From: Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@me.com>

Date: January 5, 2010 10:36:57 AM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] GSO RC`s

Hi Milton, 

My C10 reflector tube is probably going to my uncle early this year & he`s offered to re-imburse me for it. I think it originally cost me $2199 AUD with the mount included (C10-NGT). So at the back of my mind is the idea I might have the beginnings of the funding for a GSO 8" RC?! Here`s a Cloudy Nights review I found of the above from someone who has one;

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2006

Are the spider vanes a serious issue with these scopes?

Mark.

On 06/01/2010, at 4:19 AM, Milton Aupperle wrote:

Hi Mark;

I don't have an opinion on Edge VS RC, and unless something picks up
dramatically in 2010 I won't be buying any new hardware. There have
been a reviews of the new RC scopes in Sky & Telescope magazine in the
last issues. I'm waiting to see how the Edge stack up against them.

I do have an opinion on RC Spider vanes though, and I'd rather not
have big diffraction spikes in my images, especially if the camera
rotates or changes position between imaging sessions. They could go to
curved spider vanes, but seem to only offer straight ones.

I do like the fact that the smaller RC scopes I've read about reviewed
do not have movable mirrors, like the CAT scopes do for focus. That
too me is a major advantage to me and I'd love not to have idiotic
mirror flop or shift happening when I focus my images.

TTYL..

Milton Aupperle

On 3-Jan-10, at 1:55 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

> Hi Milton & others,
> There`s been some discussion on the SCT users group (initiated by me)
> about comparisons between the new cheaper style of Ritchey Chretien
> scopes & the new Celestron Edge HD ones. I`ve noticed these GSO ones
> for sale locally (& they`re cheaper than the Edge scopes) I think if
> you scroll down to Guan Sheng on this site & go down that page a
> little you`ll see them;
> http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm
> Rod Mollise believes these scopes`ll remove coma alright but introduce
> their own problems of astigmatism & curvature of field. Michael Bieler
> from Astronomics I believe, has volunteered to the discussion the
> information that a 0.75 reducer is in the offing for these scopes but
> Rod upon further questioning says the place to start with them is to
> replace the focuser. I know you were showing an interest Milton in
> similar Orion astrographs at one stage. What would be your & others
> considered opinion of them be..I haven`t got sufficient funds to buy
> even one of these 8" OTA`s but who knows later in the year?
>
> Mark.