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Tareq Abdulla:Rob Johnson: 1. TS did the drilling and placement according to the back focus I wanted 2. I use a Ho tec collimator 3. From memory about 18kg 4. Look at reviews for MPCC compared to others, some others seem to offer better correction hope this helps 😊 |
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Rob Johnson:Tareq Abdulla:Rob Johnson:Time for questions: It helps, thank you very much  |
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@philhilo : SW 200PD-S Hi To get the 200pds to retain collimation, I fitted a longer, wider dovetail plate, a rigid aluminium box section rail along the top of the tube rings and sealed the main mirror into the cell. To minimize reflection spikes around brighter stars, I then removed the mirror clips and darkened the edge of the secondary mirror. Photos here. HTH |
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Photos here.HTH restricted access on the link? |
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Sorry: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kMLMI0VuQvvFYY120A8k7roMhSLG9Dcv?usp=sharing |
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| Cheers Rob, hadn't thought about putting a dovetail on the top as well. What are you using for collimation? I am using a 'Next Generation' laser collimater but it doesn't sit flush on the focuser and rocks about moving the red dot so its all guesswork. I am pretty sure it is not far off however I want to flock the OTA which means stripping and rebuilding, something I don't want to do without reliable collimation. |
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Hi The SW ds focuser and associated thumb screws are hopeless and it tilts as you tighten the locking screw. OK for light cameras but not for anything like a dslr with a gpu cc.. If you're going to keep the telescope, maybe change the focuser? I use a Cheshire sight tube with cross hairs. I can never get the laser to agree. if you want the collimation to hold, you'll need stronger primary mirror springs. Best also to fit passive springs around the locking screws. HTH |
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Cheers for that. I had noticed I have to be really careful to ensure the DSLR is well seated or I find it is not quite flush. Seems OK with the Canon 650 on it so far but I could see that hanging a dedicated cooled camera + filter wheel off it, it could become an issue - have to bear that in mind when I get one. It would be nice to get a refractor with the reach and the speed of the PDS but that's a few steps down the line yet. I have a wee WO 66 for the nebulae so that can go on the HEQ5 for now, then get the Astro cam, then upgrade the mount in time for next galaxy season when the 200PDS comes out again. Plenty of time to pick up good deals on 2nd hand gear, and time to get the PDS 'hypertuned' without stress! |
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Hi All ... My first scope bought with the idea of doing astrophotography was the Orion 8" Astrograph F3.9 which i still use I had many issues collimating watched many you tube videos bought many collimating aids lasers etc etc spent hours and hours and hours trying to perfect Now just use basic collimating cap as that gives "good enough" results for me ... none of the more complicated methods were any better Really disappointing for me was that the Orion manual shows what the mirror reflections of a well collimated non fast scope looks like .... a fast scope does not look the same, i only realised this when i came across an article on the Astrobabe (i think) website ... i wasted hours and hours as a result and is just lazy work from Orion Same story with field flatners ... i wasnt satisfied ... i bought an expense four piece one ... absolutely awful ... it was like a coma creator , went back to my original baader ... works OK I enjoy using the scope and have got my best images with it |
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I have a 13.1" f/4.5 homemade truss. Using a Baader 2" MPCC Mark III |
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| New to this group. I am using a used Orion Mak-Newt 190, f5/1000mm. The Mak-Newt comes with a corrector so I am not using any extra corrector or reducer. So far I have been very happy with this scope, my first newt. Seems to rarely require collimation correction, and generally seems quite sharp. I use it mostly for imaging with cmos cameras. Its a bit heavy, the whole setup is about 30 lbs, but so far my cem40 seems to handle it pretty well. I originally was going to put in my out of town observatory, but its been a handy scope for backyard, so I may just keep it here. |
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I have a custom built 150mm f/5 primary mirror and 50mm secondary, figured by an experienced ATM from my country (Brazil) with suberb quality (Strehl > 0.98 as measured by the maker). The OTA tube is 5mm carbon fiber. Focuser is a Long Perng low-profile 2" focuser. Machined parts by another amateur brazilian machinist. It appears comparable to similar offerings by TS (ONTC series). Coma corrector is TS Maxfield 2", which adds a slight reducing factor of 0.95x. Effective focal lenght at 714mm f/4.8. When well collimated (something I have only been able to do recently), the field is essencially perfect over APSC sensor (4.3um pixel size), and extremely good up to ~95% on full frame (6D, with larger 6.5um pixels, though). |
