Posts Made By: Doug Walton

This is a little off-topic, but you could mention to the vendor that maybe he/she should at least be buying the Bed Liner stuff for you, or offering to take the trusses back for re-coating. Unless those poles were specially prepped, the paint will usually flake off.

I'm jealous. That should be one super sharp, contrasty mirror.

...and while the difference was subtle, it was an improvement I could see over the stock secondary. There was a "quality" difference to the image at the EP that I liked. Maybe just a tad less light scatter around the star points. Maybe just a tad bit darker sky background.

It was one of Antares' 1/30th wave secondaries.

Afterwards, I wondered why more people don't talk about the quality and importance of the secondary mirror as opposed to the primary.

So, yes, I would definitely suggest that you get it. Then I would like to buy the entire scope from you at a price you feel comfortable with. :-)

That's gonna be a cool scope.

Doug

(nt)

You didn't say much about portability, imaging, or other needs, so this might not do it for you.

But, you could sell the C14/G11, and take the money (plus a bit more) and go get a mint, used 14.5" Starmaster w/GOTO and tracking. This would give you the aperture you want, and very likely, better image quality and more FOV than your C14. Very portable too. And it might be cheaper than keeping the C14 setup and spending another $3K on an additional scope.

Doug

I came to some conclusions after owning a couple of 20" Starmasters, a 12.5" SM, and finally, a 14.5" SM.

1. If I did a careful and accurate job of aligning/shimming the focuser with the secondary, my collimation tools (Tectron and Catseye) would always agree with my 2" Kendrick laser. If I didn't do an accurate job, or the scope was new (or from a previous owner) the tools might not agree, but I'd still get decent views.

2. I liked using the 2" Catseye tools (Cheshire and autocollimator) WAY more than the 1 1/4" Tectron tools. Focuser slop was reduced, and I was able to achieve an accurate collimation faster and more easily. But, I think the 1 1/4" Tectron sight tube is very useful for initial setup of the secondary. The Tectrons work, but you have to be very careful not to skew them with the focuser setscrew.

3. Once the secondary and focuser are basically correct, I almost never use the Cheshire. I'd use the laser to align the secondary, then the primary, then verify/micro-adjust and with the autocollimator. (The key was putting the return laser beam precisely back into the center spot of the center spot on the grid of the angled laser face, so that it looked like an 8-point star.)

I wish I had known this 4 years ago.

Doug

Beautiful.

I know this statement might be argued, but to me, those images look so very ...

... Zambuto.

They look what I've seen countless times when the seeing would settle for just a second or two, and I'd take it all in, and then fall back from the EP in amazement, and utter something unintelligible to someone who wasn't there.

Doug

I think your posts are just fine. 8)

But does it still not follow that having these components will insure that on any given night you will have the best possible images that can be acquired in that evening under the prevailing conditions?
It still seems logical to me that if you are wanting your experiences as an amateur astronomy to be the most rewarding. Then it "IS" worth the extra expense to purchase the best. Does this seem like a fair statement with the facts as we know them?

Yes, I think it is fair to assert this.

Be confident and happy in your decision to aquire, and more importantly, USE the best equipment that you can find and afford. Only you know what you see when you look through the EP. Of course, a sweet scope like the 10" Zambuto you've just built won't do anything if it just sits, so it's great that you are striving to achieve a rewarding astro experience by having the best equipment, and also USING that equipment.

Some people use mediocre equipment very often, and conversely, there are people that hardly ever use their "best" equipment. In these cases, the efforts of both groups are probably blunted, and they may not achieve the potential rewards that are possible, (IMO of course).

OK - now having said that, Floyd, let me know what the price is for your new 10" scope, and we'll get this pesky transaction taken care of ASAP. A scope that nice will only be a distraction. :-))

Doug