Posts Made By: Greg Shaffer

Steve Mathis said:

A year ago I bought a sheet of Baader solar film to make a filter for my C11 for visual use. The size of the sheet would allow me to make a 7.5" diameter filter. I debated whether to make a centered opening, a 7.5" with a 3.5" central obstruction, or make a clear 3.5" off-axis filter. I posed the question here on AM as to which would really be the better route, and got little response. So I went for the 7.5"/3.5" CO. The results were horrible: A fuzzy image with all kinds of scattered light in the field. The much touted "black background" these filter should produce was definitely not present. I decided that this "donut" of a filter, a 2" wide strip surrounding the 3.5" CO, was worthless. So I decided to go the other route, and make a new filter mount with the 3.5" off-axis hole. I would cut the filter out of the original mount, and put it in the new one. When I started cutting the filter, this piece of clear plastic started separating from the metalized mylar. I had installed the filter without remove the clear protective cover! D'OH! Needless to say, the optical quality of said clear plastic was pretty poor, and was responsible for the crummy image. The solar image with the new setup is nice and sharp, and yes, the background is nice and black. Of course now I don't know which arrangement would have been better! Maybe when I have an extra $30 I'll start over with the experiment. I'm guessing there was something in the instructions that mentioned removing the clear plastic...

Hans Tucker said:

Apart from Astrodon what other brands/companies manufacture CCD LRGB Filters for cameras that have the Kodak Interline Sensors.

Rick Huber said:

Recently bought a LXD75 AR5 right here on Astromart. Great scope!! Question, I would like to change out the setscrew visual back with a compression type - Can anyone lead me in that direction.

Thanks

Rick H

John Roehrig said:

I have been looking at this little scope for quite a while as a "very" portable scope option, but I have seen very little written on them - or at least not found the right place for the info. Does anyone have experience with these scopes? For a frame of reference, I have owned a Televue Pronto, TV-85, and Orion 80mm ED. My current grab-and-go set-up is the AP Traveler with a Vixen Porta-mount or TV Gibralter (not quite a grab-and-go scope). Don't get me wrong, I doubt that the 66ED will be as good as the TV or AP scopes, but it looks appealling as the basis for a very small set-up.

Thanks in advance,

John

William Green said:

I've heard an ugly rumor that the XW's are being discontinued. Can anyone confirm that???

Thank you.

Bill

Patrick Kelly said:

As a long time $$ Astromart/Herb York and Co devotee (I/we wouldn't be where we are with a BIG refractor/personal observatory if it weren't for your efforts...WE owe it all to You...I've even considered your name on a plaque with other contributors ), I deleted a previous post to get to the point.

My old-school Dad expounded that any bar/tavern/commercial establishment wishing to attract business would stoop to the lowest common denominator...i.e. sex and gals...to attract customers as an act of desperation. As a weak-minded fella with a simple-minded reptilian brain (as my female Army/Comm-trained co-worker humorously puts it and we get some chuckles for male vs female 'wiring") I fall prey to this and click on the pics but understand the underling biological disposition.

So I ask...is this REALLY the lengths Astromart has to go to remain viable? From a guy perspective I hafta admit its kinda fun and instantly vicarious but at the same time simultaneously so "yesterday", primitive and desperate. I get the same feeling when I peruse Maxim magazine. Of course, I could choose NOT to click the ads and feel good about myself and self righteous, but that's not the point. I care most about the Astomart community and where it's taken us.

So there it is; the needs of the many (Astromart community) outweigh the needs of the few or one...just me. But just something I felt compelled to get off my chest today.

By the way...I'm looking for some duplicate planetary eps for my binoviewer so keep those ads coming... And biology/marketing science tells me I have the tendency to click the girly-ads whether I have Auction ads to pace or not.

Kevin Brennan said:

Does anybody have a suggestion for fixed/rigid 84mm rings for SV70ED something like AP, WO or parallax type? I would rather avoid the adjustable type. I have had better luck with flexure with fixed rings.

Thanks,
Kevin