Posts Made By: Bill Radich

October 2, 2003 06:15 PM Forum: Celestron

scope/mount choice

Posted By Bill Radich

I'm currently trying to decide which of two paths I want
to go. FYI, I'm returning to the hobby after a long (almost 20 year) break, and my interests lean about 35%/65% planetary/DSO. My backyard is fairly dark (haven't quantified), and I live about 30 minutes from an excellent, dark area frequented by star-partiers, so portability is
somewhat important.

option 1) a celestron 9.25 OTA with a losmandy gm-8. I like this option because of what I've read about the
all-around quality/utility of the 9.25, and I may
someday want to get into a 4" APO.

option 2) celestron nexstar 11GPS.

Again, I like the flexibility of having the good mount in
option 1), but am wondering if the views from the 11GPS are
so good that I may never want to buy an APO refractor. My
main concern here would be the stability of the 11GPS mount.


thanks for any input. I've been doing keyword searches
in these forums to help get informed, but still go back
and forth between these 2 options.

-bill

October 10, 2003 04:11 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Stellarvue 102 APO

Posted By Bill Radich

What's the deal with the SV 102 APO? I can't even find
any reports/reviews from the Stellarvue forum here on
Astromart. It also seems like SV's reputation has 'jumped'
over the last year- in part because of the S&T review.

It seems like the 102 APO with the hard case, JMI focuser,
and finder is quite a bargain at $1995. (yes I know the
tak 102 can be had new for $1900, but that's without
case, finder).. Any reviews/opinions/rerports?

-bill

October 27, 2003 08:39 PM Forum: Meade

'NEW' 8" LX200 at OPT: good deal?

Posted By Bill Radich

I see that OPT is selling 'new' meade LX200 8"
scopes (the classic ones without GPS, micro-focuser,
mirror-lock) for $1500. This seems like a better deal
than an 8" LX90 for sure. But any idea when Meade
stopped making these? Is it possible that optically
they aren't as good as the latest 8" scopes?

just curious,
bill

October 30, 2003 05:03 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Vixen R200SS

Posted By Bill Radich

I was searching for old messages regarding this scope, and
saw that Bill Byrd purchased one (I think in September), and
was going to give an update on visual performance. Bill,
are you there? Anyone else use this reflector?

Also, Bill referes to his as an Orion/Vixen- and yet I don't
see an Orion with the same specs (in the same price range)...

thanks,
bill

November 10, 2003 08:56 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

ITE Zeos off-axis

Posted By Bill Radich

Anybody look through one of the Zeos off-axis Newtonians
from ITE? I've read about some of the cons of this design
(collimation, manufacturability of moderate to large
mirrors, etc.)- but the info on ITE's website seems to imply
that they've tackled these issues at least somewhat. I'm
curious because the 'test report' pdf's of the 100 and 130
mm scopes claim performance BETTER than APO ..

http://www.iteastronomy.com/products/telescopes/overview.php?p=ZEOS

-bill


January 30, 2004 02:58 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

observing in MN

Posted By Bill Radich

Anyone else out there from MN (or nearby) try to
get out and observe over the last couple of un-godly
cold nights??
I put my dob out to cool down last night, and tried
to observe, but gave up after about 10 minutes.....
Heard it reached -44 (F) without windchill in some
parts....

bill


February 18, 2004 06:19 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Starsplitter prices

Posted By Bill Radich

It seems to me like Starsplitter scopes are
cheaper than the other well-known premium dobs
(obsession, starmaster)- AND they come with Zambuto
optics. Yet, I rarely see Starsplitter mentioned on
this forum anymore. Is there a reason for this?

just curious,
bill


February 27, 2004 09:51 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

new kendrick barlowed lasers

Posted By Bill Radich

Anyone have any reports on the Barlowed lasers
that Kendrick is now selling?

Thanks,
bill


March 14, 2004 09:37 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

35 mm vs 27 mm Panoptic for 8" f/6 dob

Posted By Bill Radich

I'm interested in anyone that's compared the
35 mm and 27 mm Panoptic. I have a 8" f/6
dob, and am looking for a premium low-power
eyepiece. I've noticed that the 27mm tends
to get slightly better reviews than the 35mm,
and am wondering if there is an inherent difference
optically. I realize the 35mm is heavier and more
expensive, but I'm really most interested in
anyone that's done a side-by-side comparison.

thanks,
bill

May 9, 2004 02:13 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

vixen ED80S

Posted By Bill Radich

I'm just curious, has anyone seen/heard anything about
this scope? Haven't been able to find any reviews anywhere.
Nada. Zilch. My guess is that interest has been overshadowed
by the orion 80ED. Still, at around $900 for the OTA, I'd
expect the mechanical quality to be better than the synta/orion. The vixen GP/ED80S combo for around $1600 list
(I've seen it even closer to $1400, but of course I'd buy
from you Herb) seems like a pretty good deal.

I've been recently converted from a SCT gut to a reflector guy.
But MN winters have me interested in a good quality scope
with little cooldown.



thanks,
bill