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Posts Made By: ken pfeiffer

January 22, 2007 11:25 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Spreader for Wood Tripod

Posted By ken pfeiffer
Hi all,

I have a Universal Astronomics Unistar Deluxe mount on a heavy wooden surveyor's tripod with a standard Bogen spreader. Nice mount! However, I am trying to mount (don't laugh!) a C11 OTA on it. The good news is that it almost works. The scope seems a little heavy for the mount, but it is usable, except for the tripod. When it is sitting on concrete, the legs will shift around and the tripod will get off center. If the spreader was more rigid and held the legs in the same position, it would be much better.

Does anyone know of a more heavy duty, rigid spreader for this tripod, and where I could get one? Thanks much for any advice!

February 21, 2007 04:53 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Orion bino adjustment

Posted By ken pfeiffer
I have a pair of the older Orion 14x100 binoculars that have provided excellent service over the years. These have individual focusing oculars. Recently, one of the oculars has "loosed up" in that you can turn it, but it does not change focus. If you pull the ocular away from the body of the binocular and turn it, it will change focus, but it does not stay that way by itself. I have pulled off the eyecup, looked for set screws, etc, all to no avail.

Does anyone know how to fix this? It seems like a simple problem, but it is a big mystery to me. Thanks for any advice!

December 20, 2007 05:21 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Spotter on UA mount?

Posted By ken pfeiffer
I have a spotting scope with a 45 degree eyepiece and a camera plate sort of mount adapter that fits nicely on a camera tripod. Is there any kind of adapter that would allow it to be mounted on a astronomical (UA) style mount with a vertical dovetail clamp? The adapter would probably have to have a dovetail and a plate attached at 90 degrees to attach the scope to so that the eyepiece could be in the proper orientation.

I'd appreciate any input on this. Thanks!

February 18, 2008 08:53 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

"Diffractive Optics" technology

Posted By ken pfeiffer
I am wondering why we don't see any of the "diffractive optics" technology in telescope lenses. I was intrigued by reading about the Canon camera lenses using this "DO" technology, which apparently allows more compact, lighter lenses. Check this out:

http://www.canon.com/technology/canon_tech/explanation/do_lens.html

Does anyone have any insight on this?

February 21, 2008 04:14 PM Forum: Digital SLR AstroPhotography

astro photo book

Posted By ken pfeiffer
Can someone recommend a good book or two for general astrophotography? I am interested in all aspects of it, but know very little.

Thanks much!

April 11, 2002 09:42 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

ATTN: Observers in Hawaii

Posted By ken pfeiffer
Hi Mike,

Which island are you on?

May 30, 2002 02:39 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Good Binoculars

Posted By ken pfeiffer
I suggest the Celestron Ultima 10x50's. These are very
versatile, compact, and light. The best part about them
is the incredible optics. bright, clear, and sharp to the
edge. I own at least 7 different pairs of binoculars,
including Nikon and Pentax, ranging from 25 to 100mm, and
these are by far the best optically. I got mine from
Adorama for $189 (plus a hefty shipping fee).

September 30, 2002 10:03 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Solar Filter Safety

Posted By ken pfeiffer
Yes, this is a scary subject. I have a full aperture filter
that fits loosely over the corrector plate of my 8" SCT,
and I tape it on securely with masking tape. Also put
the lens cap on the finder scope. It's STILL scary,
especially after reading some of the reports in this
thread. Hope we all urge others to use great caution
when viewing the sun.

November 17, 2003 02:36 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Finder Comparison

Posted By ken pfeiffer
You may also want to check out the Stellarvue 8x50 RACI. I got one a little while ago and it is really nice. I also checked out the Antares, but it didn't get very good reviews on the Astro Ratings (Excelsis) site. People are generally very happy with Stellarvue equipment.

December 31, 2003 03:58 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

U2K trouble, Send Help.

Posted By ken pfeiffer
I have a U2K also, and I have experienced similar problems.
The only way I know to reset the whole thing is to take
the batteries out. This may or may not help.

Are the batteries fully charged? The hand paddle has
an indicator that will tell you the total voltage. Fully
charged is around 12 volts or so. The computer doesn't
work well when it gets too much below 10-ish. If you have
an AC adaptor you might try that to see if it works
any better.

I had to send mine back to the factory, and they replaced
the circuit board. That solved most of the problems,
but it took a few weeks. Hope you get it fixed soon!

Let us know what happens.




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