Emanuele
Lord of the Ring
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 5652
Loc: Brescia-Italy, and Iowa-US
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Heya guys.......
it comes a time in all SCT life where you have to deal with collimation. I have my scope outside on the balcony now and is cooling down  and ready to do collimation once it will reach ambient temperature.
Question is: I've seen very good reviews on the SCT laser collimators, specially the Kendrick ones. Should I pay a visit to Jim tomorrow and grab one of those?
They have a used one for 150$CAN which is not bad at all!
Opinions wanted.
(keep in mind I've never collimated my scoep, this will be the first time)
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Backyard Skies
Astro-Physics 130EDF Gran Turismo
TEC MC200 F15.5
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO on Rob Miller TRI36L
Super Half Hitch on AP Wood Tripod
Baader/Zeiss Mark V
FLI ML8300 & CFW2-7 with Baader Filters
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Bluemeanie
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/26/04
Posts: 903
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A.
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If you don't already have them, get a set of Bob's knobs for your scope. I think they are around $16.00. Use the balance of the money you would have spent on the laser collimator toward your new mount!
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Walt
- Obsession 15" f/4.5 #1282 w/ Argo Navis, Feathertouch Focuser
- Meade 2080GEM (8" SCT)
- Vixen ED80SF - Celestron CG5-GT Mount
- Coulter CT-100 - Meade DS2000 Mount
- Coronado Halpha PST
- Denkmeier Binoviewer w/ dual PXS
- Canon 300D, Celestron Neximage
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Emanuele
Lord of the Ring
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 5652
Loc: Brescia-Italy, and Iowa-US
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lol, alright Walt I get the idea.
 Thanks
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Backyard Skies
Astro-Physics 130EDF Gran Turismo
TEC MC200 F15.5
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO on Rob Miller TRI36L
Super Half Hitch on AP Wood Tripod
Baader/Zeiss Mark V
FLI ML8300 & CFW2-7 with Baader Filters
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Emanuele
Lord of the Ring
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 5652
Loc: Brescia-Italy, and Iowa-US
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where's a good place to buy them?
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Backyard Skies
Astro-Physics 130EDF Gran Turismo
TEC MC200 F15.5
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO on Rob Miller TRI36L
Super Half Hitch on AP Wood Tripod
Baader/Zeiss Mark V
FLI ML8300 & CFW2-7 with Baader Filters
|
Bluemeanie
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/26/04
Posts: 903
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A.
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You can order from him direct. Bob's Knobs
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Walt
- Obsession 15" f/4.5 #1282 w/ Argo Navis, Feathertouch Focuser
- Meade 2080GEM (8" SCT)
- Vixen ED80SF - Celestron CG5-GT Mount
- Coulter CT-100 - Meade DS2000 Mount
- Coronado Halpha PST
- Denkmeier Binoviewer w/ dual PXS
- Canon 300D, Celestron Neximage
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Emanuele
Lord of the Ring
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 5652
Loc: Brescia-Italy, and Iowa-US
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whoops....
thanks a lot!
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Backyard Skies
Astro-Physics 130EDF Gran Turismo
TEC MC200 F15.5
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO on Rob Miller TRI36L
Super Half Hitch on AP Wood Tripod
Baader/Zeiss Mark V
FLI ML8300 & CFW2-7 with Baader Filters
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Don W
demi-god
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 19226
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
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Had a Kendrick. Even had Kendrick show me how to use it. Sold the Kendrick. Bought Bob's Knobs. Bobs's Knobs and Polaris are much easier than the Kendrick.
The End.
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DON'T PANIC!-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Don Wyman
Obsession 18" f/4.5 #1166
W/Argo Navis DSC and Torus Primary
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Emanuele
Lord of the Ring
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 5652
Loc: Brescia-Italy, and Iowa-US
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lol Don thats a pretty good story.....
I just oredered Bob's Knobs
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Backyard Skies
Astro-Physics 130EDF Gran Turismo
TEC MC200 F15.5
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO on Rob Miller TRI36L
Super Half Hitch on AP Wood Tripod
Baader/Zeiss Mark V
FLI ML8300 & CFW2-7 with Baader Filters
|
Starman1
Vendor (EyepiecesEtc.com)
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 17639
Loc: Los Angeles
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Quote:
Heya guys.......
it comes a time in all SCT life where you have to deal with collimation. I have my scope outside on the balcony now and is cooling down and ready to do collimation once it will reach ambient temperature.
