SUPER TUNE THE ST 102
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- It's been a long time, However MP ASTRO IS BACK!!! this time for budget Astronomy, Once again I keep it real!!!
#solar #astrophotography #skywatcher
This Super-tune can also be used on Skywatcher ST-120 and ST-150. Some variants of Celestron, Orion (USA), Saxon and some Meade telescopes can also benefit from this modification.
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There will be many more video content like this which will give practical useful info to help newcomers and experienced Astrophotographers in the astro community to undertake Astro practical tuning, to let viewers get see the Astro equipment I review in detail.
So please everyone show your support to MP ASTRO and subscribe onto my channel, if you want to see real authentic reviews and modifications that do work and have been tested out by myself.
www.youtube.co....
Rother Valley Optics website for specialist collimation tests and professional optical cleaning for Refractors: www.rothervall...
The links to the products shown in this video:
AstroEssentials Focuser: www.firstlight...
There is V2 of this focuser: www.firstlight...
Baader Contrast Booster filter: www.firstlight...
Special lens tool: www.rothervall...
Musou black paint 99.4% non reflective: www.amazon.co....
cotton gloves: www.amazon.co....
Finderscope bracket: www.amazon.co....
AstroEssentials Red dot finder: www.firstlight...
Rotating electric base: www.amazon.co....
Baader cleaning kit: www.firstlight...
ZWO ASI178MM Camera:www.rothervall...
DayStar Quark H-alpha 'Eyepiece' Chromosphere: www.firstlight...
Altair 115mm Aperture Hydrogen Alpha D-ERF (120mm filter with housing cell): www.altairastr...
Skywatcher ST-102: www.rothervall...
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Hi Martin
I haven't actually watched your video yet but I will later. Just wanted to say how great it is to see you back, I've genuinely missed your videos.
Sorry to hear you've had a hard time lately with one thing and another. Hope things continue to improve for you. Although we're all anonymous people on the internet, I get the feeling you're amongst friends here and you have a lot of people, including me, having a lot of respect for you.
Mate is so glad to hear from you, yes it was tough going over the past months. But we are all human, sometimes you have to take a break from YT. I thank you for your support, knowing that I have good subscribers that really understand my situation. But it's great to be back once again with the astro community that there are some that I can trust.
Don't worry. Your channel is the only one on UA-cam that doesn't stop at just displaying the object, but exploits and improves its features to a great extent, thanks to your great effort and passion. Hi from italian's sky 😊
Thank you for watching, I have another video based around old secondhand ccd astro cameras, keeping things on budget, though this is pretty much work in progress
thanks for showing us. iam going to try to us my 102 f5 ST for the sun eclipse coming next month.
GO FOR IT Joe you know it makes sense, With a 224 camera and Quark H-Alpha eyepiece. Save tons of money $1700 is better and cheap option than a $14000 100mm Lunt Solar scope that's for sure
@@MPAstro I actually don’t do too much solar observing it’s just in the daytime I’m at work by the time I get home from work the sun is kind of low weekends when the fiancé comes over and then we’re always doing stuff so I almost never use my solar scope really only like 3 to 6 times a year
So my thinking is I just get the basic lunt 50 mm or the 40mm since I use it that little of use
I have heard of the quark But I know it needs like a power box to heat the element for five or 10 minutes and that’s the part I don’t like is I don’t wanna have a battery and the power pack for it
But I just hit 3000 subscribers this morning so I’m thinking maybe I could call them and ask them if they can send me one to test and then I can do a video or two maybe I can promote the product and then I can see if I like it
It’s not so cheap I believe the last time I looked it’s around C$1500 so that would be basically the same price as the lunt 50 with depress tuner with taxes
It's upto you Joe, not matter what solar kit you use, Hydro-Alpha is the way to go!! Good luck on theEclipse in April, something I won't be able to travel, due to working full time!!
@@MPAstro OK man we’ll talk soon. Cheers.
@@JoeJaguar No problem!!
1:09:33 tight fit! What about putting the tube on a radiator to slightly expand the tube and putting the focuser in the freezer to slightly contract the focuser so they will intersect easily. I saw on a video where they were installing drive shaft pistons in an engine that the pistons rings were cooled with liquid nitrogen to slightly reduce circumference so can be installed and it would return to normal size at room temperature. Would that work? Just a thought.