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I am using a used Orion Mak-Newt 190, f5/1000mm. Nice! I just picked up a used Explore Scientific Comet Hunter Maksutov Newtonian. It's f/4.8 with a 152 mm diameter and a focal length of 731 mm. I'm planning on using it mostly for visual, but I also thought about seeing if I could use it for combining data with my 8" f/4 Newt (812 mm). If I could concentrate on lum, for example, with my f/4 Newt and use my Comet Hunter with a color camera, maybe I could image targets faster? I've also been using a Sharpstar 150 f/2.8 Hyperbolic Newtonian for the past year (today is actually exactly one year since first light!). I initially had a lot of difficulty getting my camera at the right distance (as well as figuring out what exposure settings to use), so I've really only been 100% happy with my last published image using the scope. But I'm finally getting the hang of it. |
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Chris, Sounds like you have a great versatile setup. I had a similar idea in getting a color camera, to take photos with two separate setups to save time. I am thinking my Celestron 9.25" SCT with a reducer is similar in reach to the MN190, so one can be used for RGB, maybe the SCT and use the MN190 for L & Ha. Nina is supposed to be capable of running two scopes at a time, so it could be an interesting thing to try. Never seems to be enough time when conditions are right! |
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Never seems to be enough time when conditions are right! Indeed! I usually run two scopes at a time, but I didn't get to finish a couple targets late this past spring because of my narrow FOV. I got enough lum and almost enough red on M94, but I only got an hour or so of blue and green - I still might try to process that one. I didn't get any green on the Coma Cluster (and barely enough blue). Really bummed about that! |
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Hello, Love this group! I have 3 newts. 8”, 10” & 12” all f/5. My 8” has been the work horse for me so far. I have my 12” DBA Certified that has exceptional optics in it but my current mount just can’t handle the size of the OTA. I will be modifying it a bit to make it more lunar and planetary imaging here in the coming months. I acquired my 10” here about 4 months ago and have rebuilt the R&P focuser and added a ZWO EAF on it. Just finished it up here over the weekend and I’m waiting for my new 071mc pro and I’ll be mounting it up and giving it a run. I’m thinking at this point its going to be the happy medium until I get get a much more solid mount for the 12” OTA. In my 12” and 8” I used a paracorr type 1, and I have now acquired a Quattro Coma Corrector and I’m impressed with its performance! In using the Qcc I’ve had to modify the focuser a bit by making an adapter to get more in travel but its been worth the hassle to me so far. With some changes that I’ve done on my mount and the addition of my Qcc I may revisit the 12” again for DSO, but time will tell. Dale |
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| I use a skywatcher 200pds , and a baader mk3 cc have tweaked the spacing to 57.1mm which is within the baader tolerance , primary has been glued to holder and clips removed, focus tube trimmed so not to stick into light path , collimation tools , concentre eyepiece, laser , Cheshire, colli cap , the concentre is definitely the tool to check secondary mirror. |
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Hi again, It has been long time, since last year and the pandemic, i have an addition to the family or collection. I bought GSO 6" F/4 last year, collimation is a headache only because the secondary mirror for no reason doesn't obey me for all knobs, only two is working, once i use the third knob it cancels the other two knobs job, so it is like it will never keep collimation, and i have to use my hand and force it to collimate, primary mirror is smooth and fine. I found out that both of my Newt 8" and 6" have light leak, i am bummed for that, i didn't know about it and don't know what to do, only last time i tested 8" in my bed wrapping the rear side of the scope it killed that light leak completely, and i thought it was the focuser, well, the focuser has its issue as well i will deal with later, so i just now ordered that female or hair shower cap to try it for my scope, hope it can cover enough space of the backside of the scope, i ordered two types or versions of that cap, will be delivered soon and can't wait to give it a try. |
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Now my plan for future is about to find pairs scopes for my 6" and 5", not sure which scopes i will buy, i am trying only to match the FOV regardless different cameras or scopes, as i believe that processing software can match even if it is completely very different FOV, but will try make it very closer or similar so i don't lose too much areas of the frame between different setup imaging systems. I have two options for matching setup, either getting Paracorr, or getting 0.9x [if this is still available in stock], not sure if you prefer to go longer a bit or wider a bit, for example, bring my 8" F/5 from 1000mm to 950mm or 900mm, or increase it to 1150mm, if i go to 1150mm then RC will be a choice here, if i bring it down then a refractor or another Newt is the option, same with my 6" F/4 at 600mm native, of course i am still using Skywatcher F4 coma corrector giving 1.0x factor. |
