telescope downgrade

[Piero]

A thread like this is quite uncommon! 

Anyway, as I'm in Italy at the moment, I detached my Moonlite CR2 focuser and reinstalled the stock focuser on my 8" SW dob. Both the moonlite and eyepiece case will fly back with me this Sunday. The Moonlite will be mounted on the new dobson.

I decided that this telescope will be used with 1.25" eyepieces: 25mm stock plossl and a 10mm orion plossl I bought 21 years ago. An orion shorty barlow will be used for high powers. Doing so, I won't need to carry any eyepiece with me in the future. At most I might carry the Nikon zoom in a pocket to get focal lengths down to 4.5mm. The counterweight was also removed.

[mikeDnight]

Sometimes "down grading" can be quite liberating. Using simpler eyepieces such as a good quality plossl, and I remember the silver tops supplied by Sky watcher 20 years ago were something special, still give wonderful views. 

"IF ONLY I'D INVENTED A BOX WITH TWO SIDES MISSING, I COULD HAVE BEEN REMEMBERED FOR THE NEWTOBSON TELESCOPE"!  

 

[John]

I replaced the Moonlite focuser that was on my Vixen ED102SS with a single speed Vixen R&P recently, which I guess some might think of as a downgrade. The Moonlite is now on the ED120 replacing a much older Moonlite unit that had developed bearing problems.

I'm pleased that the Vixen is now an "all Vixen" scope again and it's lighter as well

The Vixen R&P focuser is very smooth - shows that it is possible to make a good R&P with some decent engineering.

 

[Piero]

Very very nice, John!

[JamesF]

1 hour ago, John said:

The Vixen R&P focuser is very smooth - shows that it is possible to make a good R&P with some decent engineering.

I think the one on my TS Photoline 72 is very nice, too.  I think it's the first stock focuser that I haven't felt the need to change.

James

[Rob]

Nice John. I found the R&P on my Vixen 102 back a few years ago was perfectly fine. Just needed a little super lube grease to make it silky smooth in motion.

Rob

[nightfisher]

14 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Sometimes "down grading" can be quite liberating. Using simpler eyepieces such as a good quality plossl, and I remember the silver tops supplied by Sky watcher 20 years ago were something special, still give wonderful views. 

"IF ONLY I'D INVENTED A BOX WITH TWO SIDES MISSING, I COULD HAVE BEEN REMEMBERED FOR THE NEWTOBSON TELESCOPE"!  

 

The skywatcher silvertop plossl`s, lovely i still have the 10mm, 20mm and 25mm i use the 25mm a lot (when i use ep`s)

[Piero]

Here my third set of eyepieces! 

Microscope Leica (25mm ish with almost 27mm field stop), Orion shorty Barlow, stock plossl 25mm, Orion Sirius plossl 10mm, and finally a collimator.