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Hello
Dec 24, 2010 3:10:15 GMT -5
Post by Watcher3 on Dec 24, 2010 3:10:15 GMT -5
My name is Joe Daugert.(watcher on Cloudy Nights) I've been interested in ISTAR since I first became aware of their existence. I thought it would be nice to have a place where we could meet and share information specific to ISTAR. All to often on CN, the mention of ISTAR would bring out fans of high end scopes who would cloud the available facts, sometimes with outright bashing of the brand. I looked around, and found a Yahoo ISTAR group, but it was inactive, with zero posts. I was never comfortable with the Yahoo format, so I decided to start this board in a more familiar style for CN veterans.
I have an ISTAR 150mm F/5 Super Achro on order from Ales at ISTAR, and am looking forward to building an heirloom quality deep sky refractor. To that end, I have decided on a 2535 FeatherTouch focuser, and hope to plan well enough to have a retractable dew shield.
So what's your story? What scope or lens do you have or want? This is the place to get to know one another, and get the ball rolling. Don't forget to let folks know we're here. the more interested members we have, the more useful these forums will be.
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Hello
Jan 11, 2011 22:10:50 GMT -5
Post by mikey cee on Jan 11, 2011 22:10:50 GMT -5
Hello again it's me mikey cee. Just thought I'd drop in and snoop around a bit. You know kinda' "kick the tires". Add a little take a little.
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Hello
Jan 11, 2011 22:31:30 GMT -5
Post by Watcher3 on Jan 11, 2011 22:31:30 GMT -5
Welcome Mikey. You are one of the big scope legends at CN, and I'm glad you could join us here. If you're interested in an ISTAR, I believe I will have an interesting announcement in the next couple of days!
Welcome aboard! Joe
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Hello
Dec 31, 2011 7:14:43 GMT -5
Post by astro59 on Dec 31, 2011 7:14:43 GMT -5
Hello
My name is Lance Appel i'm from milwaukee wi I'm a lunar/planetary fan for last 35 years, i've owned AP 7in f9 starfire and Quantum 8 plus others.
Been following Istar optical since I saw Ales anoucement on CN . Very interested in this company nice to see another company that make lens hand figured and build tube assembilies with high degree of percision
thanks,
Lance
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Hello
Dec 31, 2011 7:54:12 GMT -5
Post by Watcher3 on Dec 31, 2011 7:54:12 GMT -5
Welcome aboard Lance! What are you using now days? I think I will eventually be getting a 7" ISTAR APO for my lunar and planetary fun (I hate when they call it work!). Then again, if the skies I'm heading to are good enough to warrant getting into some DSO's, I might keep my IM715 in that role, and go for a 9" F/7.7 achro.
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Hello
Dec 31, 2011 19:53:59 GMT -5
Post by Mike on Dec 31, 2011 19:53:59 GMT -5
Go for the big Achro! You need light gathering ability whether looking at DSOs or planetary. 9" should fill that bill nicely. ;D
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Hello
Jan 1, 2012 2:02:42 GMT -5
Post by Watcher3 on Jan 1, 2012 2:02:42 GMT -5
I keep going back and forth on that Mike. I'll probably know more when I actually see the house I bought! The 6" R30 should keep me occupied for a few years while I contemplate mounting and observatory possibilities. Of course If I can talk Ales into making me a 9" lanthanum triplet lens when the time comes, that could be a real lifetime scope!
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Hello
Jan 1, 2012 16:24:48 GMT -5
Post by mikey cee on Jan 1, 2012 16:24:48 GMT -5
You bought a house unseen???
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Hello
Jan 1, 2012 16:39:44 GMT -5
Post by Watcher3 on Jan 1, 2012 16:39:44 GMT -5
Well..... Yea. My sister looked it over, and I saw pictures of it, and my brother-in-law was in business with the real estate agent, and it's a thousand miles away, and, and well, this is the 21st century, isn't it? ;D
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Hello
Oct 10, 2012 19:06:18 GMT -5
Post by johndaniel on Oct 10, 2012 19:06:18 GMT -5
Hello all. I am a long time lover of astronomy. I have been observing since I was 10 (that makes ~53 years). I joined the ISTAR Scope Club because I am seriously thinking of building a 150mm f/10 achro using ISTAR optics and tubing. I am hoping that some where out there (on this site) some one will be able to give me advice on designing and building this scope. I live in sunny (~300 days a year) Santa Fe, NM, USA. Even on the outskirts of town I have some very clear skies. So, if any one has any suggestions - I am all ears. JohnDaniel
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Hello
Oct 10, 2012 20:32:38 GMT -5
Post by Mike on Oct 10, 2012 20:32:38 GMT -5
Hey guys I would consider it a personal favor if you could help John get the information he needs. Info like hastingsirrigation.com/ Gord?
