10 inch gso rc anyone

[robbieince]

Hello

Getting an itchy wallet as I have had an unexpected tax refund and the f8 Ritchey Chretien from Altair Astro is looking good.

Anyone on here had one or got any hands on experience? It would be exclusively for ap and with my current set up would be on an eq6 pro. At f8 it's not too slow and should give me a good flat field and if focal reducer is used it will make it pretty fast.

Any feedback?

Cheers

Rob

[Demon Barber]

Hi Robbie ,you have to have it with the feathertouch focuser,hooray for the taxman,wil you get it in your stocking though? Hope the family is keeping well,will watch with interest, worth asking them about any specials for Astrofest in Feb,

Cheers

Mike

[robbieince]

Cheers Mike.

It's just a "wonder if" at the mo. Not seeing much in terms of feedback on these yet - there is stuff on cloudy nights but nowt in the uk it seems.

I will keep my powder dry as they say.....

[r3i]

I would also love to hear anyone's experiences with them as I'm tempted too. I had a look at one of the 8" models at Altair's shop a while ago and it looked like a very nice piece of kit.

You mentioned you were interested in the 10" to go on an EQ6 for AP work - my only concern with that might be the weight. The 8" is 7.5kg which would be great on an EQ6, but the 10" is specified on their site to be 15.2kg and by the time you've added alll the usual AP bits and bobs, it's going to be quite a load on an EQ6. This is why I'm more tempted by the 8" version.

I haven't 'pulled the trigger' on one yet as I've already bought a lot of gear this year that I'm still getting to grips with and also I want to be sure that the RC will give me a significantly better imaging platform than my trusty old 8" SCT.

As for the focuser, well I guess it depends on how much gear you're going to hang off it - my QHY8 is pretty light and was assured by Altair that the standard linear bearing version would be OK. It certainly looked and felt good enough for my needs but of course YMMV. And if the taxman has been generous enough for you to consider the Feathertouch version then go for it!

[ollypenrice]

On an EQ6 my worry would be getting the tracking accurate enough at that focal length. I know people do get them to guide at 2 metres and then I look at who those people are and they are usually rather clued up souls good at doing the impossible...

I would want a significantly better mount for 2 metre FL guiding. That is just me.

Olly

[robbieince]

Interesting.

I was wondering about the 8 vs 10 re weight and focal length.

I have had some limited success with a C11 before on the eq6 but i take the points made on board.

The f8 8 inch = 1627mm focal length and takes a 0.8 reducer to make it 1300mm and f6.4.

Also a fair bit cheaper - hmm.

[hograt]

I have the 8" GSO RC with CF tube on my EQ6 PRO. It is the Altair Astro badged version with monorail focuser.

Arrived in good collimation, simple to get tuned up using CCD camera. It feels light weight, is solid and build quality is good with no rough cornes. This one doesn't have assisted cooling but tends to cool down in well under 30 minutes to give steady images. I've had it set up permanently in my observatory and it has held collimation.

It come with three extension tubes to give some variable back focus. I use a SX filter wheel and ATIK 16HR camera. Focus handled by a Lakeside focus unit. Never has any problems with this setup, the monorail unit handles this with ease, with no slip or sag of the optical axis.

Image wise, I use at F8 for Galaxy and Planetary nebula work. It is a tight field, one which is complimentary to my F7 WO ZS105mm. The narrow field (1600mmFL) is within the capabiliy of my EQ6, which is rather good. I autoguide with a 60mm Orion short tube refractor and it's rare I lose frames from guide errors.

Field is flat with stars being uniformly focused across the field without any obvious signs of coma. This is with the small chip in the 16HR, of course.

Attached is an image from last week; I've not got into processing this in any detail.

I do find the secondary is prone to condensation, fixed by a dew shield and silica packets during storage. Factor in the change of OTA length with the shield - mine just fits in my observatory.

Cheers

Martin

[ollypenrice]

Interesting.

I was wondering about the 8 vs 10 re weight and focal length.

I have had some limited success with a C11 before on the eq6 but i take the points made on board.

The f8 8 inch = 1627mm focal length and takes a 0.8 reducer to make it 1300mm and f6.4.

Also a fair bit cheaper - hmm.

That sounds do-able. The trouble with pushing the weight and FL as far as the 10 inch is that if the EQ6 did not handle it there is no mount under around 4 grand that will, at the moment. The new EQ and the forthcoming iOptron iEQ45 are candidates, though.

The big rival is the C9.25 Edge. Once the focal reducer is available, that is. I like combining images from different focal lengths so I don't want diffraction spikes but if you don't mind them then the RC is attractive, especially with the monorail.

Olly

[robbieince]

Thanks Martin for the detailed review. Hmm it does seem that the 8 inch would be a safer bet.

Cheers Olly - I agree re the mount - the eq7 should be good but no one knows the price or timescales yet.

Now do I wait for more feedback or do I go for it on the 8 inch - so tempting!

Cheers everyone.

Rob

[r3i]

The big rival is the C9.25 Edge. Once the focal reducer is available, that is.

Agreed, that's the other scope I'm rather tempted by but it also concerns me that there's still no sign of a FR for it.

I have the 8" GSO RC with CF tube on my EQ6 PRO. It is the Altair Astro badged version with monorail focuser.

Martin, thanks for the review and a nice M1 too. Was wondering if you have a FR for the RC, or does your ZS105 suffice for the wider field images?

[hograt]

I don't have the GSO FR, have a F6.3 Antares which doesn't work well.

The matched FR is available from Altair - I'm not inclined to buy it as you correctly point out, my ZS105 covers the wider field for me with the Antares.

Martin

[Coco]

Maybe an 8" HD Edge no spikes...

[robbieince]

Hi Guy

True re 8 inch hd but they are still f10 and do have some image shift and are ali tubed.

Diff spikes don't bother me either.

I think the rc is a better bet for ap but the hd is a cracking all round scope.

[riklaunim]

There are some visual usage reports of the GSO RCs (also sold as Revelation, AstroTech etc.) and they are rather positive. For AP they are quite common in some regions (I've seen some images on cloudynights), very good for hunting small galaxies and nebulas or globular clusters. You would rather need an OAG to guide it. And there are focal reducers / flatteners. Teleskop-express has the GSO version and their own.

[ollypenrice]

Agreed, that's the other scope I'm rather tempted by but it also concerns me that there's still no sign of a FR for it.

Actually there is now a sign of it, at least! It is listed as a pre order item by Optorp, are they called? I can't remember their name but it was flagged up by RobH in a post a week or two back.

Olly

[robbieince]

Thanks everyone for all your helpful comments. I think i have decided to hold off on this for a while.

The scopes discussed do seem winners but I will stick with my Meade 127 for now - maybe have another look at it in the new year.

Thanks again to everyone.

Regards

Rob