Bruce MacDonald
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/12/06
Posts: 1126
Loc: Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
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Last night - for the first time in a while - I used the 10 x 80s for an observing session. The sky conditions were good enough to use them (clear, partly cloudy, strong winds from the east).
First I tried scanning for Mercury on my western horizon, but unsuccessfully as that has the most obstructions. What surprised me most of all was that I was able to hand-hold them steady enough to look! (These bins weigh ten pounds.)
For satellite observing I used them mounted on a heavy-duty camera tripod. Normally for this I use my ST80 with a 32mm Plossl eyepiece. I had forgotten just how wide the FOV is with the 10 x 80s; it is very much the "space porthole" experience. A quick look at the Pleiades showed them up nicely, a sparkling collection of jewels against a velvet background.
For satellite observing they also proved their worth; my first target was DMSP F16 (03-048A, 28054) a US military weather reconnaissance satellite. Predicted to be mag 5.7 it was more like mag 9, despite being 72 degrees up. I picked it up no problem at all near mu Persei and managed a few points on it before moving to my next targets, the NOSS 3-2 pair (03-054A and C, 28095 and 28097) which I found near beta Cas. Cloud then intervened and the session was over.
I had been concerned that the 45 degree angle of the eyepieces would make aiming the 10 x 80s more difficult; in the past I have used a QuikFinder to aim them. Last night I had no problems at all with aiming them without the QuikFinder as the FOV is so wide (about 7 or 8 degrees?).
Given the right sky conditions these are superb binoculars. Although the exit pupils are too wide for most people, for me the wide field compensates for any wasted light.
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Bruce MacDonald
Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
Per Mare Per Terras
Schneider (dkl) 10x80 Flakfernrohr, Canon 10x30 IS binoculars, Synta 80mm f/5 refractor, Televue 24mm Panoptic
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DenisY
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/10/04
Posts: 2048
Loc: Canada / Montréal
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Having a night out under the stars like that is always rewarding, satellite hunting huh? That seems cool, i never thought about searching for them, usualy they fall into my view while i look for clusters, what do you use for planning the appearance? Starry-night software?
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Denis
I wonder how would the world be different if
Einstein had never lived?
Visit my web site at...
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KennyJ
The British Flash
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 20139
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Denis ,
Try THIS site !
http://www.heavens-above.com/
Have fun !
Kenny
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Milton Wilcox R.I.P
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DenisY
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/10/04
Posts: 2048
Loc: Canada / Montréal
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cool thanks Kenny 
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Denis
I wonder how would the world be different if
Einstein had never lived?
Visit my web site at...
My Astronomical Logbook
Check out
My Astronomical Gear
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Bruce MacDonald
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/12/06
Posts: 1126
Loc: Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
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Heavens Above is a good site for beginners - I used it myself for a while. Now I use some satellite prediction software called SkyMap (not the pro planetarium software) which I have running on a laptop in the garden with me.
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Bruce MacDonald
Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
Per Mare Per Terras
Schneider (dkl) 10x80 Flakfernrohr, Canon 10x30 IS binoculars, Synta 80mm f/5 refractor, Televue 24mm Panoptic
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DenisY
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/10/04
Posts: 2048
Loc: Canada / Montréal
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I just also realized that my software is capable of giving me all satellite orbiting earth ... Oh well ... Still happy i found this post atleast it will get me hunting something new. 
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Denis
I wonder how would the world be different if
Einstein had never lived?
Visit my web site at...
My Astronomical Logbook
Check out
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RRaubach
AstroCowboy
Reged: 01/26/05
Posts: 2173
Loc: Douglas (Converse County),WY
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I have an original mount for the Flakfernrohr binos in my setup. Helps a lot! I also have had mine modified to 18x which brings the exit pupil down to a useable level. These are now really useful for astro observing.
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Rodger
Meade SN-10 (UHTC) on Tak EM-200 mount/Antares rotating rings. Moonlite focuser.
Parallax 14.5" Newtonian on HD 200 mount (arriving soon!) w/ conical Royce mirror.
TMB 203 f/7 APO refractor on Tak NJP-160 mount.
Discovery 12.5" PDHQ
Schneider 18x80 "Flakfernrohr" binoculars/tripod mounted. Canon 15x50 IS binoculars
Unihedron Sky Quality Meter
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DJB
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/23/05
Posts: 1742
Loc: Lisle NY
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Hey Rodger,
Interesting that you should mention this.
I recently purchased the book by Dr. Stephen Rohan concerning his research on these binoculars.
I just started reading it, on page 15 or so now. It's a good read!
Regards,
Dave.
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gatorengineer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/28/05
Posts: 2004
Loc: Hellertown, PA
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Wanted to ask if you had any contact info for Kevin, I would like to ask him if he can mod a set of flak eyepieces for me as well.
With the original cradle, you can only go 45degrees right?
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A 60mm department store refractor started it all....
