First light: Starwatcher 150p flextube dob

[cajen2]

Well, I was amazed to find a virtually clear sky a couple of hours ago, so time to try out my new EPs! Orion was up and relatively high, so I've just spent two hours on a tour of that. Firstly, the Vixen. I just wanted a decent-quality Plossl for touring the night skies, but I was blown away by the quality of the 30mm! Stars were clear and sharp with no obvious distortion at the field edges. The Orion nebulae were gorgeous, too, despite the low magnification. I switched to my BST Starguider 8mil, then down to the Svbony 6mil. Both gave impressive results in the 150p. I'd just switched targets to the Pleiades, which were also wonderful through all three EPs when oncoming cloud cut that session short.

All you experienced astronomers with your wonderful scopes....do you remember the simple thrill of seeing such things for the first time with your own equipment? It even makes staring gloomily out of the window at rain and 10/10ths cloud night after night bearable! 👍😊

Edited November 30, 2021 by cajen2

[cajen2]

Oh, short note for anyone considering the Vixen 30mm:  eye relief is tremendous (nearly an inch!) and even with the eyecups fully extended, I seemed a mile away from the lens.

[Second Time Around]

Having tried several Plossls in the 30-32mm range, your 30mm Vixen NPL is my favourite as it's so comfortable to use.  I like the twist up eyecup but it does has a tendency to slip down, especially with use. 

I've solved this by putting a hair band/elastic band round the barrel, and this holds the eyecup in the best position.  This will of course vary from person to person, but can be easily adjusted

[Pixies]

The Vixen 30mm Plossl.

I liked it so much, I bought the telescope!

 

[Pixies]

1 hour ago, Second Time Around said:

I like the twist up eyecup but it does has a tendency to slip down

I find the eyecup 'action' very positive. It takes a little effort to get it lifted up and it certainly doesn't slip down in use.

[cajen2]

Can't say I've had that problem, STA, at least not yet! 

Perhaps yours is particularly, er......floppy? 😧😄

Edited November 30, 2021 by cajen2

[Second Time Around]

Sorry, I've got that a bit wrong.  My hands are playing up tonight and I thought that was the problem I'd found.

Rather it's that with the NPLs the eyecup is either up or down.  I prefer it in an intermediate position and the hairband allows this.  I find this especially important when solar observing with my Quark when eye position can be critical.

Thanks for flagging this up.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Second Time Around
Hairgrip changed to hairband

[cajen2]

Well, the super-deluxe (etc) light shield didn't last long - it tore tonight while I was setting up. Without it, seeing was problematic with a lot of reflections from street lights. One of the disadvantages of a skeletal dob, I suppose. Big shame as otherwise, seeing was good: even Sirius didn't look so much like a glitter ball!

So, job for tomorrow: make another light shield. If that doesn't work, I'll have to order thicker foam.

[Louis D]

13 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Well, the super-deluxe (etc) light shield didn't last long - it tore tonight while I was setting up. Without it, seeing was problematic with a lot of reflections from street lights. One of the disadvantages of a skeletal dob, I suppose. Big shame as otherwise, seeing was good: even Sirius didn't look so much like a glitter ball!

So, job for tomorrow: make another light shield. If that doesn't work, I'll have to order thicker foam.

What material did you use?  I'd probably use ~1/4" closed cell foam sheeting.  There's even heat moldable versions that would retain their shape after cooling and not droop into the light path.

[cajen2]

This was 2mm closed cell: far too thin. I've knocked up another one from what I had left over, but I don't think it'll last long. I'll buy some 3 or 4mm next time.

[cajen2]

I seem to have gone absolutely berserk .... I decided to upgrade my home-made eyepiece and accessories box and had a look  on line. I found a Clas Ohlsen flight case with pick foam for £39: "That'll do," I thought.

Talk about over engineering - it's huge, solid, waterproof and looks like it would survive a small nuclear explosion. It even has a pressure-equalising valve for flights! 

What great VFM - my small EP collection is lost in it!

 

[Zermelo]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

it would survive a small nuclear explosion

I don't think you're the only one.

The post-apocalyptic world will be populated by cockroaches, tardigrades and telescope eyepieces.

[cajen2]

The more I use my Vixen 30mm NPL, the more impressed I am with it. Clear, sharp image, no coma and a huge eye relief. I reckon it would Barlow very well.

This isn't just a Plossl.... it's a Vixen Plossl!

[Louis D]

33 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

The more I use my Vixen 30mm NPL, the more impressed I am with it. Clear, sharp image, no coma and a huge eye relief. I reckon it would Barlow very well.

This isn't just a Plossl.... it's a Vixen Plossl!

