Posts Made By: Fred Dase

I talked with the Meade representative at NEAF on Saturday. He assured me that the drive system could support up to twice the weight of the 10" OTA which is 36lbs. The catch is that it has to be mounted on center and counterweights used to at least semi balance the tube front to back.
The objective end of the Nighthawk actually helps this balance and I only need an additional 2lb counterweight instead of the 6lbs to balance. It worked fine last night for the limited time there was a hole in the clouds here.
I used a ADM Mini Dovetail System which only weighs 2.5lbs including the rings.

So In case anyone is wondering ... YES you can mount a Nighthawk NG on a Meade 10" SCT.

Fred

I appreciate your feedback on this. I'm going to buy one now.
Thanks ... Fred

Any quality stain will work, such as minwax. You'll need to sand ALL the old finish off (I don't mean color but whatever sealant was used) to expose the pores of the wood for the stain to penetrate. You can't actually make it look like walnut, at most you can make it dark brown.
Then you MUST reseal it using some type of water-resistant sealer. Polyurethane will work (its water-resistant), or Spar-Urethane (which is pretty much waterproof). Whatever you do don't use one of those stain/sealant mixtures.
If you want to repaint the metal parts you will need to scuff them everywhere for the new paint to stick. Epoxy (appliance) paint is best for this as its more durable and will be less prone to scrapes and scratches.
Keep in mind that your tripod legs should already be snuggly fit together. If you sand off more than you add back on they will have more slop. If you put on more than you took off they will be hard to extend. Also if you don't let the parts dry properly before you use them they probably will stick together.

If I was going to do this I would use
100 grit, then 150 grit sandpaper to remove the old finish.
Minwax-American walnut stain
Satin Polyurethane spray.
(Scuff between 2 lite coats of urethane with 220 grit sandpaper.)

Scuff the metal parts with 220 grit sandpaper
Spray with Black epoxy paint.

Fred

U.O. got back to ma concerning the battery.
Tom was right it used the 2.7v PX14 Mercury Battery.
I'll try the 3v PX14 replacement and see what happens.
Thanks everyone for the help.
Fred Dase

I use Vanguard VGP13 cases and found this source for pick-n-pluck foam.
You get 2 pcs 2" thick that fit the case perfectly for $19.95
http://www.starcase.com/detail.aspx?ID=308

Fred

I use one too, and keep it rolled up in a 4" square box when not in use.
At first mine was shaped funny when I tried wrapping it around the end of the OTA but then I discovered that if you attach the velcro evenly first then slide the shield onto the OTA it retains the round shape and doesn't look funny. I have a 10" SCT so mines a bit longer than yours. I don't know how that would affect things

I think they were refering to the Televue 20mm Type 2 Nagler. Its considered a "classic"
I don't know the weight offhand but its the heaviest eyepiece I have ever seen.

Well its been a month. While I got zero response to my my entry I would still like to know who the winner was.

When the deal has been agreed on I always say I'll let you know when the check/item arrives so we can leave each other feedback.
When it does arrive I leave them feedback and then send a email stating that it has arrived and that I've left feedback for them.
There have been a few people that I've still had to ask them to leave feedback when they have a chance.
At this point I have 83 given and 81 received so it seems to work.

Fred

You'll need the image somewhere on your hard drive. Then you just click the browse button and navigate to the image then click on the upload button. Images can't be over 500kb I think.
I've tried twice this morning to upload a picture and got a error both times. I think theres something wrong server side. This has happened to me before. If thats happening to you just wait a couple hours and it will get straightened out.

Fred Dase