Took the Coronado PST Plunge -- Review and First Light

[Mark at Beaufort]

Hello Andre I hope I can answer your question. I bought my single PST in 2005 and have been pleased with the quality. I use a TeleVue 8-24 zoom and normally set it around 16mm and only occasionally go to 8mm or 12mm. I prefer to use a black cover to improve the visual image. 

A few years ago I purchased a Double Stack unit which gives much better detail but it is dimmer - 25% maybe. It is essential in my opinion to use a cover to enjoy the image.

 

[Peter Drew]

For th extra cost of a PST double stack unit you could do a PST mod and have a high resolution 4" - 6" Ha telescope.    ?

[Rusted]

36 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

For the extra cost of a PST double stack unit you could do a PST mod and have a high resolution 4" - 6" Ha telescope.    ?

Guess who has gone over to the Light Side? 

£700 squid for a PST double stack unit will get you a Baader D-ERF + Swiss AOK 2" : PST Etalon adapters.

With a donor scope in the 4-6" range and the bits from your PST you can make a pretty serious H-a scope.

But do your homework on the conversion first. Lots of info online and amongst members here. 

Go to get back to my own solar H-a observations....  ☀️

 

[andre2]

You are all right if you compere the pst vs a mod, the pst looks like a dwarf. But,( i think)  that the portability of the pst ( fast set up, zoom in and out fast to prommences , easy to store, small, light weight) has also its charm. For proms allone maby zoom in up to 8 mm is more then enough. ( to look at spicules at 100x for example with mod will also get bored i think)  and as a casual/ visual user i think i dond need nothing more then a double stack to see finally more  detail in lower ( 16mm) power,while the set up is still  "portable".        I dond know. I have to consider everything.?

 

[Paul73]

It is an unexpectedly tough choice. 

I started with a white light wedge (coutesy of Stu). Got hooked. A PST (courtesy of garryblueboy), double stack eyeliner (ABS), stage 1 mod (too many to mention, but Peter Drew And Merlin we’re stars).

My Bresser 102 f10 PST Internal AE ERF home brew is now king of the Proms. But....... the Double Stacked PSD showed more surface detail. The 100mm mod showed proms in breathless detail invisiable to the PST.

I really miss the surface detail, but the prom action is mind blowing...

Your choice!

Paul

 

 

[Rusted]

23 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

It is an unexpectedly tough choice. 

I started with a white light wedge (coutesy of Stu). Got hooked. A PST (courtesy of garryblueboy), double stack eyeliner (ABS), stage 1 mod (too many to mention, but Peter Drew And Merlin we’re stars).

My Bresser 102 f10 PST Internal AE ERF home brew is now king of the Proms. But....... the Double Stacked PSD showed more surface detail. The 100mm mod showed proms in breathless detail invisiable to the PST.

I really miss the surface detail, but the prom action is mind blowing...

Your choice!

Paul

That is an interesting POV. Each must make their own choice of equipment and investment in time, expense and interest.
A PST is so portable that you could probably take it to work and view the sun in your breaks or at lunch time.
The instrument's security is an important part of the exercise.

The S/H PST I bought had a dead internal filter. I bought a Maier replacement by which time I already had the PST in bits.
This made the choice to jump straight into my old 150/8 as an obvious modding choice. [120/10 optical equivalent with PST components.]
A 150mm needs a solid mounting and a tall pier, or a tall and heavy tripod, of course. Which ought to be added into the cost equation.
A 120/10 is close to the same length and has a similar weight and mechanical moment. Secondhand mountings can be found.

I find the proms amazing too but the same "tune" provides exquisite surface detail depending on 'seeing' and solar altitude.
The main reason for going to a larger aperture [properly filtered] is magnification and resolution.
The PST won't and simply can't give effortless 85-150x or much more.
As you have already discovered by your own zoom limitations with a 40mm aperture.

I'd add the cost of a binoviewer and several pairs of EPs as almost essential for the best solar views.
It makes the difference between just looking at the Sun and feeling you are actually floating above the sun's surface.
Imagine seeing a prominence as clearly as the texture of smoke from a bonfire just across the garden?
It makes all the effort [and considerable expense] worthwhile.
If the sun remains dormant then the proms may soon become the only thing to see where the sun is concerned.

I blame Peter Drew [and Merlin] for converting me to the Light Side. 
Being retired, I find solar observation has given me a whole new hobby in the daytime.
Statistically I am probably much safer at home than cycling 10,000 miles a year to fill all my free time. 
I am also nearby for doing the odd chores or heavy lifting instead of being "off gallivanting!" 

[Merlin66]

Just to add to the confusion.....

Some years ago I tried a double stacked PST etalon concept ( two PST etalons back to back in a PST Stage 2 mod)

I found it very very difficult to tune and gave up.......

Now almost ten years later this concept is being re-visited....the "trick" this time is to redesign the PST to PST adaptor to allow better rotational orientation between them and the addition of a "backwards facing" CPL between the etalons - which can be independently rotated to control the ghosting.

 

 

[astrorg]

On 17/01/2019 at 14:06, Carbon Brush said:

Excellent advice from the earlier posts.

A great little scope.

I have had a PST for several years but am about to sell.

Not fed up. Moving on to a Lunt 60mm.

David.

Still for sale?

 

;p]