I would like to thank all of the people who have been posting here.
This is turning out like I hoped it would. I have some links in the
link section on the left and will try to keep it current. Keep the
exchange of info going!
Jeremy Vecoli, Mpls, MN
Moderator

----- Original Message -----

From: Lee Dawson

To: skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com

Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 1940

Subject: [skyquest-telescopes] Re: new XT8 owner

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, "Rocky Mountain Rawhide"
<rockymtnrawhide@m...> wrote:
> I have the sky wizard 2 for my XT8 and it works wonderful.  The
first night I had it out, I hit 25 Messiers in about an hour.
>   ----- Original Message -----


Did it come installed on the scope, or did you purchase it after the
fact? If you installed it, how easy was the install?

Lee Dawson


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
skyquest-telescopes-unsubscribe@egroups.com

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, "Rocky Mountain Rawhide"
<rockymtnrawhide@m...> wrote:
> I have the sky wizard 2 for my XT8 and it works wonderful.  The
first night I had it out, I hit 25 Messiers in about an hour.
>   ----- Original Message -----


Did it come installed on the scope, or did you purchase it after the
fact? If you installed it, how easy was the install?

Lee Dawson

Hi Doc,

I'm guessing your getting 266x in the 8" Skyquest.  I use the UO 7mm
Ortho in my short tube 102mm with very good results.

Thanks,
Tony


--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, gp100doc@a... wrote:
> I spent about an hour observing the moon tonight at 266X (2X barlow
on the
> 9mm EP) and had a great session.  Seeing was good and seemed to
have
quite a
> bit of room for more.  Gonna have to get that order in to UO for an
> additional orthoscopic or two!
>
> Doc

Thanks, Brad. The free play is there even without any eyepiece - but a bit
less. I took off the springs, it seemed to help a bit. I will call the Orion
today as Steve suggested.
Regards,
Reza.

Brad wrote:

> Hi Reza and All.
>
> Re your movement problem.  Is it possible the problem is related to
> balance?  Do you have this problem using the supplied eyepieces, and are
> the eyepieces you're using (Panoptic and Radian) heavier than the standard
> units?
>
> You might try (and take this from someone who doesn't have the scope yet)
> to balance things up some.  It the problem doesn't exist with the lighter
> eyepieces, then I would remove the springs - put one of  the heavier
> eyepieces on the scope, then get the assembly to balance using something
> like ankle weights attached to the bottom of the tube using velcro or big
> elastic bands.  Then reattach the springs.  (You do have the springs
> attached now, right?)
>
> Let us know how it all works out.
>
> Brad
>

http://www.universityoptics.com/

On Mon, 07 Aug 2000 16:21:56 -0000, you wrote:

>Is there a URL for UO?
>
>Regards,
>
>Bill Needels
>bneedels@...
>
>--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, gp100doc@a... wrote:
>> I spent about an hour observing the moon tonight at 266X (2X barlow
>on the
>> 9mm EP) and had a great session.  Seeing was good and seemed to
>have quite a
>> bit of room for more.  Gonna have to get that order in to UO for an
>> additional orthoscopic or two!
>>
>> Doc
>
>
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>skyquest-telescopes-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
>
>

Is there a URL for UO?

Regards,

Bill Needels
bneedels@...

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, gp100doc@a... wrote:
> I spent about an hour observing the moon tonight at 266X (2X barlow
on the
> 9mm EP) and had a great session.  Seeing was good and seemed to
have quite a
> bit of room for more.  Gonna have to get that order in to UO for an
> additional orthoscopic or two!
>
> Doc

Hi Reza and All.

Re your movement problem.  Is it possible the problem is related to
balance?  Do you have this problem using the supplied eyepieces, and are
the eyepieces you're using (Panoptic and Radian) heavier than the standard
units?

You might try (and take this from someone who doesn't have the scope yet)
to balance things up some.  It the problem doesn't exist with the lighter
eyepieces, then I would remove the springs - put one of  the heavier
eyepieces on the scope, then get the assembly to balance using something
like ankle weights attached to the bottom of the tube using velcro or big
elastic bands.  Then reattach the springs.  (You do have the springs
attached now, right?)

Let us know how it all works out.

