Posts Made By: Tim Cross

July 22, 2003 08:10 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Super Polaris C8N

Posted By Tim Cross

Anyone ever had any experience with this scope (8" newt on the Super Polaris mount)? Mount is a given, but what about the ota? Apparently these were fairly rare and in the same genre as the Celestron/Vixen SP-C6 scopes (i.e. with the moving secondary for focusing). Any comments on the optical quality of these? Thanks.
tim

September 12, 2003 07:18 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

25x100 Binoculars - Collimation

Posted By Tim Cross

Hi there! I just bought a pair of 25x100 binocs on Astromart that are in need of collimation (they were very much on sale because of this). I am not sure what brand these are (not branded), but they appear identical to the Celestron Skymasters, the Burgess 25x100s, Pro-optics, etc. Will have to test them out more thoroughly this evening, but in any case, I've got a couple of questions that another owner of these binos can perhaps help me with. First of all, do these have eccentric objective cells; asking this because someone has already tried playing with these and just want to know whether the objective alignment could possibly be substantially off. I assume that there is much greater possibility of this in the case of binos with eccentric objective housings. Please correct me if I am wrong. The other question is, where are the prism alignment screws. The binos have a leatherette cover and there is no indication of exactly where these screws are; would like to be able to access them without having to completely remove the leatherette covering. A diagram or picture of this would be a wonderful help! Thanks in advance for any help that you can offer, though I am not sure exactly where the source of my miscollimation is. Cheers!
Tim Cross

September 15, 2003 01:24 PM Forum: Lost Contacts and Personal Messages

Jeffre Albro please contact me

Posted By Tim Cross

Jeffre,
Got a few emails from you re. the 4.5" Cometron mirror set, but all of my attempts to reply got bounced back. Feel free to give me a call at (613) 836-0768. Thanks!
Tim Cross

November 28, 2003 04:59 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Autoguiding with the Fastar 8/Celestar 8 Deluxe

Posted By Tim Cross

Anybody had any experience autoguiding with the Celestron Fastar 8 scope? I believe that the drive base and electronics are identical to those of the C8 deluxe. Hand control has an autoguider input (telephone jack). Not sure which units will work with this (201XT, ST-4, etc.). If anyone has any advice or suggestions, please offer away! Thanks so much!
Tim Cross

June 21, 2004 02:52 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

ST-4 with Flipmate - Use with the Taurus Tracker

Posted By Tim Cross

Hi there! Has anyone successfully used an ST-4 with the Flipmate on a Taurus Tracker III OAG? I would be using it with a 35mm SLR camera, an 8" SCT and the Taurus f6.5 focal reducer (reduces focus of both primary and off-axis images). I have run into the problem of not having enough in-travel on the guide port to allow the ST-4/Flipmate combination to reach focus while the camera is focused. Any solutions for this issue?
Best regards,
Tim Cross

July 14, 2004 03:35 PM Forum: Lost Contacts and Personal Messages

Another scam?

Posted By Tim Cross

I have waited 6 weeks to receive a mirror ordered from William Wallace in Coronado, CA. He isn't responding to my emails and I now notice that the paypal account that I sent the payment to is registered in another name (David Morin) and has an unconfirmed address. As this was a relatively small purchase and the original communications seemed genuine, I didn't think twice about checking out his credentials a bit more closely (Doh!). But now it appears that I have been bilked. Has anyone else had any dealings with this user? His email address is [email protected] (maybe I should have clued into this also?).

Best regards,
Tim Cross


July 27, 2004 03:43 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Celestron 80ED refractor - any reviews?

Posted By Tim Cross

Has anyone used one of these scopes yet or seen reviews on the web somewhere? Also, does anyone know if this is the same optic as is used in the Orion 80ED? Seems like it would be (both 80mm ED Apos from Synta).

If you've got info. on this scope, please share smile

Cheers!
Tim Cross

August 5, 2004 07:13 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Celestron 80ED refractor?

Posted By Tim Cross

My last post on the subject went unanswered, but I'll try one more time. Has anyone received/used one of these scopes yet? They have been listed in the spotting scopes section of Celestron's website for some time, though I haven't heard whether any have actually shipped yet. Based upon the specs listed (80mm f7.5 ED apo), I am assuming that the optics are the same as those in the Orion 80ED. Can anyone confirm this? If this is the case, it would seem like a very good value at ~$429 (with a ring, diagonal, finder and eyepiece included). Just a R&P focuser however.

Here is the link to Celestron's page on this scope:

http://www.celestron.com/prod_pgs/spot/80ed_04.htm

Any info anyone?

Clear skies,
Tim Cross

November 8, 2004 03:39 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Re: I Guess I'm Being Insincere...

Posted By Tim Cross

Harold,
Sounds like you should take a step back. Maybe expand your interests a bit or just do some good ole fashioned bino/naked eye observing and staring up at your dark night sky. If you've lost interest, then so be it. No reason to flog a dead horse or feel guilty for losing interest; life's too short for that! But at the same time, if you've spent all of your time trying to attain the biggest and the best, maybe your priorities were a bit out of place to begin with (e.g. trying to best your local club president). Enjoy the night sky if you are so inclined and think about the wonders of this world around us; if this is not the driving force behind your interest in astronomy, then maybe it's time to get out of it.

Best regards,
Tim

November 8, 2004 07:21 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Spring counterweight system - recommendations?

Posted By Tim Cross

Does anyone have any recommendations/rules of thumb to use in putting together a spring counterweight system for a dob? I have seen Tom Kracji''s design and it looks fine. Any experiences out there that suggest refinements, optimal placements of pulley, hooks, etc. and size/type of spring to use? I have a 17.5" truss dob that is just slightly top heavy. Any suggestions/links would be much appreciated!

Best regards,
Tim Cross