Do these work as well as Tele Vue Plossls in faster (sub f/5) scopes?

[cajen2]

4 hours ago, Louis D said:

Do these work as well as Tele Vue Plossls in faster (sub f/5) scopes?

A) I've never had a sub f/5 scope

I've never used a TV Plossl

So short answer, no idea!😧

Edited December 3, 2021 by cajen2

[Pixies]

Here's a review of the NPLs that includes a comparison with the TeleVue plossls.

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/user-reviews/eyepieces/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-plossl-series-r1800

They don't try them with very fast scopes, but do conclude that the NPLs lose a little sharpness at the very edge, whereas the TVs don't. But it's a case of £48 vs £142 (30mm vs 32mm)

[Louis D]

For about $60 to $70 (new price of 30mm NPL), I'll probably keep looking for a used 30mm Celestron Ultima/Antares Elite/Orion Ultrascopic/Parks Gold Series instead.  I don't really need one, but I've read so many good things about that particular eyepiece that it intrigues me.  They reputedly compete very favorably with the 32mm TV Plossl.  I'd really like to get a used 32mm Meade 4000 Plossl smoothie, but they're as expensive as a new TV Plossl.

To put this back on topic, what material have other folks been using to make their light shrouds for the Heritage scopes?  I'm thinking I might get one someday as a travel scope.

[wulfrun]

9 hours ago, Louis D said:

To put this back on topic, what material have other folks been using to make their light shrouds for the Heritage scopes?  I'm thinking I might get one someday as a travel scope.

I used 3mm thickness of this (as recommended to me by @Tiny Clanger)

https://www.efoam.co.uk/closed-cell-polyethylene-foam.php

Probably not that useful a link to you over the pond but I'm sure you can source something similar. At the risk of stating the obvious, it needs to be thick enough to be rigid but not so thick it'll start obstructing the light path.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, wulfrun said:

I used 3mm thickness of this (as recommended to me by @Tiny Clanger)

https://www.efoam.co.uk/closed-cell-polyethylene-foam.php

Probably not that useful a link to you over the pond but I'm sure you can source something similar. At the risk of stating the obvious, it needs to be thick enough to be rigid but not so thick it'll start obstructing the light path.

Thanks.  There's an equivalent supplier here (Foam Factory).  What sized sheet did you end up going with before cutting to size for your Heritage 150P?

[wulfrun]

9 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Thanks.  There's an equivalent supplier here (Foam Factory).  What sized sheet did you end up going with before cutting to size for your Heritage 150P?

I'd need to look it up but I think it was 1m x 2m, way more than actually required. There was only a small price increase for 2m vs 1m so I went for it, gives me plenty spare for re-makes if I rip it. Plus I made a dew shield for my RACI. There's certainly plenty over but it was easier than not having enough!

Edited December 4, 2021 by wulfrun

[cajen2]

Yes, I ordered 2mm, which turned out to be too thin. If I have to remake mine, I'll use 3mm.

Edited December 4, 2021 by cajen2

[cajen2]

I resisted......

I resisted some more.......

"No, no," I said, "you mustn't..."

Then I ordered a Pentax while the discount was on... 😳

An eyepiece that costs nearly as much as the scope, even after the discount....stupid boy!

I really wanted a quality mid-range f/l. I went for the 14mm.

[cajen2]

My OVL Hyperion zoom has arrived so I've been out playing with that. Talk about an ideal test: I had the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus all in a line! I put the Svbony 6mm on and called my partner to take a look (she's taken zero interest in stargazing so far!). She was gobsmacked as to what we could see: "I can see the rings on Saturn!" "Oh my god, the moon looks so clear!" etc. I think she just expected some fuzzy points of light!

 

[cajen2]

Note to anyone interested in a zoom: the Hyperion is good: nice sharp images and not much dimming effect. What it ISN'T is parfocal - a lot of focusing is needed when you change mag. It's great for finding something at low mag and then zooming in without needing to change EP.

Edit: the parfocal comment is not true: see my later post.🤭

Edited December 13, 2021 by cajen2
I'm an idiot....

[Pixies]

2 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Note to anyone interested in a zoom: the Hyperion is good: nice sharp images and not much dimming effect. What it ISN'T is parfocal - a lot of focusing is needed when you change mag. It's great for finding something at low mag and then zooming in without needing to change EP.

Yep - I found that with the Baader zoom. You get used to it after a while, but it would be great if you didn't have to refocus, like with a camera zoom lens. I assume  it just adds to the complexity and weight. I don't know if the pricier zooms, like Leica and TV , suffer from this too?

Pentax XW! Get you!  

Edited December 10, 2021 by Pixies