Posts Made By: Nico Taelman

Could anyone shed me some light on Schaefer Equatorial Mounts? I have come accross users with pictures of it from time to time but have never seen one in the ads.. I guess they're not made anymore...or pretty expensive..I'm considering a 14" scope and do like the classic and robust look of those mounts...
Nico

Hi guys, I might have the opportunity (in Europe)to buy a used 13 mm type II. Is this the super-eyepiece I've heard from or am I mistaking it with the 13 type I? Anyhow, how good does the type II perform? The price I'd be paying is 290 Euros; In Europe the 13 mm type 6 sells for 375 Euros. Will the type II be worth it? I do like big eyepieces and balancing is no problem...
Nico

Ok, I just received my Meade eyepiece set today and I have a few questions; I tested in particular the 32 & 40 mm in my 8" f4 (MTS-SN8) and 4" f14 (ETX-105). In the 8" the 32 provided a slightly larger RFOV than the 26 but the 40 had only a slightly larger field but at a 'smaller scale' than the 32. I had to place my eye about 35mm above the 40 mm's lens to see the entire field at once. How exactly does one calculate the exact maximum eyepiece focal length useable with a given f-ratio; anyone have a formula? In the 4" I was surprised to see similar effects, I thought the 40 mm should be quite useable with the ETX's longer FL..It did however (again at a significant eye-relief) provide a more noticable RFOV than the 32 mm. Would this be due to the small diameter of the ETX's rear end? How is the maximum exit pupil involved in all this?
Thanks
Nico

Hi guys, I'm looking for some kind of resource for historical advertisements on telescopic equipment. In particular I would like to find ads of the Meade 8" f4 schmidt-newton; the older model with fork mount (MTS-SN8). I bought mine used several years ago and would like to see the original ads, maybe reviews, opinians and pictures from other users,etc.
Thanks
Nico

Historical ads
Posted by Nico Taelman on 11/7/2003 1:11:22 AM

Hi guys, I'm looking for some kind of resource for historical advertisements on telescopic equipment. In particular I would like to find ads of the Meade 8" f4 schmidt-newton; the older model with fork mount (MTS-SN8). I bought mine used several years ago and would like to see the original ads, maybe reviews, opinians and pictures from other users,etc.
Thanks
Nico

Hi guys, here's a pic of the Moon last night near maximum totality in all its glory. I used an ETX-105 with Fujifilm digital camera for this shot. It lacks some sharpness but hey, this was hand-held at the eyepiece. Hope you like it....
Nico

Hi guys, the thread on equipment talk forum regarding unobstructed vs. obstructed aperture got me thinking.
I have something in mind; a kutter-design; anybody familiar with making this kind of scope? I would like to know of formulas for doing the math on this design, regarding the location for cutting the light path if that matters, the size of the secondary, how flat it should be,... Suppose in a kutter-design that the two mirrors have highly reflective coatings, like +96%. Would the remaining loss due to the second mirror anyhow influence the gain of the unobstructed lightpath? Would it matter very much if a third mirror (diagonal) came into play?
Lots of questions on this. I just figure for a future project an all-wood equatorial fork mount and wooden tube
kutter design with the eyepiece at a comfortable position at the back, on the side of the tube. This would allow for let's say a 12-14" f5-7 in a compact enclosure, unobstructed views and focal point accessibility, superb!
Also, I like to play with the NEWT program. Does anybody know formulas for the calculations involved, like for the secondary size and baffle-positions and diameters?
Ok, it might be hard to build, I don't know, that's why I'm asking here.. Experiences? Suggestions?
(I attached a drawing of some kutter designs.
Thanks
Nico

This must be a bad joke. What does the 14 cost in the US?
About 4000-5000 depending on the options; UHTC, Superwedge,...The average cost in Europe is 9000, who and where could sell such a scope, new, at 2200? C'mon.
It would be nice though.
Nico

Ok, this weekend I would like to add a fan to my tube at the back of the primary. This would require ventilation holes at the front but there is only about 7 mm of spacing around the corrector (Schmidt-Newton scope) so the holes to be drilled could be no more than 4-5 mm. Would 50-60 holes be enough for ventilation?
Thanks for any input..
Nico

Hi all, in the search for a good Newtonian telescope I'm buying next summer I stumbled accross Orion Optics Uk and will most likely be buying from them. One option to the optical sets or OTA's is a zerodur mirror instead of pyrex. What's the benefit from zerodur? Wouldn't I be better off with the other option; 1/16 surface accuracy , 1/8 PV wavefront? I can't afford both options unless maybe for a 10" aperture but I really want a 12-14".
Thanks
Nico