Posts Made By: Dow Mathis

Hello,

I have a Celestron C150-HD Reflector (the one with the corrector lens between the primary and secondary) which has served me well for the four years that I've had it. It came with a CG-4 mount which I tore down and re-lubed. It has a 6" aperture with a 1000mm focal length, and an F-ratio of F7.

How does this scope compare with a Schmidt-Newt of similar aperture? What about an 8 or 10 inch? I'd like to move to a heavier mount, and with mounts costing what they do, it seems that it's almost cheaper to buy one with the OTA rather than alone. With this in mind, I've seen some good pricing on a goto system with a Meade SN8 or SN10 on the LXD75 mount. What are the plusses and minuses of the S-N tubes compared to a regular Newt or the hybrid that I have?

If it makes any difference, I really enjoy the DSO's and would like to eventually start doing some astrophotography.

Any other thoughts you might have would be great.

Dow

You know those questions that you'd really like to ask, but you're afraid that you'll look like an idiot if you do? Well, the time has come to possibly look like an idiot, or at least a little simple-minded.

Can someone explain to me (in layman's terms) what the differences are between Plossls, Kelners, Naglers, and the other common types of eyepieces? Also, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the types or when you'd use one over another?

And while I'm at it, could someone recommend a good eyepiece for DSO's that won't break the bank? I looked through what were evidently some great eyepieces at a star party last Saturday, but frankly the thought of spend hundreds of dollars on an eyepiece makes me a bit squeamish, especially when the price begins to approach the price that I paid for my whole setup.

FYI, I have a 25mm Sirius, a 12mm Vixen Lanthamum, and a 6mm Orion Expanse. I'm not sure what type of eyepieces these are, design-wise.

Thanks,

Dow

Hey, I recently bought a used Orion SVP with the truetrack motors, and I have a problem. I had noticed that the manual clutch assembly is a little "gummy" on both drive, and this evening I figured out what it was. The rubber pad that rides between the clutch mounting nut and the gear is all gummed up and is deteriorating. Does anybody know where I can get replacement pads? I've dug through Orion's website, and have looked at the original manual that came with the mount, as well as the truetrack manual on Orion's site, and I can't find a reference anywhere to this pad. It looks like somewhat like a flattened O-ring, but it's obviously NOT an O-ring.

If anyone has any information or advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Dow

Well, I picked up some gasket material at the auto parts store yesterday, and it worked great. Thanks again for the suggestions.

dow