USER OBSERVATIONS Last updated: 28 October 2007

Subject:	DS 80mm F11
Sent:	Wednesday, October 24, 2007 08:28:52
From:	Benjamin Waranowitz (b3kirwiz@intergate.com)
I have sold my Astro-Tech AT80, 80mm achromat, F/6 as I am simplifying
my life. The Meade DS with its F/11 gives far better lunar, planetary
and solar views. The AT80 was nice for its niche, wide field scanning.
It gave me my first view of M22, Sagittarius. I was able to easily find
DSOs with it. But I now have got off ebay an old Celestron/Vixen C6 with
an original wood tripod Vixen/Polaris mount. It's F/5 and it will be my
scope for DSO and I expect lunar and planetary also.

I plan to return the Celestron C6 SCT to my cousin when i get with him
in NH this summer and thank him for its use when I had no telescope.

The Meade DS 80mm F/11 achromat is a fine scope and has little chromatic
abberation and very sharp images! I was able to see Saturn last winter
with three or four moons with my bad eyes. When I have relocated to
Scranton PA (most likely in March 2008) and settled in will be my
grab-n-go scope. I got it from the Telescope Warehouse on ebay. For now
its boxed for the move.

I find a refractor is better than an SCT (with central obstruction)
because of my eye problems.

Ben

And more:

My rambling below - maybe you might want to pick something out here for
your web pages.

Attached pic of my DS80 from ebay's Telescope Warehouse was short one
clamp, but shipped the missing part quickly. Here it is with a 2"
diagonal and eyepiece. This is a sweet scope. I was going to sell it but
decided to sell the Astro-Tech AT80 as this scope is better for me. The
mount has nice manual slow motion control, no batteries needed. At F/11
it gives great wide angle views and also lunar and planetary images. It
splits double stars. It's light to carry and intuitive.

The bad: that plastic finder! He was also selling the old ETX finders
that have erect images. I got two and adapted the plastic finder mount
easily by whittling and it is much easier to use an erect view finder!
I'll KEEP this scope, and unless I won a lottery I would not get any
apochromatic refractors. I'm a reflector guy where I need aperture.

I had bought one of these Meade 4500 OTA which are 114mm by 910mm f.l.
and put it on my Celestron mount to see how it did. It gave a better
contrast image of Jupiter thsn the Celestron C5 which is 125mm. I did
sell it though as it needed a heavier mount that I didn't have.

My older Kodak DX7440 and newer Z730 cameras take the same
Scopetronix.com adapter. This setup works well as it is afocal, no
modification to your scope is necessary. You remove your viewing
eyepiece and insert the adapter with eyepiece attached to the
Scopetronix. I was able to use a 9mm viewing eyepiece then replace with
the setup using a 20mm eyepiece of the same type and they are parfocal.
That makes the switch easier than having a big difference in focusing. I
like the way they give you two extra set screws in case you lose them. I
had to sypply my own hex allen wrench. I center the adapter on the
eyepiece by not tightening them and rotate the assembly rapidly, and
depend on my sight to note any eccentricity, then make very slight
adjustments until it looks perfectly centered . One might try using a
set of small twist drills as a feeler gauge for centering, I use the
above method though. They worn to not overtighten. However you must have
it tight enough, but not to distort the adapter. It had come off when I
was too timid to overtighten. I was lucky. My camera did not fall.

My mug shot.

Ben

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