TELL US WHAT YOU USE"TELESCOPES,OPTICS,MOUNTS,ETC ETC

[gebotodd]

ok since iam new to all this i think it would be a great idea for everyone to post just what it is your using.telescopes,binoculars,mounts,optics etc etc..and how well they work.i think this would be great for first timers like myself to get a idea of what to buy and use.tell us on a 1-10 how good your telescope is and why.did you build your own?and if so show it off post a picture of it.what accessories do you use?so everyone out there please post on here.i will start.

 

[gebotodd]

ok i started out with a " tasco 70mm refractor.actully its not to bad to study the moon.then i just bought for my real first telescope a "celestron astromaster 114eq reflector.with the Aperture of 114mm and the focal length of 1000mm.for a first timer i realy cant say much yet on this scope do to the weather since i bought it 2 weeks ago or so.but when i finaly do get to use it i will do a follow up.my next scope that iam now saving for is going to be a "Celestron Starhopper 12-Inch Dobsonian"looks great cant wait.see this is why i wanna start this thread so if someone already has this scope i wanna see what they think about it.how well it works.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I'd strongly suggest you start using sentences, paragraphs and punctuation, as your posts are very hard (hence not enjoyable) to read.<br /><br />I'll answer anyway <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />My primary optical device is my eyes, since I am a meteor observer first of all. This device has excellent distant focus, allowing good views of the sky, up close, not quite as good.<br /><br />My first scope (~ 20 years ago) was an Edmund Scientific Astroscan 2001, a small (3 3/4 inch) wide field reflector, which I have to this day.<br />It's lived a very tough life, going everywhere with me including years of camping, and looks it <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> ,but there's nothing better to get a wide view of comets, a superb view of the Plieades, or a nice shot of the whole moon at once.<br />Also, I use it a lot a a solar image projector.<br />This allows me to make an image of the sun a foot across which makes sunspots and eclipses, and Venus transits very easy to see for as many people as are around. I'll often set it up in my front yard and invite people to stop by and see the sun.<br /><br />About 10 years ago I purchased an Orion 10 inch Dobsonion, that I use occasionally. Does a fine job with most deep sky objects.<br /><br />Finally, about a mile from my house is the largest telescope available to the public in NJ, a 26 inch Equatorial mount, weighing 4 1/2 tons.<br />It is currently a Newtonian, but one of these years the conversion to a Cassagrain will be finished. I keep checking the weather forecast for hell, but so far it hasn't frozen over, hence it's still a newtonian.<br /><br />Meteor Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[gebotodd]

Sorry.I will do the best i can. I never was good at writing letters.My old school teachers would agree with you on that.Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Are you saying you are past school age?<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

His commentary on his other thread leads one to believe he's married - so I suspect the answer to be "yes"...<br /><br />Great thread idea, btw!<br /><br />I really have too much gear to comfortably list. Here's my primary stuff:<br /><br />Celestron Nexstar 5 on a wedge, Nexstar 9.25 on an Atlas GEM, Orion (original) 12" Dob, 12" RC on a pier (JLRO-1). <br /><br />Currently shopping for a 16-20" RC.<br /><br />Cameras: Canon 20D, unmodified. Shot primarily either piggyback or prime-focus, generally on the NexStar 5. Canon Powershot A630. Shot primarily afocal through-the-lens (lens projection) using a custom-made adapter. The light sensitivity isn't even in the same zipcode as the 20D, but using hacked firmware, I can get a 65" exposure from it.<br /><br />Mounts: Atlas, Celestron wedgepod, Celestron heavy-duty field tripod, standard Orion dob mount.<br /><br />Eyepieces (EPs): Too many to list. An entire set of 1.25" Orion Sirius generally ride on the NexStar 5. Almost an entire set of 2" Televue Naglers ride on the bigger scopes. Misc. 1.25" Celestron Ultima eyepieces make up the difference.<br /><br />These all get paired-up to either the 1.25" or the 2" Williams Optics CF diagnals in both 45deg and 90deg.<br /><br />Filters: Planetary, lunar, broadband and narrowband light pollution, O3/H2/H3 filters.<br /><br />Binoculars: Swartz. 10x50 and for "always in my purse" use, a pair of Russian military surplus armored Barska 10x35. They actually do a surprisingly good job, and have since 1989...<br /><br />The NexStar 5 is my primary scope these days. It's small (2.25' x 2' in the custom JMI case), light (18lb complete), and perfectly suited for light-polluted areas. It's totally reliable. The alt/az design isn't suited to photography, but drop it on the wedge and it does an acceptable job up to about 10mins with very careful pointing. 3-6mins in rough alignment - and it cancels rotation. Pretty much everything I post here is photographed with that scope. It has an amazin <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[billslugg]

