Posts Made By: Bob Young

Ahhhh....the old thread.


It was a good thread; not many like it. 8)


Very revealing. 8O


A low resolution look into a dog-eat-dog optical underworld. 8O 8O


Statements were made, positions staked out, opinions aired, evidence presented and our esteemed moderator issued threats.


High drama. >


Made the forum more interesting than Instapundit.


Now it seems quiet around here...too quiet maybe.


What to do?


16 degrees and overcast, can't observe...


Sick of reading about the primaries.... :C


tap tap tap....






MIKE HOSEA IS REALLY A BILL BURGESS SOCKPUPPET!!

I mounted both my FS78 and my TV102 using Parallax standard rings. Tried them on the FS78 and, when I saw how nicely they worked, bought a set for the TV102. Was happy to get away from mounting with the TV ring.

They don't have the smoothest surface finish nor the most elegant look, but they're strong, functional and easy to use. Threaded 1/4-20 which makes finding attachment hardware easy.
Bob

"first in performance"?? Heck, I dunno. I have neither the time, money nor inclination to test every possible eyepiece design to determine what's the absolute best. I rely heavily on the forums and reviews for insight as to what might be worth trying. Once I've found something I like, the search stops. Viewing comfort and decent eyerelief count almost as much as sharp, detailed images. e.p.s that are prone to blackouts and kidney beaning don't stay long.

That said, my Pentax XL 7mm and 10.5 mm are two favorites as is my XL 40mm...I have no other XLs. Primary usage is in f8 and f8.6 APO refractors and also an f6 dob. Have thought about looking for a 5mm XL, but the search stopped at a very good 5mm Tak LE.

Other favorites in these scopes: 9mm and 12mm UO orthos, 19mm Panoptic, and a very sharp Meade 26mm Plossl.

I'm easy to please.
Bob

Your buying habits sound like mine, Brian. My condolences.

I've done straight through with a SV1 binoviewer on both an FS78 and a TV102. Got it to focus OK without the adapter, but there wasn't a lot of in-focus travel left, as I recall. As long as the object was within about 25 degrees of the horizon, straight through was fairly comfortable....but the mount has a pier extension that gives it more height.

Also tried using a 1.25" diagonal. Needed the 1.6x barlow/adapter to reach focus. With diagonal, adapter and binoviewer, there was quite a load on the focuser and I wasn't real comfortable with that. Obviously, there's less load when straight through.

I think you'd do fine S-T for terrestrial viewing. I'm going to try elevating my mount more to get S-T to work for higher angles. I'm also at 43 deg. N., so S-T bino planet viewing is definitely a possibility. Might also try it in a little C6 SCT OTA that just arrived.
Bob

Itz,
The 715 is up for sale!? What happened? Everything OK?

I dunno what the ST80 likes for eyepieces, but don't forget to get a moon filter and a moon map of some sort. Being out on those quiet moonlit spring and summer nights is quite enjoyable, especially when the local coyote pack breaks into song.

It seems I always discover something on the moon that doesn't look right and sends me into the references. Next night, it's usually back to normal. 80mm is enough to keep things interesting.

Lately I've been using one of the low cost binoviewers on the moon. The light loss in the BV cuts the glare just enough to make viewing the moon quite comfortable without a moon filter.

Like you, I got tired of hassling with bigger scopes. So my 80mm (FS78 actually) sees more use than the rest of my scopes put together. Even on a GEM, it's out in one easy trip. If clouds roll in, it comes back in just as quick.

The e.p. that sees the most use in my FS78 when viewing monocular, is an 8-24mm zoom. Sometimes it's the only one I take out. If you want a close look at something, you don't have to play the e.p. swap game. To go back to wide view, you just crank it back to 24mm. Great time/hassle saver.
Bob

Rather than the next fad, it seems like people want to get rid of them.

Maybe, with the rising cost of fuel, people have realized that money that's been going to the chiropracter would be better used on a tank of gas.

I wouldn't touch one of those monsters unless I had an observatory where it could be left set up and ready for use. Constantly mounting and dismounting a big, ungainly OTA whenever you want to observe is a recipe for disaster.
Bob

What's an LTP, Darian? Lunar Transient Phenomena maybe? Just a guess, I'm kinda new at studying the moon.
Bob

Suck it up, guys. Things are tough all over. It seems there's a few issues lately in Muyanmar as well. Be thankful you've had Lockwood/Pinos as long as you have.

I observe next to a busy state highway. Do I complain about the headlights? Well...yes... But I've learned to check the charts, setting circles or observing list when I hear a semi coming. You stop worrying about dark adaptation when you realize you've never had any. It's easier to concentrate on doing what we do than to let these things upset you.

Either go with the flow and adapt or move to Wyoming...which might buy you another 5 years. Maybe more if the credit crunch is real.
Bob

Charles, I'm not clear on what you are missing. However, if it's the mounting base, they are available seperately from Orion. Check here:
http://www.telescope.com/control/keywordsearch/~clearSearch=N/~VIEW_INDEX=1/~VIEW_SIZE=11