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Reviving this thread since it does kind of seem like a timeless question/conversation starter: I've got a 10" GSO f/5... kind of... I upgraded the rolled steel tube to the TS Carbon fiber upgrade for GSO. It is only about 2mm thick but flexes a bit too much on its own with a large imaging train hanging off it. I've upgraded to focuser twice, first to the Farpoint Astro JMI Ev-2n (which would slip under the weight still), and then to the Feathertouch FTF2015BCR, which I love. I added a feather touch 1.4" riser so I can swap between the Paracorr Type 2 and the Starizona Nexus 0.75 reducer. I've upgraded the secondary to a 74mm along with a heavier duty spider... decided I could buy them separately and mount the secondary myself (how hard could it be?)... only had to redo it twice before I was reasonably content with the results. All in all it has been a lesson in just sell a scope and buy a better one versus try to update it by piecemeal... For the amount I've sunk into it, I could have just had a TS ONCT 10" f4 by now. That is the eventual goal, but for now I'm just loving the one I'm with. I have succeeded in building something that holds fairly consistent collimation and doesn't drive me completely crazy and my maxed out EQ6R-Pro manages to haul it around between 0.4-0.65 rms with an OAG. Oh, and I have a couple 12" embroidery hoops clamped down in front of the focuser on the OTA and a spare GSO pot metal ring clamped behind it... that has managed to stabilize the focuser flex...mostly. Not the prettiest thing in the world, but she is mine. For those out there tempted by the "oh, I'll just update this one part" bug... let me be a cautionary tale. Focuser might be fine, since that can be used with a new scope down the road, but it is a slippery slope from there. I've learned an awful lot... but did I really need to? Be ye warned. |
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| I own an Orion Optics UK CT8 Newtonian combined with a Moonlite CR2 focuser and I use the Televue Paracorr2 coma corrector. A great combination without disappointments after having struggled with an older Explore Scientific N208CF f/3.8 Newt that came with the "modernized" secondary mirror adjustment. My next purchase for the CT8 scope will be the Starizona Nexus reducer to speed OTA up to a F/3.25 |
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I use a TS Optics ONTC 8" f/4 Newton with FTF 2015 BCR focuser and Televue Paracorr Type 2 corrector. I am very happy with this set up. The only downside is the 15% increase in focal length and corresponding smaller FOV due to the Paracorr. I corresponded with several people before I made the choice - after some bad experiences with a Tak 130 ED and another telescope, I was ready for not having to fiddle around much. The FTF2015 is superb - no slip, holds focus for days, smooth motion. I initially thought it was introducing some tilt, but I was wrong. The issue was that it was the Paracorr that had some slight optical tilt. The solution was to collimate the primary with the Paracorr in place, which I do with the Glatter laser unit placed in the eyepiece holder of the Paracorr. Secondary collimation is with the Catseye Autocollimator. The key here is to make sure the collimation is done with the autocollimator mirror at the focus point and an extended barrel version works well for the purpose as it allows this without racking the focuser. Now I get stars that are as good or better than any refractor I've used right to the corners of the chip. And the compression fitting of the FTF means I can change my framing as desired. |
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| Now that is an interesting solution. I’ll have to try that. I’ve noticed some optical tilt in my Paracorr as well |
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Reviving this thread since it does kind of seem like a timeless question/conversation starter: Hi, I hear you! I was very lucky that I was able to borrow a little 130PDS from a friend of mine before I bought mine. His was already modified (velour, main mirror ring,...), but the weak spider arms drove me nuts - so my decision was set, that I wanted a CNC-milled spider. This was one of my main criteria when searching for my own. I was also considering a TS-ONCT or UNC ... but in the end, I got myself a Lacerta Fotonewton 200/800 Edition 2021 - waited half a year for mine, but the wait was soooo worth it. and the best part, I haven't had to colminate it once, how awesome is that? Also everyone I know, had not the need to culminate them. It's like magic, or simply a very well-built main mirror cell ;-). And not just that, the 6mm carbon tube is sturdy as hell and the octo focuser is a Dream. Love it. + I use it with the recommended coma corrector by Pál Gyulai. CS Sabine |
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ONTC 254mm F4 TSGPU ASI2600mm CEM70  |