My main thing is a set of Celestron 10x80's. No longer pristine, as they live on the floor of my car right by my seat, but they clean up well and give great views!<br /><br />I have a 60mmx600mm dime store refractor I drag out for the neighborhood kids whenever there are kids around and a crescent moon. I carry a set of 11x80 binocs in my briefcase. <br /><br />I have a 110mm x 600mm fl Aero Tessar WWII vintage objective. It has minor scratching and etching on the two outer of the 8 surfaces. I don't know what to do with it. From reading I have found that it has like zero color correction. It was a B&W aerial photography camera lens. It is also uncoated. One thing I have heard praised is its 9.5" x 9.5" flat field. I don't think that would help at all in a telescope situation though. I know! - I could get a 9.5" x9.5" CCD chip! Yeah - that'll work!<br /><br />I also have an old Bausch & Lomb stereo zoom microscope head. I was thinking of making myself a binocular telescope for one wavelength. Maybe a hydrogen alpha solar telescope? I own a small machine shop and I have free access to a very large one. I could make any sort of mount I wanted. All materials would be free. I have dumpster privileges at a Cotton Gin remanufacturing facility. They change all their bearings every year. Good or bad - change em out. I can get big ones free. Last year I snatched 4 identical 3" ID ball bearings and some shafting. I welded it all up and now have a roll around dolly in my shop with a 60,000# capacity. WAY more than the floor! Anyway the bearings are pristine. The retail total for them would be $794.<br /><br />I also have ability to pull a vacuum. I was thinking of refiguring the older exposed surfaces on the Aero Tessar, then coating them myself. Just a thought. I have coated with aluminum in a college lab set up and it is not hard. Getting the vacuum is the trick. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[gebotodd]

OK YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A SMARTAZZ ABOUT IT.<br />Iam sorry we all cant have perfect writing.You dont<br />have to poke fun at people and be mean.And if you<br />say you were'nt your full of it.If you must know,<br />When i was in fifth grade my mom pulled me out<br />of school to help her with my younger brother and sister.<br />Cause my dad left us and my mom was dying of CANCER.<br />So i never got the schooling like some people<br />did.So like i said"Iam sorry and will try harder next time<br />i leave a post.All i wanted to do was get some people<br />to talk about there telescopes.Not about grammer.<br />But thank you on your info anyway.

 

[billslugg]

Wayne-<br />You stepped in it this time buddy. Go stand in the corner. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Sentence structure 101:<br /><br />Capitalize the first letter of the first word of a sentence. Insert a period at the end. Insert a space before starting the next sentence.<br /><br />There, is that so hard?<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[heyscottie]

I have to agree with MeteorWayne on this one. I don't mind trying to figure out posts from non-native English speakers. But for the English speakers out there, leave the "IM" language at the door. At least make an effort. This is, after all, a science inspired forum. And since we are scientists, or at least science-minded, sob stories are less likely to affect us.<br /><br />But I digress.<br /><br />Good idea for a post!<br /><br />I have only a 4.5" Celestron FirstScope. With its 114 mm aperture and 910 mm focal length, it comes in at f/8. I have a range of eyepieces, a Telrad finder, and a solar filter. I want to get a 10" Orion or a 9.25" Celestron XLT SC. Besides the scope, I have a nice pair of 8x56 Celestron binoculars.

 

[tfwthom]

Equipment:<br /><br />Takahashi FS128 refractor mounted on a Losmandy G-11 with DSC's<br /><br />TeleVue TV85 refractor usually on a TeleVue Gibraltar Alt-Az or a Meade LXD55 EQ mount if I want to track.<br /><br />Meade 8" LX90, wedge, flip mirror, too many extras to name, this was my main scope for many years. Been at this hobby long enough that I have any accessories that I want to have. Anacortes Telescope loves me.<br /><br />Nikon 10x50 Action EX Extreme binoculars<br /><br />SBIG ST4 auto-guider, I piggyback the TV85 on the FS128 and shoot through either depending on if I want rich field or not.<br /><br />Most of the eyepieces I have are TeleVue I swear by them. If you are going to ask "How does it compare to a TeleVue?" why not just buy the TeleVue to begin with?<br /><br />If you want to see any of it come to the GCSP this June 21 to 28th http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/gcsp.html most of it will be there with me. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1" color="#3366ff">www.siriuslookers.org</font> </div>

