ICEINSPACE
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Moon Phase
CURRENT MOON
Waxing Gibbous 83.8%
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06-08-2006, 10:39 PM
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Colour is over-rated
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Posts: 2,414
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ED80's
From a forum search I have gathered the ED80's around (generally by Synta) - Orion, SW and Saxon - are the same animal. Are there any differences at all?
Can the focusers be upgraded at a later stage on these?
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06-08-2006, 10:51 PM
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The 'DRAGON MAN'
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: In the Dark at Snake Valley, Victoria
Posts: 14,412
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No difference except the colour they are painted and the name badging.
Upgrade the focuser? They come with a Crayford!
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06-08-2006, 10:55 PM
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Colour is over-rated
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Posts: 2,414
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Cool, but I've seen pics of and heard of sexy focusers with 10:1 gears and pretty knobs.... do they screw off??
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06-08-2006, 11:03 PM
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The 'DRAGON MAN'
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: In the Dark at Snake Valley, Victoria
Posts: 14,412
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The ED80 Crayford focuser comes off very easy. 3 screws!
I wasn't aware of 10:1 focusers for ED's, only dob Crayfords. Interesting. The only focuser customising on my ED80 is the ED100 Crayford for a lot longer focuser travel. 
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06-08-2006, 11:18 PM
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4000 post club member
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 4,900
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Some people mod the focuser by honing the flat on the drawtube to smooth out the machine marks. This enables the focuser to hold more weight eg. a dslr camera.
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06-08-2006, 11:28 PM
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Naturalist
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Earth
Posts: 321
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07-08-2006, 01:16 AM
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Space Explorer
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Australia
Posts: 1,571
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I have seen mention VERY recently of a refractor coming standard with a 10:1 Crayford - if I can find where I saw it I'll post it here.
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07-08-2006, 02:21 AM
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Pedantic dinosaur rider
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Perth WA
Posts: 99
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
The ED80 Crayford focuser comes off very easy. 3 screws!
I wasn't aware of 10:1 focusers for ED's, only dob Crayfords. Interesting. The only focuser customising on my ED80 is the ED100 Crayford for a lot longer focuser travel. |
Fine focusers with a reduction element (planetary reducer on one knob for example) have been around for a long time. Fullerscopes, Broadhurst & Clarkeson in the UK were fitting them to their refractor, Cassegrain and Newtonian focusers back in the 1960s as I remember drooling over one in 1969 while visiting their shop in London.
Skip forward a while and looksee what you can get for your existing Synta refractor: http://www.finefocuser.com/ff2.html
Cheers,
Ian
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07-08-2006, 04:10 AM
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I HATE COMA!
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Posts: 3,208
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07-08-2006, 11:05 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 4,563
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The only ED80 I've had experience with was an Orion. The problem which it has that I don't like is the slipping focuser. It wouldn't hold my 350D without slipping. It has a focus tensioner but it can't completely lock the focus. This is quite a problem in my mind. That mod Starkler mentioned would be essential in my mind (assume it works sufficiently).
Roger.
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07-08-2006, 03:01 PM
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The 'DRAGON MAN'
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: In the Dark at Snake Valley, Victoria
Posts: 14,412
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by IanW
Fine focusers with a reduction element (planetary reducer on one knob for example) have been around for a long time. Fullerscopes, Broadhurst & Clarkeson in the UK were fitting them to their refractor, Cassegrain and Newtonian focusers back in the 1960s as I remember drooling over one in 1969 while visiting their shop in London.
Skip forward a while and looksee what you can get for your existing Synta refractor: http://www.finefocuser.com/ff2.html
Cheers,
Ian |
Thanks Ian
Quote:
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Originally Posted by EzyStyles
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Eric,
Regarding both links, No, that's an APO 80 and cost more than twice as much as the ED's. Lot's of dollars just to get an 11:1 focuser!
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07-08-2006, 06:38 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Launceston Tasmania
Posts: 9,021
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think William Optics are making a 10:1 focusser to suit ED80 OTA's. I would be interested in knowing if anyone has seen one in the flesh.
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07-08-2006, 07:01 PM
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![[1ponders]'s Avatar](../vbiis/customavatars/avatar45_9.gif) |
Retired, damn no pension
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Obi Obi, Qld
Posts: 18,778
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Roger that slipping problem must be hit and miss with the Orions as I've never experienced it with mine and all my shooting (300D) gets done from abou 50 deg and up. Must have got one of the lucky ones. Does the same thing occur with the Saxons etc?
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07-08-2006, 07:13 PM
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Whats visual Astronomy
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 5,062
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Mine is the same Paul..I have shot heaps of images with the 350D and Orion ED80 combo and never had any slippage....but I have heard of this happening.
Best value ED refractor ever made.
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11-08-2006, 09:54 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,810
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Same here , haven't had a problem with the standard focuser slipping on my Orion ....when i purchased it I was thinking of buying a moon-lite focuser for a replacement but realised it wasn't necessary 
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