Yep your right Sparta, you could freeze the tube or focuser, end of the day metal expands in heat, or contracts when cold. Both will work either way
Hi Martin, great to watch your video again. No apologies are necessary we all enjoy what you can produce when you can. You have the right attitude to UA-cam that it is a hobby, an enjoyment to produce what you do.
I'm eager to see what mods you have for the ST102 and what ideas you put across for us to try. The ST102 is such a joy to use and take apart and modify, imagine the jitters doung mods with a more expensive scope ha, ha.
Yep making these videos, I have no interest to make money, YT doesn't pay very well, plus I now the donations tab now, but I do not ask or beg for money, if people want to donate to my channel, then they can if they want to. I'm guessing you got ST102, then your gonna be real busy with this video
Looking forward to it mate, welcome back!
Thanks mate, hope you are well
All good here mate
Having a nice telescope to be disassembled in such professional manner is always a treat to watch.
Great to see you back Martin,we missed you !!
I have missed you and I haven't been doing too much astro
Finally!! 🙂Skies have been bloody awful and yes, we're all being screwed. Good to see you!
ST-120 upgrade now incoming from Mark!!
@@MPAstro I have bought a used, ex Skywatcher 102ED, dual speed focuser so will fit that to the scope. Just got an OVL dual focuser for my LX90 OTA recently too. Watched your original ST80 video and it was that which made me think of the Contrast Booster but I just can't justify it in my head particularly given the sheer lack of opportunity we have here in the UK/Scotland for doing much Astrophotography.
I asked the question about a year ago or so now: Who did you use to get the wall photos done? Also, what type of file did you give them and how do we know that our photos will look good at such a scale?
@@markwelsh9068 It was company called MY PICTURE that did my astro prints, It's been a long if could remember what prints I've ordered??
Great results! That black paint looks really dark! I think Skywatcher should provide a better focuser for their achromats. Svbony offers a 90mm f5 achro with dual speed focuser that seems very interesting. Regarding energy rejection, I have used a ST120 with a lunt wedge, so no protection at the lens end and it has gone well, no melting or burning :) All in all that ST102 turned up really nicely modded! Thanks for this video, keep them coming. Clear skies! EDIT: forgot to add: I'm sure you already know, but a baader solar continuum filter helps greatly to improve sharpness and contrast in white light solar imaging.
Enjoy your new super tuned ST102, I've got the Baader filter you mentioned, totally agree you see alot more gradulation surface detail in white light, defo makes the sun much sharper
Now i'm gonna wanna buy a 102 and super tuna, And I haven't gotten around to buying d s t eighty plus two plus two, So now I have two telescopes To buy
I look forward to see when you do get the ST102, and super tune it!!! That SVBONY FF/FR is some serious piece of upgrade!!
Nice to see you doing another video martin, I look forward to them. 2.
Improve my planetary in deep sky observing is great.
Yep this time is creating a time-lapse movie, extremely difficult to achieve and lot of processing involved
Nice work.
Thank you! Cheers!
Focuser is usually the weakest component of a budget telescope. I have the cheapest possible achromatic refractor 70/400 sold as “travel scope”, and it has robustly designed but very simple and all plastic focuser. It’s good enough for visual observations, where I go up to 67 magnification usually with o-iii filter 😊 to kill color fringing on moon, but I feel that such magnification is really the limit of the focuser, even though the optics themselves could be pushed further.
A 70mm scope is quite small and to be honest I wouldn't even go too much at 67x, I think 50x is tops for that size aperture. Though a 70mm is good scope and it's not a cheap trash telescope, the optics are good, being a travel scope, the tripod issued with the travel scope is useless, that is the weakest link in the package you get from Celestron.
@@MPAstro I agree, 70/400 sold in "travel scope" package is not good for beginners. I had to replace everything around it. At 67x the view is good only for Moon, and perhaps Orion nebula, just for grab and go short sessions when moonlight kills DSO's, and of course, without narrow-ish O-III filter I use, the color fringing at 67x is so bad that sharpness suffers a lot. The O-III filter itself is almost as expensive as the scope :-)
@@janomacko5764 I think you need a bigger scope, ST 102 is a massive jump in aperture and light grasp and it's £219 brand new
@@MPAstro Sorry, I caused some misunderstanding, I have also 6 inch newtonian and 5 inch mak, and another 4 inch newtonian, 70mm is for very quick observations when I am lazy to bring out heavier stuff.
