Posts Made By: Steve Stonehill

That's a beautiful shot!

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Luca,

Orion is having a sale on the XT4.5 Dobsonian, they seem to be a nice little scope. I also agree with Tony, the ETX is optically excellent. Also check out Orion's Maks and their 80mm ED refractor.

Good Luck,

Steve

Hi David,

Some people's eyes are more sensitive to color than others. In a 4" f9 apo I see basically what you're describing on most nights except when the seeing is very steady. Only then do I start to see more saturation of browns and light reds and pinks. My wife says that she can also detect bluish areas on Jupiter but I can't. I personally don't use color filters for a few different reasons but an Orion Ultrablock does somewhat enhance contrast on Jupiter. I believe that Sirius Optics may have a contrast booster filter that doesn't shift the color as much as the Ultrablock. I also must say that since I got into binviewing colors are MUCH easier to perceive in every situation.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Guys,

I appreciate all the good advice. I left the scope in the garage tonight due to weather. It was on for 4.5 hours and nothing. I would be satisfied with the two star alignment under normal circumstances but I need to see if the GPS works in my scope. If it doesn't then it's more a POS than a GPS. I'm going to put it outside the next clear night I can but the store I purchased it from only has a 10 day return policy so it better clear up quickly. It may be a little frustration talking but I find it ironic that all of my other scopes are either Japanese or Chinese and they worked very nicely right out of the box.

Thanks and Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Georges,

I have two Vixen refractors,a 102EDSS on a GP and VX102FL on an ORION SVP. They both were purchased used except for the SVP mount and they were both under $2000 complete. I can't say enough to express how much I enjoy both of them. From my own personal experience I would suggest that you hold out for an apochromat. If it's a refractor that you want they are worth the money, IMO.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Larry,

"Now why would anyone buy this when they could buy a 6" Tak for about the same price ?"

For the same reason someone would buy a '67 Vette ragtop rather than a 2004 Vette ragtop. Because they really, really want it. And they think it might appreciate in value.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Gang,

Thanks for all the help and support. The scope is definitely amazing. It still won't link but when I input the data manually the pointing and tracking are nothing short of perfection. The optics are far better than any SCT basher would want to see, it would be too embarassing. I had the scope apart and there was nothing wrong with the connection to the GPS board. I'm going to drive 230 miles one way to exchange the scope for one that works right. I know some of you think that's probably not necessary but I want what I paid for and I like the idea of doing things face to face. I don't know if I would recommend these scopes due to the hassle I'm going through but a 9.25 OTA is most likely one of the real bargains in astronomy.

Thanks and Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Jeff,

I recently bought a NexStar 9.25 and while the optics are better than I had hoped the electronics have been disappointing. But getting back to your question, I have been using a pair of Blacknights in the stock 1.25" visual back and diagonal. I don't have to use a corrector with the binos, just straight through. It takes a bit of in focus but the 9.25 still has plenty to spare when the BVs are in focus. Even with the additional length to your lightpath I think you'll still have enough infocus to use BVs.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Georges,

I told you once and I'll tell you again, buy the apo. In the same relative aperture class no achro is going to be as good as an apo. Been there done that! The mechanics on the premium achro might be the best in the world but I would suggest that in a telescope, optics are of higher importance than mechanics. I side by side tested my two 4" apos against an optically nice Synta 150mm f8. The fours walked all over it. The Fluorite I own was bought off A-Mart from Tim Terry for $1410 shipped and I mounted it on an Orion SVP with drives. That's less than $1800 total. The SV focuser is probably much better than the Vixen but optically there is no comparison. If you can afford the apo your choice should be very easy.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Mike,

Georges posted on another forum asking "the best 102mm under $2000." Many people responded to him including me. Now he's got the nerve to seem offended that I mentioned the cost of a scope that I own. I don't give a damn about the price of others toys and I'm not offended by people that spend a great deal of money on their passions or pursuits. Anyone who is should grow up. The mechanics on all of the premium scopes are very good, some are better than others. If you have two Gs to spend why would you even be looking at any Synta scope in the first place? Some people just want a response that uniformly fits their preconceived notions. Nobody who suggests a scope to Georges or anyone else is trying to do anything but help them. If the response isn't all that you wanted you say thanks or nothing and move on, not act like an ass. I've had 20+ scopes and I spend a great deal of time observing and I never offer advice on a topic that I have no first hand knowledge about. Mechanics are important but any scope in the $700 dollar and up range is going to most likely have good mechanics to start with. I won't comment on TV mounts because I've never used one. Too many people respond to others with anecdotal evidence or with information that they read but have no way of confirming. I've been there and done that when it comes to apo vs achro and can honestly say that if it's in your budget the apo is far and away much better way to go. .

Clear Skies,

Steve