Telrad positioning...:(

[Adz]

Hey all,

Yes another telrad position thread, sorry.

I have studied all the previous threads I could find and for such a popular scope as the Skyliner 200p, I would have thought there was a result?

I don't want to drill holes and move things around in my brand new scope. There isn't enough room to go in between the focuser and finder, and I didn't really want to put it on the other side of the tube... kinda defeats the easy to use nature of the telrad.

Does anyone have any ideas? I saw one guy who had put the telrad on top of his finder and this is the most promising thing I am considering, it looks a little delicate though.

Cheers,

[Bizibilder]

Put it on with tape or cable ties to start with - so you can move it from place to place and find the "best" for yourself. Then place the base - this is "once only" as the "glue" won't unstick!

[Damo636]

I have mine the other side of the finder and it works fine for me. Would be ideal next the focuser but really not a problem where it is.

[Geo]

Hi Adam, I have the 250px and I actually removed the finderscope entirely and positioned the telrad alongside the Eyepiece. It's really easy to lean over and see through both EP and Telrad from a sitting position. If you decide to do something like this be sure to keep the scope horizontal when/if you are removing the finderscope. I almost had an accident.

[Earl]

I have mine on the top of the ota, well just a touch over, I use it for the quick find / hop then my optical finder for centring.

[Astro Imp]

Hi Adam,

You don't need to drill holes to attach your Telrad, stick the base in your preferred position. Before I decided where to mount mine I attached the base by wrapping two pieces of masking tape round the the OTA and base.

[Adz]

Thanks guys I will look into it

[ronin]

Velcro tape?

As the Telrad is a finder why not replace the finder you have with the telrad?

Just assumed that you have bought a telrad to use because you are not getting on with the standard supplied finder.

[davehunt]

I removed my finder entirely,and put it on a bookshelf,where it looks nice,and does nothing-much the same as when it was on the scope.The Telrad does everything it's supposed to,and should be available on prescription,as it saves so much anxiety and irritation. To enjoy amateur astronomy to it's fullest extent you need a star chart,a pair of binoculars and a Telrad on your telescope.

[gedmac]

I don't want to drill holes and move things around in my brand new scope. There isn't enough room to go in between the focuser and finder,

strange i have the 200p skyliner and my telrad sits fine between focuser and finder,although i have swapped finder for an orion 9x50 raci

[matteboy]

I've got mine cable tied to the standard finder, never even bothered aligning the finder just use it as an extended base for the Telrad, align the Telrad, job done! Tried loads of other things like taking the standard finder off but then the Telrad is too low and your neck gets a pasting!

Guess it's what is comfortable for you though and if you use the standard finder???

[Adz]

strange i have the 200p skyliner and my telrad sits fine between focuser and finder,although i have swapped finder for an orion 9x50 raci

Any chance of a picture matey?

I've got mine cable tied to the standard finder, never even bothered aligning the finder just use it as an extended base for the Telrad, align the Telrad, job done! Tried loads of other things like taking the standard finder off but then the Telrad is too low and your neck gets a pasting!

Guess it's what is comfortable for you though and if you use the standard finder???

That is a good idea, thanks for the funny picture too

[davehunt]

You can get a "riser" for the Telrad if it sits too low for you....

[gedmac]

Any chance of a picture matey?

will try get one up in next day or two..........on nights atm:mad:

[Adz]

Yeah late shifts have been taking it out of me too. Still at least I am getting them when the cloud is around...

I have settles for the telrad beside the finder held on with blue tac at the minute...

[Mysticalpotatohead]

Similar to other posts I just removed the bracket on the scope for the stock finder and slapped it straight on there which works great for me. BEWARE - If you do decide to go for this option make sure the opening of the scope is tilted slightly forward of horizontal to make sure nothing goes down towards your primary blooming gravity what's it ever done for us eh? Then put your hand inside along the wall of the scope underneath the bracket as there are two nuts and a 2" square plate which will all be above the secondary in this position. Hope that makes sense

[Adz]

Thanks for the heads up, I will probably give the removing the optical a go. Last night I was comparing the two and there really is no contest. However the shoe is pretty tight against the tube. Will keep you posted.

[Brent]

This thread has been very helpful - I've been thinking of getting a Telrad but was worried about having to drill holes. I also have very light polluted skies.

As an example, in Lyra it is quite difficult to make out Sheliak and Sulafat by eye and they aren't in the worst lp at the moment.

So would a Telrad be useful to me?

[Adz]

Glad it could help Brent.

I dont know Lyra well unfortunately, but I can tell you my story a little it might help. I had read a lot about the telrad and was thinking a little along the lines of 'this cant be quite what its cracked up to be' but it really is true.

It is so helpful and easy to use, I am going to take off the optical and put the telrad there instead. A great piece of kit, especially if you like well designed simple pieces of tech.

[Brent]

Cheers Adam.

That's exactly what I've heard over and over again from other people.

I think I will give it a go. If it turns out to be not much use in the lp in my garden, I'm sure it will come into its own a few times a year when I get to dark skies

[Adz]

I have a light polluted garden I forgot to say, and it definitely isn't redundant. I cannot see it becoming useless for you, infact even with my local orange haze, the red of the circles is completely different colour and you can control the brightness.

Any of the brighter planets and stars like jupiter, saturn, venus, mars and alcor mizar etc. It works flawlessly on. You obviously can't target fainter planetary nebula and galaxies, except maybe m31,m42, presepe and pleides. Anything else just star hope it to the right place and provided it is already aligned, you will find the fainter fuzzies with a wide angle eyepiece.

HTH

[Roy@Aldermaston]

Hello Adam,

I think the best advice that has been mentioned before (and in the Telrad instruction leaflet) is to use a temporary fixing method until you are confident that its in a convenient position, and only then fix it permanently with the adhesive strip. I have a 200 PDS and my Telrad sits just to the right of the finder scope, clear of the spider adjustment screw and the locking screw for the finder scope.

Roy