PM + Paracorr

[niallk]

I received a 2x PM today Holy moly: it's like sticking a frac into the focusser!!

Geez it would be too easy to loosen the wrong screw and have an expensive accident :/

 

[YKSE]

That's an impressive size Just imagine how  long it will be with 20ES/21Ethos instead of 10E

I would guess those less than solid travel dobs might be trembling under this long handle

[Singlin]

I read somewhere that the Parcorr does not work so well with the 2x barlow as the barlow throws the parcorr's focal plane out a bit.

I also have the same setup as yourself and generally when using the barlow my field of view does not necessitate the use of a coma corrector.

It does look impressive though.

[faulksy]

niallk, just get the sips system so much easyer.

that does look like a frac sticking out the focuser, at least you have found some use for a frac

[faulksy]

also to add niallk its all in the wrong way, paracorr,powermate then ep

[Louis D]

12 minutes ago, faulksy said:

also to add niallk its all in the wrong way, paracorr,powermate then ep

That's what I was thinking.  You want to maintain constant separation between the primary and the CC, thus the SIPS system.

[alanjgreen]

Niallk has it the right way round

http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=53&Tab=_app

TV website says

Note for Dobsonian/Newtonian Owners: When using Tele Vue's Paracorr coma corrector, the 2.5x or 5x Powermate™ should be inserted into the Paracorr's 1¼" adapter (i.e., between the Paracorr and the eyepiece). For 2x and 4x 2" Powermates™, first insert the Powermate™ into the focuser, then the Paracorr into the Powermates™.

 

[niallk]

No worries - I hope I read the instructions correctly

I was paranoid about lenses not getting hit when inserting things!

Seriously though, it's a really significant stack/weight/length/torque... I was taken aback by it tbh.  Looking forward to trying it out: not only is it of course cloudy, it is also pretty foggy to boot outside 

[niallk]

12 hours ago, YKSE said:

That's an impressive size Just imagine how  long it will be with 20ES/21Ethos instead of 10E

Yeah - the 20ES100 is ~1kg - that's why I got the 10E At least it is 'only' 0.5kg

12 hours ago, Singlin said:

I also have the same setup as yourself and generally when using the barlow my field of view does not necessitate the use of a coma corrector.

Yes! I think I'll be using it without the Paracorr - it will only be for very high power viewing. To be swapping to those mag settings I'd have to be removing the Paracorr from the focusser anyway, so no additional hassle in the dark - and one less thing to drop

12 hours ago, faulksy said:

niallk, just get the sips system so much easyer.

that does look like a frac sticking out the focuser, at least you have found some use for a frac

Yeah, the SIPS is elegant ... I debated and went for the P2; might choose differently now tbh, but at the time was thinking I could use in my other scope plus any future one...

PS I love the on-going dob vs frac ribbing

12 hours ago, alanjgreen said:

Niallk has it the right way round

http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=53&Tab=_app

TV website says

Note for Dobsonian/Newtonian Owners: When using Tele Vue's Paracorr coma corrector, the 2.5x or 5x Powermate™ should be inserted into the Paracorr's 1¼" adapter (i.e., between the Paracorr and the eyepiece). For 2x and 4x 2" Powermates™, first insert the Powermate™ into the focuser, then the Paracorr into the Powermates™.

 

Thanks for sanity checking this!  As you all point out, the order depends on the PM variant, and the recommendation for 2x also seemed counterintuitive to what I would have guessed.

As Singlin says, in practice I'll probably use without the Paracorr at high power. It's incredibly long sticking out far from the focusser - a recipe for an accident in the dark

[alanjgreen]

Niall,

i spent three weeks deciding whether to go sips or not on my new scope 

in the end I didn't go for SIPS as it is not compatible with binos and I like to use 2 eyes. At least the paracorr is easy to remove in the dark.

sips also forces you to get the 1.5inch travel focuser, I now have the 2.5 inch travel which gives me more infocus for the swap between binos and back

as you say, you may not need both the paracorr and PM at the same time.

Alan

 

[Paz]

I've got the same - a paracorr 2 and 2x PM but I've never used both at the same time, however I must get a photo of them both with an eyepiece in - it looks like a huge light sabre handle!

At some point the 2xPM needs to go as I've got all the eyepieces I need such that I don't need a PM or barlow, but that would leave a gap in my eyepiece case which my eyepiece-case-ocd cannot allow to happen!

[Scooot]

I use my paracorr 2 and 2 Powermate if I want to image with the dob. Unscrew the coma corrector from the paracorr and attach it to the Dslr. Can then just slide it into the Powermate with the camera attached. Works quite well on the moon.

[cardigan wearer]

On 06/01/2017 at 23:45, niallk said:

No worries - I hope I read the instructions correctly

I was paranoid about lenses not getting hit when inserting things!

Seriously though, it's a really significant stack/weight/length/torque... I was taken aback by it tbh.  Looking forward to trying it out: not only is it of course cloudy, it is also pretty foggy to boot outside 

Can we all agree to a date when nobody buys anything for that day so we get at least one night of viewing

[Scooot]

1 minute ago, cardigan wearer said:

Can we all agree to a date when nobody buys anything for that day so we get at least one night of viewing

25th December, can't be much buying on that day. It'd be an interesting discussion over dinner  

[Don Pensack]

It might look intimidating, but the best view of Jupiter in my lifetime was with a 2X PowerMate, a Paracorr, and an 8mm Ethos at 456x.

That's 18 lenses!  But if the image of Jupiter could have been any sharper than it was that night, it would have cut my eye. (LOL).

We saw knots in the white swirl inside the GRS, and shadows of the projections on the cloud walls below them.  And more colors than I've ever seen.

Yes, it's a long stack sticking out of the focuser, but I sure didn't see any loss of sharpness in that stack.

 

[alanjgreen]

What was the scope Don?

 

[niallk]

22 minutes ago, Don Pensack said:

It might look intimidating, but the best view of Jupiter in my lifetime was with a 2X PowerMate, a Paracorr, and an 8mm Ethos at 456x.

That's 18 lenses!  But if the image of Jupiter could have been any sharper than it was that night, it would have cut my eye. (LOL).

We saw knots in the white swirl inside the GRS, and shadows of the projections on the cloud walls below them.  And more colors than I've ever seen.

Yes, it's a long stack sticking out of the focuser, but I sure didn't see any loss of sharpness in that stack.

 

Sounds truly amazing Don!!

Oh for a night of exceptional seeing on Jupiter...