The new equipment curse has ended!

[turboscrew]

After about 4 weeks I could finally see something.
Not really sure what, because it was the only star I saw, but because I saw it and because of its location in the sky, I guess I saw Vega. With the tube it looked like a double.
I used 25 mm ocular, and a 50 mm extension tube to be able to focus. I guess the tube is "adjusted" for a camera.
I also realized that the pilot tube is off.

It starts to look like the new equipment curse has taken some other poor soul as its target.

Now the sky is already getting lighter, but at least there was 30 minutes of twilight and no rain, and only a few smallish clouds here and there.

[helicon]

Congrats on finally getting a view through your scope.

[KingNothing13]

Cool - glad you were finally able to get out.

[10538]

Great that you finally got some decent weather.

[Ruud]

That's good news, Turbo!

I'm not far to the south of you, and unfortunately it is still dishearteningly unsettled here. I blame the Siberian heat wave.

But, the sky barely gets dark this time of year, so there isn't much lost. Right?
  

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[turboscrew]

That's good news, Turbo!

I'm not far to the south of you, and unfortunately it is still dishearteningly unsettled here. I blame the Siberian heat wave.

But, the sky barely gets dark this time of year, so there isn't much lost. Right?
  

True. Like I mentioned, I was out for the whole half an hour of twilight.
But at last I was able to verify that my scope works, and that it really does need a 50 mm extension for visual focusing.
I also tried 10 mm eyepiece, and realized how hurry the stars were getting out of my FOV.

[turboscrew]

I probably saw Vega, and some other star. I shouldn't be able to tell the companion apart with that eyepiece.
And another star that I could see lower in SW was probably Arcturus. What else could be bright enough to be seen.

[turboscrew]

Hmm, I think my tube might be good for photography too. I was checking the tube in my kitchen. I looked out of an open window and aligned the finder scope. I saw some treetops and had a look with the few eyepieces that I have. Then I thought, maybe I'll leave the 50mm extension in place and put the focuser cap there - whitish plastic. And I saw a bit unfocused picture in the cap. I added another extension (35 mm), and I could get a well-focused picture in the focuser cap. The cap goes in about 17 mm, and the focuser was out about 15 mm. That is: the picture formed about 83 mm from the focuser.

I think that might be enough for a camera?

[turboscrew]

Today I also noticed that EQ6-R might be enough for the tube. On astroshop.eu pages it says "maximum load of 20kg for astrophotography", and I saw that same on several different sites.
On FLO pages it says (compared to NEQ6) "Increased Payload capacity of 20kg for Astro-Photography (manufacturer's spec')", and it says the same on the specs-page of the manual with "counterweights excluded" remark.

[turboscrew]

I don't dare to buy anything for a while, though. It might start the new equipment curse again. :-D