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Pages: 1 Escher scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/30/07 Loc: Fenton, MI Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA!       #5441540 - 09/26/12 12:11 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'm super excited! Been wanting to try one of these baby's for a while and just found one on ebay... Turns out Jim had one he was selling. I should have it in a couple of days! This will serve a couple of functions - primarily as a planetary scope, but also I may use it as a guidescope as well. I read some archived posts about these which piqued my interest - anyone here still have one? I'm also very interested in the awesome Terabeam mount/drive some of the folks have. Post Extras:       moynihan Carpal Tunnel Reged: 07/22/03 Loc: Lake Michigan Watershed Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: Escher]       #5441601 - 09/26/12 12:48 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: anyone here still have one? ... Yes. An OTA. A Questar on steriods. Use for moon planets, mounted on a AT Voyager Alt-azm mount. BTW: if yours is coming without mounting rings, Scopestuff can help you figure that part out. Interested in your impressions, after you get a chance to use it. I think if Meade brought the complete 3 ETX Mak line back, as OTA's with the build quality of these, people would pay for it. Edited by moynihan (09/26/12 12:51 PM) Post Extras:       Escher scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/30/07 Loc: Fenton, MI Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: moynihan]       #5443104 - 09/27/12 08:45 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   As to rings... I am making some custom - it will be much cheaper. Turns out, Schedule 40 Pipe comes in a 6" ID with approx .25 wall thickness. I have several sections being cut for me which I will then drill for both mounting holes and centering pins. In total, I think you can make a set of nice sturdy rings for about $20-$30 dollars. I'll report back when I have something. Post Extras:       Escher scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/30/07 Loc: Fenton, MI Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: Escher]       #5451824 - 10/02/12 12:10 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Made the rings - no pics yet... but I had to use hand tools since I did not have a drill-press at the time... so the scope and finder are not in-line, and I'm not very happy with the results... I may give it another go down the road... Post Extras:       outlate75 member Reged: 02/17/12 Loc: MD Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: Escher]       #5469130 - 10/13/12 11:55 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Escher, have you used the scope yet? I got one recently but have not tried to come up with a set of rings yet. One thing I noticed was only one of my sct accesories will actually thread on to the wegat back. Threads must not be quite right on this one. Post Extras:       Escher scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/30/07 Loc: Fenton, MI Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: outlate75]       #5471062 - 10/15/12 08:00 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The threads on mine are a bit messy - but they get better the more you use them. I'd suggest using some lubricating oil the first couple of times you thread something on until the burrs get worked out.. I have a couple of spots that are pretty hard to turn past. I did make a set of rings out of 6" ID Schedule 40 steel. I drilles 1/4X20 holes (3 evenly spaced) in each ring and then use nylon /14X20 bolts to hold the scope. It works fine. I even attached a standard celestron finder and bracket to oe of the rings. I'm actually going to go with production rings for a couple of reasons: 1) Weight - te steel rings I made are 2" wide and weight a ton. 2) I want a non- adjustable ring set - the nylon holds ok, but I really want a fully enclosed tube with felt all around it. I nearly lost the tube out the back of my rings one night while trying to center it to the finder... that was a potential disaster that I don't want to repeat. and a side note. ** You will definately want to fully remove the rear cell and tighten the mirror retaining rings!!!! Mine was flopping all over the place - I had to remove the rear cell and tighten it up and re-adjust the small springs that tension the mirror to the plate. I have pics of the process, just have not had time to upload them... Post Extras:       outlate75 member Reged: 02/17/12 Loc: MD Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: Escher]       #5475219 - 10/17/12 02:29 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I've been looking for rings to fit without spending a fortune for them. Looked to me like getting some slightly larger and adding more felt would be the cheapest solution, but let me know if you find some that are a direct fit. I haven't tried to check the mirror retainer yet, but thanks for the heads up. When you did get the scope out, how did it perform? Post Extras:       Escher scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/30/07 Loc: Fenton, MI Re: Terabeam / Wegat ETX 125 OTA! [Re: outlate75]       #5475334 - 10/17/12 03:49 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I had it out two nights ago for a short view - got the double cluster and M31 - great views.. My collimation isn't perfect, but its close - not off enough for me to tear into it again! I have the scopestuff rings on the way - they are a bit over size so you just add extra felt. Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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