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Posts Made By: Mike Gibson

October 2, 2002 04:48 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Re: recoating and insurance questions

Posted By Mike Gibson
Use the custom cut Styrofoam if you can, as this is how Zambuto and Meade ship large optics. I like to use Owens Corning pink wall insulating foam that is 2" thick and rigid. Make a sandwich of foam top and bottom with a center piece cut for the mirror. Protect the figured surface with optical tissue paper. Wrap and tape this with a thick cardboard shell or inner box; making sure that the sandwich stays intact. Place this in a larger box with foam peanuts as filler; no shifting allowed.

Put your name, address, etc. on the rear of the mirror and inside packaging. Say a prayer and ship it!

November 11, 2002 02:46 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Tak FS Flourites - Quality ?

Posted By Mike Gibson
The 'remark' is Hogwash! Takahashi fluorite elements are man made CaF2 monocrystal grown under controlled conditions by suppliers such as Canon-Optron. If anything, processes have gotten better with time, not worse. Newer FS versions benefit from newer coating technology for fluorite; this permits placing the fluorite element in the front (exposed) position. Some of the older FC series did benefit from a longer f/10 focal length, but this does not reflect poorer quality in the faster FS units.


November 11, 2002 07:09 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Which Telescope(s) Is/Are Keepers?

Posted By Mike Gibson
Sounds like you already have a solution. Sell the D&G and 20" Dob to lose the ladder nosebleeds and C14 redundancy. Then leverage the MI250 for OTA flexibility. Always keep a good 4" apo around; it will fit in a casket!

November 29, 2002 02:00 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Meade AR-5 vs Nexstar 5/5i

Posted By Mike Gibson
Depends on what is more important to you. The N5 Cat is more portable, has no chromatic aberration, and does not require polar alignment. N5 has better ergo design. But the AR-5 refractor will be a tad brighter, will stay collimated, has more contrast, and better detail on planets. Autostar firmware can be updated from the Web; has Celestron figured this out yet? The LXD55 EQ mount can also carry other OTAs. Let's not forget that Meade's $99 EP deal is arguably better than Celestron's $99 no-name Plossl deal. Good Luck!

December 18, 2002 06:51 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

TV 102 Vs. Tak FS 102

Posted By Mike Gibson
The two scopes are very close optically, and I would be happy to own either one. Side by side comparisons with Radians revealed no differences to me. The TV102 is lighter and easier to mount, but the Tak focuser is larger at 2.7" if astrophoto is desired.

January 18, 2003 01:39 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Perfect City Scope?

Posted By Mike Gibson
Balcony? Planets? Moon? Open Clusters? That would be a Tele Vue NP101 on Gibralter Mount with Sky Tour. Sweet!

February 3, 2003 03:20 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Tele Vue Tube Rings

Posted By Mike Gibson
The stock TV tube ring will bolt to a Losmandy DUP with short 1/4-20 cap screws. You have to keep them short because of the short thread travel into the tube ring. If you want a more solid, anti-tube flexure solution, then two Parallax rings would be better.

February 6, 2003 01:47 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mak-Newt?

Posted By Mike Gibson
Yes, the Intes and Intes-Micro Mak-Newts are very good telescopes. At f/6, the MN61 or MN66 offer a fairly wide field and killer planetary views. They compare well to a 4" or 5" apo except for cooldown, infrequent collimation, and coma.

Mak-Newt imaging with CCD is fine, but emulsion camera backs often cannot reach focus without projection. Also, weight must be considered for mounting the heavier versions, though some now use carbon fiber tubes

February 6, 2003 01:59 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mak-Newt?

Posted By Mike Gibson
Forgot to mention that AP built a very fine 235mm f/4.3 Mak-Newt, and at one time considered production. Peter Ceravolo gave the design new life, but does not build volume quantities of his very good HD version.

I would encourage you to look through one and be amazed at the planetary detail. Visually, it's the best bang for the 6" buck IMHO.

March 17, 2003 06:02 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Opinions on LXD55 pier mounted...

Posted By Mike Gibson
No, there are some other issues that will be a setback for non-tinkering folks:

1) Dec and RA drive gear set screws can become loose, causing poor GoTo accuracy. Meade seems to be addressing this with a threadlocking compound.

2) Polar scopes are not always aligned with the RA axis, and other OTA orthogonality issues must be addressed for best performance. Polar scope alignment instructions are not correct in the user manual.

3) Some of the RJ jacks fail to align pins and impact Autostar connections.

4) Many OTAs have experienced shipping damage because of vibration and loose fasteners. Meade has taken some corrective action with mirror cell fasteners (e.g. silicone adhesive)

5) The mount lacks a bubble level; this is easily added.

6) The "D" cell power pack is marginal, even with fresh alkalines.

Nevertheless, the LXD55 mount is a great value for an owner willing to tweak and adjust. I sure like mine! Hoping for firmware support for autoguider soon.

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