My new Mak.

[Dave47tuc]

Hi All, :)
As most know I sold my 10” Dob (have fun Twokids.) For various reasons I sold most of my gear. :sad:
So with the money I had left I looked high and low for a telescope. :help:

I wanted something more portable than the Dobby. I did not have a lot of spare cash so I started to look second hand. :confuse3:
Low and behold in the trading post was a Intes Maksutov 6”. Mk-67.
I thought this could be what I’m looking for as I was seriously thinking of a 125 ETX. :confuse3:

So after talking to a friend (Mark) he helped me decide this could be the scope I’m looking for. :juggle:
So we went to have a look at the Maksutov, and after 10 minutes of looking we made a deal and I had myself a Maksutov for the first time. :clap:

The OTA was in perfect condition and only 3 years old. The mount is a GS EQ mount with RA drive.
It had a 2” Diagonal and 3 eyepieces. A 10 mm and 7.5 mm Parks Gold series plossls. :cool2:
Would you believe a series 500 25 mm Plossl. I can here you now Geoff. :lol:
But the scope is a F12 so most eyepiece will work good to very good. The parks are rated very highly. :2thumbs:

It only took one night to be clear so I can see what she can do. So last night (I missed house :sad: ) I went observing with a Mak. :astron:

How did it go? well it was way out of collimation and the ra drive did not work. But I can fix hopefully. :bashcomp:
I got the Ra drive going but the mount is good but Not a Losmandy!!! The slow motion dec control was very smooth. I then tackled collimation. That was fun, first time I collimated a Maksutov. All went well and got a collimated Star image at 240x.

So onto Venus very nice crescent but seeing was terrible. 3/10 at best. Waited for a while and observed Mars and the Moon and Rigel . That’s it as the seeing never really became any good. :mad2:
The Mak gave a image scale that I’m very happy with. Mars was large and under poor seeing I could still make out features. The Moon of course was great but poor seeing affected viewing. Rigel was easily split. :)

How did that 25 mm series 500 go. Well very good for a cheapo Ep’s. Worked fine in a F12 not so good in the F5. :P
So with this telescope my wife is happy I don’t need naglers. So I brought a 15 mm and 40 mm GS Plossls. :rolleyes:
I’m happy with the scope but I will have to work on the mount a bit. :confuse3:

As for portability :thumbsup:

Cheers. :drink:

[asimov]

Very good Dave! F12 will bring the best out of low end EPs thats for sure. Nice purchase. I also have a 7.5 gold series, Nice eyepiece. Have fun!

[davidpretorius]

back in the game!!!!

nice little scope mate!!!! yaya ayayy yayya ayyayayay

[gbeal]

Welcome to Mak world. THe MK67 is a fine scope.
It will work even better with a Nagler, believe me......................

[h0ughy]

Congrats Dave, thats why i bought my M500, for portability and a great scope. if i can be so rude how much did you end up parting with. i hope you haggled with thr drive not working???

[Miaplacidus]

Hi Dave,

I've been waiting to hear how you got on with this scope. I hope it all goes well, and congratulations. Should be a fine planetary/double star scope, I imagine, and hopefully excellent for imaging. Collimating a mak is not my idea of fun, though. (I wouldn't know where to start if ever my ETX goes awry.) I'd be curious to hear how long it takes to cool down, too.

Good luck with it all.

Cheers,

Brian.

[dhumpie]

You got a very good scope there! Should be solid in construction since it is Russian ;) Keep us updated as it gets more use.

Darren

[Dave47tuc]

Hi All, :)
I thought I would give a quick update on this scope. So far I love this scope big time. Its portability is great.
Saying that the mount is just adequate. I would say a HEQ 5 or EQ6 would be better. Maybe an EQ5 would do also.
The Losmady G8 would be better. I can’t afford any of them. Either of these mounts would take some portability away.
I have had the scope out about 6 times since I have had it. The seeing has never been much good. 6-10 was about the best I have had. On this night it gave a very nice star test. Both sides of focus seem the same with well defined rings.
Mars has never been much chop, I have seen markings and polar region but seeing never allowed much magnification.
Image scale is excellent for a 6” scope. I can’t wait for my favorite object the Moon to come around again.
Also Saturn.
Cool down time does not seem a big problem. If I’m going observing I set up at sunset and normally don’t get back to the scope for about 1 hour.
The focuser is smooth but is a bit shaky on this mount. I have researched the net for many a night and day on these types of scopes and they seem very highly regarded. So far I fully agree.
Have a look at this site.
http://www.astrosurf.com/halfie/index_eg.htm amazing !! :eyepop:

Cheers.

[ballaratdragons]

Brilliant Dave. Another EQ'er. Looks like a nice peice of equipment and the pics on that link show what it is capable of. Well done mate.

[janoskiss]

Glad you're enjoying your scope, Dave. Thanks for filling us in. Not too shabby for astrophotography either by the look of some of the images on that site. Let's hope we get some clear skies down here for the new Moon this w/e. :)

[davidpretorius]

nice report!

can't wait to destroy it (oops i mean look thru it) at star camp in march!!!

[Stu]

It's built like a tank though. Weighs a ton too.

