Ok time to clean out a couple of items I'm not using or don't suit my needs.
1X 10mm Celestron E-lux eyepiece. 4-element Plössl fully coated lenses (every air to glass surface is coated with anti-reflective coatings), 7mm eyerelief $30 + postage (includes eyepiece case)
2X 40mm series 500 plossl $15 ea + postage (includes eyepiece case)
1X 9X50mm right angle finder. Bought a month ago at the Qld Astrofest, so almost brand new. I don't like using it when used with a refrator, which I bought it for, but I can see why reflector users love them. Bought for $155, sell for $125 inc postage. Doesn't come with a mounting shoe, just the finder and holder bracket.
1X Meade LX200GPS carry bag to fit an 8"SCT. Normally $300, sell for $175 + postage.
Dark, it doesn't have a brand on it, but from what I've been able to find out about it from the Astronomy Online is that its the same as the Orion 9X50 erecting finder. I don't know if it will fit your shoe as I don't have seen the dob shoe, but it interchanges with both of my refractors. From what I can see its the standard shoe for synta, celestron, orion etc refractors. Hope that helps.
Grant, The foam in the box fits into the bag. I found it much easier to carry the bag than the box. I could carry the bag one-handed. I found it much more convenient with the bag to move the scope around in, rather than the box. It also doesn't absorb moisture like the box on damp nights, so it won't fall apart.
I bought an Orion 9x50 RACI finder to fit to my GSO dob. Whilst the finder bracket was too big for the GSO shoe, a bit of persuasion from a file got it happening.
I'm still thinking about it, dont know whether to get this or get a decent ST refractor (80mm) and use it as a finder/grab and go scope with a cheap tripod from ebay.
I've done some more searching on the finder and finally found the brand and I'm not real happy about it. As I mentioned I bought this for $155 while at the astrofest. It is the Skywatcher finder and sells for $79 elsewhere. Do I feel ripped off, YOU BET!! I don't think I'll be dealing with that particular supplier again for a while. Its actually quite a good finder, I just find it awkward to use with a refractor. So if anyone wants it. $70 +postage.
Paul, how would that finder compare to the standard Meade on the Lx200 ? Will the 90 degree mean that the finder would match the SCT in terms of image direction ?
It probably wouldn't be quite so bad as using the refractor, but I really think its designed for newtonian scopes (dobs and eqs). Depending on where I am pointing a refractor (or sct on eq mount for that matter) I have to rotate the star diagonal in the scope to make it easier to view things. You wouldn 't have to worry too much with that having a fork mount. You will start to notice it when you are wedge mounted. Anyway... each time I move the mount I find that the eyepiece of the finder is pointing in the wrong direction to use easily and I have to rotate it in its holder. To do that without scratching it on the screws I have to pull a little spring loaded bolt down a bit. When I let the bolt back up again often the cross hairs won't line up with the center of the scope. There are other issues to do with reaching the finder eyepiece as well when its on my Orion piggybacked to the SCT. A straight through finder would suit me much more.
Oh and after all that typing I just remembered something. I wanted to get a differnt finder for my new OTA when I bought it and I remember Don telling me that the holes on the OTA only line up with the meade finder bracket shoe. I'll try to get the RA finder out of its bracket and mount it in the Meade and let you know how I go.
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Re-evaluation on the finder
I don't think I'll be dealing with that particular supplier again for a while. Its actually quite a good finder, I just find it awkward to use with a refractor. So if anyone wants it. $70 +postage.
