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Unread 08-07-2016, 07:03 PM   #1
CHASZ51
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Default New scope project

I may buy a 700lb 16" scope to rebuild.

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Unread 08-07-2016, 08:28 PM   #2
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wanting to see pluto?
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Unread 08-07-2016, 08:45 PM   #3
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Wow!!! You planning on building a planetarium or something to house such a beast? Obviously you aren't going to be carrying it around and setting it up in different locations.

Interestingly enough, I've sort of had my own interest in this stuff kindled because of a camera I bought recently -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forum...d.php?t=106268

Nowhere near the capability you will have, but heck, I'm keeping my goals small with the two mounts I am getting....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...iew_Mount.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...zed_mount.html

I don't really have a good view of the sky anywhere on my property other than right in front of my garage, and even then, it's really just straight up, and that is it. I'm not even sure I'll be able to see Polaris to align those mounts.

And actually, I'm gearing up to try to get some video of the solar eclipse coming up next year.

Man, 16 inches can likely gather a LOT of light! That thing is HUGE! Don't let the counterweight fall off and land on your foot!

How does the night sky rate in your area? Here's a map showing light pollution in reference to the night sky -> http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html Looks like most of Florida isn't going to be all that great. Interestingly enough there looks like there is a great area for night viewing just about 20 miles SW of me. But it's in the Apalachicola National forest for the most part, but the town of Sumatra is pretty close to the center. It's in Tate's Hell Swamp, if that gives you any sort of an idea about how the conditions would be standing around in the dead of night trying to look through a telescope. Bring LOTS of bug spray!

Keep us informed with your progress, please. I find this interesting...
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Unread 08-11-2016, 06:24 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrr23 View Post
wanting to see pluto?
Just the planets.
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Unread 08-11-2016, 06:28 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Z View Post
Wow!!! You planning on building a planetarium or something to house such a beast? Obviously you aren't going to be carrying it around and setting it up in different locations.

Interestingly enough, I've sort of had my own interest in this stuff kindled because of a camera I bought recently -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forum...d.php?t=106268

Nowhere near the capability you will have, but heck, I'm keeping my goals small with the two mounts I am getting....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...iew_Mount.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...zed_mount.html

I don't really have a good view of the sky anywhere on my property other than right in front of my garage, and even then, it's really just straight up, and that is it. I'm not even sure I'll be able to see Polaris to align those mounts.

And actually, I'm gearing up to try to get some video of the solar eclipse coming up next year.

Man, 16 inches can likely gather a LOT of light! That thing is HUGE! Don't let the counterweight fall off and land on your foot!

How does the night sky rate in your area? Here's a map showing light pollution in reference to the night sky -> http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html Looks like most of Florida isn't going to be all that great. Interestingly enough there looks like there is a great area for night viewing just about 20 miles SW of me. But it's in the Apalachicola National forest for the most part, but the town of Sumatra is pretty close to the center. It's in Tate's Hell Swamp, if that gives you any sort of an idea about how the conditions would be standing around in the dead of night trying to look through a telescope. Bring LOTS of bug spray!

Keep us informed with your progress, please. I find this interesting...
It will stay in the back yard.

The mount has no stand or pier. I need to find a good metal shop to fab up my plans for a pier and legs or go with a cement pier. I have hard limestone 1.5" down in my back yard so not sure how i could get down 4'. I would use a Sono tube and use L bolts to mount the top cap of the mount to the pier.

This part of FL to the north has limestone around the coast so a cement pier could be out.
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Unread 08-12-2016, 02:06 AM   #6
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Well, here's something that might come in handy for you:

https://telescopes.net/store/nexdome...tory-dome.html
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Unread 08-12-2016, 07:02 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Z View Post
Well, here's something that might come in handy for you:

https://telescopes.net/store/nexdome...tory-dome.html
My tube is way too long for that. Got the mount home last nite. Feels like i went to bat with a bear getting the mount to the back room. At least it comes apart. Just these two pieces are very heavy.

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Unread 08-12-2016, 12:08 PM   #8
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Ah, ok. Guess the size of the tube wasn't evident from the pic you provided. But still, I would imagine the company likely builds bigger domes. Or you can fabricate your own. Surely leaving your scope outside 24/7 here in humid Florida is not going to be real good for it.

I was checking the tolerances on one of the mounts I got, and it looks like typical Chinese quality at work.



The company (Sky-Watcher) says the wobble is acceptable to them, so I guess they don't care much about quality control. I was told all of their equipment is made in China, so obviously Sky-WatcherUSA isn't as "USA" as one would hope.

I guess you actually have to buy older equipment used in order to get something that ISN'T made in China these days. Where was that rig you got manufactured?
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Unread 08-15-2016, 06:36 AM   #9
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Here are the tubes that will be used on the mount. One is a 8" F/8.5 and the other is a 12.5" F/6.


The smaller scope is a Cave thatw as made in 1970 and the other was made in 1976. These scopes lost favor in the later 1970's as Celestron was selling a much smaller C8 SCT. People wanted smaller and lighter scopes.
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Unread 08-15-2016, 12:27 PM   #10
Rich Z
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Damn! Those things ARE big! Yeah, I can see why smaller lighter scopes would have been preferred. You need something like a forklift to maneuver those big suckers around.

BTW, what happened to the 16" scope you first mentioned?
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