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Posts Made By: Walter Locke

April 6, 2003 09:08 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

What can you see in a 5" mak cass?

Posted By Walter Locke
As a point of reference, a 5" Mak will not perform quite as well as a good 4" refractor. On the plus side, 5" Maks will show no false color, are (usually) relatively small and light, and are (usually) relatively inexpensive, as compared to a 100mm APO. Things to consider would be the mechanical quality and general fit and finish of the Mak you intend to buy, as well as its optical quality. All things considered, its hard to go wrong with many of these small aperture Maks. Have fun!

Walter

May 9, 2003 02:35 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Questar Mirror Composition

Posted By Walter Locke
Thanks Herbert. Some time ago I spoke to an optician who explained that many of these ceramic mirrors might not rebound to their original shapes after heating and cooling a certain number of times. These changes would be small but cumulative over the life of the mirror. This makes the ceramic mirrors in those otherwise beautiful Questar telescopes a bit suspect, alas. Thank goodness for Pyrex!

Walter


May 25, 2003 12:19 AM Forum: Refractors

8" Acromatics?

Posted By Walter Locke
The cost of materials and labor for producing a refractor with optics better than 1/4 wavelength grows dramatically with the diameter of the aperture. Coating big lenses is much more difficult, also. The matter of spurious color would be greater in a f/6 refractor than in a f/8, although many achromat enthusiasts would say a Chromacorr would fix most of the problem. It would be an interesting exercise for a producer such as Burgess to attempt, but I would guess it would be a pricey item. Furthermore, the weight of an 8" OTA would require serious mounting, increasing an already steep cost curve. Nontheless, I would be willing to bet there is a market for such a creature out there.

Walter

May 27, 2003 01:00 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

No astro equipment in house/ No 7 " Meade Mak

Posted By Walter Locke
John,

The 7" Mak is still available through Anacortes' website. And you need to get new friends.

Sympathetically,

Walter

June 24, 2003 01:29 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Best 2-3x Barlows

Posted By Walter Locke
The Klee is a very good barlow and I recommend it. I've been considering a Powermate off and on, but the Klee has proved to be such a good barlow, I keep putting off the purchase.

Walter

June 29, 2003 03:38 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

My new Orion XT 8

Posted By Walter Locke
Congratulations, Dave. I hope this turns out to be as nice a scope as you make it sound. Maybe you'll get clear weather tonight...

Walter

June 29, 2003 08:02 PM Forum: A Day in the Life of the Administrator

New Forum Opinion

Posted By Walter Locke
Hmmmm... This forum may become so popular that Herb could finance Astromart by selling pay-per-view subcriptions! I just hope none of my errant emails become grist for the mill...

Walter

September 20, 2003 07:24 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Equipment Review websites...trustworthy??

Posted By Walter Locke
Jake,

This website to which you refer was compelled to accept sponsorship in order to remain active. It is a sad fact of life that it takes $$$ to accomplish many of life's goals. As to negative reviews, I have read a few that were posted on this web site, but one must be very cautious about these things or else one will wind up in court with a lawsuit on one's hands. As with any printed word, each reader should remain thoughtful and give careful consideration to any opinion expressed on any subject. I tend to believe this particular website has a considerable measure of integrity and credibility which I find allows me to visit it regularly and enjoy its articles and reviews. There is no other web site I know of quite like it.

Best wishes,

Walter

September 28, 2003 04:29 PM Forum: Takahashi

Re: Alternative Dust Cap for FS102

Posted By Walter Locke
I was thinking it might be worth taking the original cover to something similar to Tap Plastics and ask them to duplicate it in sturdy, 1/4" thick plastic. Three stacked discs glued together; the first would be able to fit inside the dew shield, the second would sit on top of the first at barely larger than the OD of the dewshield, and the third would be about one to two inches across and would serve as a handle. A little bit of felt and a touch of glue and we're in business! I wonder if they have plastic in Takahashi green...?

February 14, 2004 09:27 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Cloudy Nights

Posted By Walter Locke
I joined yesterday. I think it is a worthwhile service...and cheap to boot!

Walter

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