I Almost dropped my Scope

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helicon United States of America
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I Almost dropped my Scope

#1

Post by helicon »


I had some trouble the other day inserting my AR152's dovetail into my Twilight II. For some reason the clamp would not hold and since I was holding the scope with one hand and the locking knob with the other hand I started panicking when the scope began to slip. I almost dropped it, which would have been a disaster. Then I moved the OTA to the other side of the Twilight II and was able to get the alternate knob to lock.

Pheww! Keep in mind that this procedure is easier with two people.

:Astronomer1:
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#2

Post by Shabadoo »


Scarey, Enough to sit for 10 and count your blessings until the heart rate slows back down.
Good save!
Jeff
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#3

Post by SKEtrip »


That will get the blood pumping!
Watched in horror once as my diagonal rotated in slow motion toward 180° South before the EP had been secured.
Saved the EP 1/2 way to the ground, this happened over concrete. Wonder what a fitbit would have shown for a spike?

Praise be you prevented disaster.
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#4

Post by SkyHiker »


Good thing you caught it! It happened to me one time too, with my G11 and the Mak-Newt. I actually dropped it, then I caught it right before it was going to hit the ground.
... Henk. :D Telescopes: GSO 12" Astrograph, "Comet Hunter" MN152, ES ED127CF, ES ED80, WO Redcat51, Z12, AT6RC, Celestron Skymaster 20x80, Mounts and tripod: Losmandy G11S with OnStep, AVX, Tiltall, Cameras: ASI2600MC, ASI2600MM, ASI120 mini, Fuji X-a1, Canon XSi, T6, ELPH 100HS, DIY: OnStep controller, Pi4b/power rig, Afocal adapter, Foldable Dob base, Az/Alt Dob setting circles, Accessories: ZWO 36 mm filter wheel, TV Paracorr 2, Baader MPCC Mk III, ES FF, SSAG, QHY OAG-M, EAF electronic focuser, Plossls, Barlows, Telrad, Laser collimators (Seben LK1, Z12, Howie Glatter), Cheshire, 2 Orion RACIs 8x50, Software: KStars-Ekos, DSS, PHD2, Nebulosity, Photo Gallery, Gimp, CHDK, Computers:Pi4b, 2x running KStars/Ekos, Toshiba Satellite 17", Website:Henk's astro images
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#5

Post by Micke187 »


just as i me when i thought i would drop my ccd on the floor. Lucky enough the focuser got a little stopp that prevents that to happen. but at the time i forgot that it existed so my hearthrate went to 200 in a second it feelt like. Somehow something in the focuser got loose and drawtube just slipped out with a thump.
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#6

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Mishaps happen to us all eventually, luckily you realized it was not locked in before moving away at least!

I have had my 150mm f/8 fall before but managed to save it before it hit the ground.
During a viewing session I borrowed a friends TV Ethos and a few minutes later had it turn into a pendulum as the weight unscrewed the nosepiece of the diagonal.
Luckily there was enough threads left to keep it from releasing completely.
Blue locktite is great stuff :)
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#7

Post by goldstar »


Phew!
Nothing worse than an unscheduled laundering of underwear.... :P
Oh lucky man!
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#8

Post by helicon »


SKEtrip wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2019 4:12 pm That will get the blood pumping!
Watched in horror once as my diagonal rotated in slow motion toward 180° South before the EP had been secured.
Saved the EP 1/2 way to the ground, this happened over concrete. Wonder what a fitbit would have shown for a spike?

Praise be you prevented disaster.
My heart started pounding, kind of like fight-or-flight syndrome.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#9

Post by Gordon »


There's nothing worse than having the 'dropsies'.

