Telrad or Quikfinder?

[Astro Adj]

I am in desperate need of a zero magnification finder for my dob, and both the Telrad and Quikfinder seem like superb bits of kit. I was just wondering if anyone has an opinion as to which is better?

As far as I can tell, the Telrad has an extra circle (4 degrees) but is heavier. Are there any other differences?

Would both finders slot into the baseplate that is currently occupied by my (mostly useless) straight through finder? Or would I need to do any drilling etc to mount either one?

They both seem to be around the same price (£35-£40) so I'm currently leaning towards the Telrad. But I would greatly appreciate some thoughts from anyone who has owned one or the other (or, perhaps, both!).

Thanks everyone.

[Ben Ritchie]

I have a Quikfinder on my 300P Dob, and really like it - it's stuck to the OTA next to the standard 7x50 (which I don't much like either, but is occasionally useful). It's a bit plasticy, but works very well under the stars which more than makes up for it...

[GazOC]

I've used both and prefer the Telrad because of the lower profile but a lot of people like the Rigel because its higher off the scope and can be easier to look though.

[Astro Adj]

Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought about the profile of the finder, but now that you mention it one of the problems with my current finder is that it is quite close to the OTA which can make it awkward to look through. As such I guess the Quikfinder would be better in this respect.

I understand the idea of the Telrad is that you can use the degree circles to hop accurately to an object, so if an object was 10 degrees away from a specific star or other object you could make two 4 degree jumps followed by a 2 degree jump. But does that work in practice? I was thinking I would be more likely to just centre the object I was planning to observe in the 1/2 degree circle then use the telescope with a low-power EP from there. In this case, though, would I be better with a simple RDF?

[Doc]

Yes it does work and thats how I started with star hopping before the mods I made with the wixey and az circle.

I would say go for the Telrad, they are so easy to use look good on a big dob.

[GazOC]

Another thing that may be important you is that the Rigel takes up a lot less space on the OTA than the Telrad.

[John]

You can get risers to lift the Telrad up a few inches - Ian King sells them I think. I've tried both finders and like both. I've just put a Telrad on my 10" newtonian where it works very well and seems to suit the scope. I had a Quikfinder on my previous dobsonain and that worked just as well - it stuck out more so I tended to remove it when not using the scope wheras the Telrad is more robust. FWIW I think the Quikfinder was a little more resistant to dewing than the Telrad is.

[MikeP]

I own the Telrad (plus riser), Quikfinder, Baader Super Sky Surfer and the WO equivalent.

As stated the Telrad dews up and without the riser I found it difficult to use. The Baader and the WO are both good but the the Quikfinder gets my vote. It is small enough to sit on my 12" Flextube next to a right angled finder - the combination of the two works really well.

Mike

[Chris H]

I use a Telrad on a 4 inch riser on my 10 inch dob and its perfectly fine the riser keeps my cheek of the cold tube. It does dew up but I'm going to make a cover for it. The only complaint I have is that it is a bit bulky. I'm sure the design could be modernised, it looks very 1980's.

[arad85]

You can get a telrad dew heater that works well from Telescope House for £20 (or it was when I bought mine last year). I like the telrad as it gives the circles which are really useful when comparing to my two sky atlases (they both have telrads printed in them for reference). One thing I do find is that it needs adjusting every time it is used, but then I normally knock it slightly lifting the 'scope outside.

[John]

There is a small range of Telrad accessories on e.bay at the moment - risers and dew shields.

[Astro Adj]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I've had a think about it and am going to invest in a QuikFinder. Although it means I'll be going without the extra circle, the fact it is at an acceptable height without requiring a riser and is more resistant to the nasty machinations of the dew monster sealed the deal.

Eventually I would like to have it beside a RA finder, just as Mike has. I think that, combined with a Wixey and a azimuth circle should really make a difference to my observing sessions.

Thanks again for the help, I expect I'll receive the QuikFinder and Wixey within the next couple of days (FLO's delivery speed is amazing) so I'll be sure to include my experiences as soon as I get some clear skies.

[swashy]

I'd personally go for the telrad, as a user of one on my dob and my imaging setup I wouldn't swap it for anything else, dewing can be a problem but a simple 12v resistor mod under the glass cures this easily, and there is a lot of deep sky telrad 'Maps' on the web to download and print for use in the field, in my opinion, its the best zero mag finder ever made, makes finding those difficult DSO's that little bit easier

take a look at http://www.utahskies.org/deepsky/messier/charts/messierTelradFrameSet.html for an example of the M charts available, and they are all there if you search for them

[Rusty Strings]

Another vote for the telrad, although I've never been intimate with the quikfinder. It has been modded a bit, resistor dew control (works extremely well), and a 12v to 3v voltage regulator to enable running it from a 12v battery.

[dark knight]

Can't comment on the Quick Finder but the Telrad is great however I would agree with Arad 85 in that the slightest tap seems to send it out of alignment which can be a PITA.

Whichever you decide I'm sure you'll have fun.

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