Hey... are you sure the brand isn't VOLVO!

[atalas]

Gongrats on the new scope Dave ! man your going to have fun with Saturn and Jupiter this Year :clap:

[ballaratdragons]

It's a Russian Maksutov built at the base of the Ural Mountains in the lovely town of Brevenekskystovinski by the optical specialist Vladimir Groznejenskikov Pratakoskavkatovich using the latest Dneperblaski optical machine.

But we all new that :D Didn't we :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

Мое мое Ken вы русский очень хороши. Некоторая из водочки хороша для того чтобы очистить зеркало с, чисто спирт

:nerd:

[Starkler]

Maybe for the mount you can make some wooden legs like I did, that should help.

[h0ughy]

Ken, ваши искусства в искусствое astro говорят truely изумляют! Объемы Muskatov некоторый из само лучше всегда производить, я имеют одно!

[ballaratdragons]

Houghy, Please stay on topic. You are ruining Daves threadski!!!! :)

[h0ughy]

I was on topic Ken!!!

try this to translate http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr

[janoskiss]

"говорят truely"?? Stop playing with auto-translators, Houghy! Speak truely in your own tongue! :P After 5 years of Russian I can still only remember a few words. But I wouldn't know how to type them in here.

[h0ughy]

Dave i like the fact that there is almost no plastic anywhere on the scope! and with the zero shift I have found it to be a real bonus. it does however have mirror shift when focusing but you can live with that!

[h0ughy]

SOrriskiii! But I did stay on topic. (off topic - you have quite a well rounded life expeirence there janoskiss!)

I love my MAK :lol: :help:

[Stu]

...still think it's a volvo.

[Twokids]

Hi Dave,

I'm glad your enjoying you new telescope as much as I'm enjoying your last one :) . Hopefully the weather will clear soon so we can give them a good run.
Best wishes,
Jodie

P.S. I love the ArgoNavis :P

[Dave47tuc]

You people lost me with the Ruski speak :confuse2:

Mite not be a Volvo, but its is well built. Like a Russian tank :lol:

I do like the crayford focuser. No Image shift is great Houghy.

I shall look into wooden legs(tripod)

Glad to hear from you Jodie. I was wondering how you are going.
Glad you are working the Argo Navis ok ;)

Just can't get good seeing or even cloudless skies. :sad:

[janoskiss]

No "image shift", but there is "mirror shift"? I assume "image shift" is the same thing as I have in my Dob with the R&P focuser at high mag: the image moves when change direction of focus travel (from in to out or v.versa). Can someone explain what "mirror shift" is?

[gbeal]

I seriously doubt your dob has mirror shift, assuming it is a newtonion.
My guess is your focuser drawtube is loose enough to "wobble" slightly, as you change from one direction to another. I believe that others have "shimmed" their drawtube or the exterior section that the drawtube slides in. I am sure there was a thread on this very topic a while back. Failing that toss the question oiut there, someone will remember it.
"mirror shift" in most terms means a SCT mirror, that focuses by sliding closer to and further away from the secondary, in a closed tube system. This same mirror is able to "rock" slightly on the in/out focus system, and as you change direction with the focus knob, the mirror "rocks" and the image moves. They also can "rock" slightly as you pass across the meridian. Hope this is not too confusing.

[janoskiss]

So how does Dave's Mak have mirror shift but no image shift? Houghy?

[matt]

Steve

Check some of my earlier threads regarding my R&P focuser.

There's some good stuff in there about the inherent problems of stock standard focusers an a few things you can do to make them work a little better.

[Dave47tuc]

My Mak does not have image shift due to mirror movement, like some SCT. The mirror does not move. It has a crayford focuser. :)

[janoskiss]

So Houghy was talking "pooh-pooh", when he said:
? :P

I'm just curious about Maks and what quirks they have that good ole Newts don't.

[Dave47tuc]

Houghy's scope is a M500 which moves its main mirror to get focus like a SCT.
Mine is a MK-67 which has a crayford focuser.
Just different models. :)

[ballaratdragons]

Does it have a polar scope Dave or do you have to do a Polar alignment exercise every time you use it?

[Dave47tuc]

Yes Ken the mount does have a polar scope. I don't bother about polar alignment :confuse2: I don't take photos. Just point the mount roughly south and it tracks well.
I have had many EQ type mounts and for viewing don't get to fussy on polar alignment. :)

[h0ughy]

Thanks Dave i did mix up my scopes. janokiss I forgot his was the newt version, mine is the cassigrain version. My Poo Poo was meant to be factual, my scope does suffer from image movement when focusing, but when its focussed it doesn't move at all, even through zenith! :P :lol:

[Dave47tuc]

No both scopes are Mak cassigrain :confuse2: :confuse2:

[h0ughy]

pass me another slice of that humble pie please! :P What a dunce I am, my apologies extend to all who think I am an idiot. Sorry to confirm your worst fears :lol:.

so your scope has the focus unit external to the tube, correct, where mine is internal?

edit: you know when your having a bad day when even your fixups have more errors than the original statement!

time for my medicine! :drink:

[Stu]

It's definitely not a newt.