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Hello
Oct 11, 2012 20:18:07 GMT -5
Post by johndaniel on Oct 11, 2012 20:18:07 GMT -5
I am new to this (postings and stuff) but not to astronomy. I have been looking up since I was 10. I an now trying to design and eventually build a 150 mm (6") achro and I NEED HELLP! If there is anyone out there with some experience in designing and/or building a refractor, I would be very interested in communicating with you. Please, is there any one out there? Signing off from the land of enchantment (NM). JohnDaniel (e-mail thx1138_alpha@yahoo.com)
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Hello
Oct 12, 2012 1:21:49 GMT -5
Post by criverside on Oct 12, 2012 1:21:49 GMT -5
Hi John,
Designing a refractor tube is really very simple requiring at most a knowledge of geometry ( you can use trigonometry but you don't really need to ) and that only for ray-tracing for sizing baffles, and even the geometry could be dispensed with if you draw it out with a long straight edge on a large piece of craft paper, taking your measurements off the paper.
The one deciding factor is your construction skills, do you have metal working experience you will need if you construct with aluminum. The other Material is usually wood or composite, but you can mix and match, an aluminum or composite tube and wood counter cell, and end plate or vise versa.
To summarize, don't be put off by the design. The fun is deciding how you will construct the individual components, nothing complicated. Check out cloudy nights forum to see how others have built their refractors, you will see all types, some really unusual.
Also check out the ISTAR web page under tubes and parts they have some end plates, baffles , tubing and counter cells listed. I hope this gets you started, until next time-----Craig
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Hello
Oct 12, 2012 12:31:54 GMT -5
Post by Ales - iStar Optical on Oct 12, 2012 12:31:54 GMT -5
Hello John, yes, we can offer already finished scope parts, plain without finish or with one of our special powder coatings. You can make the tube out of aluminum, those can be ordered from Hastings Irrigations (I believe this is the right name), they sell the individual thin wall tubes (usually around 1,5mm) to amateur astronomers and from what Ive heard they dont charge arm and leg. All you have to do is to keep the construction perfectly square. Once I return back to my European office, sometimes by first week of November, I can help you with the actual design. I will be more than happy to share some of my own knowledge and experience in building our own Istar scopes. As Gord mentioned, keep things simple, no need to put dozens of baffles inside of your tube, if you calculate the ray tracing properly (best way is to use any CAD software) you should end up wiht three or four baffles in F10 to F15 scope. Both the counter cell and rear plate can also be very simple, you only have to decide how to attach these to the main tube. We incorporate the first baffle directly to the counter cell, something no one else is doing (to my best knowledge), remaining baffles are the knife edge style. Make sure to keep the opening of each baffle very thin (blade shaped) or use a very thin material to make your baffles. The tube must be perfectly square so the counter cell and rear plate wiht focuser installed to it are all in a perfect line. This way you wont need to collimate your scope at all or collimate it only once in a (long) while. Most of our own refractors are perfectly square and we dont even use the collimation screws. Simply bolt the lens onto the counter cell and you are done.. no further collimation needed. Well, stay in touch and as I said, if you write back to me sometimes after November 7th, I will be more than happy to walk you thru the scope building process, once you decide on the right materials. You will need a machine shop or wood shop near by (unless you have one in your garage). Good luck with your project!!......and sorry for kind of sketchy reply but Ive been extremely busy and I spend most of my current time traveling.. I will have more time once I return back to Europe. cheers, Ales ISTAR Optical
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Hello
Oct 12, 2012 21:52:31 GMT -5
Post by Watcher3 on Oct 12, 2012 21:52:31 GMT -5
Or, you can keep it even simpler. Make a "scope on a stick" to get your components spaced right, and forget about baffleing and just flock it.
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