Thinking about the wind whistling around the airstrip tonight reminded me of something. Dust. Especially clay.
The new scope is so close to the ground even just walking around it will kick up dust that will find its way onto the mirror, the box and into the backend. Even if the mirror is cleaned I wouldn't want to put it back in a box that's dusty.
At the very least I think it needs a fabric sock around the bottom half, or at least a thin light tube around the mirror (inside the poles).
The photos below show what the scope looks like, as the ones for Marana. There is a 'cuff' of foam rubber that I use around the mirror box that serves as both the dust control and as a light shroud, and I always use at Katoomba Airfield just for this purpose. Dust is the enemy of all scope, and open tube assemblies even more so. The instruments I build are no more susceptible to other open tube arrangements, and likewise I offer measures to deal with this.
The back end of my instruments is less open than in other instruments, not only for dust control, but being open tube, they do not have the same thermal problems of closed tube systems that would benefit from a more open rear end.
When I design my telescopes, a major part is to be able to pack it into a car, and not be paranoid in packing other gear around or on them, and not alter my driving style so stay at ease driving long distances. The same when stowing them at home, particularly with so many of us now living in apartments and storage being at a premium.
In my recent trip up to Queensland, I packed two 12" Marana and a 17.5" Karee into my Mitsubishi Outlander, along with all the astro accessories and camping gear we took up (two of us in the car too). That's three scopes, 12" and larger, in the one car, with room to boot.
'Kulali' is an aboriginal word for 'Sky'. Kulali is the latest addition to the line of Gondwana Telescopes instruments.
Kulali is an 8" f/4 dobbie that is balanced to a wide range of eyepiece weights, packs down into its own mount, and is sturdy enough to be comfortably packed with all your camping gear. It is also ready to accept encoders and which ever set of digital setting circles you like. All in a neat little package that weighs 13.5kg.
Kulali is being launched at this year's SPSP. And with this event starting today, I can finally reveal Kulali
Kulali has been designed to be a very versatile instrument. In its most basic form it can be used as a table-top instrument. Now, the next step in its evolution is here with a specially designed tripod that not only packs inside of the stowed instrument, but also leaves the eyepiece at a comfortable seated height.
Portability of Kulali is a real feature. Sometimes we need to carry items further than just from the car down onto the ground. While the metal carry handles work well, if Kulali needs to be carried a fair distance, the handles can be awkward to manage and keeps both hands occupied. Kulali now has a leather carry strap option that is an adjustable shoulder strap and hand strap all in one. These are specially made for me by a local leathersmith, made from heavy gauge leather and metal components that are found on horse handling equipment to ensure strength.
Think I'm happy with my little dobbie?...
Alex.
Last edited by mental4astro; 11-08-2015 at 07:30 PM.
Impressive piece of engineering there Alex and a very sexy advert too.....the model you have chosen for the photo shoot certainly looks every bit as good as those we loved to see in old Celestron and Meade adverts from the 70's and 80's
This year I'll have with me a bunch of Ebony Star 4552-90 off-cuts, square, circular, strips, etc. If you are after some bearing laminate, come have a look,
Serge Antonov from Astro Devices, will be setting up with me, showing his Nexus DSC, Nexus, and a new Nexus model. The three dobs I'll have with me, 8", 12" and 17.5", will each have one of the various Nexus systems installed.
I've also come up with a neat little "Blinking paddle", which is used to spy out PN's and other nebulae. A nebula filter, OIII, UHC, Hbeta, or broadband, is wound into the hole provided, and is slid in and out from between your eye and the eyepiece, and is used to suss out the nebula in question without needing to muck around with remembering star fields and then winding and unwinding filters and interchanging eyepieces. This little tool is particularly helpful if you don't have a filter wheel or slide. I'm looking to have two models on show, the 'Mini' with just a 1.25" filter capacity, and the 'Maxi' with provision for a 1.25" and a 2" filter.
I'm very much looking forward to this year's SPSP. Come by and say hello!
I've had several orders come through for Ebony Star for collection at SPSP - thank you for these
If you have any specific Ebony Star requirements, you are welcome to ask. Particularly if you will be at SPSP it is a chance to save on postage. Or if you can't make it to SPSP, but know a mate who is, maybe ask them to pick up the ES for you as one order I have is being fulfilled.
Finally had some opportunities to use our 6" scope with it's new Gondwana table-top mount; it is brilliant!
We were using it to view Jupiter, Mars and Saturn with higher magnifications and its ease-of-use really stood out!
It also doubles as a stylish home decoration as the timber stain is almost identical to our bedroom furniture where it is displayed/stored. This will become a family heirloom!
- Very smooth and easy to nudge/move to follow objects.
- Very portable!
- Looks fantastic!
I think our Orion StarBlast is feeling a little nervous now ; once I measure the mount I'm going to see what sort of storage box I can get at Bunnings so the scope can come on holidays with us! (We already have a galvanised box with foam for the OTA).
I'm proud to announce a new line of products from Gondwana Telescopes.
This line of Observing Aides have been developed, designed and refined from many years of practical experience.
Blinking Paddles: These are blink comparison devices which are used to make direct and immediate image comparisons with either 2" or 1.25" filters flicked in and out from between the eye and eyepiece eye lens. There are two models available, the "Maxi" which accepts both 2" and 1.25" filters, and the "Mini" for 1.25" filters.
You'll find more information, the why and advantages of my Blinking Paddles at the Gondwana Telescopes website's "Observing Aides" page.
This little video shows how these blinking paddles are used.
Observing Chairs: Our chairs are handcrafted from Australian or imported hardwood timbers to be robust, secure and practical. But a chair alone is not enough! We have developed a shelf that mounts onto the back of the chair to hold your maps, charts, papers, even your tablet. And the shelf comes with a gooseneck holder to hold your red light torch or even your smartphone, and has a vinyl cover to protect your items from dew. There are two models to choose from, the Delux Obs Chair made exclusive from Australian hardwoods and stows into a very compact lot, and the Standard Obs Chair that is more cost effective and is made from imported hardwood timbers.
These will be launched at this year's Queensland Astrofest, with special prices on offer.
Last edited by mental4astro; 08-07-2016 at 02:42 PM.
Extreme Resolution Encoders are now available for installation on scopes and mounts from Gondwana Telescopes!
These encoders START with a minimum resolution of 311,296 steps and can exceed 1,500,000 steps.
Best of all when coupled with a Nexus unit from Astro Devices, you do not need to change the way you use your scope. There is no lag time from the CPU, no step skipping, and no reading error.
Why need such high resolution?
Apps such as Sky Safari and Stellarium have put an extraordinary number of DSO's within observing reach. Many of these are then tightly packed together or obscured by the Milky Way or other objects, and this makes identifying individual objects next to impossible using charts (paper or from apps) or encoders of lesser resolution. This is when extreme resolution encoders are essential and coupled to a Nexus system and an app such as Sky Safari.
Tried to identify individual objects from within the Large Magellanic Cloud?
Or chasing globular clusters from Andromeda or Sombrero galaxies?
How about the Cirinus Dwarf galaxy or the GC Djorg 2 from the mottled foreground mess of the Milky Way?
Please note that these extreme resolution encoders may not be compatible with other digital setting circle systems.
; once I measure the mount I'm going to see what sort of storage box I can get at Bunnings so the scope can come on holidays with us! (We already have a galvanised box with foam for the OTA).
