Posts Made By: Guy Earle

See the previous post for details

guy

Five years ago I took a look through a Televue binoviewer and it haunted all my subsequent observing sessions. I owned a Siebert binoviewer for a couple years and then wanted to take a step up when I looked through a Denkmeier. Then last November I saw how small the T5 Nags are.

The result: my eyepiece case now gives me a warm fuzzy....

Howdy,

Fed Ex finally brought my DenkII the other day, but I haven't had a night to really put it through its paces. The first night I had to move my primary 3/4" forward, and last night the temperature dropped so fast that everything dewed up within twenty minutes. I hadn't brought my Kendrick down the stairs, so back up I went.

I'm going observing on Friday, so I hope to get many hours of use out of'em. The fit and finish of this unit is amazing. My 24.5 SWA's merge with ease and provide tack sharp and incredibly black backgrounds. My new 16 Nags, although having only a 10mm exit pupil, work very well. Darker skies will determine how well these work. There are too many lights shining down the tube to really tell at home. In addition, the SCD holders really are a must for anyone purchasing Russ' unit. Not only does it provide a secure hold, each SCD independently can adjust on a helical focuser, thereby allowing really, really fine focusing.

It is amazing how a binoviewer brings back the excitment I felt years ago. Now looking at the Double Cluster, something I haven't looked at but maybe twice in as many years, has become a marvel all over again.

All I have to do is look at this case and a smile crosses my face.....

Best,

guy
tampa,fl
12.5 f/6, DenkII

I thought I'd post something that others might find useful. Some time ago I realized that the straight-up towards horizontal position on a dob had a "dead zone." That is, nothing was going on from say 12 o'clock to 3. Over the past two years a table has developed, which yesterday got a cover. I wish it was blue to match the tube, but it only exists in green. A dark color was primary, matching was extra. It's in the dark, anyway! ;-)

I wanted my eyepieces, book(s), and--most importantly--my coffee to be close at hand. I have a table which is supported by two legs which attach with bolts to the rocker box. The legs themselves detach from the table for easy storage. The table has a box on it, which is sealed except for the front panel, which folds outward on a piano hinge. This kept everything close, but in Florida everything also gets very wet most of the year. My solution is a tent fabric supported by dowel rods in a tinker-toy'ish construction.

The battery in the front makes up for any balance issues, so the scope does not tip over. It is held in place by an unfashionable bungie cord for the time being. The fabric came from a local JoanAnn Fabrics store, and the dowels from Home Depot. All the dowels come out disassemble into smaller parts. Now, all my stuff stays dry!

I'll post three seperate shots of the scope. BTW, as my friend stood behind the scope it reminded me of the scene in Dune, when the emperor swiveled in the gun, shooting at Moahdeeb at his companions. You know......

Clear Skies,

Guy
Tampa,Fl
12.5 f/6 Dob/DenkII

Picture of the table and cover.

The little silver thing on top of the box is a red computer LED light that runs via USB cable off my battery.

guy

Hi, all:

I went observing last night, and I wanted to post the results of my dew shield. As you can see from the picture, I have a table that is bolted to the rocker box. On the table is a box for storage. It has a piano hinge that folds down, and a red LED light on top to light the table.

The cover worked wonderfully. Skies were great until about 11 o'clock, and then the dew started to settle. By 2AM everything was soaking wet, except everything under my cover. The cover did not act as a wind vane, much to my relief. In addition, many laughed when they noticed that--if you look inside the box--I have two speakers and a CD player. Now Enya et al. travels around with me! I wedged foam above and below the speakers, with a gap to the side of the box. I saw no vibrations whatsoever when I had the music 3/4 volume, which could be heard many feet away. People came over wondering where the Lord of the Rings music was coming from, and about fell over when they realized it was coming from the scope!

It was also my first real test of my new DenkII and my 16 T5 Nags....oh, dear lord. When the sky was good, I had a line seven deep. There is truly nothing like two eyes.

I'll post a more comprehensive evaluation of the DenkII on the binoviewer group soon.

Also, for those talking about a split-tube design, notice the latche just below the sky commander. Mine is one as well, and I've have very little problem with allignment. It makes things sooooo much easier to transport. You won't regret doing it.

Best,

guy
tampa,fl

Well, everybody but me! I had packed my 12.5 f/6 dob away (notice the very full blue Honda CRV in the background)when this impromptu line-up occurred. There were some very nice homebuilt jobs at the Hill this time. So nice that I've been shamed into stripping and polishing mine up for next month...my fiance is a bit tired of having scope parts all over our apartment living room floor!

Guy
tampa,fl

Heh, that 22" dob (my back hurts just saying that) sucked all the light out of the Southern sky. My baby looks like she's in intensive care with all the wires....

20/20 Optics has a setup in the background. They wanted 390.00 for a 22 Nagler that had been dropped on its barrel--so it wouldn't even thread anymore. My friend, who was checking out the sale, politely declinded the offer. Duhhhh....

guy
tampa,fl

Who else is as excited about Russ' Power X Switch as I am? I commented on another chat room about the zooming effect. I've never (and I'm assuming that goes for just about everybody) had the opportunity to jump magnification on an object WHILE looking at it. Russ' PS can do three mag choices, 1.3, 2, 2.5. This means, using a 16mm Nag on my DenkII, I can go in my 12.5 f/6 from 154X, to 240X, and finally up to 385X! Scotty, give me warp power!

THIS IS GONNA BE SO COOL!

guy
tampa,fl