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m00nless
sage
Reged: 08/06/08
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UniStar questions
#5381083 - 08/22/12 01:23 PM
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Does the UniStar have sufficient tension to secure a long optical tube pointing to a high altitude and at the same time allow for smooth movement of the optical tube without having to adjust tension again? Is it necessary to adjust tension or re-balance an optical tube when switching between eyepieces of different weight?
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Kfrank
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/20/08
Loc: Northern Colorado
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Re: UniStar questions
[Re: m00nless]
#5381140 - 08/22/12 01:59 PM
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With all the UA mounts, scope balance is a critical parameter. If the tube is not properly balanced, the tension on the alt axis may need to be set higher which may affect smoothness of operation.
I found that having the balance set slightly nose heavy worked best - however, adding a barlow or changing EPs can (and will) change the balance point.
Once I switched to a mount with slo-mo controls, I was much happier.
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m00nless
sage
Reged: 08/06/08
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Re: UniStar questions
[Re: Kfrank]
#5381244 - 08/22/12 03:00 PM
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Quote:
Once I switched to a mount with slo-mo controls, I was much happier.
Which mount with slow motion controls did you switch to?
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Kfrank
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/20/08
Loc: Northern Colorado
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Re: UniStar questions
[Re: m00nless]
#5382605 - 08/23/12 11:32 AM
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Quote:
Quote:
Once I switched to a mount with slo-mo controls, I was much happier.
Which mount with slow motion controls did you switch to?
Stellarvue MG2.
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Rich V.
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/02/05
Loc: Lake Tahoe area, Nevada, USA
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Re: UniStar questions
[Re: Kfrank]
#5383506 - 08/23/12 08:43 PM
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I agree with Ken; balance is critical because it's important to keep the tension low for the smoothest motions.
For me, with a 130mm f7 refractor, I've found it best to use roughly similar sized eyepieces. I can switch from Pentax to Ethos without re-balancing but going from a N3-6 zoom to a 21 Ethos is too extreme and a re-balance is necessary.
I like the simplicity of the Unistar; it doesn't require an extension and there's no clearance problems between scope and tripod. As long as I have a D style dovetail bar that's long enough to provide at least 3" of fore/aft movement I'm OK. It only takes about 5 seconds to slip the dovetail bar one way or the other in the clamping jaws so IMO, it's no big deal. I can track just fine at the scope's limit of ~300x so the added complexity of slo-mo isn't a feature I feel I need.
Rich
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