Posts Made By: Floyd Blue

Well last night I got the chance to really check out my new Starmaster 14.5" under good skies. I wanted to see how much improvement there was in contrast and resolution. So I picked the Trapezium to test the optics.
I managed to get 7 of the 8 stars with the "G" star evading me until later, when I got momentary glimpses of it. Not a steady look, but in and out, so I don't claim it as verified.
I have posted a picture of the area with stars that I verified. All these stars were stead and seen without averted vision. This is more that I have been able to see in my 15" or the 12.5" that I had prior to the Starmaster.
The other objects were very good too, with great views of distant galaxies. I even got the HorseHead nebula, though the look was not that impressive. The sky was beginning to degrade with incoming upper level clouds by that time.
I have to admit the Starmaster is a great performer and it does indeed out perform the Swayze mirror I used to own.
Now for some more good skies with no clouds or haze and I will do a better job of wringing it out.
Oh yeah! The site we went to was a new one I found and we got permission to use a private runway for a place to observe. The skies are very dark with little light pollution and steady air. This could be a really good place for our club.

I have been trying to call them for a week about a couple of EPs. No one seems to have them in stock, but Burgess has stated by Email that they do have them and to just call to order them. I think they went to the Winter Star Party, but should be back by now I would think. I can not get anything but their annoying answering machine. I have left messages but not received any return calls. Anyone know the secret password or method to actually get someone to answer the phone or messages?
I find this very unprofessional.

I would like to take a moment to restate a few comments that I have made here in another thread.
All scopes made in mass production will have varying degrees of quality in the production run. It doesn't matter whether it is a refractor or reflector this applies to all.
With this said, you can certainly find an exceptional and a unacceptable scope within a given production run. This is common to all manufacturers.
If you get one of the better of any brand then you are usually happy. If you get one of the worst then you are unhappy.
If you buy something from one of the premier makers then you expect the quality to be the same throughout the production. This is not even the case unless each scope is assembled and individually tested by the maker. Many of the best makers do just this, but some do not! Those that sell imports can not very easily do that of course, so some will get to the customer with a problem and this is just the way it is with mass production.
You can not expect the same quality of optics and construction from a scope that cost a fraction of the other scope. This is not being realistic.
If you cannot afford the premier scope, then you must choose the best that your money will buy. This is not always a simple thing. With the above stated production restrictions, you may have to try before you buy to insure that the scope you purchase meets your expectations. You will have to choose between the type of tube and glass used to make the scope as well as the accessories provided with it. You will have to use experiences with the product out in the field to help you in making this choice, this is why so many people recommend going to star parties to actually try these scopes. This is invaluable in my opinion.
So, with all this said, most of the mass production scopes are a good bargain because their price is hard to beat. It would be hard to build one for the cost they sell for lately.
But if you are looking for the highest quality, then you must be prepared to save your money and wait for opportunity to purchase a scope of the quality you are expecting. There are no Premier scopes for sell for $500. The mirror I just bought from Carl Zambuto, a 10" f/6 cost $1,000 and this is just a mirror. I will have much more invested before it becomes a scope. But this is what I wanted and I just saved my money and sold my other scopes to get the quality that I knew I really wanted to own. But, this does not mean that someone that buys a $500 10" scope will not be just as pleased with their purchase as I will be with mine. It is all about what you can afford to own and not what others own. If you can not afford a Porsche, you drive a Volkswagen! They are both fine cars, right?
Have a good day and an even better night, thanks for letting me get this off my mind.

Dang, I messed up and missed the fact that he can only use 1.25" EPS. Never mind~!

Well, I could not pass up the deal so I bought a 3mm Radian from a club member. We did a little trading and dealing.
He had a 40mm Orion Ortiluxe that I wanted for a spotter EP for a smaller scope (10" f/6) that could not use the 31mm Nagler. I had a Russell 2" 14mm XL 67° FOV EP that I saved when I sold off a lot of my EPs. He needed something of that F/L so we traded. I got the better end of it I guess, but that Russell is a very nice EP made with Pentax glass. He also had the 3mm Radian and his scopes would not allow that much power. We did sonme trading for that too and now my Televue case is completely full, not an inch of room left. I guess that is all for that one. I hope to be able to use it. I think that the Zambuto mirrors should be able to handle 500x on areally good night. Now to just get that really good night!

Well, I just saw the post by Anacortes and ordered a 25mm Swan EP. I have followed the EP information and decided to give one a try. I have wanted a 24mm Panoptic of a 27mm Panoptic for a while and this is a wider FOV (72 degree)and should be about the same as the 27mm Panoptic. I will get it next week and if I get a chance I will check it out and post a review. I hope this is as good as they say, if so then it will be a very good deal at $118.00.

I just ordered a new Swan 25mm EP from Anacortes tonight. I will let everyone know what they are like as soon as I get the chance to try it out. Here is hoping that it is a great EP because the price is right at $118.00.

If you were going to make a 10" f/6 planetary scope, what size secondary would you use?

Much more important is that he is a pilot and he has to have good vision to continue flying.
I hope that his injury is just a temporary set back.

They look very nice Michael. Hope you get them finished soon.