Posts Made By: Srinivas Vignesh

This issue has probably been to death elsewhere but still...

What is the typical lifetime of coatings on mirrors used by Orion or similar scopes. I am curious to know how long people have had a scope and used it before they had to recoat it. Does it make a difference based on standard coatings or enhanced?

Also, would it vary based on usage?

Thanks.

Having never seen an asteroid through a telescope before, this has aroused my interest and plan to observe it. However, I am not sure what to look for. Will the object be moving in the telescope field of view?

Any tips to positively identify the object will be appreciated.

Thanks

Vignesh

Browsing through the Orion website, it is no longer offered. If you search for XT10 on their website, you do get a link. But when you get there, It says that it is no longer offered. But the other aperture versions are still available.

Any thoughts why they would discontinue the 10" version alone?

Would anybody know where I could get a good planisphere for 13 N latitude?

Thanks

Vignesh

Thinking about getting into planetary observing a bit with my XT10. What is the minimum maginification once should use to see shadow transits on Jupiter?

Here is my problem.

My scope takes a while to cool down, so I cant really bump the mag up because it is not sharp enough until it really cools down. And I don't have a lot of time to step outside. Given the short observation time I have, I would like to know if a magnification of around 120x would be sufficient to viewing the shadow transits? Images are sharp upto this magnification and I have to leave scope out much longer for using more magnification (which is a problem for me).

Planetary Observers, what are your thoughts?

After waiting for a clear night and a shadow transit, I was able to observe one last night, for the first time ever, at 715 pm EST. The transit was off center and Io just off the the limb of Jupiter. What a Sight!!!

Now that I have seen it, I have a question for you. I thought that the shadow looked slightly elliptical rather than perfectly round. Is that what I should expect to see?

Thanks

I am in the process of making a deal for mine. I would like to know how to ship it. I do not have the original box it came with. Does anyone have any ideas on the most efficient way to do that?

Thanks for your time and advice.

Vignesh

I want to share with you all a very positive experience with Orion customer service/technical support.

When I first received my Intelliscope XT10i off the clearance section, everything was working great. However, after 2 weeks, on my next observing session, I was getting ridiculous warp factors of -80. We initially suspected the Azimuth Encoder and a new one was sent out to me. When that didnt fix it, I got a new Azimuth Encoder Magnet disc and then the handheld controller with the altitude encoders/magnet next. None of this corrected the problem. Finally, we diagnosed the problem to the encoder connector board that couples the two encoders to the controller(happened to be a bad soldering connection on that board). I received that one also and that took care of the problem. Once I did this, the controller was putting objects in the field of view of my 9mm Nagler.

Through all this, Orion's tech support was very patient and never hesitated to send me parts continously till the problem was eventually resolved. All they asked in return was to send the defective part back so that, so they can look into it. Another instance of the excellent support Orion provided me was when they replaced the primary mirror of my old XT10 2 months after the warrany expired.

I am really glad to have Orion in this marketplace and recommend it to anybody who is shopping for a decent telescope on a budget.

Vignesh

Folks,

I am soon going to be in a situation where I will not be able to store/use my Orion XT10i (moving to a high rise apartment complex). Storage space is a premium and the XT10i simply takes up too much space in the new apartment.

I like to observe pretty much everything (not just a planetary person).

As alternatives, I looked at portaball 8" and the price is way beyond my budget. I plan to sell this xt10i to raise funds for the new scope. Including the proceeds of this sale, my maximum budget would be around $1400.

So, in short I am looking at a scope that offers me
1) decent aperture (atleast 5" or 6").
2) folds to a compact size..
3) decent optics (and I am not talking Premium)..have been happy with the Orion.. gives you an idea..
4) does not need to have DSCs..

Folks, please tell me there is something out there for me.. Any suggestions/tips will be most appreciated..

Thanks for reading this...

Vignesh

He makes a 10" truss dob and I have been seriously considering it. My thoughts were to get this scope and if necessary have the mirror refigured by Steve Swayze..

http://stargazer.isys.ca/10inch.html

I can find a few good things about him in general, but nothing about the truss dobs.Anybody out there who has any ideas about these scopes?

Are there any alternatives to this scope in its price range ($1299)?

Thanks for your ideas and suggestions!