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First light: Starwatcher 150p flextube dob


cajen2

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Firstly, as a newbie to both SGL and scope observing in general, I have no idea whether I've posted this in the right place or not!

I realise that a smallish dob reviewed by a beginner may not be very interesting to most of you on here, but I have some thoughts and impressions which might be handy for anyone wanting to buy this scope.

I have to say that build quality in general is great: the scope is solid, the flextube system well made and the alt/az mount works fine. I read with a certain trepidation that the helical focuser can be wobbly, but for me, it was a different problem. The focuser was quite stiff in rotation, which kept moving the scope when I tried to focus. I took it out and applied a tiny amount of mineral oil made for bikes to the focuser thread, then wound it in and out a few times. It now rotates smoothly and easily. Perhaps everyone does this; I have no idea! I've had no problem with it wobbling yet, but I have PTFE tape on standby if I need it.

I've ordered some black foam and velcro to make a DIY light / dew shield.

The supplied eyepieces (10 and 25mm as usual) are ok, if not wonderful. I'm going to get a Baader Hyperion zoom and matching Barlow, as I think zooming is preferable to swapping eyepieces with the dob mount, which is so easy to nudge out of alignment. I know many of you don't like zooms much, but I thought I'd give it a try using a reasonable quality one.

The scope is easy to store considering its aperture, thanks to the flextube system.

The weather has been rubbish, of course, since I bought the scope, but there were some short breaks in the clouds tonight, allowing me to view the moon, which looked sharp through both EPs.

I'm looking forward to viewing Jupiter and Saturn next, though they're a bit low in the sky towards Bristol and Bath ATM, which isn't ideal.

Once I get used to the scope and get clearer weather, I'll go on to double stars and maybe some of the brighter DSOs.

Sorry about the marathon post.....but if anyone has any reactions or advice, please feel free to comment!

Clear skies (😄)

Clive

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Great stuff 🙂

Its such an easy 'scope to use. love it. First thing I saw with mine was Saturn, accidentally spotted through the spare bedroom window when I went up to dump the box up there the day I got the 'scope. Too tired to take the dob outside, I carried it up, plonked it on top of the box, and had my first ever , slightly wobbly (from the box) view of the planets rings through a grubby window , and with the included 10mm eyepiece. Magic !

Interesting that you had the exact opposite problem to the usual focuser annoyance , perhaps they've reduced the slop on purpose (or just by accident :evil4:

Spend some time in daylight lining up the RDF on something distant, and get the clamp fixed at the correct balance point with your eyepiece in place so the tube tends to stay put when you loosen the altitude knob ( you will need to re do that after fitting a shroud , and maybe after upgrading your eyepieces too)

Hang on to the 25mm ep, it is worth using , also simple 32mm plossl will give you a decent low mag. for finding targets for £30 or so.

Looking forward to hearing how you get on !

Heather

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Thanks Heather. I had already balanced the scope with the tube extended. I've ordered only 2mm foam for the shroud, so it remains to be seen if it affects the balance much.

As to the RDF, it irritates the life out of me! So much so that I've ordered a Rigel finder, which I hope will be easier to squint through.😆

I'll definitely get a 32mil, perhaps one of the wide-field ones to make targeting easier.

I thought my other hobby (reefkeeping) was expensive, but this clearly rivals it!

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Congratulations on the 150P and I enjoyed your report, it seems a bit of mineral oil fixed the stiffness issue, I wasn't aware the 150 had a helical focuser. You mentioned double stars which in the past 

couple of years has become an obsession of mine, you will love hunting doubles and, I look forward to more reports with this great scope!

Clear Skies!!

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10 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Congratulations on the 150P and I enjoyed your report, it seems a bit of mineral oil fixed the stiffness issue, I wasn't aware the 150 had a helical focuser. You mentioned double stars which in the past 

couple of years has become an obsession of mine, you will love hunting doubles and, I look forward to more reports with this great scope!

Clear Skies!!

 

1 hour ago, seven_legs said:

always a great feeling get a scope especially your very first one. 

looking to seeing how you get on.

put a post on after the first real nights observing and let everyone know how you got on.

Will do, folks.

Do you like my home-made accessory holder? 😄 Small enough to go in my backpack if required. Plenty of room for more holes....😏

IMG_20211112_130053.thumb.jpg.f795a49a36727dc576172bd50dac6ba4.jpg

IMG_20211112_130125.thumb.jpg.f12f991892c787c0df35d92afd37eef1.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, the first chance tonight to do some fairly extended viewing.

