601 replies to this topic

[Alan S]

Well, how about a thread dedicated to this little gem of a telescope, a place for owners to share helpful information.  There are some other threads currently comparing this scope to others but perhaps it will be a useful spot for owners to share information on on observing or imaging with it, modifications/upgrades to the scope, experiences with mounting options, etc.

 

I am in the middle of a 2 week stay in the Colorado mountains with seemingly back to back to back snowstorms, so once this all settles and I am back at my (dry) home observing location I’ll share my own pics and observing reports.

 

I do plan to purchase a suitable alt-az mount for this for grab and go use, as currently I only have a Sky Watcher AZ-EQ which, while superb, is sometimes more than I want to haul out.  I am considering the Stellarvue MC2 and wonder if anyone is using one?

 

Anyway, hope this becomes a useful thread and a happy and peaceful 2023 filled with clear skies to all of you!

 

Alan

Edited by Alan S, 31 December 2022 - 10:48 AM.

[wrvond]

I purchased my AT80EDL with solar observing in mind. The first mount I put it on was an Explore Scientific Twilight 1. I only slightly modified this mount by putting a self adhesive foam pad on in case the OTA should accidentally drop and strike the mount. I also installed an AMD ‘D’ type plate shoe on the mount and a ‘D’ style plate on the scope.

 

I had a couple problems with this setup in that the mount was susceptible to vibration and the focuser knob was so close to the clutch lock I kept pinching my fingers.

My solution was to change over to a CG-4 with drives. This setup does weigh more than the TW1 but is still quite manageable. My biggest regret is that there is no ‘D’ style shoe available for this mount so I’ve had to go back to the’V’ style rail. A big plus is I’ve now got tracking on a vibration free mount.

 

[KWB]

Starting this thread is a good idea.

 

A recent mini blizzard the day the telescope was delivered has kept me from first light with this newly acquired and deeply appreciated Christmas present. The new telescope curse? The same thing happened to me back in 2006 when I had the Celestron 80ED delivered during a 33 inch whopper of a snow storm. It's a wonder it ever made it to my house.

 

I wonder how many of these telescopes Astronomics has sold?

 

[gwlee]

I prefer to store small refractors in my safe fully assembled and ready to mount, so for me overall length is a critical specification for a grab&go scope. My AT72EDII is short enough to be stored fully assembled, so it  gets a lot of use. My 92mm f6.7 scope is too long, so it’s used less.

 

Does anyone know the over length of the AT80EDL when a 2” diagonal and eyepiece are installed, the focuser is fully racked in and the dew shield is retracted? 

[KWB]

To be exactly precise, that would depend on the particular diagonal used. With my 2 inch diagonal, it is exactly 20.5 inches in OAL.

[wrvond]

I prefer to store small refractors in my safe fully assembled and ready to mount, so for me overall length is a critical specification for a grab&go scope. My AT72EDII is short enough to be stored fully assembled, so it  gets a lot of use. My 92mm f6.7 scope is too long, so it’s used less.

 

Does anyone know the over length of the AT80EDL when a 2” diagonal and eyepiece are installed, the focuser is fully racked in and the dew shield is retracted? 

20 3/4" with my Baader BBHS prism diagonal.

 

[gwlee]

To be exactly precise, that would depend on the particular diagonal used. With my 2 inch diagonal, it is exactly 20.5 inches in OAL.

Thanks Kenny. As I suspected, the 80 EDL is about an inch too long to work for me, but I think the 80 EDT would easily meet that requirement. 

[gwlee]

20 3/4" with my Baader BBHS prism diagonal.

 

Screenshot 2022-12-31 121658.jpg

 

Thanks Warren. I would want to use my Baader 90*, 2”, AMICI prism diagonal with the EDL, and the maximum length for the fully assembled scope can be no more than 19.5 inches. 

[wrvond]

I am an unabashed fanboi of Baader products (for the most part anyway), so for those considering switching to the Baader Click Lock clamp on the focuser, here's a little how-to:

 

The one you want to order is number: 2956263.

 

 

It is not necessary to remove the clamp by itself, but that's the way mine came off.

 

 

 

 

One of the problems with eyepieces and diagonals that have a safety undercut is the compression ring in the eyepiece clamp deforms then catches on the edge of the undercut. Added pressure only worsens the problem. AT has moved away from the soft brass compression ring to a sturdier steel ring that resists deformation better.

 

 

If your clamp came off by itself, you still need to remove the thread adapter. You can see two holes in the face of it that indicates a pin spanner is required to remove it, while that will certainly work, it's not required. Better to use a jar opener or vinyl gloves to enhance your friction, give the adapter a sharp twist (lefty loosie) and then unthread it rather than use some makeshift tool that can scratch or gouge the face.

 

 

 

 

The Baader clamp simply threads in and ...

 

 

Robert's your mother's brother!

 

 

Be aware, though - if you use only 1.25" eyepieces, you'll likely have no problems, but IME, most 2" eyepieces won't be able to achieve focus because of the lost inward travel.

You can see the Baader is about twice as thick as the OEM clamp.

 

 

 

 

 

[Scott in NC]

Link to posts in a prior thread which contain detailed weight measurements of the AT80EDL accessories, courtesy of Warren (wrvond):  

 

https://www.cloudyni...edt/?p=12389780

 

I wanted to put a link here in order to make that valuable information more easily accessible.  Thanks again, Warren!

[coopman]

What's your EDL's SN?  Mine is 00006.

[wrvond]

What's your EDL's SN?  Mine is 00006.

[rainbow482]

My Serial Number is 00024.

