today I received my 80mm lunt scope from Bintel. The guys at Bintel gave good service once again and helped out immensely with the purchase.
In the first image below you can see the delivered scope. It comes triple boxed with the final box being the hard carry case. Inside the hard case I found the sol searcher, vixen bar, zoom eyepiece and of course the telescope.
Looking at the scope it presents as very robust. It weighs quite a lot and from the etalon to the dew shield (odd thing to have on a solar scope) which also has a screw in objective cap presents as very professionally made.
However where it falls down is the standard focusor. An upgrade is available but the GSO focusor which I found was slightly damaged (see the second imae) and would not turn properly. Bintel to their credit stated they would replace the focusor free of charge. Not to be outdone and being the tinkerer I am I set about fixing the focusor. I stripped down the focusor (see image below) and regreased the bearing race which had next to no grease in it which was why it was binding. When I reassembled the scope it worked perfectly and was very smooth. Something GSO ought to have got right at the factory (which seems to be a common problem with all their focusors).
So now to wait for the clouds to disappear and commence imaging with this new scope.
You will love the scope.
It's an awesomely good unit for the size and price.
Before i bought mine, I had read re problems with the std focusser
so stumped up for the FT unit.
I have to say it was well worth it, esp when trying to tweak that final bit of the resolution you get with the extra aperture.
You will love the scope.
It's an awesomely good unit for the size and price.
Before i bought mine, I had read re problems with the std focusser
so stumped up for the FT unit.
I have to say it was well worth it, esp when trying to tweak that final bit of the resolution you get with the extra aperture.
Andrew
No doubt your decision is most likely the best course of action, but I will be trying to use the standard focusor at least until I decide whether to upgrade or not. I think it will be ok for now. Lucky I am handy.
Hi Paul- congrats on the scope and look forward to the images you'll produce. For what it's worth, I stuck with the standard focuser and haven't really felt it worth upgrading even for imaging. What did take while was figuring out that the extra knurled screw in the case is the locking clamp for the focuser!
I believe Lunt will shortly be offering a focus motor solution for the standard Gso unit.
Cheers
Andrew.
I'm of the firm opinion that the Feather Touch focuser is a must have upgrade. No way would I ever want to deal with a lesser focuser. All my Lunt solar telescopes (and all my other refractors as well) have Feather Touch focusers on them. I guess that makes me a bit of a Feather Touch fanboy.
I'm of the firm opinion that the Feather Touch focuser is a must have upgrade. No way would I ever want to deal with a lesser focuser. All my Lunt solar telescopes (and all my other refractors as well) have Feather Touch focusers on them. I guess that makes me a bit of a Feather Touch fanboy.
Ernie, I am a fan too. I have a spare feather touch that I need to get an adapter to suit.
I am a member of solar chat, but have not posted there for a month or so.
As expected, brighter proms, sunspots visible, except that it is the first time I have seen spicules in the eyepiece. What a treat. Views were sharp and certainly provided more resolution than the 60mm. Perhaps a 100 would have been better.
Not getting the double stack means the surface detail has less contrast, but for imaging this will be ok. I will consider a double stack unit for viewing in the future.
Using the 1800BF was a good idea and I have Bintel to thank for that. No ghosting present.
The focusor performed perfectly. The service work corrected the problem. So if you want to save yourself some money and are handy you can fix a dicky focusor that comes standard with these scopes.
Tuning was easy and totally even unlike the Coronado system. No sweet spots present that I could detect and for imaging this will be a boon. The Coronado system is fine for imaging but sweet spot management for mosaics can be a pain.
I found the reason for the extra screw. Still think a dew shield is not necessary but it might keep bird poop off the objective.
Overall, a very nice instrument to use. Next couple of days or sometime this next week I will do a mosaic. Stay tuned.
The Lunt 80 is a great scope, though I would have recommended the Feather touch option, as Lunt's crayford, as you have discovered , will mar with its first use. ( Sorry to say, good luck with a replacement.)
That said the PT is very cool, enabling blue to red doppler wing shifting which you can't do with a Meade/Coronado.
Peter,
The Coronado PST and the SM front etalons will also allow you to chase the doppler shift.
The "design" position of the etalon is in the red wing and tuning moves it through Ha and into the blue wing.
Peter,
The Coronado PST and the SM front etalons will also allow you to chase the doppler shift.
The "design" position of the etalon is in the red wing and tuning moves it through Ha and into the blue wing.
Guess my SM is a different spec, as I only ever see shifts from on band, then into the blue. (as evident from approaching proms being very easy to tune, but receeding ones are invariably dim)
The focusor I fixed myself and worked perfectly. It just needed the right grease and the correct amount.
Unfortunately the whole scope has had to go back to Bintel, which they are replacing immediately. It will be delivered to me Wednesday from Melbourne.
The cause of this is the pressure tuner was not operating properly (ie not going up in pressure and going on band) and it would not hold pressure. The one I have here only shows the spots and faint prominences. It did not produce that hissing sound when you remove the piston from the brass threaded housing.
Bintel have sent one they have tested on the sun this morning and it holds tune and produces amazing detail.
So well done to the boys at Bintel for helping me out. Great service again.
The Lunt 80 is a great scope, though I would have recommended the Feather touch option, as Lunt's crayford, as you have discovered , will mar with its first use. ( Sorry to say, good luck with a replacement.)
That said the PT is very cool, enabling blue to red doppler wing shifting which you can't do with a Meade/Coronado.
Enjoy the new scope
By the way Pete, you are right the FT is superb. I have a spare one here that can be used if I can get the adapter. That said the GSO is ok and works well for imaging if it is given the right treatment. Although I wonder why Lunt sells a scope of such value and not install the FT as standard. It would be such a small expense, why have the FT as an upgrade?
Beautiful, spectacular, scope.
Congratulations.
I've had a sqizz through an LS60 and was very impressed, so no doubt the 80 will give you that extra impressedness.
I want one, but the number of days of sunshine around here barelyjustify an LS35.
Post pics soon please!
Still think a dew shield is not necessary but it might keep bird poop off the objective.
