Advice on upping my game.

[Adamar98]

Hi, all.
I'm after some advice. I'm currently using a Coronado PST with a ZWO174. I'm happy with the results my little setup gives but I would like to get in a little closer and pick up a bit more detail. I'm swaying towards the Daystar quark chromosphere.
I have 2 scopes I could use. Esprit 80 and a Askar FRA400. Both give a very similar field of view. My first question is, is the diagonal an essential? I don't own one (not a problem buying one) but is it needed? My second question is regarding filters. I've seen many suggestions. Some say a uv/ir filter is a must and others say a Baader 35mn filter is better. What are your opinions and experiences with regards to this? And my last question is, is an energy reduction filter a must? Last thing I want to do is damage my scopes. Your advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to spend a ton of money on equipment not needed. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance to your replies. Cheer, Adam

[newbie alert]

Why not mod the PST using a bigger aperture and longer FL doner scope... A F10 scope is ideal, or make it F10 using a telecentric glass path.. would cost you much less than a quark 

If going down the quark route, the askar might not be suitable as it's a quad...

The diagonal question , is it a blocking filter that you're talking about? Bf600, bf1200?  I'm sure that it's not needed as the blocking filters are within the quark,but might be worth checking with other quark users..

I'm sure that a aperture smaller than 100mm a erf isn't needed but a UV/IR filter is there to protect the quark, think Daystar and others such as player one are now selling filters especially for use to protect against damage to the quark

If you joined solar chat forum and ask your questions theres plenty of really experienced solar folk on there

Edited October 2, 2022 by newbie alert
Added info

[Rusted]

Dismantling a PST to fit the PST's etalon and blocking filter on the tail end of another refractor needs some manual skills.
Most PSTs are held together [for user safety] with very strong locking goo. Like red Loctite.
You will need a rubber strap wrench or preferably two. Plus the knowledge to understand what could break if you do it wrong.
Here are my blog posts on the subject:

https://fullerscopes.blogspot.com/2019/11/pst-etalon-drive-pt4-dismantling-etalon.html

If you do go the Quark route then choose a dealer who tests them all prior to shipment.
Quark purchase is a well known and expensive lottery ticket in amateur solar circles.