Hi y'all; this is my first post so go easy on me. Also first-time scope owner (not counting the 90mm xmas scope many, many years ago).
I've had the N8GPS for a few months now, and thought I'd pick a few bones. Nothing nasty, just naggy...
1. Why can't I see galaxies like they're shown in books 'n stuff? (um, just kidding)
2. Vertical alignment marker was MIA (missing on arrival). I haven't bothered to do anything about it yet, but was a little miffed at Celestron QA for a second or two.
3. The finderscope mount is atrocious. The o-ring concept doesn't work at all and the set screws are so tight I can't even turn them by hand. I've thought about taking a pair of ViseGrips to them but have so far resisted the urge.
4. On a particularly dewey night I pointed the OTA straight down when I went inside to take a nap, thinking the dew wouldn't form as quickly on a downwad-facing surface. Big mistake. The dew on the outside of the OTA dripped down and leaked through the corrector mount. Now I have a big water streak running across the corrector. Question: how much grief will I bring down upon myself if I remove the corrector to clean it? (not counting re-collimation, which I assume is a given)
5. Biggest concern: the GPS's first approximation for locating alignment stars is much worse than I would have expected, considering it knows its own position to 5 meters or so. Alignment stars always seem to be at least 5-10 degrees away. Heck, I could do better than that with a protractor and a flashlight! Once the unit is aligned, it's dead-on for the rest of the viewing session, but at that point it's not even using the GPS so where's the payoff? I've checked the GPS coordinates and the clock with a handheld, and it seems to be working fine. Any suggestions? How about the compass? Am I expecting too much to see the alignment stars at least within the viewing radius of the finderscope?
Other than those minor issues, I love my scope.
ps. What's the accepted waiting period before one can start lusting for an 11"?
I've had the N8GPS for a few months now, and thought I'd pick a few bones. Nothing nasty, just naggy...
1. Why can't I see galaxies like they're shown in books 'n stuff? (um, just kidding)
2. Vertical alignment marker was MIA (missing on arrival). I haven't bothered to do anything about it yet, but was a little miffed at Celestron QA for a second or two.
3. The finderscope mount is atrocious. The o-ring concept doesn't work at all and the set screws are so tight I can't even turn them by hand. I've thought about taking a pair of ViseGrips to them but have so far resisted the urge.
4. On a particularly dewey night I pointed the OTA straight down when I went inside to take a nap, thinking the dew wouldn't form as quickly on a downwad-facing surface. Big mistake. The dew on the outside of the OTA dripped down and leaked through the corrector mount. Now I have a big water streak running across the corrector. Question: how much grief will I bring down upon myself if I remove the corrector to clean it? (not counting re-collimation, which I assume is a given)
5. Biggest concern: the GPS's first approximation for locating alignment stars is much worse than I would have expected, considering it knows its own position to 5 meters or so. Alignment stars always seem to be at least 5-10 degrees away. Heck, I could do better than that with a protractor and a flashlight! Once the unit is aligned, it's dead-on for the rest of the viewing session, but at that point it's not even using the GPS so where's the payoff? I've checked the GPS coordinates and the clock with a handheld, and it seems to be working fine. Any suggestions? How about the compass? Am I expecting too much to see the alignment stars at least within the viewing radius of the finderscope?
Other than those minor issues, I love my scope.
ps. What's the accepted waiting period before one can start lusting for an 11"?