61 replies to this topic

[Bionic Wi-Fi]

OK, I grabbed the Celestron illuminated RACI. No directions with it, but got it installed, luckily I had some screws around because they sent none and the mount stands out too far for the ones that held the red dot on.

I zip tied the red dot on for now, just because I’m having a hard time getting my head around finding stuff with the tight field of view of the RACI. Does anyone know what mount solution would work for both the stock Celestron SE red dot and the Celestron RACI?

[Bionic Wi-Fi]

Get yourself a low power astronomical laser so you won't give the rest of us a bad name and incur some stupid restrictions on us.

please

Edited to say high quality. Trust me, I get the restrictions and legality, I use it in my work (wireless networking) to array antennas for long distance wireless bridges. It was way too expensive and I use it about twice a year, so glad to get some more use out of it. If I can figure out how to mount it and the RACI and maybe reuse the red dot my scope came with, just since I have it.

[Napp]

ScopeStuff.com has a large variety of mounting solutions for various finders.

[kjkrum]

anyone in the crowd can see what you are pointing at even if they are 50ft away

This has not been my experience. The visibility of the beam falls off dramatically more than a few feet off axis.

[hcf]

OK, I grabbed the Celestron illuminated RACI. No directions with it, but got it installed, luckily I had some screws around because they sent none and the mount stands out too far for the ones that held the red dot on.

I zip tied the red dot on for now, just because I’m having a hard time getting my head around finding stuff with the tight field of view of the RACI. Does anyone know what mount solution would work for both the stock Celestron SE red dot and the Celestron RACI?

For regular synta mounted finders, a tri mount finder bracket can help.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165806143648

But if your finders do not have the synta finder shoes it can be a problem finding adapters.

 

zip tying works in these cases, or you could glue a piece of wood on the finder barrel and mount the Red Dot on it.

 

Another option is to use a rigel finder mounted towards the front of the scope instead of the RDF. These use double sided tape so don't need mounting holes.

[Napp]

This has not been my experience. The visibility of the beam falls off dramatically more than a few feet off axis.

Likely due to very low humidity.  Here in high humidity Florida the beam can usually be seen all the way across the observing field.

[MellonLake]

This has not been my experience. The visibility of the beam falls off dramatically more than a few feet off axis.

I have literally done this 30 times at outreach events a very dark sky site and the beams are actually easily seen 200+ feet away (see the images in the link below which are pretty representative of what the lasers look like).  Either your laser is very dim or your sky is very bright, your air has no suspended particles in it, or you are not dark adapted.  Many of the outreach events I was involved with last year had 200+ attendees and there is no way to fit that many people in a 50ft. circle and everyone saw the lasers (I could see the lasers from 200ft away in the parking lot).   I actually find my lasers annoyingly bright at dark sky sites on some nights.   Even my cheap lasers were visible at 50ft.  If I put my laser in my 10" Dob eyepiece the 10" beam is visible.  I I really suspect your laser is very very dim for some reason.     

 

https://www.facebook...924662&mt_nav=1

 

 

Rob

[BrentKnight]

I much prefer the sapphire lasers because they are so much dimmer.  When I use my laser as a finder, I use it in combination with 10x50 binoculars.  With binoculars, the end of the beam of a green laser is so bright that it washes out faint stars and the target itself.  Green is also worse for your night vision if at a dark site.  Many people would feel a sapphire laser was broken though as it is pretty faint. 

[kjkrum]

Could be. Many imported lasers that are labeled 5 mW are actually many times more powerful. And my Pinty laser is pulsed to extend the battery life. If you swing it around rapidly you get a trail of dots instead of a line.

[telesonic]

OK, I grabbed the Celestron illuminated RACI. No directions with it, but got it installed, luckily I had some screws around because they sent none and the mount stands out too far for the ones that held the red dot on.

I zip tied the red dot on for now, just because I’m having a hard time getting my head around finding stuff with the tight field of view of the RACI. Does anyone know what mount solution would work for both the stock Celestron SE red dot and the Celestron RACI?

If you can post of picture of what your finder setup is right now, on either scope.... it would be easier to see what you are working with, and find a solution. (pardon the pun) Pretty sure that something can be figured out with what you have, and it would be much better than zip-ties.

 

As Napp said a couple of replies above, ScopeStuff is a good place to get parts and pieces for things like this.

 

T

[SteveG]

Could be. Many imported lasers that are labeled 5 mW are actually many times more powerful. And my Pinty laser is pulsed to extend the battery life. If you swing it around rapidly you get a trail of dots instead of a line.

The Pinty is too bright IMO.

[SteveG]

I much prefer the sapphire lasers because they are so much dimmer.  When I use my laser as a finder, I use it in combination with 10x50 binoculars.  With binoculars, the end of the beam of a green laser is so bright that it washes out faint stars and the target itself.  Green is also worse for your night vision if at a dark site.  Many people would feel a sapphire laser was broken though as it is pretty faint. 

I use 3 lasers, from bright to dim:

5" Travel Portable Scope - City viewing -  Brightest green laser from ZBolt 4.5 - 4.9 mW

100 ED refractor - City viewing - Much Dimmer Green Laser - estimate about 2 or 3 mW

10" dob - Dark site viewing - ZBolt Sapphire (dimmest)

 

I don't use them at star parties.