@@janomacko5764 Don't worry. Wow why don't you use the 6" Newtonian is pretty lightweight, you turn it into a Dob, make the base and takes seconds to set-up
Glad to see you back martin and another great detailed video we have all missed you ⭐️ 💫
Thanks Sam for your support Wishing clear skies
Interesting video. I was thinking of buying a Skywatcher achromat 120/1000 mm or 150/1200 mm and use it with a semi-apo filter. I wonder if the semi-apo filter reduces the CA to the level of an ED FPL51. Does it make sense to buy that or should I go directly for a more expensive ED FPL51 doublet or triplet? Thank you!
Semi apo filter is great for visual but when you take photos CA will show up a lot, hence why the Booster contrast filter is better, yes you get a yellow cast, but you can process it out. It just depends on your budget, on how much you want to spend, ED are reasonably priced at 80mm or below would cost around £400, however anything over 80mm and upwards the prices can go high as £900, triplets expect to pay £1000plus.
@@MPAstro I am only interested in visual observations. Svbony sells the 102/714 ED FPL51 with just 460$ but for the same price you can also get a 120/1000 mm Skywatcher achromat or a 127/1200 mm Bresser achromat.
Svbony looks good scope but I've heard their customer service is not so great. If CA doesn't concern you, Go for the Skywatcher 120mm. But I feel if you got the budget for the Svbony, than it would make sense to go for that ED, end of day, I was think more long term for your needs.
Howdy doody. Another wee donation to the channel. Would have made it more (perhaps next time) though funds are now short due to the purchase of a SW OVL Panaview 38mm EP. (last time I seen one going on eBay was over a year ago and this time wasn't going to miss the boat). Yeah, yeah I got you, 2" Baader contrast booster is in the pipeline though as I have a Baader Hyperion Zoom then my 1.25" CB will suffice for now.
For those that truly love Martin's content (and common sense advice) then hit the 'Thanks' button, the minimum is only a few quid and remember, whilst other UA-camrs have luckily given up their jobs to do astro full time then Martin still has to work (or should I say (struggle for a living)).
😂😂😂😂
Astronomers say "Clear Skies"
I say "Gonna turn those porch lights (burning all night, esp. industrial parks take note) off and get some motion activated lighting installed that actually turn off and perhaps the casual viewer might get inspired to get their scopes out more."
Luv from Scottie Land (why no emoji for the Scottish saltire?)
Peace ✌️
and R.I.P. Alyn Wallace ❤️
BTW, no (typed) thank yous are necessary. If you really want to thank me then just hit me up with the following emoji
👍
Thank you so much @thisissparta3965 for the donation, I don't ask or beg for money, and if viewers who wish to donate to me, I'm totally with it, as it shows my channel has helped them massively, Yes I agree I work full time and its not a joke trying to pay my bills just to manage through this, and I can only hope one day I could have any chance of clear skies just take images and make video content full time. Though this is real life and UA-cam doesn't support smaller channels like mine enough, it seems quite unfair, but I know that there are so many damn good smaller astro channels who are still not getting noticed in this community. Here I have balance between work and any free time I have just to make one video as tough as it is.Awesome find on your Panaview 38mm eyepiece, I have the 26mm and 32mm variants and they are superb eyepieces, they will help to reduce chromatic fringes in your images.
@thisissparta3965 News update I have tested the supertuned ST102 last night and recorded some new video footage. Finally some clear skies and I'm gonna mention to you that I was not disappointed, I also have tested a new upgrade for the ST102 and I will keep you posted when the next video comes out, At the moment I'm still processing the Deepsky images from last night and I have a lot of videos to edit. You're gonna really like this when a new MPAstro video comes out very soon!!
Nice to see you back Martin. I do like well explained vids and you go to great lengths to explain everything very well. Keep it coming 👍
Thanks, I agree this video is 2 hours, however I do go in alot of detail. I've seen so many Astro channels are so good at talking about stuff, with alot product reviews been given to them from their sponsors, in the real world nobody cannot afford the latest astro stuff. Here at least I offer ways to help people on a budget to make the most of their equipment, and I provide real evidence to prove my case. Top channels fail to tick that box, Just you wait when these instant UA-cam Astro experts start making videos on the Solar Eclipse in April in the states, they will be milking themselves for views, likes, sponsors and fame. For me I cannot afford to travel to the states, I have to work a living to get by, like the rest of us who are still struggling with this crisis!! However we must stay focused and I must be true to my viewers and subscribers!!! I will make another video once I have chance of free time!!
