Hello from Canberra

[Boothie (Sean)]

Hello All,

I have been enjoying reading and getting my head around all the info found on this forum. I am currently playing around with an old Japanese Royal Astro scope borrowed from a mate. Its a classic 100mm at F10, that took the old .965" EP's. It was left behind by a workshop buddy when he moved out and well it was in a bad state but I have breathed some life into it.

First step was to cleaned off the mirrors and well it was still a bit hard to see as the only eye piece was not going to come good with the amount of time I was willing to spend on it. So I took a punt and ordered a cheap but not the cheapest EP of Ebay, to see if I could get the old scope to work with the new standard. So a little bit of work on the lathe and mill, and I had got the new EP to marry up with the .965" focuser.

Well it made a world of difference, showed my family the moon and they were loving it. Next thing a star chart app was loaded on the tablet and the hunt began. One night when I got home from work my 8 year old mentioned that Jupiter was going to be up early enough for her to see it. So I set up the scope and we found it, we were all blown away that we could see the banding on it as well as all the moons.

So I ordered a few more affordable EP's, read up on EQ mounts and started to read this forum to get a better idea on what was out there and what the equipment could do. So now we have a few more EP's- 6.5mm, 8-24mm zoom, 27mm 53Deg wide view and I also bought a 2x barlows but they don't work with my hack/adaptor.

Just this last weekend I woke up early and thought 'Oh well I'm up, might as well go outside and check the sky'. Lovely clear sky just before dawn, checked the app and Saturn should have been an option. So set up the scope and BAM, I could see Saturn! Whispered to the family that if they felt like getting out of bed they could come see Saturn. Without any complaints they got up and we all marvelled at the sight.

I am just starting to consider where to go from here, the family is enjoying looking at the planets. The Misses is quiet taken by Jupiter, and my daughter is liking it all but the moon is an easy target for her. She is also interested in learning how to drive the EQ mount. We have camping trips lined up for the school holidays and the Wif asked if I was bringing the scope so we can have a look at the dark skys.

Enjoying all the new knowledge and I must admit I don't mind a bit of fancy kit, designing and making things work is another hobby of mine so maybe a DIY travel scope is on the horizon.

Sean from Canberra

[torana68 (Roger)]

next stop maybe a used 8" or 6" dob, lots around , don't cost a lot. If you see one don't ignore an 8" Astro Optical Newt on its equatorial mount, they pop up now and then.

Edit: Some cheaper scopes are best left alone, read through here and see which ones are known to be rubbish or are recommended.

[Kunama]

Welcome Sean (and family), I like to read that you've rescued that scope to once again view the heavens.
I was under the impression the Newtonian scopes on EQ Mounts as visual tools were spawned by the Devil. A simple alt-az mount makes life so much easier.

[Mamba (David)]

Sean,
What a lovely story, great to see a pockmarked old wreck brought back to life, Oh! Sorry that's me. Get confused these days.
It really is good to find that real pleasure can be gained for not very much money, this game can easily degenerate into "my dad is bigger than your dad"
Mamba

[Boothie (Sean)]

Thanks for the comments and glad people are enjoying my reflection on these first few weeks, yeah was thinking 8" Dob was a logical next step.

A few have come up but not too many in Canberra area and I don't get to Sydney as much as I once did. Pity scopes are so bulky means most sellers are not interested in shipping.

There is one nearby but they are asking a bit much I think, maybe check it in a week or so and they might have dropped the price.

I have found EQ mounts don't faze me much, now I have got my head around the mechanism and the principal of set up.

Noticed Astroboy has a C8 for sale on here and wondering if it is the better option for a travel scope? Any thoughts on this approach, SCT and EQ mount?

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

That C8 is a bargain for sure , it'll sit nicely on an eq5 type mount and on that look at Andrews Communication,s website they have the Bresser type for a very good price. , $400? From memory and would make a good setup.

On the eq mounts, yes they are not a problem once you get your head around them .

Your scope is a classic and if you do go bigger it will be well worth doing up and while you are at it just drill 3 new holes about 30-40mm above the original ( towards the focuser )holes that hold the mirror cell and this will allow you to achieve focus with the adapter you made and your 1 1/4 inch eyepiece,s

Good luck on what you decide.

Brian.