Brad


On Sun, 06 Aug 2000 23:31:39 -0700, you wrote:

>Hi folks. I bought my XT8 a couple of months ago. I have not had a
>chance to really use it a lot, although last night I got up  at 4:00 AM
>to view Jupiter and Saturn using my 19mm Panoptic and 5 mm Radian with
>and without my 2x ultima barlow. I stayed up and experimented until 6:30
>AM.
>
>My problem with the scope is that there is some play (movement) when I
>move the OTA vertically (altitude). It is as though the two phillips
>screws on both sides are loose; but they are not. Anybody has this
>problem? Anybody has added tracking to their telescope? Any suggestions?
>
>Thanks,
>Reza Pazirandeh
>

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, Pazirandehs <pazirandeh@e...>
wrote:
>
>
> My problem with the scope is that there is some play (movement)
when I
> move the OTA vertically (altitude). It is as though the two phillips
> screws on both sides are loose; but they are not. Anybody has this
> problem? Anybody has added tracking to their telescope? Any
suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
> Reza Pazirandeh


Reza! Being that the scope is new I'd make the call to Orion's tech.
help. They may have heard the symptoms before and can direct you to a
fix.My scope has no such play.
Keep us posted and good luck!
                              Steve B

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, gp100doc@a... wrote:
> I have had good luck with the little barlow.  It really helped on
the
> planetary observing too.  Also the moon filter helps with detail on
planets
> when they appear so bright (for me anyhow ) .
>
> Doc

Doc! Thank you for the reply, the barlow will be ordered today.
I'd also like to hear more details on the use of sky wizard II. I'm
enjoying the frustration of trying to manuver the scope but
occasionally it wood be great to just get to the spot and enjoy the
view.Steve B

----- Original Message -----

From: Pazirandehs

To: skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com

Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 0231

Subject: [skyquest-telescopes] new XT8 owner

Hi folks. I bought my XT8 a couple of months ago. I have not had a
chance to really use it a lot, although last night I got up  at 4:00 AM
to view Jupiter and Saturn using my 19mm Panoptic and 5 mm Radian with
and without my 2x ultima barlow. I stayed up and experimented until 6:30
AM.

My problem with the scope is that there is some play (movement) when I
move the OTA vertically (altitude). It is as though the two phillips
screws on both sides are loose; but they are not. Anybody has this
problem? Anybody has added tracking to their telescope? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Reza Pazirandeh


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
skyquest-telescopes-unsubscribe@egroups.com

Hi folks. I bought my XT8 a couple of months ago. I have not had a
chance to really use it a lot, although last night I got up  at 4:00 AM
to view Jupiter and Saturn using my 19mm Panoptic and 5 mm Radian with
and without my 2x ultima barlow. I stayed up and experimented until 6:30
AM.

My problem with the scope is that there is some play (movement) when I
move the OTA vertically (altitude). It is as though the two phillips
screws on both sides are loose; but they are not. Anybody has this
problem? Anybody has added tracking to their telescope? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Reza Pazirandeh

I have had good luck with the little barlow.  It really helped on the
planetary observing too.  Also the moon filter helps with detail on planets
when they appear so bright (for me anyhow ) .

Doc

I spent about an hour observing the moon tonight at 266X (2X barlow on the
9mm EP) and had a great session.  Seeing was good and seemed to have quite a
bit of room for more.  Gonna have to get that order in to UO for an
additional orthoscopic or two!

Doc

Hi Mark,

How far have you pushed your scope?  Is there a power range that
seems to work best with the 8"?

Thanks,
Tony

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, "Rocky Mountain Rawhide"
<rockymtnrawhide@m...> wrote:
> I would think that by using the 50x per inch of aperature would
apply.  I have the 8" skyquest, but have not pushed it to the 400x
mark yet.
>
> Mark
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: try39@e...
>   To: skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com
>   Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 1825
>   Subject: [skyquest-telescopes] Max Power?
>
>
>   Hello all,
>
>   Nice to be in the group!  What kind of max power can you get out
of
>   either the 6" or 8" Dob's?  That is on good nights of seeing and
>   keeping the images crisp and sharp.
>
>
>   Thanks,
>   Tony
>
>
>   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>   skyquest-telescopes-unsubscribe@egroups.com

----- Original Message -----

From: try39@...

To: skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com

Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 1825

Subject: [skyquest-telescopes] Max Power?

Hello all,

Nice to be in the group!  What kind of max power can you get out of
either the 6" or 8" Dob's?  That is on good nights of seeing and
keeping the images crisp and sharp.


Thanks,
Tony


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
skyquest-telescopes-unsubscribe@egroups.com

Hello all,

Nice to be in the group!  What kind of max power can you get out of
either the 6" or 8" Dob's?  That is on good nights of seeing and
keeping the images crisp and sharp.