Nice. I followed your advice on the super tune the ST80 and now my ST80 has the same focuser. Who cares it's only an achro, it looks awesome now with the TS DS focuser, WO CF 2" Durabrite and 35mm Aero ED. I did get flocking for it (yet to be installed) but was also contemplating the mouso black.
@@thisissparta3965 both the flocking or paint will do fine, contrast booster should be your next upgrade
Already acquired the Baader contrast booster but it is the 1.25" version and sits in the modified guide to finder scope mounted next to the ST80 (will be getting the 2" in due course). You may already know this but some of your channel viewers may not but if anyone wants to use (I have for example a 60mm guide scope) as a finder scope then it will only achieve focus as a straight through finder with an ep. If the intent is to have a 60mm guide scope used as a right angled finder then what I had to do was unscrew a 1.25" Barlow lense off from its ep holder and screw it directly onto the diagonal nosepiece (my Baader contrast booster is screwed on first, then the Barlow onto that) then that way I can achieve focus. I do have a Baader zoom mk lV but if only using fixed EPs then I can put a wide eyepiece into one diagonal and have a different one into the converted guide/finder scope to reduce on constant ep swapping. The 60mm guide scopes when converted into finders actually perform not to bad as a mini telescope. I don't do UA-cam vids so perhaps that may make a good vid for you to do. Converting a guide scope to right angled finder with a Barlow.
@@thisissparta3965 I've already done some project many years on an a Altair Astro Guidescope. It is a good idea, as some these 60mm Guidescopes have better optics than some beginner telescopes out in the market
I didn't re-do a refractor, but a 6" reflector mirror, focuser, spider vanes and stiffened the tube at both ends with a ring of 3.2mm aluminum. Refigured the 150mm mirror to high wave and Strehl and some guys in my astro-club were blown away by it. It gave a view that was brighter and sharper than a 127 triplet. I'm a retired engineer and the refigure price was on sale to a guaranteed 1/10th wave and .95 Strehl ratio. An 8" or 200mm mirror was more than double the 150mm so I bought a C6-N at a pawn shop that included a TeleVue 2x Barlow for $125. Guy obviously didn't know optics, he cleaned the mirrors with paper towels (fyi they're abrasive), scratched the mirrors up with micro scratches and rubbed off some of the SiO2 coating.
By the time I was finished I had turned a $200 scope into a $3500 scope.
Wow you really made some improvements on your Newtonian. I agree if you put in the hard work and time, you can transform any scope to higher spec, Why should you pay oustanding amounts of cash, when you can upgrade some budget style equipment and achieve staggering performance. Some people will disagree and see no point to this, For us we have the skills and knowledge to do this!!! Excellent woprk and specs on your scope are superb.
@@MPAstro Two AP guys in my club love to use my scope for astrophotography and say they get great results in less time. We have an abundance of dark sky in Southern New Mexico and even just 15 mins away is Bortle 4. Even with the central obstruction, by area it's only 8%.
The refigure was done so well (mostly by cnc) there is very little coma with a 9mm ES 100 degree fov eyepiece it isn't bad and hard to tell by eye. A photo doesn't show it up very much either.
I put a JMI 2" dual speed focuser on it too. You would never know it was a Celestron if I hadn't left the name on the tube.
Thanks for the vids 😁👍
Thanks Sparta for the donation 😊😊😊
No thanks needed. Your productions have earned you that. Esp. as you don't beg or ask for it. I know people are struggling but it's important to reward certain efforts in life. While some content creators seek fame and glory you only seek to educate.
It does upset me that some astro channels get that much attention it has literally become their full time job and here you are doing the same thing but still having to work for a living. Keep up the good work. We all know you are the real deal.
Hi Martin, good to see your next video, best regards!
Thanks for your support to the channel, I will be doing more videos particularly based around the budget astro aspects. I feel that this subject has to be covered, as so many of us are now struggling, trying to pay our bills, things are so expensive nowadays, and with inflation going up, the working man, woman and everyone else have been screwed over. Nobody can afford brand new expensive equipment, which I find so frustrating to see top astro channels making reviews of expensive equipment which they are so fortunate to get from their sponsors and these top astro UA-camrs are raking in the money. For me I have been on UA-cam for almost 10 years now and I still haven't got up to 10k subs, I work full time and trying to make ends meet.
Great job! Great channel! please keep it going.