[wrvond]

OK, I've arrived at what I believe is my final configuration:

 

 

I'm using a Celestron CG-4 mount/tripod with dual axis drives for tracking. I've also attached an Apertura 'D' style bar to the scope and an ADM dual mount saddle to the mount.

 

Here are some things that have worked and not worked for me:

 

The mount - I started with a used Explore Scientific Twilight 1 alt/az mount. As the scope comes out of the box, the TW1 is a pretty good mount, I didn't notice any vibration as I was focusing the scope. However, because I want to be able to move my scopes between mounts I wanted a 'D' type plate on the scope and a 'D' or dual 'D' and 'V' saddle on the mount. Once I added the weight of the plate and saddle, along with the 2" prism diagonal and Daystar Quark, vibration became a problem. Additionally, I was finding clearance problems between the focuser knobs and controls on the mount. There really wasn't enough room to fit my fingers between the two. Additionally, trying to track the sun which filled or nearly filled the view while trying to perform cell phone photography was an exercise in frustration. I felt I really needed tracking, though not full on GoTo. I believe the CG-4 is an economical solution.

ADM does not make a saddle that replaces the CG-4 saddle, unfortunately, but Anthony does make a saddle that has a 'V' style bar on the bottom. I've installed it and regard it as permanent, though it really isn't. It works very well.

Baader Click-Lock eyepiece/diagonal clamp - I have one that fits on this focuser and works tremendously well. However, I noticed that with the stock configuration many of my 2" eyepieces only left about 3mm of in travel available. To avoid potential issues I removed the Click-Lock and returned to the stock pressure clamp, which works just fine.

 

As configured I estimate this rig weighs in the neighborhood of 35 pounds. I can easily pick it up and carry it around but I would hesitate to classify it as "grab-n-go", primarily because of the bulk of the set up. I can't imagine carrying it through doorways without having to loosen the spreader and fold the legs in, and with the counter weight bar protruding on one side and the focuser on the other, collisions with door frames seems highly likely. Fortunately for me, I'm not a grab-n-go kind of guy but a planner so this will work well for day and night viewing for me.  

Edited by wrvond, 06 January 2023 - 09:58 PM.

[coopman]

This scope is a winner!  Wonderful sharp views of everything I've looked at.

[Scott in NC]

Alan, have you had a chance to use your new AT80EDL yet?  I’m really interested in hearing more about this little gem of a scope.

[Alan S]

Alan, have you had a chance to use your new AT80EDL yet?  I’m really interested in hearing more about this little gem of a scope.

I wish! I left Colorado on Saturday to get in front of a snowstorm that had, as of this morning, dropped 24” of snow at our doorstep with another foot predicted tonight.  Arrived in Arizona under the same atmospheric river which has our small streams flooding! 
 

So, it must be one heck of a scope, judging by the weather!

[Alan S]

Well - Having been unable to get first light at night, I set the scope up this morning for first light on the Sun!

 

Before I observed the Sun, however, I pointed at some distant power lines, as well as the mountains, and ran through all my eyepieces...everybody comes to focus nicely, and the scope seems very sharp.  No obvious chromatic aberration on the power lines...Can't wait to get out at night!

 

[Alan S]

I took a single shot of the Sun with my Sony A7iii and a 2x barlow through the Lunt Herschel Prism-  very impressed with how sharp the Sun was in the scope.  Of course the image compression here does not show off how sharp the image truly is! Suffice it to say that the full resolution image is quite detailed with granulation and many small spots...

 

Very happy with the scope in the daytime...now just need some clear nights where I have the energy to get out there!

 

[Scott in NC]

Beautiful scope, Alan—I hope you’ll be able to get out tonight too!  That’s a nice, sharp image of the sun.

[flightlogic]

If one is using a guide scope and ASI Air plus with plate solving, would there be any reason to mount a finder to this scope?

The large CNC handle attached to new models is drilled and tapped in a couple of spots... just not sure how or even IF... I should put on an optical finder.

[Alan S]

I’m not an imager, but there is a standard dovetail base for a finder that comes mounted on the focuser housing.

[flightlogic]

Thanks Alan!  I read your bio....   very thoughtful.  Your memorial observatory is quite something. Thanks for sharing on the site.  I linked to your other sites, and now have some Tucson stargazing destinations for the future.  We are digging out from a large snowfall, so Tucson temperatures are sounding nicer.

The AT80 has a much more pleasant and crisp optical design than my 6SE.  Very pleased with it.

I retired from teaching science... then went on to do avionics test pilot work and now avionics tech support.  At 70, I still get a kick out of new knowledge every day.

Will await any imagers who might reply about the utility of finder scopes versus guide cameras and automatic plate solving.

[wrvond]

Thanks Alan!  I read your bio....   very thoughtful.  Your memorial observatory is quite something. Thanks for sharing on the site.  I linked to your other sites, and now have some Tucson stargazing destinations for the future.  We are digging out from a large snowfall, so Tucson temperatures are sounding nicer.

The AT80 has a much more pleasant and crisp optical design than my 6SE.  Very pleased with it.

I retired from teaching science... then went on to do avionics test pilot work and now avionics tech support.  At 70, I still get a kick out of new knowledge every day.

Will await any imagers who might reply about the utility of finder scopes versus guide cameras and automatic plate solving.

You might get better answers if you post your question in the astrophotography forum or even in the more generic equipment discussions > equipment forum.

[Scott in NC]

More white light solar fun today—lots of sunspots out there!  I won’t bore you with my crummy, barely-focused iPhone sun photo, as it doesn’t even come close to Alan’s awesome image above.