It's a Mak. But as I understand it both mirrors are fixed so you have to move the eyepiece in and out to focus just like a refractor or newt. It means there's no image shift because the mirror isn't moving around. Much much better, but more expensive to make.

You can do the same thing on all meade SCT's by buying the programable electronic focuser. The mirror is locked and the eyepiece holder is replaced by a motorised "normal" focuser that is attached to the back of the scope.

But Daves is all russian factory assembled (genuine volvo:nerd: )

[Dave47tuc]

Correct :) now for another :drink:

[ballaratdragons]

Even without trying to work out all the technical bits, it's a mighty fine looking Scope Dave. The mount looks well made too.

You must be very pleased.

[ballaratdragons]

Hey Dave, those pics are of 2 different scopes. Which one is yours?

[Dave47tuc]

I am :) The scope is great(even though some think its a Volvo)
The mount is ok a bit small for this scope.

Yes its getting a bit techo in here :atom:

[Dave47tuc]

Mines on the left. The M500 is some pic I found on the net.

[ballaratdragons]

Yours looks better. ;)

[Dave47tuc]

Thanks here is a close :) up

[Dave47tuc]

If I had the money i would love this one. Someone should buy this beauty. :)

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=5692

[ballaratdragons]

What makes Gary's better than yours? Just the extra 1" or am I missing something?? (or lot's of things)

[gbeal]

Ken,
as a biased owner, but an honest seller let me add a few things.
The MK67 is an f10 Maksutov Cassegrain.
The virtues of these scopes are smallish compact size with an eyepiece position that appeals to most, me especially, as I like to observe seated. If you enjoy lunar and planetary viewing as well as some DSO, then they are possibly the best value for money out there. I won't get into the star images slanging match that exists with Maks as opposed to SCT, both are fine scopes, but to my mind the star images are better in the Mak, but for the same sort of money you can get an 8" SCT.
The Manksutov Newton is different again. They are BIGGER, more unweildy, and depending on how you use them (for example on a GEM), the eyepiece position can be.............let me say awkward.
Contrast seems better, and the central obstruction is around 20%, which makes for almost "refractor" like views. Nice tight star images, and dark black sky/background.
One thing that seems incredible with an MN is the ability to cruise lower powers, (it is an f6, so about 1100mm focal length), as well as accept ridiculously high magnifications, when the seeing allows.
I bought mine as I have always liked the MN design, and am either destined to keep it, or go bigger.
Yes, that extra inch seems to make things better as well, except the price, like the apo refractors, the price jump, 5" to 5" is large, and the jump 5" to 6" even more so.
Really, a decent newtonion like many forum members have is avery hard scope to better.

[Dave47tuc]

Gary, the MK-67 is F12 FL 1800 :)

[gbeal]

Doh, got Houghy's problem. You are right.Thank you.
I really should sit down and write an essay on the various scopes that have been discussed here, and the virtues/failings of them all, as there really is a lot of confusion as to what each has or doesn't have.
Maybe though I would be better shutting up, and saying nothing. C'mon Houghy do what I did.

[h0ughy]

Is that just shut up and say nothing anymore, or admit I am wrong (did that), or claim I am a NZer - sorry can't do that.

Ah just lay it out there! Bound to get it right one day. One day I might upgrade the M500 to one like yours Gary!

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks gary. So you are saying yours is the best!! LOL!!!!

[gbeal]

Nope, no way, never do that, I'd surely get into a scrap!!
The BEST scope is the one you use the most.
In my arsenal, it is. I have a gorgeous 80mm refractor, and a couple of smaller 63mm refractors, plus the 10" f5 newt homebrew.
Scope that gets used most is the MN76.
If imaging I use it, and on an EM200. If quick and dirty looking I use, on a dob base.
The 10" gets a good run when the skies are really dark, and a few DSO nuts are visiting.
The ED80 sees quite a bit of sun with a nice Zeiss solar filter. I sometimes get it out and just try cracking some tightish (for an 80mm anyway) doubles.
That's me folks, and I will take Houghy's advice, shut up and say nothing more.

[Dave47tuc]

Well I think its good to talk on different scopes.
Most people ask about Meade, Celestron, GS, Saxon etc. But there many types of scopes out there.

Intes or Takahashi, Tele Vue and Williams Optics plus many others offer high quality telescopes. These can cost a lot of money. So people seem to keep away from these. But to look through a higher end type of scope can see you change from what you may buy. The MN76 is a very high end scope at a very good price. The problem seems you need a big mount which puts people off.
I would own one in a heart beat, but its not as portable as a MK-67.

For value for money its hard to go past the GS dob newts.
The market is very different to what it was. Lucky for todays buyers.
Good quality scopes seem to get lost these days. If you get a chance to get a look through some high end type scopes enjoy those wonderfull views they can bring. But also see how there built some are like a piece of fine art.

A Tele Vue Np 101 on a Losmandy mount is a fine telescope indeed. Wonderfull package. But at around 10k most would not consider this.
My friend has a Takahashi FS128 on EM200 mount. And even today its my favorite telescope to look through and look at. :)

So its good to here and talk about different scopes other than those in the main stream. :)