 

[cnick]

Celestron 6" f/5 Newtonian on an Advanced CG-5 EQ Mount<br />80mm f/4 University Optics rich field refractor<br />Binoculars:<br />7x50 Minolta (use for astronomy)<br />7x50 Binolux (circa 1969)<br />7x35 Bushnell wide angle (great for hiking, sports, etc)<br />6x30 German Army WWII artillery w/ rangefinder reticle<br />assortment of eyepieces from University Optics, Orion, Celestron, Jaegers, Baader<br /><br /><br />Looking for another telescope but haven't decided in which direction to go, more aperature? apo? catadioptric? Portability is a factor.<br /><br /><br />

 

[adrenalynn]

<font color="yellow">Takahashi FS128 refractor mounted on a Losmandy G-11 with DSC's </font><br /><br />I hate you.<br /><br />And I'll keep right on hating you until I find a 20" RC...<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

And I just despise you. The difference is between the Losmandy and the CG5. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[garfieldthecat]

I’ve been using a Celestron Star Hopper 8’’ since the past 10 years, and it still surprises me every time I use it (the number of details in M42 I saw this weekend was pretty amazing, but the weather was excellent too). I’m thinking of buying a 12’’ soon, maybe next year, but I’m pleased with my Celestron already.<br />My favourite eyepiece is a Meade Plossl 3000 of 40 mm. It doesn’t enhance much, but makes a 1.5 degrees field and I just love it (plus its very useful when you use a Dobson and have to search for faint objects without any motorized help). I’ve got a complete series of Meade Plossls but use them less than the 40 mm.<br />Of course, I’m a deep sky lover, over wise I wouldn’t have chosen a Dobson. I particularly like to search for faint galaxies. <br />I use no filter, though my sky is not particularly good (5.4 magnitude is the faintest I can see naked eye), mostly because I don’t think it makes that much of a change.<br />And Santa will be nice enough this year to offer me a Televue Panoptic 19mm eyepiece, which I hope will be a nice new toy to play with <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />.<br />

 

[adrenalynn]

I'm strongly contemplating moving my NexStar 5 OTA over to a CG5-GT - is that the model you have?<br /><br />I probably need to do some more research on it, but I was wondering since you have it - have you opened it up and worked it over? How was the accuracy out of the box? Have you done any photography with it? Is there any PEC on that? I don't believe there is, but I haven't found a manual online yet.<br /><br />TIA for any info! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

Thanks!<br /><br />Further research confirms it does not have PEC. The Meade LXD75 does. I really don't like Meade that much generally, but I'm actually leaning towards going to the dark side on that one... (See my post in the new telescope thread) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[cnick]

Crazy Eddie:<br />What would you guess to be the reasonable payload limit of the CG-5 w/2"steel legs? I have the same mount in non-goto, and am trying to figure an upper weight limit for a yet to be determined telescope.

 

[cnick]

CrazyEddie:<br />Thanks, that's about what I was thinking...20-25lb.<br /><br />Celestron also sells a 10" Newtonian on that mount but that seems like a real push.<br />

 

[dkaakd]

I have a C-11 that sometimes sits atop a CG-5 (ASGT) and it works pretty well. It is not great for astrophotography since the OTA is so large, a little wind can have a dramatic impact<br /><br />Here are a couple of examples:<br />http://www.flickr.com/gp/84356453@N00/HpA543<br /><br />I used to have a CI-700 for this OTA and it was super-stable (but no goto). The build quality was much better than the CG-5 and you could mount a truck on it. In retrospect I wish I had kept it. <br /><br />The CG-5 is ok, the GOTOs are usually pretty good (within the FOV of a 24mm Nagler) and I have not had any problems in 3 years of use. I do wonder if this 40#+ payload will burn the motors out at some point.<br /><br />

 

[cnick]

dkaakd:<br />Excellent! Afocal pictures.<br />How did you mount the camera to the eyepiece, and what is the eye relief of the ep?<br />

 

[adrenalynn]

<font color="yellow">I do wonder if this 40#+ payload will burn the motors out </font><br /><br />Not of the load is properly balanced it shouldn't. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[dkaakd]

The shooting data is listed under each photo, the 18mm scopetronix EP mounts (screws) directly onto the lens of the coolpix. Now that I have a DSLR, I can shoot afocally instead of via EP projection. Much better!<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />DA