I've had a couple of close calls.
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#10

Post by bladekeeper »


Sheesh! That will make you terribly alert! Glad you avoided a catastrophe, Michael!
Bryan
Scopes: Apertura AD12 f/5; Celestron C6-R f/8; ES AR127 f/6.4; Stellarvue SV102T f/7; iOptron MC90 f/13.3; Orion ST80A f/5; ES ED80 f/6; Celestron Premium 80 f/11.4; Celestron C80 f/11.4; Unitron Model 142 f/16; Meade NG60 f/10
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#11

Post by John Baars »


Yes, Murphy is omnipresent.
Luckely you were able to prevent disaster, I hope the handlebar saved the operation?
I have seen my share: eyepieces slipping out of their holder or falling from my hand, shattered diagonal etc. A friend of mine saw his 130mm ED Vixen actually "jump" out of the holder while observing. Strangely enough the tube was severely damaged, but not the lens.
You crawled through the eye of the needle. Glad you did.
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#12

Post by JayTee »


Hi Michael,

So glad you averted this disaster. It has happened to me once and it was almost as bad as my divorce in the heartache that I felt.

I know that if this were happening to me, while it was slipping, I would have been dropping the f-bomb at least a half a dozen times. and then after I secured it to the other side of the mount and was able to sit down, I'd have dropped the f-bomb again another half dozen times.

BTW, what the heck were you doing lifting the 152 by yourself?

This could cause traumatic stress,
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#13

Post by pakarinen »


SKEtrip wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2019 4:12 pm Watched in horror once as my diagonal rotated in slow motion toward 180° South before the EP had been secured.

Been there, done that.
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#14

Post by j.gardavsky »


Hello Michael,

very good it did not happen!
That's the reason why I am using my own (safe) way of mounting the gear, and why I have recently replaced the old Cullmann Titan CT200 tripod with a more robust Cullmann Titan CT 300. And the scope is rapid deployable, click-lock, click-lock, ...,
as the Cullmann system is click-lock, and robust like a tactical gear, but still light-weight.

Some sunshine needed to take pics and to post them here,
JG
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#15

Post by UlteriorModem »


Yep I dropped my 130 APO triplet one time. Slid right out of the dove tail and hit the ground. Had a laser finder on it at the time and that took the brunt of the blow and was ruined. The scope was okay. Fortunatly it was on soft ground / grass.

But I swear it all happened in slow motion and seemed like it to 30 seconds to hit the ground while I cringed.
Tom

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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#16

Post by SKEtrip »


pakarinen wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2019 2:07 pm
SKEtrip wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2019 4:12 pm Watched in horror once as my diagonal rotated in slow motion toward 180° South before the EP had been secured.

Been there, done that.
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#17

Post by helicon »


Avoiding dropping the thing was like catching an onside kick in football.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#18

Post by Makuser »


Hi all. Count me in too. When I was assembling my XT12i telescope. the primary mirror in it's cell was heavier than I thought. It slipped through my hands, and like the other horrific stories on here, I caught it before it hit the floor. This was the most expensive assembly part of this telescope. I cleaned the finger prints off of the mirror and finally got it installed into the tube. This was a "heart attack city" for me. But, thank goodness it all ended well. Thanks for your other scary stories on here folks, as it makes me fell not so alone in this dilemma. :whistle:
Marshall
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#19

Post by mikemarotta »


First, just to say, I had the same experience with my ES-102. Setting it up for the first time, I turned it to vertical and it slid into my hand. It is tight now.

But, also, way back when The Sky Searchers was in its previous incarnation, I read a story about someone who lost his telescope because he thought that he was adjust altitude or azimuth and came out of the cradle and hit the deck. The problem is that the control knobs are the same. It was a known problem in private aviation long ago. So, I made this modification to my Celestron 130-EQ.
Second Fix4.JPG
---------------------------------------
Michael E. Marotta
Astro-Tech 115 mm APO Refractor Explore Scientific 102 mm f/6.47 Refractor Explore Scientific 102 mm f/9.8 Refractor Bresser 8-inch Newtonian Reflector Plössls from 40 to 6 mm Nagler Series-1 7mm. nonMeade 14 mm. Mounts: Celestron AVX, Explore Twilight I Alt-Az, Explore EXOS German Equatorial
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Re: I Almost dropped my Scope

#20

Post by Chich »


Did it happen just the other day? sorry, couldn't pass it up :)

Glad to hear you caught it. Sad to say that fluttery OMG! feeling afterwards is all too familiar.
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