Don't worry I might not be uploading many videos due to work commitments, but I will and always deliver good video content which is real, not staged and above all reviewing products that I am not sponsored by anyone to just sell products for them, So I am free on what I review, I myself is not controlled and everyone who watches and subs on my channel fully know that they are not been lied to. Viewers want real evidence!!!
epic editing
Thanks this is only the trailer, there is MORE TO COME!!!
@@MPAstro I know :-) in like 10 minutes
Your music sounds like the theme of an asylum productions disaster movie cool
Welcome back buddy .
Thanks Dave
I love it, that's exactly what I did 1.2 years ago while watching your series, I bought a Star Travel 102 and built it up to a F3.9 imaging scope remotely run on an eqm 35 through a mele quieter, QHY focuser, FLO focus tube replacement and plopped in a Player one Uranus C pro. Very little chromatic aberration to deal with which processing usually handles. Your video on tuning it helped with my decision. 1.2 years later and I'm looking towards a fast astrograph newtonian but will never part with DeepWell (the ST) It's just too good when its on. Thanks Martin, good to see you back!
Thanks for your support to the channel. ST102 you have has certainly had been a work horse for you. Do you do mono narrowband imaging with it?
@@MPAstroNo MM cameras yet, went all in on the uranus c pro recenty , but I did a 15 hour on IC 1805 with a ZWO duoband which I split up into HOO on Siril. thinking of the askar color magic filters. but no where near true Narrowbanding yet. just bought a sv106 60mm to get a better guide rate. seems legit
lovely scope, little treasure!
Cheers
@@MPAstrop.s. I found the SVbony FF/FR for their 102 works really well on this telescope. relatively inexpensive.
@@Bortle-6-Astrophotography interesting find, is Svbony 102 a F5 ratio scope?
@@MPAstro F7 I believe, but it seems to work good juju with the ST102. opened up the FOV for me. no color issues or artifacts, definitely not an hindrance in any noticeable way. Just thought I'd pass that on from personal experience.
Hey Martin! You are making great videos for making good setups in budget for serious astrophotography. Thanks for making videos these are very very helpful. Btw can you provide us the stacked data taken through the supertuned st80 so that we can take a detailed look? Btw thanks for making these type of content
Glad you like them! I could type in the settings of ST80 images on the comments, I cannot place RAW image data files on here, and I do not save these images on a online photo diary like Flickr for example, however it costs money to have these images saved which I can't afford it, I'm lucky that I have Photoshop as that costs £8 a month. All my images are saved on all my external back up hard drives.
Ok. Do you have the stacked image ?
@@HyperX07 Yes I have stacked tiff image of M31 using Deepsky Stacker
@@MPAstro can you provide it to us plz I wanna process it my self and see a detailed view
Have you got your email address, so I can send a TIFF image
Martin. Do you know what thread size the SW tube rings take. On SW tube rings you get one empty and one that has a 1/4 20 thread and black disc. Tried screwing a 1/4 20 thread into the empty one but it didn't go in really far. The other tube ring with the 1/4 20 camera thread and black locking disc, it's a complete and utter pain trying to unscrew it (think it has been welded in with the hardest substance known to man, dried in Weetabix 😅). Anyhoos, I would like to attach a second dovetail on top of tube rings to then fix on my askar multi finder rail on top of the ST80. I know it can be done coz I have seen Google images of second dovetails on top of SW tube rings but I'm a bit flummoxed tbh.
There are types of Imperial threads UNC and UNF. The thread is 1/4" UNC. The Skywatcher parts are so unreliable I've found those threads to be threaded at Metric M6. Also make sure you remove the optical tube off the scope rings, the threads can protrude onto the main tube, and you may damage it, so don't tighten something too much just case it's clamping against something
Ah, o.k. I had thought about the WO tube rings for 90mm diameter tubes but the knobs on them are quite large. The Primaluce labs look better yet a bit pricey for the ST80 and only come in red. Best tube rings seen yet were the Hercules 90mm from AliExpress though they only seen to come in silver with red cross knobs (I do like black rings on the ST80) I do have a red Askar dovetail screwed onto the SW 1/4 20 thread at the moment with Askar multi finder rail screwed onto that but tbh looks pretty 🐂 bollocks😅. Thanks anyways.
Good to see you back Martin. Hope all is well.
Thanks Cheapass, your channel is tops too!! Budget Astro all the Bro