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RICHARD COFER

Perseid Meteors in Vega Region

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Posts Made By: Chuck Burton

June 6, 2007 02:23 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Cast Aluminum Rotating Rings

Posted By Chuck Burton
Hi - I'm refurbishing a 17.5" scope and am considering the fabrication/installation of fully rotating rings. I've made these before using large aluminum castings (these rings will be 25" OD X 22" ID X 1.5" thick. Unfortunately, I don't have a pattern anymore and this could be cost-prohibitive to produce without one. Has anyone else here attempted to make a large aluminum ring like this? Is there any such thing as an aluminum pipe this size or a way to "roll" bar stock to such a radius? Any advice appreciated! Thanks! - chuck

July 28, 2007 06:18 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Comparing the "Silly Millimeter" Naglers

Posted By Chuck Burton
No offense intended with that title line - Naglers are my favorite eyepieces and I own a few. It's tough enough to choose a set of these high-dollar/high performance eyepieces. Then Al throws up a series of mid-focal length eyepieces that are just 1mm apart. Which one is the best of the three? I have a C14 and a 17.5" fast Newt. and do mostly deep sky observing with these eyepieces. Anyone here care to comment on the difference between the Nagler 11mm Type 6, 12mm Type 4, and the 13mm Type 6? I have a 12mm Type 4 which is an admirable performer, but I don't care much for the variable position eyepiece cup. I'm considering whether to trade it off for one of the other two focal lengths. Any comments or advice based on your experiences are welcome. Thanks!

July 29, 2007 05:00 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Improving Chinese Binocs

Posted By Chuck Burton
I have a pair of Chinese 25 X 100 binocs and would like to modify them to accept standard 1.25" eyepieces. Has anyone here ever done that?

Yes, I know I could spend $1500 and just BUY a pair, but that's not an option I can afford at the moment. Thanks!

August 21, 2007 01:10 AM Forum: Refractors

Opinions on the Celestron AR-6

Posted By Chuck Burton
Hi! I'm mostly a Newtonian and SCT guy. Never owned a refractor, but I figure this forum is where all the refractor experts are hangin' out. I have a chance to pick up a Celestron AR-6 refractor for a very reasonable price. I know this is a "Synta" scope, but I'm mostly looking for a low-to-mid power scope to replace my crappy 25X100 binocs. I figure maybe the scope will work in this application with a Nagler eyepiece or a binoviewer with a couple of Panoptics. The fact that the lens cell is collimatable would seem to be a feature in its favor. I'd really appreciate your opinions on this scope - generally speaking of course!
Thanks! - Chuck

September 29, 2007 07:07 AM Forum: Refractors

Meade AR-6: Coatings & Contrast

Posted By Chuck Burton
I recently picked up a Meade AR-6 OTA. As a long-time Newt/Cat fan, I thought I'd try out a refractor. This scope gives very sharp images of lunar detail and performs pretty well on deep-sky stuff. When observing the moon however, I notice that the background sky in the field of view, is pretty bright - as if light is being scattered in the telescope tube. This was true no matter which eyepieces I used. I also used my 25X100 binocs to look at the moon, just to compare the views. In the binocs, the sky around the moon is pitch black.

So is this typical performance on the AR-6? If so, would adding more internal baffles help the situation? I appreciate any advice on this! Thanks - Chuck

November 22, 2007 08:25 PM Forum: Mounts

LXD-55 vs. CG-5

Posted By Chuck Burton
I have a Meade AR-6 (6" f/8) refractor OTA and would like to put it on a portable mount. Would anyone care to offer an opinion on which of the two subject mounts would work best for this scope? Or, are they both too light? Thanks! - Chuck

November 22, 2007 08:59 PM Forum: Refractors

LXD-55 vs. CG-5 Mount for Meade AR-6 Refractor

Posted By Chuck Burton
I have a Meade AR-6 (6" f/8) refractor OTA and would like to put it on a portable mount. Would anyone care to offer an opinion on which of the two subject mounts would work best for this scope? Or, are they both too light? Thanks! - Chuck

February 9, 2008 04:13 PM Forum: Mounts

SkyWatcher HEQ-5 Teardown

Posted By Chuck Burton
Hi - I have a Skywatcher HEQ-5 mount that needs to be cleaned out and relubricated. I haven't done one of these before and am looking for some pointers or better yet, a documented procedure. Any assistance would be appreciated!
- Chuck

February 20, 2008 01:22 AM Forum: Eyepieces

Eyepieces for Binoculars

Posted By Chuck Burton
Hi - I have a set of 125mm binoculars and would like to replace the narrow AFOV stock eyepieces with something a bit wider. The lenses are at f/5, so I'm thinking I'll need a pair of high-end eyepieces to get decent edge performance. I like the performance of Panoptics in a regular scope - as long as I'm not "panning." The pincushion distortion is so bad in the Pans that I get motion sickness if I do it for very long! I'd like an AFOV of 65 degrees or better. So, I'm looking for suggestions. Thanks! - Chuck

March 14, 2009 05:09 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Nagler 11mm Type 1 vs. the New Type 6

Posted By Chuck Burton
I have a pair of the old 11mm Nagler "Type 1" eyepieces. The views through these eyepieces are breathtaking in a fast Newt. However, I'm headed into binoviewing and these big eyepieces are a bit large for that application. Has anyone here had any experience or made any direct comparisons of both the older 11mm Type 1's and the newer Type 6 versions? If so, I'd be very interested in your impressions as I may want to trade these off. Thanks! - Chuck

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