29 replies to this topic

[Astromancer]

Not too hard. You can get thin copper foil tape: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3Z37LZK/

 

It might take a couple a tries. If you already have the Nagler it's worth a try.

 

 

 

I will say this. The UWA are wonderful little eyepieces and a set of 7mm, 10mm and 16mm will cost about the same as one set of Naglers.

Thanks. Just ordered some!

 

I like the 10mm UWA based on my first try with them today, but since i already had a Nagler 7mm and was able to pick another up from the TeleVue “Blem” sale at NEAF it seemed to make sense.

 

Chris

[fishhuntmike]

Jordan, how easy is it to fill in the notch? I tried my TV Nagler T6 7mm in my BT-120XL for size today and couldn’t really get them to stay in place because of the notch. Based on your recommendations I purchased a pair of AstroTech UWA 10mm and those have very slight undercuts. They weren’t as easy to seat as the Oberwerk 14s, but I got them to stay snug and they looked great. I would love to avoid having to purchase a different set of 7mms given that I already have the Naglers.

Hopefully the clouds will clear a bit tonight so i can actually get everything outside and actually look at the skies, as opposed to the woods outside my house…

Chris

Bummer. I dont have any 1.25" naglers but my 6mm Delos have cutouts and I never had to fill in the gaps. I wonder if the cutout is in a different place on the barrel. I insert the Delos barrel until the shoulder is flush with the locking ring and while holding down I tighten the ring and it is held securely with zero movement and I never have to rotate them either. Very interesting and somewhat confusing too.

[Astromancer]

I have now filled in the undercuts on all my eyepiece pairs (TV Nagler 7mm, AstroTech 10mm UWA, and Explore Scientific 68º 24mm). It was a little finicky, until I went and got my trusty guillotine cutter and cut the strips more precisely. I now have no trouble at all getting them to seat well and not move in the eyepiece holders of my BT-120XL-SD.

 

All I need now are some clear skies…

 

Chris

[Trapezium]

 

I don't think Delites are a bad choice. I used Delites in my BT-100 successfully. The notch is annoying and you do need to fill it with aluminum tape but it's not a dealbreaker.

To me, the problem with Delites is the value proposition. Televue eyepieces seem to be really good for fast newtonians but seem to be somewhat of an overkill on refractors. Especially in a binocular sense where the periphery is less important.

 

On a binocular you don't really look at the periphery like you do in a telescope. In the latter you can move your head and actually observe with the enter of your vision at the periphery of the eyepiece. In that kind of use case the sharpness of the periphery matters a whole lot. With binoculars you lose the ability to move your head in relation to the eyepiece and therefore you only really use the center. That's why you hear recommendations for narrower eyepieces for use in a BT.

 

Case in point. I had used the Takahashi TPL eyepieces for quite some time and they are positively EXCELLENT for a BT, especially the BT-100.

 

 

Once I switched to the EMS equipped DoubleTak I could accommodate eyepieces with an undercut more easily and then I switched to the AT-UWA. Side by side the UWA are ever-so-slightly less sharp than the TPL but the wide width does feel very nice. Again, not really usable but it's a fun experience.

 

 

 

At the end of the day eyepieces without a notch are easier to use. TPL if you don't use eyeglasses, Vixen SLV if you do.

 

You can also fill in the notch and use whichever eyepiece you like.

 

 

 

Jrazz, 

 

Not too hard. You can get thin copper foil tape: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3Z37LZK/

 

It might take a couple a tries. If you already have the Nagler it's worth a try.

 

 

 

I will say this. The UWA are wonderful little eyepieces and a set of 7mm, 10mm and 16mm will cost about the same as one set of Naglers.

Jrazz, what is the optimal location for the foil tape on the eyepiece, and how many layers does it require? Thanks for the advice.

[jrazz]

Geez... Searching this forum for "foil notch" seems to only pick up posts by me!

 

Am I an expert on this??!? That's not a good place to be.

 

I don't remember how many layers. 5 to 8? I guess it depends on the foil.

 

 

Try to get the foil to fill the notch as much as possible. Neatness counts. Measuring the width of the notch and the depth can help figure out what width and how many layers. Try to burnish the foil down to make sure it doesn't compress. If all else fails, rip it off and tru again. It's really not hard to do.