TheSkySearchers-Welcome!

Just a word of caution from experience Mark. (first picture)
Put a counterweight on the bar before taking pictures of the refractor.
Clutches are never as tight as you assume they are

152? Yowza! You did good...

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 5:39 am Just a word of caution from experience Mark. (first picture)
Put a counterweight on the bar before taking pictures of the refractor.
Clutches are never as tight as you assume they are

Yup...:-)
I noticed that...
I think I am about the luckiest guy in the world.

Thank you Gabby.

Did you get out last night ?

No the satellite forecast won out and the clouds arrived just after dark. Possibly tonight

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 10:02 pm

JayTee wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:51 pm Okay Mark, spill.

What did you trade to get this beauty of a scope?

Curious (okay, nosey) minds want to know,
JT

Well JT this was a spontaneous trade.
I was home caring for my mother and Henry called to chat about his planned acquisition of another new telescope he has been looking at.

He decided to drive out to see me. When he got here and we meandered around to trading I suggested I trade him in silver bullion which I have amassed over the years.
We settled on 22 ounces at current spot price.
I had also just completed a nice mens ring with some appropriate script on the inside of the band. I asked if he would like to have it also. No hesitation. He told me he would have traded for the ring. I said, "Well then. Lets have that bag of silver back." He got a big grin. We did not alter our original bargain, but I was very gratified by his sentiment.

So long story short...23 oz of silver bullion. :-)
Picture of ring attached.

That's a beautiful piece of art!

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:07 pm The Frac Family portrait. :-)

Congrats Mark! It should be a beast on DSOs. What mount you are putting it on? I like your group photo. I should do one like this.

Great story Mark, and nice acquisition as well! "Old boys at play..." well said

Enjoy the new toy!!

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:10 pm

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:07 pm The Frac Family portrait. :-)

Congrats Mark! It should be a beast on DSOs. What mount you are putting it on? I like your group photo. I should do one like this.

Hi Andrey.
It likes the LXD 75, and the LXD 75 likes it. :-)
For visual this will be just fine.
There is a tiny vibrate if I am clusmy with focus but it settle instantly.

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:40 pm

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:10 pm

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:07 pm The Frac Family portrait. :-)

Congrats Mark! It should be a beast on DSOs. What mount you are putting it on? I like your group photo. I should do one like this.

Hi Andrey.
It likes the LXD 75, and the LXD 75 likes it. :-)
For visual this will be just fine.
There is a tiny vibrate if I am clusmy with focus but it settle instantly.

This is a good match. From what I gather LXD 75 is very similar to EXOS2 I have. Enjoy!

Awesome trade, Mark! Congrats on the new frac!

If you have a 6" frac in the stable, you've got street cred.

Nice

I have an Antaries labeled version.
When I first got it in the same tube as the Explore Scientific tube, the focuser draw tube cut into the light path and effectively reduced the aperture.

stevew wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:34 pm I have an Antaries labeled version.
When I first got it in the same tube as the Explore Scientific tube, the focuser draw tube cut into the light path and effectively reduced the aperture.

Hi Steve.
I read your post but I can't figure out how that would happen. Was the draw tube too long and cutting into the light cone?
What did you do to remedy the situation ?

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:40 pm

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:10 pm

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:07 pm The Frac Family portrait. :-)

Congrats Mark! It should be a beast on DSOs. What mount you are putting it on? I like your group photo. I should do one like this.

Hi Andrey.
It likes the LXD 75, and the LXD 75 likes it. :-)
For visual this will be just fine.
There is a tiny vibrate if I am clusmy with focus but it settle instantly.

New here. How do you like the 6" f/6.5 ES refractor so far? An observing friend of mine has one and even does some astrophotography with it, with decent results.

John Fitzgerald wrote: ↑Mon Nov 11, 2019 1:00 am

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:40 pm

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:10 pm

Congrats Mark! It should be a beast on DSOs. What mount you are putting it on? I like your group photo. I should do one like this.

Hi Andrey.
It likes the LXD 75, and the LXD 75 likes it. :-)
For visual this will be just fine.
There is a tiny vibrate if I am clusmy with focus but it settle instantly.

New here. How do you like the 6" f/6.5 ES refractor so far? An observing friend of mine has one and even does some astrophotography with it, with decent results.

Hello John.
I like my f/6.5 152 very much.
I have had only a couple of handfuls of outings with this glass. I am predominantly a visual observer.
On the bright moon I have a very thin line of yellow or blue color. This is quite faint and interestingly it propagates in my peripheral vision as I view. When I direct my visual focus to the area of the color it disappears from view. I can see no color in the bright craters. At least this is me experience.

I have snapped a few cell phone pictures and photographically the color is much more evident in afocal images.
But as I said I am predominantly visual.
If you enjoy DSO this 6", or I suppose any 6" refractor will serve you well.

I have only had one or two opportunities to view Jupiter and Saturn and the transparency was not very good. I have not used any type of filters. As I recall these views were inferior in detail. I have not really had much opportunity to come to more conclusive comment on that score. As jupiter and Saturn are going out of season I will have to wait for more of them.

The refractor aperture, 6 inches, rules my heart.
Clusters, galaxies, doubles, and nebula are quite nice. Given a good sky, I enjoy a slow observation session, digging as much as I can out of a view of maybe only one or two or three difficult objects.

I have posted a thread elsewhere asking for comments on the f/5, f/6.5/ and f/8 version of this scope.

viewtopic.php?f=65&t=3470
There is a lot of good discussion on the f/5, and some expert comments on these optics. Take a read here for more content.

Long story short I am enjoying this telescope