16 replies to this topic

[Landau]

Clouds finally cleared enough to do a test run with my National Geographic / Explore Scientific Skyassist 102.

 

The plan was to practice using the red dot finder. But when I reached for the on/dimmer control dial and gave it a couple of turns I realized I was turning one of the alignment screws. Tried to turn it back to original spot but probably wasn’t close. A few attempts at using the RDF to put a bright star in the eyepiece failed miserably so I switched to just using the slow motion controls to centre random stars in the eyepiece. Really licked the slow motion controls. Much easier than my Celestron Firstscpoe.

 

What I learned tonight:

 

I really like this scope. It is better in every way than my Firstscope

 

I need to memorize where the on dial for the RDF is.

 

Putting the tripod on grass, rather than concrete, as tornado suggested in my original post, made the scope much more stable.

 

it is much easier to observe from a chair than standing

 

Even though I didn’t accomplish much it was a lot of fun. 

 

Next on the agenda (in random order after the first item)

 

Align the RDF and repeat the plan

 

Order a better diagonal to replace the cheap plastic one

 

Improvise a phone mount so I can use Astrohopper to find objects

 

More observing!

 

Figure out a good weight to add to stabilize the tripod more

[daveb2022]

Has anybody suggested a stone bag? I just put a dumbbell weight in the bag and it helps on some of my lighter tripods.

[Sincos]

            Landau , you might find it easier to align the red dot finder in daylight than at night . Instead of a star use something as far away as possible that you can also see naked eye ( anything on a cellphone communication tower or an insulator on a power pole ). Performing this task in daylight makes it so much easier . Besides mounting a platform for a phone cradle maybe rubber bands or Velcro could suffice . Extra weight may be added by hanging a used plastic jug filled with sand from the centre hub of your tripod .

  Good Luck and Clear Skies

Edited by Sincos, 15 June 2025 - 06:25 AM.

[PirateMike]

Even though I didn’t accomplish much it was a lot of fun. 

[Landau]

  , you might find it easier to align the red dot finder in daylight than at night

Yes - I had aligned it nicely on a distant treetop a few days ago. But foolishly reached for the wrong dial to turn last night and negated all that effort.

 

Will repeat the alignment in daylight today. 

[Landau]

Has anybody suggested a stone bag? I just put a dumbbell weight in the bag and it helps on some of my lighter tripods.

Thanks. I googled “stone bag”  and the first hits were designer hand bags that cost a lot more than my scope. But further down I saw what you meant and that was along the lines of what I was thinking. 

[vtornado]

If my RDF is out of alignment at night, I use the moon (if up)  or a street light.  Use your longest focal length for initial finding/aligning, then switch to high power for fine tuning.

 

P.S. I did the same thing with my RDF before, confusing the illumination with the azimuth dial.  

Edited by vtornado, 15 June 2025 - 07:07 PM.

[sevenofnine]

Welcome Back! 

 

Velbon makes a strong hook that threads onto the bottom of the tripods center post. I just got one and it works very well. It's large enough that you can hang any bag or weight to it 

 

https://www.amazon.c...aps,988&sr=8-15.

[Landau]

After a 2 week vacation, I spent a chunk of time this afternoon preparing for second light.

 

Learned that treetops from my back yard don’t work well for alignment of the RDF since they look too much alike and I couldn’t tell which one the scope was centered on. Moved to the front yard and found a rooftop vent a few blocks away much easier.

 

Compared my eyepieces. My 4mm, 10mm, 23mm Svbony 62 degree set are much better than the 10mm and 25mm Plossls supplied with the scope. Better eye relief and angle of view.

 

Focussing on some construction cranes several miles away I could really see the atmospheric turbulence with the 4mm lens.

 

Also found a 5 lbs dumbbell plate fits perfectly on the knob in the centre of the accessory rack and helps to stabilize the tripod. Most of the remaining wobble is in the mount, not the tripod.

 

Amazon just dropped off a new Svbony dielectric diagonal to replace the cheap plastic one that came with the scope. Hoping for clear skies tonight to try it out.

 

Really happy with my $80 (scope) + $60 (eyepieces) + $50 (diagonal) = $190 CDN setup.

[SeattleScott]

While you likely would see atmospheric turbulence during the day with the 4mm, I also understand it is a particularly poor eyepiece, and likely just needs to be replaced with something better. Just something to keep in mind.

[Landau]

… with the 4mm, I also understand it is a particularly poor eyepiece, and likely just needs to be replaced with something better…

My whole rig resembles that statement  Remember my entire outlay so far is less than $140 USD. I plan to have some  fun observing and upgrade if I stick to it. I compared my Svbony 23mm and 10mm to the Plossl 25mm and 10mm that came with the scope and the Svbony’s have a noticeably better image. And the Svbony 4mm is way, way better than the Celestron SR 4mm that came with my Celestron FirstScope. 

 

Installed my new Diagonal last night and noticed the plastic Diagonal  supplied with the scope has baffles inside and a small mirror limiting the effective mirror aperture to less than an inch. Perhaps sacrificing light to improve image quality?

