Posts Made By: Ed York

I was under the impression (I have no idea where from) that Televue EP's were all made in Japan. I've gone through some Panptics and Naglers and was surpised to see that not all were made in Japan and there was not a pattern by model. It got me wondering if certain ones are made in certain places or are parallel lines are being run and you just get the luck of the draw. I would be interested in seeing enough data to guess what is produced where.

So, what model and size do you have and where is it made?

Ed

I have had some interesting (good)experiences lately. I've flipped some EP's trying to re-adjust my jumps to better fit a newer scope. I am a big fan of the Meade 14mm UWA and had a 24.5 SWA, but didn't use it much.

I stumbled into a few other SWA's because everyone is dumping them to make room for the series 5000 EP's. All I have to say is WOW, what a deal. I picked up a 40mm used, then an 18mm used and a new 13.8mm. The views have all been very good and the price incredible cheap. The other piece has been the weight. I used the 13.8mm tonight from the yard (a ton of LP) and had an excellent view of M13. I switched to my 14mm UWA and while the fov was bigger, the 13.8mm SWA held its own. It is about the size of a plossl - weight is in ounces not pounds.

I'll have to say I have been very impressed. For a combination of price, weight, light transmission and fov, these are an exceptional buy right now. I do need to run them under some dark skies to really get a feel for them. And I do expect my 14mm UWA will hld the field a little crisper then the 13.8mm SWA, but not to wrestle with the weight/balance issues, I'll probably use the SWA's as the workhorse and save the UWA and big Naglers for the near perfect condition views.

On a closing note, I have a 32mm SWA from an AM auction heading my way now. The irony is the only SWA from the set I am missing is the 24.5mm which I started off with but sold to try something else.

Ed

Well I got to try a new (used - new ot me) 22 t4 tonight. Very nice EP. I had a couple of the t6's but switched back to the UWA's. I felt like the light transmission was better and more natural in the UWA's. The t6's, to me, felt like the contrast (/coatings) was overworked a bit.

The 22 t4 has a very nice feel. The view has a very similar feel to the UWA's, which I like very much. I had been angling for a 20mm t5, but "settled" for a 22mm t4. The 22mm t4 fits vey well with the 14mm UWA. It is an excellent jump and the feel of the view is very similar. I really like it. Definitely a keeper.

The only downside on both - the weight. With an f5.9 dob with buttery movement, that weight thing will drive you to drinking. I pull one ep out and the scope goes up. I put the next EP in and the scope goes down. I would say it's the scope, but when you are swinging 2 lbs on a 4.5 foot moment arm, well what do I really expect. The view makes up for it though.

I can definitely understand the popularity of the t4 series. How much is that 17mm t4 anyway? I think I have a hole to fill.

Ed

I can only give you second hand info.

One was listed for quite some time a while back so I decided to check it out and make an offer. Through all of my research the biggest knock on the axiom line is poor eye relief. Other then that people seemed to think highly of them. I didn't buy the EP because the guy was firm on a used price about 90% of new.

Ed

If you use the top board of an EQ Platform as your groundboard for your rocker box, how do you store? Do you leave all the weight all the time on the bearings or break the board loose from the rocker box everytime?

Ed

Last year at this time there was a lot of chit chat about the Red Sox and Yankees and who would advance. Maybe I've missed it but it seems much quieter this year. Well with the Red Sox and Braves out and the Yankees struggling to stay afloat, who do you think is going on to the World Series?

Ed

I have to hand it to Ron at MoonLite on customer service. 2 weeks ago I had a little issue with my scope toppling over in a stiff breeze during the day at a star party. It landed somwhere between the focuser and my telrad. Well my telrad dew shield wound up in about 153 pieces and my focuser took a pretty good hit. Dew was not and issue and I got the focuser working for viewing that night (the buttery smooth motion was a thing of the past). A few days after getting home I pulled the focuser off and apart. I sent Ron a diagnosis and he answered almost immediately. He gave me a great price on the major busted part (reducer assembly) and threw in labor and all the small parts. Better yet, I dropped it off at the post office last Wednesday. I walked in today and a box was sitting on my entry table. Mail both ways and a repair job in a week and a day. That's service.

To the guys at MoonLite - Thanks!

Ed

I gotta think that the Astros would be a favorite with an astronomy crowd!

So who are you pulling for and why?

Ed

One of my favorite views is a moon just after full and just after the sun comes up. There's about an hour when the sky is a deep blue and the moon just jumps out against it. It is really prime time for only a couple of days.

Check it out on the way to work for a little morning delight.

Ed

Happy New Years everyone!

I could use a little advice. I have a couple of reflectors that I use for star parties at my kids' elementary school. I have what is fundamentally an Orion 8" SVP setup and a Celestron 114 Nexstar.

The 8" is a fair bit to drag out/setup and can be big for the kids to get to the eye piece. The 114 is on a GT alt/azimuth mount and can be problematic in less then ideal skies. For these nights, I am typically pointed at planets or the moon and I am in bright skies (about 1-1/2 miles from downtown Houston)

I was thinking about something a little more grab/go specifically for the star parties. I prefer an eq mount but not a deal breaker. I was also leaning to a refractor. It seems more compact, more in mind of what a small kid thinks about a telescope and the ep position would be easier for a small kid. I like the idea of something I could put the scope and mount in one divided case and carry with one hand. The scope needs to be small enough to have a lighter mount then my SVP.

This scope will not be the scope I grab for my nights out, just for star parties for kids in bright skies pointed mostly at bright planets and the moon. So what scope would you get for this use?