Posts Made By: Rod Mollise

Dennis Freeman said:



I could sell them in their current condition, but I like to make things as good as I can. Thinking of taking them apart but never attempted this before. Is there a primer I can refer to. Looking for ideas on technique. Obviously clean surface is mandatory but what about gloves, tools, special cloth to lay pieces on, etc.? Any place to get diagrams of what to expect? Probably a bunch of questions I haven't even thought of yet.

Any tips you can recommend besides "ARE YOU NUTS? This should be left to a professional."?

Much depends on the eyepieces...

A clutch of Ramsdens? Have at 'em. You'll need an optical spanner, likely. Take careful notes of which element went where and which way it faced.

Naglers? Leave 'em alone or send 'em to Uncle Al.

8)

Kurt Endres said:

I used to have a C8 but got rid of it due to unsatisfactory images. Now, I'm wondering if it was more lack of knowledge of the design, than a problem with the scope :S Anyway, I'm considering getting another compound, but this time, I'm looking into the C9.25 and C11. Which would you choose? also...Carbon fiber or Aluminum? Other than looks, Any real advantage to CF? Appears that Celestron has discontinued them.

Will be using with a DM-6 Alt/az, which should be able to handle either one.

Thanks.....

Unless you buy used, it will be aluminum, and unless you are an imager it doesn't make any diff. Actually, aluminum-tube scopes reach thermal equilibrium faster.

As for your previous problems, the two keys are collimation (on a star's diffraction rings), and cooldown.

9.25 or 11? That depends on you. Everything will look better in the 11, especially if you must observe from light pollution.

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Bernard Ferry said:



I am now considering changing from a fork mount and wedge to a Equatorial mount, preferably a GOTO one. I have seen several models used for a C8 including the LDX75, the CGE5 and of course the better Losmandy 8 and 11 models and the CGE, however these are way over my budget.

Good thinkin'.

As far as "Which" GEM, stay away from the LXD75 _IMHO_. It's better than the LXD55, but my discussions with 75 owners recently reveal that _some_ (not all) are having problems similar to those common to the 55.

In the same price class, the Celestron CG5 is a step up. I've taken plenty of autoguided pix with it. If the focal ratio of the C8 is kept down to f/6.3, or, better, f/4 - 3.3, you won't have any trouble with it.

A step up from that is the Orion Sirius/HEQ5. Heftier, but the software ain't as full-featured ain't as full featured as the NexStar stuff.

Up from there is the Losmandy GM8. Very capable, but lots of folks don't like the Gemini go-to system.

Next up, steadiness wise, anyway (it's very inexpensive), is the Atlas EQ6. Great mount. I love mine. The software is the same as that on the Sirius, but, like the Sirius, you can run it with the wonderful EQMOD driver instead. The attached pic shows my Atlas/C8 at Chiefland.

G11. Hard to say "no" to this old standard. Not perfect, but as much as many folks will need. Again, some folks don't like the Gemini.

Celestron CGE. Very similar to the G11, but with the superior Celestron NexStar computer.

An' you can keep goin' up in price/payload. But one of these mounts will do it for most beginnin/intermediate imagers (or dabblers like yours truly ;-))...

Doug Culbertson said:

Looks like the venerable Orion Starblast just got a big brother! At 6" f/5, and selling for $249, this should do very well. I wish that it had a 2" focuser, but oh well...

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=reflectors/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09964

Cute...but...I dunno...the original was and is perfect for what it is (when the summer storms begin to move in, and observing is catch as catch can, the SB and my 15x70s get more use than anything else).

Sometimes The Only Enemy of Good Enough is More Better

We'll see.

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[QUOTE]Hernando Bautista said:

Hi all,

A newbie here seeking your advise: I recently bought an excellent condition Nexstar 6SE here in Astromart (http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=553213) but was hit early on by the aperture fever so I went hunting for an 8" OTA to replace the 6SE OTA (I've read here that the 6SE and 8SE mounts are identical so my 6SE mount can handle an 8 OTA) but I came across an ebay item for a complete set almost mint Nexstar 8 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290218549570) which was simply to good to pass up so I ended up buying that 'scope as well. Now I want to put the Nexstar 8 OTA on the 6SE mount and vice-versa, put the 6SE OTA onto the Nexstar 8 mount. The mount rails don't look the same to me, I've only seen pictures of both of them. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot! (I like the new features of the 6SE mount, like easier staralign, which I read is a step up from the older Nexstar 8 goto module, hence my desire for the swap.)

Regards,

Hernando

QUOTE]

To get the NS8 on the newer mount, all that will be needed is a Vixen compatible dovetail. The original NSes weren't designed for removing and replacing the tube, so you'll need an adapter called a "Ray's Bracket" if I recall.

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victor truglio said:

IF YOU HAD A CHOICE BETWEEN THE CPC800 AND THE CPC1100
WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE.
SCOPE WILL NOT BE USED FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, NOT NOW ANYWAY
IT WILL BE USED FOR DEEP SKY AND PLANETARY
MY OTHER SCOPES ARE A SMALL REFRACTOR AND A 12.5 DOB.
ALSO TO THROUGHT IN THE MIX, I MIGHT BE SELLING THE DOB.
THE DEAL IS EITHER FOR A NEW CPC800 OR I CAN GET A DEMO CPC1100 FOR NEAR THE SAME PRICE.
HELP

Only you can answer for you. All things being equal, the 11 will show considerably more for a visual observer.

8)

Ron Domenici said:

Hello,
I'm in the process of dovetail mounting an old 8" Meade SCT. From what I understood, there would be 3 screws on each fork bracket to remove. I have discovered that there is 1 on each side that has a nut on the inside of the OTA. I got it off the fork easily but still want to remove these side brackets from the tube because they are ugly and add a bit of weight.

What would be the quickest, safest method for removal? Should I remove the corrector plate and reach down or remove the rear cell completely?

Also, I'm a bit torn as to whos dovetail to purchase. Has anyone done this mod to an old LX6? If so, which setup did you purchase?

Any ideas appreciated.

Yep. Remove the corrector. Leave everything else alone. Me? I used the Vixen compatible dovetail from Scopestuff.com

victor truglio said:

i just picked up a new cpc1100
there is some image shift with the focuser.
is this normal for this scope??

Yes. Assuming it's not outrageously large. What I mostly see is about 45" - 1'...

8)

greg wilhite said:

I'm thinking of getting an Ethos but already own a Meade smooth body 14mm UWA 84*

Has anyone compaired the two side by side?

I'll be using it in a 30" F/4.5 most of the time.

Thanks
Greg

Hi:

I had the chance (finally) to try the Ethos this past weekend. Verdict? Better...maybe insanely better...than any similar focal length eyepiece I have ever used. It was not just the AFOV, either, but the crispness, contrast, and sharpness. I do not do a whole lot of visual observing these days (mainly CCD/DSLR/Stellacam), but I _am_ scheming on how to come up with the 600 buck fare for this eyepiece.

Brad Davis said:

I have a Celstar but no corrector plate lens cap. Does anyone know of a source? Celestron has told me they no longer support this scope or sell parts for them - bummer? I'm checking Ebay and some Telescope related websites, but these covers seem to be rare.

Will any C8 cover fit the Celestar?

Thanks - Brad

Yes... I'd call Celestron back and talk to somebody else.