Posts Made By: Dave Adams

October 7, 2006 07:09 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

130 f/6 vs f/9

Posted By Dave Adams

I noticed APM selling f/9.25 super planetary apos and wondering if there would be any noticeable improvement on planets, double stars, etc over the standard f/6 130 apos that they sell? I am guessing there would be more depth of focus and the flatter light cone would be easier on eyepieces at the edges but am wondering if there are other things I am not thinking of. Thanks.

Dave Adams

November 25, 2006 07:34 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

C9.25 - how do I deal with dew

Posted By Dave Adams

Hi,

I have a C9.25 that I use from my patio in Michigan and have had major dew problems the last few nights. I am wondering if a dew shield will solve the problem or do I need more tools in my toolkit? I have a outdoor plug fairly close by for electricity if that is needed. Thanks.

Dave Adams

December 21, 2006 08:44 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

8" dob upgrade questions

Posted By Dave Adams

I bought a DSO 8" dob from Anttler Optics this week and have to say I am very impressed with the scope for especially for what it costs. Has anyone tried any of the following from http://astronomy-shoppe.com/? primary or secondary collimation knobs, azimuth lock and tension knobs.

I also would like to be able to use my binoviewer and has anyone come up with a good conterweight? Thanks.

Dave

p.s. I probably could have saved myself a lot of money if I had bought this as my first scope and it might have been all I ever needed.

December 24, 2006 02:15 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

New dob questions

Posted By Dave Adams

Hi,

I bought a DSO 8" from Antler Optics last week and have some questions. Before the questions, the scope is very nice and I can't believe what a value these Chinese/Taiwan dobs are. The Antler version has a 2 speed focuser, rollar bearings, upgraded finder and a fan. I had the scope out last night and I thought it did well considering the poor seeing here. I was able to make out the 5th star and had hints of the 6th star of the trapezium. I looked at Saturn but it was low before I had to bring the scope in although it looked sharp for very brief moments. The contrast on the Orion Nebualue seemed very good though I had no other scope out for comparison.


Now the questions- I was using a 22mm Nagler and a 6.7 UWA and I had to slide them out of the focuser with the focuser at max out travel to get them to come to focus. Is this a common issue? Should I live with it or try to get a shorter focal length mirror? Could this possibly cause the light cone to be cut off as the light enters the bottom of the focuser?

What are others using for counterweights? I have heard that magnets and ankle weights are good? Does anyone know a good source of heavy magnets? I would like to be able to use my Denk binoviewer with this scope.

I noticed one clip which extends over the face of the secondary. Is this typical of these scopes and does it interfere with performace?

The scope seems fairly easy to pick up and carry out in one piece but wondering if anyone has added extra handles?

Has anyone tried replacing the secondary collimation screws with thumb screws and if so where did you get them?

Finally, this scope seems so very user friendly in setup and use. I really like being able to carry it out in one piece and more than that have very much enjoyed sitting down and the comfortable eye position. I have been fickle in buying equipment in the past and have a lot of scopes but have the feeling of selling most of my other scopes and focusing wink on observing with this scope. I feel like I am going full circle since my first scope was a 6" f/8 dob
25 years ago. If I had bought this scope early on, I could have saved some money but I probably wouldn't have been happy without trying refractors/scts/etc. Has anyone else tried a bunch of different scopes and kept an 8" f/6 dob (or similar) as there main/only scope? Thanks!

Dave Adams

December 27, 2006 09:01 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Anyone tried scope-gripps?

Posted By Dave Adams

I have an 8" DSO dob and was looking for a counterweight solution when I ran across the scope-gripps at http://www.astronomy-shoppe.com/ and wondering if anyone has tried them? It looks like you can adjust the tension to accomodate heavy eyepieces or a binoviewer. I would be interested in how smooth motion is with tension set to a high level.
Thanks.

Dave Adams

January 12, 2007 02:22 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Grab and go reflector

Posted By Dave Adams

I am thinking of getting a reflector I can carry out in one piece and start observing and am thinking of an xt4.5 or possibly a DGM 4.0. The costs are quite different but has anyone compared these two or recommend something else?
I really like the simplicity of a dob and the comfort of sitting down and observing. I have a DSO 8" (8" f/6 Guan Shen dob) that is great and looking for something to complement it for quick views. I want to store the scope in my living room so something out of wood would be preferred but not necessary. Thanks.

Dave Adams

January 20, 2007 02:42 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Binocular Highlights

Posted By Dave Adams

Has any tried the book "Binocular Highlights" http://www.shopatsky.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1192

I saw it advertised in this months Sky & Tel and curious if it is any good. Thanks.

Dave Adams

January 21, 2007 08:02 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Unit finder for light polluted area

Posted By Dave Adams

If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on using a dob with a unit finder only from a light polluted area they will be appreciated. I am purchasing a 8" Starbucket and it has a Rigel Quickfinder. The drawback I can see is that in some areas of the sky, the light pollution washes out even the constellations so it is hard to get a star hop going without some kind of optical aid. I am not sure if a RACI finder would help much or not and I would have to add a signficant amount of weight which I would like to avoid since one of the main reasons for buying the scope in the first place is to reduce the weight from my xt-8 clone (45lbs) to the Starbucket 8" (27lbs). I could put an Orion 6x30 RACI finder and maybe "only" have to add 4 pounds or so at the back end of the scope for balance. The other option I am thinking of is digital setting circles. Thanks.

Dave Adams

January 26, 2007 03:36 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Binocular Steadymount

Posted By Dave Adams

Has anyone tried Oberwerk's binocular Steadymount http://www.bigbinoculars.com/steadymount.htm ?

I am looking to be able to mount a pair of Fujinon 16x70's inside a room in my home. One side of the mount would connect to the wall and they other side to the binoculars. The Fujinons would be on the heavy side for this mount and does anyone know of a similar mount with a higher weight capacity? Thanks.

Dave Adams

January 29, 2007 11:27 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Vixen 130 sf questions - central obstruction

Posted By Dave Adams

I am thinking of purchasing a Vixen 130sf and was wondering if anyone has had a chance to use one? It looks like a nice lightweight reflector and I have not been able to find many reviews. The one I did was positive about the scope.
The reviewer did mention that the central obstruction was 35% as it is set up for photography. I am stricly a visual observer and wondering if I should be concerned about such a large obstruction?

I was considering Starblast ota but the Vixen is an f/5 which should give better views across the eyepiece field I would think. Thanks.

Dave Adams