Question is: I've seen very good reviews on the SCT laser collimators, specially the Kendrick ones. Should I pay a visit to Jim tomorrow and grab one of those?
They have a used one for 150$CAN which is not bad at all!
Opinions wanted.
(keep in mind I've never collimated my scoep, this will be the first time)
Laser collimators aren't really designed for SCTs, and, since usually only the secondary is adjustable, are dramatic overkill, even if they are specifically designed for SCTs (like the EZ Telescopes one, or the Glatter, et.al).
Focus on Polaris. Move star to center of field. Use eyepiece producing 200x or so. Gradually go from way outside focus toward focus, judging how concentric star image is to secondary shadow. As you approach focus, VERY fine adjustments will be necessary. Each time you move a screw, re-center the star. Ultimately, if seeing is good, you will be able to gauge the collimation by judging the roundness of the Airy disc. I found, on my 8" SCT, that I could dial in the Airy disc to a completely round state with no obvious flares going in any direction.
Ah, but then you add a diagonal, and these are rarely perfectly angled. So now your perfectly collimated scope is off slightly and displays perfect collimation perhaps only at one edge of the field, or maybe not at all. I went through 5 diagonals, but when I finally found one close to perfect, I collimated with it in place. Since I always used the diagonal, it was that or accept poor star images.
After collimation with the diagonal in place, the star images were truly excellent, but deteriorated a little more on one side of a long focal length Nagler's field of view than the other. Oh, well. It was a small price to pay for near perfect star images in the center 50-60 degrees of field, and sharp planetary images.
Bob's knobs? 
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Don Pensack
www.EyepiecesEtc.com
12.5" Teeter/Zambuto, 5" Maksutov
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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Starman1
Vendor (EyepiecesEtc.com)
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 17639
Loc: Los Angeles
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Emanuele,
After installing Bob's knobs, use the following to do preliminary collimation. It actually works great!
http://www.mira.org/ascc/pages/lectures/collim.htm
Good luck!
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Don Pensack
www.EyepiecesEtc.com
12.5" Teeter/Zambuto, 5" Maksutov
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 30716
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
Had a Kendrick. Even had Kendrick show me how to use it. Sold the Kendrick. Bought Bob's Knobs. Bobs's Knobs and Polaris are much easier than the Kendrick.
The End.
Lasers make good sense on larger reflectors, since the operator usually can't reach the adjustments while simultaneously looking through an eyepiece for critical collimation. On SCT's there's really no need for such a tool even if there is one which works well (I dunno; never tried one or heard any positive reports from anyone who wasn't selling one) because it's easy and extremely accurate to do final adjustments on an SCT while looking at a star.
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John C
Battle Cry of Reno
http://www.wadsworthobservatory.com
My Cloudy Nights gallery
AT12RC
AT65EDQ
QSI683WSG-8
Roper Scientific Quantix 6303E "project" camera
mystery EQ mount on the way
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Emanuele
Lord of the Ring
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 5652
Loc: Brescia-Italy, and Iowa-US
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Thanks Don....
I will.
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Backyard Skies
Astro-Physics 130EDF Gran Turismo
TEC MC200 F15.5
Astro-Physics Mach1GTO on Rob Miller TRI36L
Super Half Hitch on AP Wood Tripod
Baader/Zeiss Mark V
FLI ML8300 & CFW2-7 with Baader Filters
|
Larry F
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/24/04
Posts: 2096
Loc: Westchester, NY
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I got one at NEAF a few years ago. Now I use a Digitec artificial star (and Bob's Knobs) and it's infintely easier and quicker. I would sell it to you for much less than $150, but you don't want it. I'll probably end up using it, after a little modification, as a pointer.
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More stuff than I need
Not as much as I want
(Main scope: CPC800/Mallincam Color Hyper Plus)
Mason & Hamlin BB 2140 mm (grand piano)
Westchester Amateur Astronomers
My Gallery
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Tim2723
The Moon Guy
Reged: 02/19/04
Posts: 5762
Loc: Northern New Jersey
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I don't know if this will help, but I used my Orion reflector's collimation cap on my MK66 to check alignments and found everything to be in top shape. I haven't had to collimate yet, but Mike at ITE recommends using the collimation cap over the laser. Really cheap too.
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Intes MK-66 Deluxe (6" f/12 Maksutov)
Celestron C-102HD (4" f/10 achromat)
Celestron C-102AZ (4" f/5 achromat)
Orion 6LT (6" f/8 classic Newtonian)
Orion Apex 90 (90mm Mak spotter/grab-n-go/little fun scope)
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