ST80 as guidescope from FLO.

[ollypenrice]

My new guidescope arrived today, all very efficiently, from FLO so warm thanks to the gentlemen of that august establishent!

It's the ST80 which has the following advantages;

-stiff drawtube, low flexure risk.

-finder which is great for the whole rig.

-Barlow which you can de-lens into an extension tube for back focus.

-f5 for certain star finding without guide rings.

-Solid tube rings included.

-400mm focal length, just nice for most of us.

-Horrible blue colour to set off your pride and joy main scope to aesthetic advantage!

-camera bolt and lockring ready to go for widefield imaging.

-45 degree prism for terrestrial use.

What is more, if you buy this lot from FLO it is disgustingly cheap at £85 the lot. I know many use them already but this post is for anyone still wondering how to guide. I have ST80s on both imaging rigs now and might grab another as a finder on the Dob.

My nice little ZS66 is now freed up for widefield imaging again. It can catch Ha while the FSQ captures colour at almost the same focal length.

Another happy FLO customer.

Olly

[pilkinn]

Hi Olly.

Do you use a flattener with your cute little ZS66? if so which one?

Cheers.

Neil.

[yesyes]

Are they still making them in blue? Would have thought they've changed everything to black and white by now..

[old_eyes]

...My nice little ZS66 is now freed up for widefield imaging again. It can catch Ha while the FSQ captures colour at almost the same focal length...

Olly - which camera are you going to put on the ZS66 for widefield?

old_eyes

[ollypenrice]

Hi guys,

I will be using the Atik 4000s with the 66, or more accurately the mono 4000 with Ha fliter, since the Takahashi obviously blows it out of the water on colour work. But the NB from the 66 should pass muster for combining with OSC images. It has done pretty well in the past on NB.

I have the dedicated flattener marked 0.8x flattener 11 for 66 apo and supplied by Ian King a few years ago when I bought the scope. It fits the SCT back but in my case needs an intervening extension to come to focus. As ever, not enough main tube on WO scopes, a triumph of cuteness over practicality unless I'm missing something. Chip distance for the reducer is 56mm.

Olly

[Black Knight]

-Horrible blue colour to set off your pride and joy main scope to aesthetic advantage!

I think I must be the only one who likes the blue colour! .

Anyway the ST80 is definitely the scope I shall be buying for guiding when I've upgraded my mount. NEQ6 or HEQ5 that is the question .... argh!

[steppenwolf]

-Horrible blue colour to set off your pride and joy main scope to aesthetic advantage!

Oi - ALL my telescopes without exception are that horrible colour, what are you saying?

[TheThing]

I prefer the blue to the gold and black! My 200p is in blue, as was my 130pm, my first ever scope!

The ST80s are a real bargin from FLO. I've got my eye on one should I ever progress further down the imaging path, or even for a travel scope on a cheap alt/az

[martin_h]

Oi - ALL my telescopes without exception are that horrible colour, what are you saying? :(

They all look the same in the dark!

[philj]

Snap Olly, I got one from Kelling.

The ST80s are nice and light as well making them ideal for a portable imaging rig. Mines going to be sprayed white soon, the blue clashes with the white of my 102ED:D

Philj

[Photosbykev]

The new ST80 I picked up from RVO on Wednesday is a nice speckled black, it doesn't exactly match with my Canon 600mm lens with neoprene camo covering but I don't care

[philj]

Mine doesn't clash anymore

Philj

[Coco]

Mine doesn't clash anymore

Philj

very nice.. did you leave the lens cell in before painting?