Jump to content

NLCbanner2024.jpg.2478be509670e60c2d6efd04834b8b47.jpg

Finally i've joined SGL! Is there anybody out there?

mike-h

By mike-h
in Welcome

Recommended Posts

mike-h

mike-h

Posted
Posted

I've been reading SGL for a few weeks now. Some of the posts have been a terrific help for a newbie like me.

l've always loved the night sky and I bought my first telescope 14 years ago (when I was 20 years old). It was a Tasco and it was terrible (well it did put me off for 14 years).

I read an article last November that got me thinking about astromomy again. The internet soon showed that a lot has changed in 14 years!

I bought a new Skywatcher 200p EQ5 before Xmas but I had some problems with it (not as bad as Astrobaby's one!) and so I sent it back. I then bought a new Skyliner 250px 4 weeks ago for £312. Its so impressive what you can get for your money nowadays.

Needless to say, the clear night have been few and very far between.

At least I've had plenty of time to become a zen master of the mysterious art of collimation. So much info to digest-cheshire, laser, barlowed laser, offset....but i did my finishing touches today. Hurray!

I've also been trying to find a decent darkskies site in North Wales. Think I found it last night.

Bring on the stars

Mike-h

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 37
  • Created
  • Last Reply
mike-h

mike-h

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yikes! This is the first forum i've used. I sent that last reply b4 i was finished.

Thanks for the reply, Lightbucket. I hope the 250px serves me well too.

So what have i learned from SGL's posts:

1) i'm not the only person who bought a faulty telescope and has been really disappointed.

2) some retailers are better than others - impressed with FLO so far and only came across them thru SGL posts (they dont appear early in search engine lists). S&S have been very good too. Warehouse Express delivered the 250px (intact &complete!) in under 18 hours.

3) everyone's got their own bit of collimation advice!

4) the milk carton/washer idea for the base of the 250px Dob is genius. Worked a treat.

The best thing i've done for myself is make a (non-magnifying) finderscope out of sliced open card tubing (like a loo roll with most of its middle cut out) and some white cotton for the crosshairs at both ends. I blu tacked it to my 9x50 finderscope. Now i move to the back end of the dob and shine a red led torch at the cotton crosshairs. Both sets of crosshairs light up and i can move the Dob around while looking at the whole sky (and without having to crane my neck behind the 9x50). By making the 2 sets of crosshairs overlap i can point the scope surprisingly accurately (once i adjusted the blutack so it aligned with the 9x50 view) and very quickly. Essentially its a homemade combination of red dot finder and telrad thingy. Cheap and quick to make. Recomended

Mike-h

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

Posted
Posted

:lol: Hi from me too

I just got unlucky I think with the 200 but in case anyone picks up on this its fair to say once OVL ( the importer ) was informed they sorted it all out for me in quick time.

Mines perfect now and she's a beautiful scope. Your right about whats happend in 14 years - when I cam back to it aftter 20+ years the kit had changed out of all recognition and even with the recent price rises the cost of kit is still amazingly cheap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
barkis

barkis

Posted
Posted

A warm welcome to you Mike, and I like your innovative approach.

You can save money making bits and bobs that do the job. You are sure to enjoy your stay here. A 10" scope is a great instrument, and brings so many objects within reach of your eyes.

If I may answer your question as to why vacuum, each member is designated an object in the universe according to their post count on SGL. the higher the count, the more sophisticated the object. Like Gamma Ray Burst, or White Dwarf, Red Giant and so on. As you are new, you, like a few others recently joined, are classified as Vacuum, which is space itself, and the medium in which all objects reside. You will soon progress up the scale.

Best wishes.

Ron.:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mike-h

mike-h

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Welcome from me too!

Out of interest, what is "the milk carton/washer idea for the base of the 250px Dob is genius" all about, I'm intrigued!

Hi Chris

when I was searching for reviews of the 250px i came across a few posts in SGL about the dobsonian mount on the 250px. Some people had complained of "stickiness" movin it left and right. Some of the forum members (i remember steve from FLO as well as others-there's a good foto series somewhere) mentioned that you can make a small circular washer out of the side of an empty milk carton. You fit this between the 2 wooden base discs (above the teflon washer) at the base of the dob mount.

It raises the gap between the rotating discs ever so slightly which redudes the friction in the 3 other teflon pads. Basically it makes it easier to nudge the dob small distances to the left and right without the jumping big distances.

Mike h

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.