Posts Made By: Rob Elgert

Hey Martin:

I wouldn't buy a bunch more eyepieces yet if I were you. I think I would just fill in the gap between the 6mm and the 17mm a bit with another plossl. I would not buy a 32mm unless you want to get rid of the 40mm. One low power eyepiece is enough. If you get a 32mm, you will likely stop using one or the other. Fill in the gap, and stay with what you have. You will likely "know" after using it awhile what you are missing (if anything). You actually have a nicely balanced set now except for "that" gap. Don't be in a panic......

Clear Skies - Rob

Yes they are, and right over the feet too. Like I say, its just that bit of stiction to get going. I am going to try and take off the amorall and see what happens. Being that it is lighter,(only 12.5" F6) that indeed, may be the problem. If it doesn't work, I may try adding some spacers to the pivot bolt but I am hoping not to do that.

For alt motion, I used the spring and wire method travelling over a bearing as per S&T a few years back. It works remarkably well. I wanted to build the scope as light as possible so getting that perfect balance was tricky without using some counterweights. That, combined with an F6 lever made for a tricky balancing act. I must say however that alt motions are not only smooth but the springs allow me to let go of the tube at any height with any eyepiece (35 Pan to 7 Nag) and the tube stays put. Just a pleasure to use.

Now if I can only get that little bit of stickiness in Az sorted out......

Thanks for your input - Rob

YES - yes they are. You may wish to consider a Nexstar. I've got my eye on the 9.25" model that is supposed to be out soon. The drive on the nexstars is tried, true and tested and the 9.25" OTA is above reproach according to many. It should be an outstanding product.
Yet, still relatively portable.

Hope it works out - Rob

The 35mm is awesome but getting used to the larger eye relief and being able to hold the correct head position takes some practice. Its much easier to do when you are sitting down.
Will you gain much? IMO - Yes... and No. The gain in field is probably not worth the money difference. The 30mm is also a great eyepiece. But then again, I used the 35mm Ultima, with my Ultima 8 for several years and just loved it. It gives a big, contrasty field of view.
You could buy a used one on astromart and try it for a while. IF you don't like it, sell it again. It wouldn't cost alot to find out.

Rob

I have found the same thing Floyd. I found that stiction in az is unbearable with any kind of wax, armor all or whatever on the laminate surface. I cleaned everything well, and gave the clean surface a gentle "polish" with car polish (not wax but rather polish) and the movement are excellent with very low start-up velocities and almost zero stiction.
This has allowed comfortable tracking at considerably well over 200X on Mars. Smooth tracking and fine, large aperture optics are an amazing combination.......

Rob

Mark:

Given the questions you are asking, it is apparent you are new to astronomy and observing. I highly recommend that before you buy a scope, you spend $30 and go to your local bookstore and buy a copy of "The Backyard Astronomers Guide" by Terence Dickenson and Al Dyer. This is easily one of the best books for beginners to read. I gaurantee you will have alot better understanding of the properties and functions of different scopes before you buy.
The book will help you answer alot of questions that weigh heavily on the success of your scope purchase. It will cost you so little and take only a few days to read it thoroughly. In the end, it will make the descision of which scope to buy alot easier and contribute to the likelihood of getting the right scope for you.

I can't emphasize this enough as you may not get the right scope for your observing style because you haven't defined it yet. The book will help alot in this regard.

Sorry to be a downer but I hope this helps - Rob

This certainly is welcome news. While I could not complain about the old membership price, I am really glad for the newer amateurs who depend on sites like CN for valuable and critical info, and otherwise might not have access.
Congrats to Allister. He deserves alot of credit for his work on CN for the last 4 years and I, for one, am very greatful for his time and effort.

Clear Skies - Rob

Hey Keith:

That scope looks AWESOME!

Just wondering if you could please elucidate on the "Active cooling" you describe on this tube. I am a firm believer that better performance is possible with some modest improvements. More detailed pictures of the cooling system would be greatly appreciated.
Finally, what did you make the dew shield out of? I am struggling with a similar project for my C11.

Thanks - Rob

I don't know, but if you put the whole group in one room, I'm sure I could beat them all if I had a big enough stick

Seriously though, Stellarvue makes wonderful scopes. I've owned a few and tried a bunch of the others and they are all excellent scopes and represent good value. Just outta curiousity, can you tell us which scopes you decided to get rid of for the SV 80 9/D? What was the thought process that led you to this conclusion/descision?

Thanks and clear skies - Rob