Q. …By playing with the secondary adjustment screws I was able to line the beam up with the “O ring sticker” already on primary mirror. (I TAKE IT THAT IT’S OK TO HAVE THAT STICKER THERE PERMANATELY??)
A. Yes - and you'll find even if you wash the mirror it won't come off! That sticker falls in the shadow of the secondary mirror - you aren't using that bit of your primary mirror.
Q?. When I got the beam exactly in the middle of the O sticker the light seem to split into two dots…which on closer inpection on a wall…seem to have 2 very small dots?........yadda yadda………..
A. Maybe, yes, whatever - these are really cheap little red lasers. The output is seldom a nice round dot. Doesn't matter, particularly.
I just have not messed with the primary adjustments…mainly because…It looks like a pain in the ass haing to adjust three screws with every turn needing me to get up from a bent position to look in what direction I am forcing the beam…up/down/up/down/up/down…if you know what I mean.
Comment:- You should be able to insert the laser in the focusser so the hole in the side of the laser body points towards the end of the scope. (It's a GSO laser with a 45 deg shiny surface that the laser shines back onto??) Then you can see the return spot when you ate looking from the primary mirror end of the scope, therefore can twiddle those primary mirror collimating screws while you watch exactly what the return spot does - get it to where the brightest spot disappears back down the hole it originally came out of!
After this little experimenting…I found I got a much better result (Venus Looks Fantastic!!!! Never have I seen such a well rounded shape and the size was really big!)
Comment:- Have another look tomorrow while Venus is as high in the sky as you can see it - so early after sunset. Venus is in a gibbous phase now and looks like attached. perhaps use your filter(s) to reduce the glare to see the shape as best as the seeing conditions allow.
I just can’t find any place here in Toowoomba like a club or even anyone interested to help with collimation.
Comment:- Want to fly me up for a weekend! Just kidding. OK, Toowoomba then. Come on you South Queenslanders - budding and enthusiastic amateur astronomer in need here! Who can help Dave?
Yes, just put the laser in the focusser so that open window points towards the primary mirror end of the scope. Then you can watch the return spot move as you adjust the primary collimating screws.
Yes, just play with that "tension" screw on the focusser - I reckon that will solve your problem. Don't go pulling your focusser apart!
OHHH…I Understand now with the Laser!!!...It’s a bit like that with me…sorry…I also worked out which of the two little knobs was the tension and did as you said…& guess what…problem solved there too!!! (I had both either lossened or tight + did not know what was what until I had that link to see the descriptive parts.
There really ought to be better instructions…the wobble on the focuser can play havoc with collimating as well.
I’ll try for a better collimation tonight (I'll tweak the primary)…I am nearly ready for first light…Fitting it all in my car will be my next testJ
Oh yea…About Venus…what you say about glare is true…I tired one of my polarizer’s but it did not make that much difference…I take it somehow the two should be used together…one of them screws in, but then I am unsure how to attach the other filter? Any suggestions?
I understand that without the glare I will see even more wow factor…I will however try it again.
Thanks for all your help so far.
Have a good day all!
Dave.
Oh yea…About Venus…what you say about glare is true…I tired one of my polarizer’s but it did not make that much difference…I take it somehow the two should be used together…one of them screws in, but then I am unsure how to attach the other filter? Any suggestions?
One polarising filter will screw into the other. You need to be able to turn one relative to the other so screw one into your eyepiece (it's the 1.25" filters you have?). Don't do it up tight (in fact never screw a filter up tight - they just might be difficult to get off again. You just have to get the light to pass through the filter so a bit loose in the threads for visual observing is fine.) Now screw in the other filter a turn or two. now you should be able to turn the bottom filter relative to the top one.
In fact before you start, hold one in one hand and one in the other and look through them both at the moon. Now turn one of them around in a circle. See what happens. Now you know what to do. I usually have them both screwed on, then with the scope pointing at the Moon or Venus, hold the eyepiece just above the focusser so you can see the unfocussed spot, then adjust the lower filter until I have darkened the view sufficiently, then put the eyepiece in, focus up and observe.
Unlike a single filter, polarising filters are designed to work as a pair - it's called "crossed polars".
(Before you all jump on me, yes our polarising sunglasses are a single polar, but they work on incoming polarised light - eg. reflections off water or car bonnet. Ain't no polarised visible light coming from extra-terrestrial stuff, is there?)
Back from work and at this stage I have tommorow off!!!...Erick, your a champ mate...I got just about everthing worked out because of your patients, and expertease of course. You have explained everything spot on!
At this stage I have tommorow of so plan to do a trial run in my little Hyudi XL (94) Hatch back & head out a few km. As you know the moon is out, but I will do it to see how the scope travels. Will collimate before I go and check it on arrival at the proposed Dark site. Will aslo try those polarizing filters...I seem to have got it working just the way you described.
I know its probably a moot point now, but if you had to sign for this item, I would have rejected it and got a new one sent up. If it was just left at your house, then this probably doesnt apply.
Taking the item from the courier implies that you are accepting it as is, and therefore its harder to backtrack and get a replacement or rectification from the carrier.
By rejecting the delivery, more flags are raised at TNT and therefore the supplier and you have more chance of a replacement being shipped without problem.
I know its hard to do when you have the "new scope" sitting there waiting to be used, but in the long run, if you arent happy with its condition when it turns up, dont receive it!
Anyhow, I hope you can get retribution and dont have to live with a dented scope, if it shipped from Andrews Comms, I would bet my bottom dollar that Lee wouldnt be too happy about this situation either, considering how many telescopes he ships via courier, although his hands may be tied, if, like I said, you signed for & accepted the package from the driver in that condition.
too true Chris... I wouldnt sign for a box containing anything fragile unless the box looked perfect...
Sorry to hear about it Dave, but as has been mentioned, I would definitely be sitting down and having a long hard think about how much it *##$es you off, and if that comes to be a large amount, the I'd be demanding a replacement... If you can live with it, then hey.. Congrats on the new scope
Just kidding. OK, Toowoomba then. Come on you South Queenslanders - budding and enthusiastic amateur astronomer in need here! Who can help Dave?