Thanks,
Tony

----- Original Message -----

From: steve buckley

To: skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com

Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 1138

Subject: [skyquest-telescopes] saying "Hello"

Just a Hi! to all of you other XT owners. Got my XT8 Thursday 8/3
first light was 8/5(weather in NY City area brutal last couple of
weeks).My first observation,the late afternoon Moon! Very sharp in
both 26mm & 9mm EP's. I believe Orion is doing a decent job of
supporting the customer. My scope arrived in perfect condition,no
dings or dents nothing missing, except the "Where the stars are"
astronomy cd. I called the toll free # and no questions asked the
software is in priority mail and on its way.With a polite apology
from the representative, I might add. My scope went together in about
an hour, no big deal at all. If some of you are brand new to all of
this(as I am), this will be a helpfull forum for all of us.
Any of you people try the shorty barlo Orion is promoting, I did not
order it and I probably should have. Saturn and Jupiter very sharp
and clear early this morning(Sunday8/6 04:30)but Small! At 132x could
only resolve 3 cloud bands on Jupiter. Rings visible on Saturn but no
detail. Both objects gave me the impression of photo's that are
somewhat over exposed. Any thoughts or suggestions?
                                               Steve Buckley


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
skyquest-telescopes-unsubscribe@egroups.com

Hello all.

In about 3 to 5 days I'll be receiving an Orion XT 6 that I plan to
use as my quick look scope in the evening hours and as my primary
scope in the early morning hours. It will sit right next to the
slider door a few feet from my observing area (Yes!)

I've heard that the XT mirrors are slightly under corrected and that
this might make it difficult to focus stars to a fine point at high
powers if the condition is bad enough (had that in my old Starhopper
8 inch).

What experiences have you folks had with your XTs? At what point does
the image begin to break down? Do you see tiny little pin pricks at
say 200x, or are they fuzzy little balls of light?

Thanks,

Lee Dawson

--Thanks for your advice on the barlow and filter.
As far as the software title goes I was just trying to emphasize the
service response from Orion. They gave me no hard time over the
"missing " software.Well it looks like rain again tonight in the "big
apple"
          Take care, Steve

Welcome aboard! The software they send is (ahem) Not That Great... It
is a "teaser" for more expenvive software. I use a Mac, so I gave it
to
a friend.
Get a copy of Starry Night Backyard. (I'll put a link in the links
section at the left side of the main page) I've played with a lot of
software titles and SNB is great. You can download it for a free
trial
and buy it if you like it. Definitely get a barlow. @266x I clearly
saw
the Cassini division and several cloud bands on Saturn. I belive I
could step up the magnification even more. I used a blue filter to
pull
out some contrast. This also helps a lot on Jupiter; it makes the red
spot easier to see.

Just a Hi! to all of you other XT owners. Got my XT8 Thursday 8/3
first light was 8/5(weather in NY City area brutal last couple of
weeks).My first observation,the late afternoon Moon! Very sharp in
both 26mm & 9mm EP's. I believe Orion is doing a decent job of
supporting the customer. My scope arrived in perfect condition,no
dings or dents nothing missing, except the "Where the stars are"
astronomy cd. I called the toll free # and no questions asked the
software is in priority mail and on its way.With a polite apology
from the representative, I might add. My scope went together in about
an hour, no big deal at all. If some of you are brand new to all of
this(as I am), this will be a helpfull forum for all of us.
Any of you people try the shorty barlo Orion is promoting, I did not
order it and I probably should have. Saturn and Jupiter very sharp
and clear early this morning(Sunday8/6 04:30)but Small! At 132x could
only resolve 3 cloud bands on Jupiter. Rings visible on Saturn but no
detail. Both objects gave me the impression of photo's that are
somewhat over exposed. Any thoughts or suggestions?
                                                Steve Buckley

I'm glad Orion is not ignoring this. I installed the felt pads per
the
S&T article. I'm curious as to what Orion's fix kit will look like.
BTW, I attach the base of my Quickfinder to the tube with black RTV
silicone; It can be removed leaving no evidence yet it holds very
well.
I have a QF on my Meade ETX attached the same way.

In March, a gentleman (MC) published this in SSA.  It's a response
from Orion about the mirror mount mod suggested in S&T.  Can anyone
confirm this is no longer needed?

Thanks,

Brad
--------

I asked Orion what they were doing to fix that problem.  Here's their
response. - MC

----
MC,

In fact, we have fixed it. We have been in contact with the factory
where
we have the SkyQuest telescopes manufactured, to assure that future
runs of
the telescope do not have this problem.

Additionally, after we read the review in Sky & Telescope magazine,
we went
through our stock, and found that this problem did not typify the
other
units. Very few of them exhibited this problem.
Which we found to be very minor in the first place.

And finally, we are in the process of putting together a fix-it kit,
for
anyone who may have purchased an XT8 that is exhibiting this problem.

You may also want to note, that despite the issue they found with the
sample telescope, they still concluded, "Our bottom-line call? The
Orion
SkyQuest XT8 stands out as the best telescope of the batch, with it's
good
optical performance, smooth, controllable motions, freedom from most
problems, and good package of standard accessories."


If there is anything else we can help you with, please feel free to
contact
us.

