Skywatcher red dot finder help

[causerino]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 130P which includes the RDF. I set the first one up and tried it, but didn't see any dot. I changed the battery but still no hope, so contacted FLO and Martin helpfully got me sorted out with another one.

This one arrived and once again I can't see any form of red dot no matter how much I turn up the power on it. I once again changed the battery to make sure but just can't see any red dot on there.

Am I doing something fundamentaly wrong here?

If theres nothing else for me to try, I will send them both back to FLO so they can see if there is defects or not with them. I really don't think that its my fault but its not likely to get two broken finders!

[Astro_Baby]

Check the red dot in a darkened roo - although they are bright at night they dont show well in daylight.

Turn the dot up to full intensity and then hold it at arms length and look into the bit of glass at the end - make usre your looking down the right end of it.

You look along the flat part and into the glass at the end. Close one eye and use it like a gun sight. You may nee to twist the red dot left/right or up/down but you should see a rd dot projected on to the glass screen.

When you using it you use one eye only to 'acquire' the dot then open the other eye and yo will see what looks like a red sot imposed onto the sky.

Hope thats some help.

[NGC 1502]

I'd follow Astro Babys advice. There is a fair chance that you are not putting

your eye in the right place. I've had this at observing sessions at my club, folk

have asked to look through mine, and thought I was kidding about there being

a red dot. After shifting their eye around, they believed me !

Regards, Ed.

[causerino]

Yeah I have tried it at night with no avail! But I have a room with no windows in the house which I can go test it in in a minute and see if I can find the dot at all on them.

Will let you know my findings!

[causerino]

Ok I went and had a play with them both in the dark room and these are the results:

1) Original RDF didnt work

2) Replacement RDF didnt work

3) Changed battery on both of them, still didnt work.

4) Changed the battery orientation, Original didnt work, replacement worked!

So it would seem that the original was broken, but the replacement had the battery installed the wrong way round. Now I can't remember if I did that or not!

Either way its working now, and I have just aligned it using Jupiter and it seems to work pretty well.

Thank you for you help, and thank you to Martin from FLO who got me the replacement sent out!

Now I just want a local dark site and some proper clear skies!

[MarySkater]

As a newbie who was puzzled by "red dot finder," I've just been doing some reading about them. I think I understand now, and it would be no good my trying to use one - because I have a "lazy" eye which wanders out of alignment with the strong eye. Only useful if you have true binocular vision.

Okay, one less gadget to buy.

Mary