Telrad, Optical finder or both

[Jooster]

Just need some comments and advice on Telrad finder. How to people find the Telrad? Should I use both on my scope( Optical and Telrad). Are they easy to set up.

Jooster

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

What sort of scope do you have?

For my dob, I spoil myself with a green laser pointer, telrad AND a RACI finder. Obviously I hate to muck around. What do I find most useful? Well, the laser gets me in the ball park much quicker, then the telrad alone gets me into the eyepiece's field of view. Probably the finder is redundant, but then having the right angle correct image view is helpful if I don't want to twist my neck when the scope is near zenith. (I don't find the mirror on the telrad all that helpful.)

For my refractor I use either a green laser or a red dot finder. No magnifying optical finder at all.

Cheers,

Brian.

[BC]

I have the 10" dob and took the optical finder off because I never use it. Having said that, the darker the sky, the better the Telrad is. I used the scope in town recently and realised how the optical finder would have been helpful in that situation.

Bruce

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

I love my Telrad...but it can get in positions that are difficult to use.

I also love my 9x50 finder....but it is easily knocked out of alignment because of the poor GSO mount system (2 screws and spring loaded pin).

So..I use both, depends upon the situation.

[Dog Star (Phil)]

Yup. I agree with Bruce.
I don't bother mounting the optical finder scope on my 12" since I got the Telrad. That doesn't mean I'm going to bin the finder scope though.
The bottom line is to get the Telrad but hang onto the finder scope.
After all, you'll never get a flat battery in a finder scope.

[Wavytone]

I find the Telrad and red dot finders are pretty much useless in the city (Sydney) where I live as there just isn't much visible naked eye below mag 2, but a 9x50 finder is pretty good for finding things.

In dark skies the red dot finder I have is OK, but I still prefer the finder as it shows so much more, often I can see the fainter targets in the finder and when well aligned I can centre my Maksutiv straight on the target at medium - high power, whereas with the red dot finder I can only do that at low power.

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

Both (RDF and optical) for me too

[Paddy (Patrick)]

I find the telrad very useful, but still need a magnified finderscope for tracking down faint objects once the telrad has got me to the area. Both get quite a work out on my scope.

[garin (Garin)]

I also use both a 9x50 and a Telrad, I use them both on all my scopes - a C8 an 10" newt and a 16" Lightbridge.

I polar align the C8 and 10" newt on my EQ6 mount using the 9x50.

[skies2clear]

Both, Telrad (great for quick convenient pointing) and Finderscope (necessary, for fainter objects).

CS

[Solanum]

Both for me too. I have decent skies, so use the Telrad to find whatever naked eye object I am after then use the RA finder to star hop to whatever object I am looking for that is below naked eye brightness. You can't do that with a Telrad and star hopping with the RA Finder is a hell of a lot easier than doing it the wrong way round and upside down through the eyepiece.

[tnott]

I always used the Rigel Quickfinder (similar to the Telrad) and a wide field eyepiece only to find stuff on the 16". Never missed having an optical finder.