After I found out how nice the 80mm refractor was I spent more $
on upgrades ( I think Jjjnettie has as well with hers?). The diagonal is the
1.25" mirror type (suffient for my needs) however the plastic focuser had to
go and was replaced by a Crayford (dual speed) from Andrews. This
upset the balance so a set of tube rings and a dovetail were next
to get the appropriate balance point. A cheap red dot finder replaces the
useless one that came with the scope and the only option needed
now is the LP 3mm ep. I have yet to use the webcam imaging with the unit
but will try it out this spring when it is warmer outside. (any hints
and tips jjjnettie????)
I know it sounds as if it is overkill for what appears to be a cheap scope
but the optics are worth it and the 80mm unit is a bargain.
I find it to be the perfect take away unit and have the 17ah battery
for powered use if needed for tracking.
I have thought about trying to find a 100mm mak to see if it performs
as well as the refractor, so will check out Andrews website again soon.
Oh BTW, like others I found the scopes inbuilt level to be WAY OUT
and popped it off and releveled and reglued it, so much easier to
get a good setup now.
Alex, sorry for the delayed reply - work commitments have been overwhelming lately.
I'll look forward to hearing how the LP 3mm ep goes. How will you connect the webcam to the scope?
I'm using a car jumpstarter and 12V DC power supply that I got on the internet from OO.com.au in Sydney. A bargain for $39.95 and the 12V cable (supplied) fits the iOptron "Cube" mount too. So I didn't need to buy the cord from the telescope manufacturer.
The 100mm mak sounds interesting. A longer focal length will be really great for the planets.
I really need to put rings on my scope too.
What size did you end up getting?
I use the Gstar Ex camera with my setup and I'm more than happy with what I can get out of the little scope.
I bought myself 2 small pocket levels and use them to level mount and dovetail.
At Astrofest I had a night of horror with the handcontroller. It just wouldn't work properly. Slewing sideways, telling me that Jupiter wasn't due to rise for hours when I could see him high in the sky etc etc.
The next day I deleted all my data, site info, coordinates etc and reset the lot. I haven't had any trouble since.
Just thought I'd let you know that in case you ever have the same problem.
Thanks for the info on re-entering the hand controller site stats. I'll remember this in case its needed. My hand controller (#8402) needs to be repaired so I'll be without my scope for a while I guess. When I get things operational again, I'll probably take an avi file video with a webcam at the eyepiece. Anyway, that's in the future. The 80mm scope looks like it has some coma, do you notice any? Also, do you know if collimation adjustments are possible with the iOptron refractor?
By the way, do you know if Sirius Optics is open since the Qld. Astrofest. I've been trying to contact them (via email) for a few weeks and can't get through for some reason?
To throw in my two cents, I have a GSO 2.5x APO barlow which cost me $69 about 6 months ago and a 3x ED GSO barlow which I bought 1 month ago for $49.
The ED one leaves the APO one for dead in my opinion, less colour fringing and much better views. For a cheapie, the 3x ED GSO is very good value. I havent seen any others in action, but these ones I have and thats my findings. Certainly, the quality jump on my Jupiter photos has indicated this from the 2.5 up to the 3x, easier to focus too.
The ED one leaves the APO one for dead in my opinion, less colour fringing and much better views. For a cheapie, the 3x ED GSO is very good value. I havent seen any others in action, but these ones I have and thats my findings. Certainly, the quality jump on my Jupiter photos has indicated this from the 2.5 up to the 3x, easier to focus too.
I was going to buy the APO 2.5x GSO barlow as I thought it (apochromatic) would be better than the ED glass 3x version however, your description Chris has persuaded me otherwise.
I'd be ringing up Sirius Optics and having a chat in person.
Emails can be sent by accident to the trash bin and this can be misconstrued
as being ignored.
Cheers,
Jeanette
Yep, that's happened to me a few times with suppliers, and I DON'T have a hotmail (or similar) email account. If you're using hotmail the chances of being "filtered" are very high. Give em a call.
Firstly, get rid of that hideous diagonal they supply with the ioptron refractor. (Yes I have one too). I took it apart only to find it uses a plastic prism, yeeech no wonder the image viewing was so ordinary. Get a GSO proper star diagonal for around the $30 mark and see an instant improvement. Then you can get a descent EP and actually notice a difference.
Get a GSO proper star diagonal for around the $30 mark and see an instant improvement.
My current 90° diagonal is an old 1.25" Celestron which is not threaded for filters, so I was going to buy a GSO 90° diagonal (correct image type). However, Andrews advised me about the fine line that runs down the centre of some of the prisms. This line can act as a diffraction grating and cause the image to be spoilt as a result. The assistant got a brand new one out of the box for me to see and sure enough, there it was (it looks like one of the crosshair lines for an illuminated eyepiece). Since I've used an illuminated ep before, I know how they can effect the image and so wanted to avoid this purchase. Well maybe I'll try again later and see if I can get a good GSO one (as the Long Perng 90° diagonals are ~ $79.00).
By the way, how's your GSO diagonal in terms of this line? If there is a line, do you notice any effect from it?
I've had this discussion with Luke (At Andrews) before, you want a 1.25 star diagonal not a correct image prism. Prisms are not for astronomy as a general rule. They do have a GSO right angle star type diag there....avoid prisms like the plague.
Mine has made a big difference over all, worth the cheap investment in my opinion.
BTW I also just recently replaced the cheap plastic focuser for a metal 2" one using a conversion kit I found on the net. I got mine from scopestuff.com. There are other vendors out there that sell them too. (my experience with scopestuff could have been better, had to chase them up with emails etc)
I put a 10-1 GSO focuser on mine. It certainly added a bit of weight to the whole assembly. But worth it, well and truly worth it.
I just drilled new holes in the OTA to fit it. One day I'll fill the old holes and pretty it up again.
The rings I used were 90mm that I obtained from Bintel, along with a long dovetail to help balance the scope. A picture attached if it works. The reason is because the Crayford focuser is so much heavier than the original plastic one and the balance pont is near the focuser.
Glob - I finally got the LP 3mm from Luke at Andrews, nice and 'similar' to the Williams Optics, but far to much for this tiny scope, even the ED80 that I have and will try it out on the 12" dob later if conditions allow. CA was very evident and focusing difficult even with the dual speed. What I did find surpising is that I also obtained the LP 8-24mm zoom, and within its limitations, a very nice eyepiece to use with the Ioptron and save room in the travel case.
At least viewing was reasonable last night after the rain.
regards
Alex
[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/alex/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]
Good portable power supply
eyepiece projection / scope questions
ED barlow better than APO
