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Posts Made By: James DellaPenna

April 28, 2003 08:16 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Pentex E.P.s

Posted By James DellaPenna
Joe,

I have only the 10.5 for my C9.25 f/10 but it has become my favorite eyepiece when conditions are right (lots of light pollution here). I need a shorter focal length and am debating whether or not to get the Meade 8.8mm UWA or go all the way to the Pentax 7mm. The Pentax is a known entity for me and the most comfortable eyepiece I have ever used so it weighs heavily on my decision. Can't beat the 20mm eye relief, adjustable eyecup, and Hutech's price of $215.

May 10, 2003 01:56 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Wood Tripod Legs

Posted By James DellaPenna
Rick,

The wooden legs are great for stopping the shakes. They only have one minor drawback: When the leg stiffener/accessory tray is fully tightened in place it will press against the legs thus prohibiting leg adjustment unless you loosen the stiffener. This takes a little time and may be a bit tricky if you have a 20 pound scope still mounted on top. You may actually have to detach the stiffener before leg adjustment which will leave your scope & mount wobbling on top. I have had to remove my C9.25 to do this safely.

This will not be a problem if you generally keep the legs in one position. I have to change mine occasionally for the sake of "little folk" at school star parties. I'm not sure if this is a problem with all wooden tripods or just a few.

It's a shame scope manufacturers even bother with the aluminum tripods with heavier scopes but I guess there are a lot of things dictated by the marketing departments that should never happen. It would be great if all the scope companies were run by Al Nagler types!

May 18, 2003 11:09 PM Forum: Meade

Meade LXD55 10" Newtonian compeditors

Posted By James DellaPenna
A dealer told me that the Meade 10" SN has superb optics but is too heavy for the LXD55 mount. There is also a serious problem with the quality of the dovetail bar. It is so poorly built that some owners have reported them breaking frequently. Even the dealer said to fill its hollow core with liquid steel or resin. Sounds like too many problems to deal with.

June 1, 2003 08:47 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Re: The best catadioptric telescope

Posted By James DellaPenna
Steve,

I just read a Cloudy Nights review of the Williams Optics SCT Crayford Focuser ($149.) by Rod Mollise. With that one apparently you do not "lock down" the primary. You simply use the regular focuser to bring your object to near focus and then use the Crayford thereafter. This may be the normal procedure for the Feather Touch Focuser as well. Also, aside from being a lot less expensive, the WO SCT Crayford does not require an SCT base adapter. It simply threads onto the existing back and is rotatable.

August 13, 2003 07:44 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Celestron 9.25" GPS vs Celestron 11" GPS

Posted By James DellaPenna
Allen,

I own a 9.25 and agree with most of what has been said but I question your statement about the 9.25 performing better when seeing is poor. Better than what? Most reflectors and especially SCT's don't do well in poor seeing conditions as compared to say, a refractor. That's why I use a refractor when seeing is poor. I can not speak from experience because I have never looked through an 11". I suspect when seeing is poor the 11" will simply provide greater resolution of what is already a bad image.

August 13, 2003 07:52 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Solar filter for AR6?

Posted By James DellaPenna
No one has responded to my question, yet. Am I to assume such an item does not exist?

August 14, 2003 01:36 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Wanted: Clear Skies

Posted By James DellaPenna
And we are worried about a possible dust storm on Mars!

September 9, 2003 12:40 AM Forum: Eyepieces

Best ep's for my c9.25?

Posted By James DellaPenna
David,

I have the C9.25 and am partial to Pentax XL's. Strongley recommend the 21mm XL and the 14mm XL. I don't know what kind of viewing conditions you have but here in the southeast there are a few nights when it's so bad I just can not push the scope to 224x with the 10.5 without image degradation. This is where the 14mm comes in handy unless you are pleased with the Ultima 35 & Powermate combination (same power). The 14mm will provide a wider field of view. I don't think I have to sell you on the XL's. You already know how good the 10.5mm is. Otherwise, you have it well covered.

Jim

September 18, 2003 11:06 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

how long is the wait for Meade’s 99 ep prom

Posted By James DellaPenna
Ordered mine in mid July; took about six weeks.

October 16, 2003 11:54 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Eyepiece Question

Posted By James DellaPenna
Ted,

The biggest single improvement I would recommend for the 9.25 is upgrading to a 2" diagonal and getting one good low power 2" EP. I use an Astro Physics 2" visual back w/ the $99. 2" diagonal from William Optics. I got the one made for refractors so I can use it in both the SCT and my AR6. One of the very best deals going right now is a half price sale at $70. for a 32mm 70 degree field 2" wide angle from Apogee. With the exception of color of coatings this appears to be identical to the Meade 2" 32mm SWA EP. This will give you a .95 degree true field of view in the 9.25. If you want a larger field then you are looking at something in the 40mm range.

The 2" 32mm is great for viewing some larger objects, especially open clusters, and for initial slewing to most DSO objects. If you get one of these you will find very little use for the 32mm & 40mm Super Plossls.

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