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Douglas Rollain

Lion Nebula SH2-132 - RC71

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Posts Made By: Bill Byrd

May 31, 2003 01:36 AM Forum: Chinese Optics Imports

1026 Delivery, When??

Posted By Bill Byrd
Paul: Got this just a few hours ago from Anacortes-

Hello, As of May 30th, after speaking with Bill Burgess, the scopes are expected to arrive mid-late June in the states, and then we (Bill or ATWB) will ship to you. If you have any questions, please let me know. I'll be back in the office on Monday, June 1st. Sorry for the inconvenience and Thank you for your business and patience.

Looks like it might be 1st of July now.
Bill in SA

May 31, 2003 01:37 AM Forum: Wildlife Photography

Iris

Posted By Bill Byrd
Looks good Robert! What camera?
Bill in SA

May 31, 2003 01:39 AM Forum: Wildlife Photography

Marmot in a tree

Posted By Bill Byrd
Me either! I've always seen them in the rocks. Didn't ever even think about them climbing trees.
Bill in SA

June 26, 2003 03:07 AM Forum: Wildlife Photography

Snail

Posted By Bill Byrd
The original mobile home. Nice shot!
Bill in SA

June 27, 2003 02:32 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Perfect balance ad # 200349

Posted By Bill Byrd
No kidding! Maybe it uses gyros to keep it from falling.
Bill in SA

August 28, 2003 01:01 AM Forum: Telescope Making

lightweight focuser.

Posted By Bill Byrd
I'll second what Mike said about the HC-2. I have a couple and they are good units. The DAR double helical is nice too but is a little heavy.
Bill in SA

August 31, 2003 04:33 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

A astrograph without sacrificing body parts

Posted By Bill Byrd
Vixen R200SS? 8" f/4. Dedicated coma corrector available. Built like a rock. Check Anacortes' for pricing; it meets your criteria. There are several folks with web sites having examples of pics made with this scope. Herm Perez comes to mind.
Bill in SA

September 3, 2003 02:05 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Dual Rate Focusers

Posted By Bill Byrd
The one thing that no one has mentioned is that the Feathertouch has the coarse and fine knobs together on the same side. Moonlite does too, I think. I have a DX-1 and like it but a friend has a FT and I like the knobs together. On the DX-1, I have to reach over to the left side for coarse focusing. On the FT, it's nice to have both knobs on the same side.
Bill in SA

September 14, 2003 05:16 PM Forum: Telescope Making

Woodworking tools: What's needed, practical ?

Posted By Bill Byrd
For me, it would be a good quality table saw and a good plunge router with a circle cutting guide. Those, along with a decent hand drill and bits, can go a long way for you. I made a lot of scopes and things with just cheap hand tools and having a table saw and router have made it sooooo much easier.
Bill in SA

October 31, 2003 04:46 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Vixen R200SS

Posted By Bill Byrd
Hi Bill! Yes, that was me. Got the OTA last month and have had it out under the stars several nights, including 3 glorious nights last weekend at the inaugural Eldorado Star Party here in TX. At this point. let's just say that the jury is still out. I'm not very satified with the views using the dedicated coma corrector. I've been told that spacing from the CC to the EP focal plane is very critical so it may be that the EPs I use do not place right in relation to the CC. Soooo....I've been using the TeleVue Paracorr with Nagler EPs. That works pretty well, although not "pin point to the edge" by any means. I need to experiment some more. Having said the above, the wide field views are very nice. The Pleiades, M42, M31, M33....very nice with a very wide FOV. Physically the OTA is built like a tank and is very compact for an 8" scope. Also, the collimation needs to be right on target for best views. I'll try to get some more nights with the scope when I'm not distracted by larger scopes in the area.

Oh, I call it an Orion/Vixen since this OTA was sold by Orion, with an Orion sticker on it, but it was made by Vixen.

The scope was really made for imaging so visual use is a compromise at best. I do plan to try some digicam pics using the OTA. I'll post any successes, if there are any.
Bill in SA

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