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Posts Made By: Dave Adams

May 23, 2005 04:08 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Laser collimator - safe for eyes?

Posted By Dave Adams
I would like to get a laser collimator but am wondering if they are eye safe? What if the laser bounces off a reflective surface and hits your eye? How about directly into the eye? Is there a time duration that is safe? I just got a 14" Tscope and have the Tectron collimating kit but watching the previous owner collimate with a laser looked like the way to go. Thanks.

Dave

September 12, 2005 04:46 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Collimating 14" Tscope

Posted By Dave Adams
I have a 14" Tscope and would like to be able to collimate the primary from the rear and wondering what the best tool to get would be? I am thinking of getting the Orion Lasermate deluxe but wondering if any of the more expensive models are worth the extra money? Can the Orion or other lasers be collimated if they need it? Thanks.

Dave Adams

December 9, 2005 05:59 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

TMB 105 LW vs SV-105 vs Tak FS-102II

Posted By Dave Adams
I am looking to purchase a 4" apo that I can use for binoviewing from my cold weather location (Michigan). I will mainly use the scope for lunar/planet viewing and wonder which of the 3 scopes - TMB 105 LW, SV-105 or Tak FS-102II will be the best choice. Will the Tak have a faster cooldown being a doublet? It seems the feather touch on the TMB and SV are favorites from what I have read. Would one scope be easier in switching from binoviewing to single eyepiece use? Most importantly, which will give the best views or will it be splitting hairs between them? If so, ergonomics seems to be the deciding factor and which would be best in this area? Thanks.

Dave Adams

December 15, 2005 12:52 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Binoviewing with 4" refractor - magnfication range

Posted By Dave Adams
I have a SV105 on the way and am trying to plan which eyepieces and optical compensators to start out with for lunar/planetary viewing. I have a DenkII with Denk 21 mm eyepieces that I would like to use. With the universal powerswitch that I have, I will get 1.25x (39x), 1.8x (55x),
and 2.25 (68x) in the SV105.

The options I can think of now or to get a higher power S unit from Denkmeier to shift all the magnifications higher or stick a 2x or 4x powermate in front of the diagonal. I wish there was a 3x powermate as that would seem to be ideal but I am guessing as to what the best magnification range will be with the SV105 and a binoviewer.

As a side issue, will I run out of light at high powers when binoviewing with a 4 inch scope and perhaps save the high power viewing for single eyepiece viewing?

Dave Adams

December 18, 2005 03:23 PM Forum: Eyepieces

26 Nagler vs 24 Panoptic

Posted By Dave Adams
I have a 14 Tscope (f/4.7) and would like to get a widefield eyepiece. I am wondering how the 24 panoptic would compare with the 26 Nagler. I am trying to keep the exit pupil in the 5-6 mm range. Thanks.

Dave Adams

December 23, 2005 06:04 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Nagler 3-6 zoom vs Meade 4000 6.7 uwa

Posted By Dave Adams
I have a SV105 and am thinking of getting a Nagler 3-6 zoom to replace my beloved Meade 6.7 uwa. The 6.7 uwa is great for use on my alt-az Discmount with its wide apfov. With it in a 1.8 barlow I get ~180x with a true field of view near that of the Nagler 3-6 at the 6 setting giving ~100x. I have heard though that the Nagler being parfocal is great for dialing in the highest magnfication for the seeing conditions and wondering if this feature alone is worth the price and would likely become my default high power eyepiece? The eye relief on the Meade 6.7 is not great but is acceptable for me.

December 26, 2005 03:04 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Diagonal mirror - when time to recoat?

Posted By Dave Adams
I have a TV 2" diagonal that is about 10 years old. Is there any general guidelines on when it is worthwhile to have the mirror recoated? Is there any way I can tell by looking at the mirror? Thanks.

Dave Adams

January 2, 2006 06:00 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

fs-60c vs Zenithstar 66 apo

Posted By Dave Adams
I am looking for a lightweight (<4lbs or so) scope with great optics for mostly lunar viewing. I have an ST-80 and would like to move up in quality. The Takahashi fs-60c has great reviews on the optics and I haven't been able to find many reviews on the Zenithstar. Wondering if anyone has compared the two or could I make an assumptions based on other William Optics apos. Would there be any other good choices that would be better? Thanks!

Dave Adams

January 2, 2006 06:00 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

fs-60c vs Zenithstar 66 apo

Posted By Dave Adams
I am looking for a lightweight (<4lbs or so) scope with great optics for mostly lunar viewing. I have an ST-80 and would like to move up in quality. The Takahashi fs-60c has great reviews on the optics and I haven't been able to find many reviews on the Zenithstar. Wondering if anyone has compared the two or could I make an assumptions based on other William Optics apos. Would there be any other good choices that would be better? Thanks!

Dave Adams

January 7, 2006 08:28 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Checking Kendrick laser's collimation

Posted By Dave Adams
I just received a Kendrick 2" laser collimator and made a make shift V-block to check it's collimation. As I spin the laser collimator 360 degrees in the V-block, the laser dot moves up and down about 3/4" at a distance of 15 feet.
I am wondering how accurate the collimation of the laser should be at this distance and if the amount of movement I measured is enough to affect the collimation of the telescopes I will use it in (14" f4.7 Tscope). Thanks!

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