Posts Made By: Floyd Blue

I had the chance to try out the Speers Waler 5-8mm Zoom last weekend, Linton had just received it and brought it to the star party.
I was impressed that it did have the 82° FOV that seemed as sharp as the 5mm Pentax, Radian and BO/TMB Planetary EPs, just a wider FOV.
The sliding adjustment for the zoom was OK< but it would have been nicer if it had a click type of adjustment or something that would precisely determine the power and f/l, but it worked well.
The price makes it tempting for those that need these f/ls in a lighter EP, like for a smaller refractor. This $299 price, sometimes less, would make a $75 per f/l EP. Plus you could set it between f/l and get 5.5mm for instance.
The eye cup is a wing type that is removable and was not the most comfortable, but it worked and could be removed. Linton said he did not like the cold metal though, so he put on the cup.
Eye relief was OK, but no generous. But I think that most would find it to be adequate.

I think that it has always been this way. They are not really the same EPs exactly I do not think. They are coated differently, but it is also possible that the lenses are not identical. They are Parfocal which the other UO Orthos were not.
I am not certain of the the glass or differences in them though.

Hi all! I had a nice night Friday at a local site. The seeing was quite steady and transparency was good with temperatures in the 65-75° all evening. Really comfortable and made for easy observing.
I got my first real good look of Jupiter for the year! Every time I looked before the details were just not there.
We tried some filters to see if we could improve the details, colors first, with some improvement with Blue.
Then I remembered that I had bought a Baadar Contrast Filter last year along with a TV Mars filter. So I tried the Baadar and WOW, it really worked! There was a little lateral color induced at the limb, but the details on the planet were much improved with a pleasing color that was close to natural. It took away a little of the glare in the brightness as well as increased the level of contrast on the bands. The difference with and without the filter were very pronounced and I could see much more clearly the details that were there.
The view could have been better if it had been higher in the sky, but the effect was still very good. I was surprised that it worked as well as it did and I will give it more time later in the year as Jupiter moves higher.
Just thought I would post my thoughts on this.

Hi Jim,
Not an expert on refractors, but I do own several.
First off, a 10" Dob or Newt would require perhaps an 8" refractor to equal the view. The difference between them being the central obstruction of the reflector and how it takes away from the image.
Aperture is aperture, whether a refractor or reflector and the resolution is aperture dependent.
The refractor would have a somewhat sharper image of stars normally due to no central obstruction, but because of the lesser aperture it would have a dimmer image of the fainter objects such as DSO like galaxies.
So, a 5" or 6" refractor will not give as bright of an image or has a fine of resolution as a 10" reflector, but would have a better contrast and sharper star images normally. A 9" refractor would probably perform as well as or better than a 10" reflector and maybe an 8" would also rival it.
The refractor is quicker to stabilize at night with temperature changes and it is usually easier to transport, depending on it's size and the size of the mount.
Hope this helps.

Every one has different needs for their scope or scopes. But I believe that most of us observe many object types with various focal length and types of scopes.
It seems that most all the newer EPs are at least 60° FOV and most seem to be longer eye relief. This seems to imply that the demand is for a wider FOV and longer eye relief and the manufacturers are responding with new designs.
Even Planetary EPs are 60° or more from many makers.
So the question is, [COLOR="Blue"]Do you feel that the wider FOV and longer eye relief is a necessity or a luxury that you can do without?[/COLOR]
Next question is, [COLOR="Blue"]If the FOV is wider, must it be all usable or is it ok for a percentage of the field to be soft or astigmatic?[/COLOR]
Finally, [COLOR="Blue"]Is it acceptable to have any color at the very edge of the FOV?[/COLOR]

Well, I bought a WO 10-1 focus knob (bought it here used, thanks Pat ) and intend to adapt it to the Wyorock focuser. I know that the Wyorock has a thicker shaft, but the other measurements look close. Hope to find that it will be an easy adaptation, but you never know.
It would improve the fine focus and make higher power easier to use.
I will post pics when and if I get it done.

Anyone know who the machinist was that made small parts for custom scopes? Private message me if you know who that is, I need a Crayford focuser shaft of custom design.

I have owned the 14mm XL and XW and the XW has less field curvature than the XL. The 14mm, 21mm have both got a bit of field curvature and not easy to ignore. The 20mm XW also has a bit of field curvature, but maybe a little less than the 21mm XL.
I like the Pentax line in the 10.5mm-10mm and below more than I like the 14mm and above. The XL and XW series EPs are great in the shorter f/l, but seem to loose something in the longer f/l EPs. I have not owned any longer than 21mm though.
I kept the 5.2mm, 7mm and 10.5mm XLs and sold the other XLs and XWs.

Ok, I finally got the WO 10 to 1 reduction focuser knob adapted to the Woyorock Focuser. I had to make a new shaft for the Crayford and a new adapter to hold the knob at the focuser body. I used Red Oak for the adapter, just because wood was easier to manipulate for me and I had it available.
I have included pictures of the mod and the shaft required to adapt it for those interested.
The upper shaft is the original and the lower is the replacement. The new one is 1/2" longer and the end is turned down to .156" from .187" to allow the knob to fit the shaft.
It works great, much nicer than the single speed.
What do you think?

I also use a tool box for my WO 80mm with the rings installed.