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binosbuyer
sage
Reged: 02/11/06
Posts: 267
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yes , 18x would be great, is it very hard to take the cross hairs out ? gator, did you get your coated ones back? who does the coating ? ... bob
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binosbuyer
sage
Reged: 02/11/06
Posts: 267
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what was the name of the book of dr. rohan ? also I recall a grey book from seeger or something that was a good resource, any info would be appreciated, thanks in advance, bob
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DenisY
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/10/04
Posts: 2048
Loc: Canada / Montréal
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Would 10x50 be better to hunt satellites? Wider field of view no?
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Denis
I wonder how would the world be different if
Einstein had never lived?
Visit my web site at...
My Astronomical Logbook
Check out
My Astronomical Gear
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DJB
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/23/05
Posts: 1742
Loc: Lisle NY
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Hi binosbuyer,
I'm sorry I neglected to mention the book title in my original response. It pertains to the 10x80 German WWII binocular, and Dr. Rohan plans to address others as well in future.
The book is "Eyes of the Wehrmacht" by Stephen Rohan. It is subtitled "An Illustrated Guide to German World War II 10x80 Binoculars," First Edition, (c) 1996.
There are a number of original (German) photographs from the era in this book. It could be the same basic construction of binocular with the 18x eps used instead of the 10x eps.
Best regards,
Dave.
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binosbuyer
sage
Reged: 02/11/06
Posts: 267
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thanks for the info dave , denis I have found nothing to compare to the 10x80 flak for comfort and view, ya gotta look thru a pair, sometimes we glass all day through them
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Bruce MacDonald
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/12/06
Posts: 1126
Loc: Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
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Quote:
Would 10x50 be better to hunt satellites? Wider field of view no?
10 x 50s are an excellent choice for satellite observing, but the 10 x 80 Flaks have a wider FOV in my experience. In a lot of the literature, serious satellite observers use 11 x 80 binoculars.
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Bruce MacDonald
Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
Per Mare Per Terras
Schneider (dkl) 10x80 Flakfernrohr, Canon 10x30 IS binoculars, Synta 80mm f/5 refractor, Televue 24mm Panoptic
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DenisY
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/10/04
Posts: 2048
Loc: Canada / Montréal
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11 x 80 wow! Those should be really cool to use, i'd really like to see through one for sure! Who makes 11 x 80?
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Denis
I wonder how would the world be different if
Einstein had never lived?
Visit my web site at...
My Astronomical Logbook
Check out
My Astronomical Gear
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KennyJ
The British Flash
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 20139
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Denis ,
11 x 80 is a quite commonly found size binocular , one bearing the name ORION probably being the most common .
Typical field of view is a slightly disappointing 4.5 degrees , but I've looked through several , including one bearing the name Paralux , and views ARE bright , clear , steady and perhaps more importantly , EASY and COMFORTABLE .
There are understandable questions always about the sensibility ( or waste ) of 7mm PLUS exit - pupils , and about such a physically large and heavy binocular " only " providing 11x magnification , but as always , it's REALLY more matter of personal preferences and " horses for courses " .
SOME binocular specifications have a knack of being somewhat misleading , when considered ON PAPER .
11 x 80 is one of those power / size combinations which I think might well pleasantly surprise a few people if they ever actually LOOKED THROUGH one , rather than merely indulge in theoretical speculation !
Regards , Kenny
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Milton Wilcox R.I.P
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davidmcgo
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/09/04
Posts: 935
Loc: San Diego, CA
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I'd have to agree with Kenny on 11x80 being a very relaxing combo. I used to own a University Optics "Comet King" fully multi coated 11x80, and had later sold them for a 10x70 Fujinon FMT-SX. I actually had found the 11x80's more comfortable to hold due to balance and body shape, and the eyepieces more relaxing if not as well corrected. 11x made a bit of an improvement over 10x as well. The Fujinons were much nicer mechanically, but I didn't really enjoy using them so I sold them.
Dave
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RRaubach
AstroCowboy
Reged: 01/26/05
Posts: 2173
Loc: Douglas (Converse County),WY
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Bruce-
I have 6 pair of these Flak binoculars, plus one pair that I had modified by Kevin Kuhne. The mod was : clean all optics and recement the objectives; replace the e.p.'s with new Kowa units that resulted in a magnification of 18x; all of the lenses and prisms mag fluoride coated. These are now superb for astro viewing; I used them for 4 years before I bought my first APO refractor.
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Rodger
Meade SN-10 (UHTC) on Tak EM-200 mount/Antares rotating rings. Moonlite focuser.
Parallax 14.5" Newtonian on HD 200 mount (arriving soon!) w/ conical Royce mirror.
TMB 203 f/7 APO refractor on Tak NJP-160 mount.
Discovery 12.5" PDHQ
Schneider 18x80 "Flakfernrohr" binoculars/tripod mounted. Canon 15x50 IS binoculars
Unihedron Sky Quality Meter
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flakfernrohr
newbie
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1
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Does anyone have a source for the cradle fork mount ?
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