 

Also removed the Bluetooth transmitter/phone mount, though that left a nut rattling around side the optical tube. Not sure yet if I’m brave enough to attempt more disassembly to take it out or just leave it there.

 

Then promptly fell asleep from travel fatigue so I didn’t get a chance to try it out last night with perfectly clear skies 

 

Will try again tonight.

[SeattleScott]

The cheap plastic diagonals often have smaller mirrors. Just a cost cutting thing. Ok, if there is a 4mm eyepiece worse than the Aspheric, yeah, it would probably be a 4mm SR. Been there.

Edited by SeattleScott, 30 June 2025 - 03:09 PM.

[DOBguyinGA]

Clouds finally cleared enough to do a test run with my National Geographic / Explore Scientific Skyassist 102.

 

The plan was to practice using the red dot finder. But when I reached for the on/dimmer control dial and gave it a couple of turns I realized I was turning one of the alignment screws. Tried to turn it back to original spot but probably wasn’t close. A few attempts at using the RDF to put a bright star in the eyepiece failed miserably so I switched to just using the slow motion controls to centre random stars in the eyepiece. Really licked the slow motion controls. Much easier than my Celestron Firstscpoe.

 

What I learned tonight:

 

I really like this scope. It is better in every way than my Firstscope

 

I need to memorize where the on dial for the RDF is.

 

Putting the tripod on grass, rather than concrete, as tornado suggested in my original post, made the scope much more stable.

 

it is much easier to observe from a chair than standing

 

Even though I didn’t accomplish much it was a lot of fun. 

 

Next on the agenda (in random order after the first item)

 

Align the RDF and repeat the plan

 

Order a better diagonal to replace the cheap plastic one

 

Improvise a phone mount so I can use Astrohopper to find objects

 

More observing!

 

Figure out a good weight to add to stabilize the tripod more

Good afternoon,

 

If you have an old iPhone just put two strips of Velcro between the phone case and the tube. I used the very light weight stuff since it is easy to separate the two Velcro jhalves. It does not take much computing power to run AstroHopper. Once it is aligned just use mapping software like SkySafari or Stellarium to pick targets. Simple.

[maniack]

The cheap plastic diagonals often have smaller mirrors. Just a cost cutting thing. Ok, if there is a 4mm eyepiece worse than the Aspheric, yeah, it would probably be a 4mm SR. Been there.

If it's a "correct image" diagonal (common with these starter scopes) then it's a prism, which is almost always undersized. Svbony makes pretty good inexpensive diagonals, but their 45 degree prism only has a clear aperture of 16mm. Most 1.25" correct image diagonals top out at around 19mm of clear aperture (compared to a maximum field stop of just over 27mm for 1.25" eyepieces). Baader has 45 degree with 24mm clear aperture.

 

APM has a new correct image 2" diagonal that is notable for its 46mm clear aperture, which is about the maximum field stop for a 2" eyepiece. I've considered getting one but I find the "correct" view disorienting for astronomical observations since I'm so used to the reverse orientation on my refractors and catadioptrics.

[Landau]

If it's a "correct image" diagonal (common with these starter scopes) then it's a prism, which is almost always undersized. Svbony makes pretty good inexpensive diagonals, but their 45 degree prism only has a clear aperture of 16mm.

 

APM has a new correct image 2" diagonal that is notable for its 46mm clear aperture, which is about the maximum field stop for a 2" eyepiece. I've considered getting one but I find the "correct" view disorienting for astronomical 

Neither the original or the Svbony replacement are “correct image” both are mirrors.

 

My scope won’t accept 2 inch eyepieces or diagonals, and that one is priced more than double my total expenditure on the scope so far.  
 

Missed observing last night, hopefully can try my new diagonal tonite.

[Landau]

Second Light

 

Finally my availability and the weather matched and I was able to do some observation. Just practicing targeting stars with the Red Dot Finder and having fun with my lowest magnification eyepiece. 
 

What I learned:

 

• Finally mastered turning the RDF on with the dimmer wheel and not twisting the alignment screw by mistake.
• The RDF is quite bright even at dimmest setting and is is hard to see any but the brightest stars in it with the so so conditions tonight.
• RDF is hard to use near the zenith, I had to crouch very low and the fine motion controls tended to block it. The moulded mount for it should be on the other side of the telescope to solve the blocking.
• The flashlight built into my Garmin watch works well for observing, especially set to red.
• I found lots of interesting star patterns near my targets. 
• Most importantly- it was fun.
   

Next up more practice on interesting targets, and figuring out a better method near the zenith. A RACI finder might be in my future as it should solve the crouching and blocking issues and possibly the dim target issues as well

[star acres]

I don't ever view on concrete unless I lay down a doubled blanket or rug. You will drop eyepieces. They won't get smashed to bits. Just knicked up and you'll be heartbroken. Get used to the red dot finder. I still turn the wrong knob. Usually it's the battery brightness. Hello Radio Shack. I killed the battery again. 

Edited by star acres, 06 July 2025 - 06:57 AM.