Thinking about a small grab-and-go Mak

[AndyH]

You won't be able to use 2" stuff on that scope.

Andy.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

That was one reason I went for the 80 mm F/6. I get more than 5.5 deg FOV with my Paragon.

[Mak One]

Ditto - big dew problems on my 127 Mak for the first two nights, when new. Then did a bit of work with a camping mat - not a trace of dew since, even when everything else was running with it!

My d-i-y bodge is about twice as long as the objective is wide, and I didn't bother with the traditional velcro. Just cut mat to fit circumference of the front of the tube, and then gaffer-taped the inside and outside of the mat seam. Now a really snug fit - no chance of it blowing off. Seems to work for me

Got to agree with this. 10mm camping mat dew shield secured with two nylon tapes with adjustable buckles keeps the Skymax 150 clear - extends out about 1/2 the scope length. Out on Friday night with frost on the grass and the finder useless from dew. Not so much as a hint on the front end of the Mak. Come to think of it, the next DIY job will be a small one for the finder...

So don't let dew put you off a Mak. Focussing, now that's a different matter...

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

There really is no reason that a mak should fog up faster than a refractor, which has even thicker glass up front. All refractors come supplied with a dew shield, which is why they stay clear. Add one to a mak or SCT, and you are generally OK.

[AndyH]

There really is no reason that a mak should fog up faster than a refractor, which has even thicker glass up front. All refractors come supplied with a dew shield, which is why they stay clear. Add one to a mak or SCT, and you are generally OK.

Zacktly. Would you use a refractor with no dewshield?

Andy.

[ollypenrice]

Yes, good point.

Olly