Posts Made By: Rod Mollise

Don Bryden said:

This is a completely newbie-ish question and I apologize if it's misplaced but it's sort of a refractor-focuser-ccd question all in one. I have an SV-105 (f6.2,651mm FL), integrated 2" Feathertouch 2 speed focuser, and an ST-2000XCM. With my 2" (WO dialectric) diagonal I must run in the focuser nearly completely. So much that I don't feel I can run it past focus on that side (though it appears to focus just as it bottoms out). On the other extreme, without the diagonal, I can't run the focuser out far enough to focus, apparently needing a good 2" extension to achieve focus.

Almost all--if not all--refractors sold in the U.S. (unlike Japan) are setup for use with diagonals. That means they cannot be used in "straight-through" fashion without an extension. The usual one folks use would just be a T-adaptor for the camera, which will usually yield enough additional out focus.

Dmitri Kulginov said:

A fellow amateur astronomer made me an adaptor plate that allows accommodate a quick release bracket from BT Technologies on my C8. He has done it on his CNC mill. Now I can use my Takahashi 7x50 finder scope both on TSA-102 and C8 - very cool!

Dmitri

Looks real sweet...not all you gotta do is paint over that green with a nice coat of orange!

David Simons said:

Hi Folks,

Does anybody know whether the old 8" Tinsley cassegrain was a "classical" or some other variant.

Thanks !

Classical is what I remember. If you care to trust MY memory. Especially of the 1960s.

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Marcus Tuepker said:

Taking some votes here, I see pros/cons to each and cant decide, so what do you think?

I am looking for a scope to add to my 80ED refractor to use as a guidescope for it, as well as viewing, and on occassion, probably a little photography.

I've been agonizing for a month on what to get, and just need to make a decision...someone persuade me...PLEASE!

If imaging is a goal--other than the Moon and planets--get the SCT. It's far more versatile in that regard than the long f/l MCT.

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Greg Nowell said:

Y'all remember those endless go-to threads pro and con? Seems like it was 90% of what there was to read on SAA. So what happened?

1. We got bored and moved on.
2. SAA broke up into a zillion forums and everyone hangs out with like minded folks.
3. The high end GEM makers all have go-to now.
4. The low end GEM makers all have go-to now.
5. The fork mounts all have go-to now.
6. Dob guys, after waging bitter warfare, quietly converted on the sly to the Argo Navis + stellarCAT system when it became reliable and widely available.
7. DSCs gobbled up the residual market leaving very few people out there who aren't computerized one way or another.

Sad part about it is some of us who like push-to have very few choices on the market these days--either older used stuff or Losmandy. I guess Vixen still puts out some push-to mounts.

What else killed the eternal go-to wars?

regards
Greg N

1. I don't think it's a matter of "got tired." I think go-to is now such an obviously integral and affordable and overwhelmingly popular part of the hobby that the "a pipe mount was good enough for pappy, a pipe mount is good enough for me, a pipe mount should be good enough for you" gang threw in the towel. Oh, there are a few curmudgeons still out there, but most just mutter to themselves now and have stopped trying to convert the great unwashed masses who've overwhelmingly accepted go-to. 8)

2. s.a.a. descended into chaos to such an extent that even the trolls--those with an amateur astronomy bent--gave up the ship. One of the favorite subjects of s.a.a. trolls back in the day was GOTO BAD. That is not to say that there were not plenty of outstanding amateurs who sincerely opposed to go-to, just that this was a fave troll.

3. That's not anything new.

4. That's a factor. Not so much that they have it, but that at least some of the low-end mounts like the CG5 are now amazingly accurate and reliable go-to wise.

5. Nuttin' new. I still use LX10s with my undergraduate astronomy students, but it's been a while since you could buy one, and it was the last non-go-to fork.

6. I still see plenty of non-go-to dobs...but, yes, lots of folks are interested in doing things like using a Mallincam or Stellacam to really push back the frontiers with a bigdob, and that requires tracking. Go-to is almost a secondary requirement for these folks.

7. I'm not really sure that DSCs are very popular anymore outside the dobsters (I have a set of Sky Commanders on my dob, and love 'em).



As for the availability of push to mounts, there are still plenty. There are the Vixens (non Sphinx), the EQ4 clones, and the Atlas and Sirius are available without go-to hand controllers (but also without slow motion controls). There are more good no-go-to alt-az mount around now than ever.

Matthew Dieterich said:

Hi Everyone,

My name is Matt and I live just outside Pittsburgh and own a C8s-GT on the CG-5 mount. I am only interested in Astrophotography and recently wanted a refractor setup. I have a potential buyer for my C8 for 775$ and I am not sure if I will regret selling the C8 and buying an APO. Seeing the pictures people post are just tremendous and I want to get those pinpoint widefield shots. Budget wise I am looking at, after selling the C8, around 1500$ give or take 100$.
If I decide to do that, what are some possible refractors I should look at? I will also want a guide scope and DSI pro to guide with so please take that into account.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Depends. If you don't do any serious visual work, you MAY NOT miss the aperture. A smaller APO is much easier to handle when getting going with imaging due to its wider field and less critical need for precise guiding.

Unless you are using a big chip camera, however, the C8, especially one with an f/6.3 reducer, will deliver excellent small stars to the frame edge. I know mine does with my Canon 400D. I like and use small APOs for imaging, but I would never let go my C8. It's just too versatile and that aperture packs a punch when I need it for visual _or_ imaging (you may tire of wide field and want some detailed shots of medium-small objects).

My advice? Keep the C8 and get a William Optics 66 ED. it will bring a lot of the benefits of the refractor--I've taken some amazing widefield shots with mine. It can also serve as a guide scope for the C8 (or the C8 can play guide scope for it).

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Bill Barrett said:

Can somebody recommend a scope which would retain the sharpness of a refractor, be mountable on a GEM, & have the light grasp I'm looking for. thank you,
Bill

An SCT, natch.

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Paul Maxson said:

Hi all,

I just got my Mewlon 250 back after getting it re-colliminated, cleaned and generally back to like new condition. I paid over $600 for this including shipping both ways. Attached are inside focus/outside focus star images shot after the scope had 2 hrs of cooldown. I tried to image Mars, but all I got was mush. I imaged Mars with the TOA-130 and preliminary images are the best I've seen so far. Anyway, do I need to contact the company that did the work and get better?

Paul

I don't care what kind of telescope it is (well, maybe MCTs are an exception), having someone collimate it for you is usually not very effective. Berry, berry likely the tender mercies of the Brown Trucks will throw the scope out of collimation again. Why don't you collimate it yourself? If memory serves, the Mewlons are eminently user collimatable.

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kim dahlstrom said:
Do you think it is fair that I have to pay to ship a 128 pound scope back to the manufacturer and hope that the replacement is not defective too? Anybody else have problems with this scope?

Rod's Rule #543:

"When a scope is defective out of the box, contact the DEALER FIRST and let him go to bat for you."

No way should the Meade goobs make you pay return shipping for a DOA scope.

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Thomas Michaud said:

Any thoughts on a used SBIG ST-7E? It would be my first CCD and it would be used with a CPC 11" f/6.3. Could I learn with this device and still take some nice shots?

Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks

This is a small chip. Think "f/3.3" to begin with...that will also make guiding less critical.

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