advise on accessories for recently purchased scope

[jeelan (Jeelan)]

hey guys,

I recently purchased an CPC 1100 and it came with the standard Celestron 1.25" eyepiece kit.

Had some reasonable viewing through this over the last week or so, but looking to consolidate that into approx 3-4 high quality pieces.

Just wondering what the recommendations are? This scope is a F10 with FL of 2800mm.


I've got a budget of around $1500.

Couple of other changes I'd like to get some thoughts on:

- swapping the 1.25" diagonal with a Bintel dielectric 2" diagonal
- Adding a Telrad
- swapping the standard 9x50 finder with an illuminated reticle RACI finder

I also want to add a 2" SCT focuser on the visual back - dont know if I should start with a good quality one ie Baader, Moonlight etc (all around $400) or go with the Bintel branded ones which are around $169.00.

For the next 12-18months scope will be used for visual only - mixture of planetary and DSO; no intention to get into astrophotography yet but you never know - this hobby does funny things to people :-)

Any advise/thouhts greatly appreciated. I've had 3" and 4" scopes before (standard stuff from Aust Geographic store) but never a proper instrument like this one. Also hv young kids who I'd like to get into this.

cheers
Jeelan

[Atmos (Colin)]

Personally I wouldn't bother about getting an extra focuser on the back. Not sure what the distances are like with the CPC 1100 but with my Meade LX200 10" if I had a focuser on the back (I had a JMI) plus a diagonal, it diagonal would impact on the telescope base. For now I would say forget the external focuser and put that money towards what you're going to want to use now, the focuser is a better idea with photography moreso than visual.

For years I have been using a TeleVue 35mm Panoptic with my 10" F/10 (~2500mm) for general viewing. A 20-25mm plossl for galaxies and a TV 10mm Radian for planetary and globular clusters. The plossl I used was just a Meade one that came with the scope but it worked reasonably well.

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

I don't know much about SCT's but I have found over the years with almost any type of decent scope, that a wide field eyepiece yielding around 100X - 120X is the one that gets the most use.
So for your scope either a 26mm Nagler or 24mm Panoptic would be my choice. 26mm will need the 2" diagonal.

[SkyWatch (Dean)]

There are lots of nice eyepieces out there, depending on budget of course: and you can't really go wrong with the Televues, but they add up pretty quick!
A step down in price, but good quality are Baader Hyperions, Vixen LVW's, Williams SWA, Takahashi LE series (the Taks don't have the wide field of the others, but they are super sharp and high contrast).
With f10 optics you will find that even the cheaper eyepieces will do a great job, like the GSO/Bintel Superviews: might be worth checking them out (around $60-70 at Andrews)
I put the GSO 2" Qtz dielectric diagonal on my CPC800, and it transformed the star images: a great investment! (Bintel has simply re-branded the GSO ones.)

I would be thinking around 10-15mm for high power, 20-30mm for medium power and general purpose, and maybe 40mm for wider fields, lower power. A focal reducer would be a good add-on for visual use as well. The Celestron/Meade ones drop the optics to f6.3, which gives you a wider field as long as you get the 2" diagonal to minimise vignetting.

I'm not sure why you need the fancier finder-scope with a CPC telescope. The Telrad would be quite adequate, or just the stock finder, because you only need it to find a couple of stars for alignment at the start of your session, and the computer does the rest. I use the stock finder once at the start of the night, and only ever use it again if I accidentally kick the power cord out or something.

- and I agree with Colin: I wouldn't bother with another focuser until I was intending to use the scope for AP. There is a bit of image shift with the standard focuser, but not much (nowhere near as much as the Meades I have used) - and it is perfectly adequate for visual use.

Good luck, and all the best.

Dean

[Rigel003 (Graeme)]

Good advice above. I'd make a good quality 2" diagonal a priority. You'll definitely be wanting to use 2" eyepieces for your low power views. This 2" Astro-Physics SCT visual back advertised in the classifieds here is excellent and allows a full unrestricted opening, reducing vignetting for wide fields.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=142031

With a goto scope you only need the finder for the initial setup. No point in replacing it or in using a telrad. If you don't yet have a dew shield or heating strap, you will definitely need these. I have the William optics 2" crayford focuser and it doesn't collide with the base but I wouldn't consider it to be a necessity for visual use.

[jeelan (Jeelan)]

Thanks for the advise guys,

at this stage, i'm leaning towards a couple of the Vixen LVW eyepieces - been reading reviews on them and they generally seem positive and seem to hit a sweet spot between cost/quality. Also as a couple of the posters have mentioned, at F10, the scope is pretty forgiving on type of eye pieces being used.

I've gone ahead and ordered the following:

2" Dielectric Bintel diagonal
Telrad unit

RE heater and dew shield - just wondering if we really need these in Perth/WA condition?

on the Vixen LVW pieces, I'm thinking of the 42, 22, 17, 13 and 8mm - not sure if the 42 is absolutely required or not. If not, then i'd stick with the other 4.

RIGEL - I've sent a PM to the seller of that Astro-Physics 2" visual back. If its still available, I'l grab it, otherwill looking at a Baader unit.

If was to go for the focuser - is there any way to lock the primary mirror on the CPC 1100 without disassembling the unit?

cheers
Jeelan

[Allan_L (Allan)]

I had a CPC1100 for a few years, and I found the Vixen LVW22 to be a nice eyepiece, but the one I kept coming back to was a Televue Panoptic 27mm (2" barrell).

For Planetary etc. the Televue Nagler Type VI 9mm was hard to go past.

Also, a height adjustable observing chair helps to get the best out of any observing session.

Another tip, don't extend the legs too much.
Better stability is obtained with the legs barely extended (IMHO).

I found the Astro physics Full 2" Visual back to be good.

[jeelan (Jeelan)]

Just ordered the 2" Astro-physics visual back from the seller on IceinSpace.

RE Tripod - i didnt even realise the tripod could be extended. I've been leaving it at the default (folded) setting - hence me getting a RACI because I'm 6'1 and was finding it awkward to line up to an object higher up on the horizon.

My backyard has a lot of trees so generally i'm around 38degrees off horizontal if that makes sense...

those Televues are tempting - but the price is another consideration. However as I noted I have a budget of $1500 so i'd be looking at 3 pieces - a 34/27mm, a 17/13mm and one around 8-9mm??

I could probably acquire whatever i dont buy this time, over the next 3-6 months once I'm a bit more experienced in what I want to see and using the scope.

anyone got any feedback re the dewshield and heater straps for Perth climate?

cheers
Jeelan

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

Hi JeeIan , and welcome .
I live in Perth and if you get a chance to come along to one of our get togethers in Thornlie , or even better out to our dark sky site torwards Brunton you are welcome to look thru my eyepieces , I have a few ranging fronm 40mm down to 3mm most TV;s .
The favorite is my Celestron Axiom 31mm 82*monster and in my C9.25 its great , next favorite is my 27mm Panoptic , as already said these perforn very well in an f10 SCT .
PM me for more info .
Brian.

[Wavytone]

Jeelan, there are a few here (self included) with sets of LVWs - and my scope is a 180mm f/15 Mak.

Couple of things about the LVW set:

- very rare to find one secondhand, those who have them don't part with them.

- my most-used ones are 42, 13 and 8.

- The 17 and 22 are too close - not much point in having both.

There are also alternatives starting with the ES 68 degree range, also excellent for your scope.