are you'll be promoted

I'll let you know about the Heritage 130p, with my back garden being like the bottom of a well in terms of skyline all my recent sessions with the big kit consist of just looking at m31, m52, and m15 through a gap in the trees, all my other slews hit walls or trees lol, I just want something I can nip else where with without an expedition

Oh and I'll have my fingers firmly crossed that you don't get the dreaded security lights! I'm biased I know but whats the point in them? Maybe so the guy robbing your house doesn't need to pack a torch! 

[RobertI]

39 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

I'll let you know about the Heritage 130p, with my back garden being like the bottom of a well in terms of skyline all my recent sessions with the big kit consist of just looking at m31, m52, and m15 through a gap in the trees, all my other slews hit walls or trees lol, I just want something I can nip else where with without an expedition

I know what you mean about being at the bottom of a well, it does make it more challenging to get a wide variety of objects out of quick sessions as you are restricted to the same bright stuff. I have seriously thought about putting a Hertiage 130 on the other side of the Giro-WR, should make a great portable scope. 

[Chris]

4 hours ago, RobertI said:

I know what you mean about being at the bottom of a well, it does make it more challenging to get a wide variety of objects out of quick sessions as you are restricted to the same bright stuff. I have seriously thought about putting a Hertiage 130 on the other side of the Giro-WR, should make a great portable scope. 

Well I don't know if your moving closer or further away Rob, but if and when I get one you're as always welcome to come check it out

[Commanderfish]

On 12/5/2016 at 09:51, RobertI said:

With an impending house move just weeks away, I have had to pack up all my astro gear in boxes, but have kept my grab and go setup ready for quick sessions. Last night was the first time using a new configuration comprising the following:

- WO 72mm frac with a Seben 8-24mm zoom + Rigel quikfinder

- Altair astro 60mm achro with Baader Hyperion 21mm giving a huge 6 degrees field of view!

- Giro WR mount 

- Horizon tripod

 

I'm really pleased so far, the setup works very well and can be easily lifted with one hand, and the Giro mount is wonderfully smooth and solid.The purpose of the 60mm scope is to act as a finder as I have a bad neck at the moment and am struggling to twist in order to look through the red dot finder. Even though the 60mm scope has over 6 degrees FOV I could still do with a wider FOV, say 10 - 12 degrees for quick finding (I tried a 40mm plossl eyepiece but the huge exit pupil of 10mm and large eye relief didn't really work). I'm thinking a really wide angle low mag RACI finder. Do such things exist? 

Rob

You could try the Antares Versascope 10x60 RACI.  As it comes, the FOV is about 7 degrees if I remember rightly, but you can change the eyepiece to other 1.25" EPs and may thus be able to push up the FOV.  Also, being a RACI, finding is easy and there's no crouching.  It only costs about £100.

[RobertI]

Thanks for the heads up commanderfish, will look at that. i supect the existing eyepiece gives the max practical  exit pupil but I will research.