Posts Made By: Doug Culbertson

So, for those of you who are tired of the baiting/flamewar going on below, here is a legitimate question. Has anyone used the Expanses, or one of their other branded equals, in a binoviewer? What are your impressions? Specifically, I would be using them in a TeleVue bino on scopes of 14.5" f/4.3 and 6" f/6 (Maknewt). I love my 24mm Pans and 16mm Naglers, but I am looking for a lower cost alternative for other focal lengths.

Oh, and for those who ARE involved in the baiting/flamewar below, don't bother answering. Your opinions no longer really matter to me.

Doug
Midway, FL

I just received a Tak FS 102 with a Tenba case. Really nice case that holds the OTA with the tube rings nicely, however, it will not hold the OTA with the 2" adapter or the extension tube attached. A little while back someone (James Lacey?) posted something about a case for the FS102. I think that it was the Orion large case...Anyone know if this will hold the OTA with any accessories attached? Also, was this the one that Orion lists for "Large reflectors/refractors" for $56.95?

Thanks!
Doug
Midway, FL

Better late than never...Well, I received my new-to-me Tak FS 102 last Friday. I had already made plans to take my Starmaster to a club star party over the weekend, and family stuff came up Sunday, but finally on Monday and Tuesday nights I got out and...what can I say? I am in love with this scope!

It was a beautiful night, though the seeing could have been a bit better, and Mars was boiling quite a bit, so I didn't spend too much time there. Transparency was 9/10 though, so I took in a lot of the summer objects before they are gone for good. I am using the scope on an Orion Atlas mount, with a WO Next Generation diagonal. I spent almost the whole night using a 24mm Panoptic with and without a 2.5X Powermate, though I occasionally used a 10.5mm Pentax XL.

Now I remember why I like refractors! What the FS 102 lacks in aperture, it makes up for in its beauty and the wonderful contrast that it provides. Had a great time and took in some of the usual suspects, as I am prone to do whenever I get a new scope...M13, M92, M27, M57, M11 (love the duckies!), M22, M8, M20, M31/32,Double Cluster, NGC457, split some doubles including Epsilon Lyrae and Albireo (Beta Cygni) and some others.

I am a globular cluster and galaxy fan for the most part, hence my need for aperture, but when it comes to OCs and doubles, I have always liked refractors and this thing delivers!This is truly one kick butt telescope, and it is definitely a keeper! I haven't used a 4" scope in quite some time, but I think that this one is going to get a lot of use.

Doug
Midway, FL

In addition to the Clear Sky Clock, I also use the US Skywatch at Intellicast to check observing conditions. You can take a look at it here: http://tinyurl.com/s8ib

Doug
Midway,FL

Does anyone know if the Takahashi tube holder will work on a Vixen type dovetail plate? I am thinking that it might work better for my applications than the Parallax rings I am currently using. The Parallax rings make it a bit difficult to slide the OTA forward enough to balance with a binoviewer; is it any easier with the Tak ring?

Thanks!
Doug
Midway, Fl

Hmmm, should I post this here, or in the Solar System Forum? What the hey, here it is...

Well, I was out for some lunar observing this evening when I decided to take a break and look for some open clusters in Cassiopeia and Perseus. Turned around and lo and behold the whole sky from N/NW to N/NE was a vivid red to reddish orange. The intensity varied from quite dim to very bright. No curtains or streamers like some of you northern guys get, and no color other than the red/orange, but it was cool just seeing it this far south.

The area that it was visible stretched from about 25 degrees west of Polaris, over to just shy of the Pleiades, and up through Perseus to about 65 degrees.

This is the third time that I have seen an auroral display from down here, and it never ceases to amaze me.

Doug
Midway, FL

OK, I love my MN66, but really don't care for the stock Russian focuser on it. It's passable, but that is about it. I am thinking of changing it out for a dual speed focuser, either Feathertouch, Moonlight, etc, but I am concerned about the need to drill new holes, etc., which I really don't want to get into. Anyone out there made this change before?

I seem to recall reading awhile back that you can keep the stock base and just replace the focuser itself. If so, that seems like it would make things easier. Before I just drop the $$ for the change, any advice would be appreciated.

Doug
Midway,FL

http://www.alpineastro.com/

And, he is an Astromart supporter!

Doug
Midway, FL

Hey Dave, Rob, Mark, et al,

I received my Parallax rotating rings last week and the fit was perfect! They appear to be very well made, though not quite as smooth in rotation as I thought that they would be. Joe provides instructions for loosening the rotation though, and once I did that I realized WHY they are set to require some effort to rotate them...just as soon as I put my binoviewer on the MN66 and it started rotating! So, I tightened them back up and all is well now.

BTW, the darn things are pretty heavy for sure. I am glad that I am using an Atlas mount for this thing now, though a G11 might be nice down the road.

Thanks to all for the advice on the way to making this purchase. I have to say that I agree with Mark; rotating rings are a necessity for any Newtonian design, and the percieved advantage to having a refractor on a GEM has flown out the window.

Doug
Midway, FL

Just curious, but does anyone actually own any of the CGE mounted scopes? If so, are there any reviews anywhere? A Google search turned up nothing other than dealers. I am specifically interested in the CGE11, but I would like to hear what folks think about them first. I am mainly wondering about pointing accuracy, slew speeds, and whether or not the mount is actually sturdy enough for the 27 lb carbon fiber tube of the C11 OTA. PE and such don't really concern me that much as I am strictly a visual observer.

I have to say that having looked through a couple of the recent 11" GPS models, I was more impressed with the optics than I thought I would be. I am, however, more interested in the GEM mounted C11 so that I could mount other OTAs on it.

Anyone?

Doug
Midway, FL