------------------------------------------------------
Dana Gier
Orion Technical Lead
support@...
http://www.telescope.com

Orion Sales: (800)447-1001
Orion Information & Support: (800)676-1343
----

"IndoMondo" <sean@...> wrote in message
news:sean-325752.17335324032000@....
> In article <8bg4mg$vln$1@...>, duncandoenitz@...
> wrote:
>
> >Oh well.  Say, the Jan 2000 issue of S&T mentioned some sort of
felt
> >padding for the back of the mirror on the Orion XT8.  Not having
> >actually seen the mirror cell on this scope, I don't really have a
good
> >grip on what they're talking about.  It sounds like a good thing
to do,
> >but I'm a little iffy on how to go about it.  Anyone have a better
clue
> >on this than me?
>
> I haven't done this modification yet. I'll be giving it a bash over
the
> weekend. It doesn't sound too hard.
>
> When you get the scope you'll see that the mirror section is
attached to
> the tube with a couple of screws. It's just a matter of undoing
those,
> taking off the back, taking the mirror off it's clips, dropping the
felt
> pads into place and then working in reverse. All you need is a
Phillips
> screwdriver and clean fingertips.
>
> Sean
>
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----
--
> IndoMondo: Astronomy for the rest of us
http://www.indomondo.com/

--- In skyquest-telescopes@egroups.com, stjerome@u... wrote:
> I keep putting off getting a "proper" observing chair; I currently
> use
> a 5 gallon bucket with a padded seat lid; it usually works ok. I am
> considering mounting the entire scope on a lawnmower frame to wheel
> it
> around my yard. This is what Dr. Clyde Tombaugh (discovered Pluto)
> used
> with one of his dobs because no one spot in his yard offered a
> complete
> view. I do use the carrying handle on the box, but I keep the tube
> vertical and steady the top end with my free hand. The way they show
> it
> in the pictures (tube horizontal) seems clumsy to me.
> Jeremy Vecoli, Mpls, MN

Hi Jeremy,
    I dont presently own a skyquest, but am interested in finding out
about them. I have a great source of astronomy chairs. Its Jim Flys
cats perch observing chair. You can buy it built, or as a kit. I just
recieved one and couldnt be happier. It has a foot rest, and if needed
(Im 5'8"), I can view from 6' at eyepiece! Check it out at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~flyj/cecphome.html
Clear skies
John Decker

I keep putting off getting a "proper" observing chair; I currently
use
a 5 gallon bucket with a padded seat lid; it usually works ok. I am
considering mounting the entire scope on a lawnmower frame to wheel
it
around my yard. This is what Dr. Clyde Tombaugh (discovered Pluto)
used
with one of his dobs because no one spot in his yard offered a
complete
view. I do use the carrying handle on the box, but I keep the tube
vertical and steady the top end with my free hand. The way they show
it
in the pictures (tube horizontal) seems clumsy to me.
Jeremy Vecoli, Mpls, MN

The S&T article was the deciding factor for me to get one, plus there
are 2 Orion dealers in Mpls. (No shipping!) I also use a Rigel
finder.
I also have a Meade ETX, and the Orion is my first Newtonian. The
finder bracket on the XT8 has too small a curve where it contacts the
tube. I used coarse sandpaper wrapped around an old sonotube and
sanded a new curve onto the foot of the finderscope bracket. (did
that
make sense?) more later, Jeremy V.

I've had one since November of last year. I'm having a great time
looking at DSO's and planets. In December of last year, I got a few
days of very steady air, and the views of Jupiter and Saturn were
fantastic. One night I saw 7 cloud bands on Jupiter and the shadow
transit of IO.

I think it is a great starting telescope. My main recommendations to
new owners are:
1) Build/Buy an observing chair. I built one the one at:
      http://members.tripod.com/denverastro/seat.html

2) Read the article at Sky & Telescope
http://www.skypub.com/resources/testreports/telescopes/0001sixdobs.htm
l
about 8" telescopes and make the 2 modifications they recommend:
    a) Add some felt pads below the mirror to support it better.
    b) Add some milk jug washers on the center bolt. I used 6 and they
make the azimuth motion much smoother.

3) Get a 1x finder. I bought the Rigel Quikfinder, and I'm very happy
with it. It fits in between the eyepiece and the finder and doesn't
affect the balance at all.

I've since upgraded the finder to a University Optics 8x50 Right
Angle finder with an Amici Prism. This has greatly improved my star
hopping ability. It has a 4.2 degree field of view, so it is easy to
use with Telrad overlays on star charts. It did require me to add 4
lbs of counterweight to the bottom of the OTA. I used ankle weights
and taped them to the outside of the tube. The extra weight means
that I only need to use one tension spring to maintain balance.

Ken

I recently bought an Orion XT8 and am interested in hearing from
other Skyquest owners out there.