I'm always bit late catching Venus before it goes behind trees and buildings and, to be honest, I don't much mind as I find what looks like a shrunken moon a bit underwhelming....😳

My first real prize was an extended view of Jupiter. I was using a Svbony 6mm 68 degree EP,  which is cheap and cheerful and gives me about 125 mag.  - not really enough on my scope for more than a hint of banding on the planet but showing pin-sharp images of the  moons. Relative axial inclination means that the moons are strung out either side of Jupiter, as if, well, on a string!😄

I'm currently waiting for the delivery of some more EPs: a Vixen NPL 30mm for star hopping and DSOs and a BST Starguider 60* 8mm for more detailed work. I also have an ES 3X Barlow/focal Extender on long-term order.

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Hi cajen2. 

Can I ask what ep's you would be using in the barlow. I have a ×2 barlow and using an 8.8mm ep would give me magnification of around 350 ,I still new myself and don't know much about your scope but would a x3 barlow be a bit over powering. 

Dave

Edited by Dave scutt
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6 hours ago, Dave scutt said:

Hi cajen2. 

Can I ask what ep's you would be using in the barlow. I have a ×2 barlow and using an 8.8mm ep would give me magnification of around 350 ,I still new myself and don't know much about your scope but would a x3 barlow be a bit over powering. 

Dave

Hi Dave. I'm no expert but 350x  mag is too much for most seeing conditions - I think at best I'd just get a larger ball of fluff rather than a small one. Most people seem to think that there's no point in trying to go higher than 200x except in absolutely ideal conditions. 

My idea was to use a fairly wide-field EP, as the ES 'Tele extender' is supposed not to affect eye relief, exit pupil, etc. I haven't decided which EP to go for yet, perhaps a wide-field 12mm. I can also use the TE on the Vixen for different sized targets.

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Oh, just a point for anyone making the DIY dew shield/light shroud: don't do what I did and buy very thin foam. I bought the 2mm foam, which buckles with use. What I might do is make a new one to fit the outside of the tube/ truss with cutouts for the focuser, RDF etc and just fit it just before viewing.

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43 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

Oh, just a point for anyone making the DIY dew shield/light shroud: don't do what I did and buy very thin foam. I bought the 2mm foam, which buckles with use. What I might do is make a new one to fit the outside of the tube/ truss with cutouts for the focuser, RDF etc and just fit it just before viewing.

I made mine with thin foam and it works well, slides down inside the tube nicely when you close the truss down. I think I attached it at the top with hot melt glue.

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

Hi Dave. I'm no expert but 350x  mag is too much for most seeing conditions - I think at best I'd just get a larger ball of fluff rather than a small one. Most people seem to think that there's no point in trying to go higher than 200x except in absolutely ideal conditions. 

My idea was to use a fairly wide-field EP, as the ES 'Tele extender' is supposed not to affect eye relief, exit pupil, etc. I haven't decided which EP to go for yet, perhaps a wide-field 12mm. I can also use the TE on the Vixen for different sized targets.

The tele extender shouldn’t affect eye relief which is a benefit, but it will affect the exit pupil. Your 30mm will effectively become a 10mm so the exit pupil will reduce accordingly. Also be wary of too long a stack in the focuser on the 150p, it may induce more flex.

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Actually, you're right: my original plan was to go for the 2x Barlow, but while ordering I clicked the wrong box  'Never mind; the 3x will be just as useful,' I thought after I noticed the error, but on reflection I agree with you. I've amended the order now. Thanks Stu.

Edited by cajen2
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Two more toys for the box: a Vixen 30mil Plossl for star hopping, DSOs and Barlowing and a BST Starguider 8mm for more detailed planetary views, hopefully.

Both look solid and I can't wait to try them out!IMG_20211129_093318.thumb.jpg.1039f69974a5e85503d0e9339f87edd5.jpg

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2 hours ago, Pixies said:

Don't make the mistake I made the first time I used the Vixen EP, and not realise that the outside of the eyecup can be twisted-up!

Hehe, no, even I had already sorted this out....the 30mm has an eye relief of nearly an inch (24mm) so I made sure  there was a healthy eyecup extension. It's really not like me to be so forward planning!😄

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Despite what @Tiny Clanger and others advise, while I'm waiting for my Barlow, I'd still like to get a decent-,quality zoom. Sorry, Heather, but perhaps the advantages outweigh the disadvatages in my case.🤔

Apparently, the Baader Hyperion range doesn't suit my scope, so I might go for an OVL Hyperflex or its clone, a Svbony. I'd probably choose the 7.2 - 21.5 one.

Edited by cajen2
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13 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

Despite what @Tiny Clanger and others advise, while I'm waiting for my Barlow, I'd still like to get a decent-,quality zoom. Sorry, Heather, but perhaps the advantages outweigh the disadvatages in my case.🤔

Apparently, the Baader Hyperion range doesn't suit my scope, so I might go for an OVL Hyperflex or its clone, a Svbony. I'd probably choose the 7.2 - 21.5 one.

I used nothing but Hyperions when I had that scope, had no probs with them

Edited by Mr niall
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