2330 replies to this topic

[Stargazer3236]

My new to me Celestron C11 mounted on a Skywatcher EQ6R mount.

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[Bomber Bob]

Sweet scope and mount! Have you had a chance to use it?

Saturday, I got the Kenko SC125L secondary holder centered & locked on the corrector.  Then, I collimated with a laser.  Took it out last night for star testing & secondary tweaking, and discovered that the primary mirror platter sticks / grabs randomly when focusing....

 

So, it's back indoors.  1st, I'll remove the back plate, take the primary assembly apart, remove all the old original grease, and re-lube with Lithium.  If it still grabs or tilts, I'll look at racking the focuser full in, then attach a standard rack & pinion to the tail, and use that focuser instead.

 

When this SCT is aligned & cooled, the views of Jupiter at 225x (Radian 8) are very refractor-like.  IOW:  It's worth some extra time & effort to fix this last OTA issue.

[Stargazer3236]

...

It's like a work of art! Your personal Mona Lisa!

[Jared]

Here is mine, ensconced in its new home at DeepSkyWest in Rowe, New Mexico!

 

305mm Riccardi-Honders, AP1100GTO AE mount, QHY600PH with 50mm SQ Chroma filters in an XL CFW3. I added insulation (not Reflectix brand since Home Depot was out, but equivalent and it works). 

 

 

Lens cap is on since I was taking darks at the time... It's prettier with the dew shield instead, but se la vie, this is the picture I thought to take at the time.

[D_talley]

Here is a photo of my Meade LX200R 14 on a AP 1200GTO at its new location. I am in the long process of getting it zeroed in and ready to photograph the deep sky. I did have a chance to look at Venus, Saturn and Jupiter with my wife this past weekend. I just need to find the box I packed the fan-less computer in. I will remote into it from my warm office.

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[Mike G.]

Here is a photo of my Meade LX200R 14 on a AP 1200GTO at its new location. I am in the long process of getting it zeroed in and ready to photograph the deep sky. I did have a chance to look at Venus, Saturn and Jupiter with my wife this past weekend. I just need to find the box I packed the fan-less computer in. I will remote into it from my warm office.

Nice DIY pier.  how far is it in the ground?

[D_talley]

Normally it is 3.5 feet into the ground but at this new location I only hand dug it 2 feet deep. It is 37 inches above ground. Seems to be just as stable. Used 6x6x4 glued and screwed together. I moved this pier from my last house, which is the prime reason for using wood piers.

[Mike G.]

Caliche can be pretty tough stuff to dig as well as pretty stable, if that's what you have to work with. termites might be an issue though; my sister lives in the desert near Tucson and has to have her whole house treated yearly.

[D_talley]

I ran into a thin layer of caliche when I was digging. It wore me out. I dug 1 inch a day for a couple of weeks to get this done.  No problem with termites. The wood is treated and shows no sign of insect attacks.

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[D_talley]

Back on topic. Here is a photo of my first real scope. A Meade LX200 14 on a Losmandy G11 mount.  Maxed out the mount but worked great with Hyperstar and visual. 

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[Mike G.]

Back on topic. Here is a photo of my first real scope. A Meade LX200 14 on a Losmandy G11 mount.  Maxed out the mount but worked great with Hyperstar and visual. 

yup.  I would definitely call that a 'real' scope....

[Retired Dave]

Back on topic. Here is a photo of my first real scope. A Meade LX200 14 on a Losmandy G11 mount.  Maxed out the mount but worked great with Hyperstar and visual. 

Wow! Can not imagine what your first non-real scope was!!

[JimOfOakCreek]

This is my Cat in my Zen Garden, last summer in Wisconsin. 

 

[Spikey131]

Is that a Zen Garden?

 

Where I come from we call that a back yard.

[JimOfOakCreek]

Is that a Zen Garden?

 

Where I come from we call that a back yard.

Well, maybe I exaggerated a bit. 

[chris charen]

I sold my Meade 125 ETX Terabeam about 4 years ago after a years use. Sold it as I got a good offer for it. I regretted the sale soon after. A month go the exact scope came on my local E bay and I bought it around $250 US which was a less then what I originally sold it for. The seller had hardly used it due to ill health. Now it is back in my collection.
I stripped it down cleaned it and got the tube repainted at a local auto shop. I drilled and added a finder adapter and with a 6x30 finder. It now looks as new and the optics are pristine. The mirror measures 135 mm and clear aperture is 127mm. [Flashlight]. Collimation and star tests are perfect. Planetary views are excellent and equal to my now sold ED120 but mildly brighter. I have it temporarily mounted on an old Meade 395 mount which at the max. weight for this mount but OK at present.
The optics are truly excellent and it will now stay in my collection for ever

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Edited by chris charen, 21 December 2021 - 02:24 PM.

[CCD-Freak]

I also sold my Wegat modified  ETX 125 and regretted it not long afterwards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rakrok]

On the topic of Terabeams, this is my Wegat modified Terabeam Binoscope. Not selling this anytime soon!

[CCD-Freak]

Great place to have those.  What a view !!!!

 

Made me think of Jimmy Stewart and "Rear Window"  (^8

[Old Man]

Great place to have those.  What a view !!!!

 

Made me think of Jimmy Stewart and "Rear Window"  (^8

On steroids !!!!!!!   

[chris charen]

Wow ! that is amazing. Your Terabeam 125 ETX binoscope will  be only on a kind in the world as only 200 were ever made I believe. I thought having one myself was great but a binoscope is just amazing. Your apartment seems a bit low, there are some apartments available with better views on billionaires row :}

 

Chris

[zsb04]

Meow meows the cat

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[dpippel]

https://youtu.be/SaA_cs4WZHM

[luxo II]

Wow ! that is amazing. Your Terabeam 125 ETX binoscope will  be only on a kind in the world as only 200 were ever made I believe. 

There's something even more bizarre... ENS Optical have a pair of APM Santel 6" F12 maksutov binoculars for sale. Its not exactly unique - there was another similar pair that surfaced recently - with some cosmetic differences that confirm its not the same pair. 

 

The number of 6" Santels however is probably under 30.

 

And our new cat doesn't care if its cloudy

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Edited by luxo II, 21 January 2022 - 12:35 AM.

[Rydeen 98]

Upgraded from my old Meade to a Celestron 8 inch EdgeHD. I also did the Rowan Belt and Zero Backlash Worm mod to my Atlas EQ-G. I'm still working on some tuning issues after these changes. The EdgeHD is also heavier and pushing my mount harder with all the other gear attached.