Coronado PST

Man, I have got the fever and I have never even looked through it. I didn't
realize it had an H-alpha filter in the package (it does, right?) I just
made
my Dob purchase, but in the future, would it be a waste to buy the PST
when you can buy a regular refractor and just add the filters? One, I have
heard that it can damage your optics, and two, those filters seem to cost
four figures. Am I missing something here, or is the PST the only
affordable
way to view the sun in all it's glory (most of it anyways)?
Thanks,
-Tom

On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 21:52:33 -0700, "Tom" wrote:

Man, I have got the fever and I have never even looked through it. I didn't
realize it had an H-alpha filter in the package (it does, right?) I just
made
my Dob purchase, but in the future, would it be a waste to buy the PST
when you can buy a regular refractor and just add the filters? One, I have
heard that it can damage your optics, and two, those filters seem to cost
four figures. Am I missing something here, or is the PST the only
affordable
way to view the sun in all it's glory (most of it anyways)?
Thanks,
-Tom

Hello,

Only a few words... PST is much cheapper than filters.... And it works
really GREAT !!! very quick to ajust.... Rally nice, you will never
regrett it...

I'm using it every day...... (when there is no cloud..... not very
often this summer)
Best Greetings From SWITZERLAND
Philippe HAAKE
ICQ 3128404
http://astrosurf.com/skylover/
http://astrosurf.com/skylover/meteo
http://www.astro-ge.net/
http://community.webshots.com/user/beruberu1


beruberu@NOSBSPAMfreesurfDOTch
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Spammers, here are some email addresses for your spambots:


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Definitely the most affordable now. I have one and it is great!

Tom wrote:

Man, I have got the fever and I have never even looked through it. I didn't
realize it had an H-alpha filter in the package (it does, right?) I just
made
my Dob purchase, but in the future, would it be a waste to buy the PST
when you can buy a regular refractor and just add the filters? One, I have
heard that it can damage your optics, and two, those filters seem to cost
four figures. Am I missing something here, or is the PST the only
affordable
way to view the sun in all it's glory (most of it anyways)?
Thanks,
-Tom

Philippe HAAKE wrote:

Only a few words... PST is much cheapper than filters.... And it works
really GREAT !!! very quick to ajust.... Rally nice, you will never
regrett it...

I'm using it every day...... (when there is no cloud..... not very
often this summer)


Here, too. I fear the advent and proliferation of the PST may bring on
an ice age :-)

Phil

"Tom" wrote in
:

Man, I have got the fever and I have never even looked through it. I
didn't realize it had an H-alpha filter in the package (it does,
right?) I just made
my Dob purchase, but in the future, would it be a waste to buy the PST
when you can buy a regular refractor and just add the filters? One, I
have heard that it can damage your optics, and two, those filters seem
to cost four figures. Am I missing something here, or is the PST the
only affordable
way to view the sun in all it's glory (most of it anyways)?

PST (with 12mm eyepiece) = $499
Add 18mm CEMAX eyepiece = $99

Total price = $598

Disadvantages:

1. Solar scope ONLY. Cannot be used for night time or terrestrial
observing.

2. Diameter of internal etalon filter is only 25mm.

For the same setup on a regular refractor:

Small Refractor = $500-2000
SM-40 HA filter = $995
Blocking filter = $455
Adapter plate = $175
12mm eyepiece = $125
18mm eyepiece = $125

Low end price = $2375
High end price = $3875

Advantages:

Can be used as night time or terrestrial scope.

Paul Lawler wrote:

PST (with 12mm eyepiece) = $499
Add 18mm CEMAX eyepiece = $99

Total price = $598

Not sure the 18mm CEMAX is a must have: around 10mm still gives a full
disc image. The supplied kelner is fairly good - certainly not 99$
better than the kelner and the image is much smaller.

I use my PST a lot with children and adult newbies - the longer
eye-relief of the ceemax can be a problem as newbies tend to get too
close and perhaps see nothing without being talked through it.

But the PST is astounding value: a breathtking addition to the
arsenal.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

I looked through a PST at RTMC, and it was awesome.

Matthew Ota

Tom wrote:

Man, I have got the fever and I have never even looked through it. I didn't
realize it had an H-alpha filter in the package (it does, right?) I just
made
my Dob purchase, but in the future, would it be a waste to buy the PST
when you can buy a regular refractor and just add the filters? One, I have
heard that it can damage your optics, and two, those filters seem to cost
four figures. Am I missing something here, or is the PST the only
affordable
way to view the sun in all it's glory (most of it anyways)?
Thanks,
-Tom

Paul Lawler wrote in message:
Advantages & Disadvantages to the Coronado PST

Hi Paul,

I want one in the worst possible way, but I'll add another disadvantage to
your very short list...

Not possible to use a binoviewer.

I love my Denk II binoviewers and have discovered that with the PST's
internal focus mechanism, there is insufficient back-focus to use the binos,
regardless of configuration.

I've looked at and through the PST at a recent star party and was so
extremely impressed that suddenly the lack of binoviewing seemed less of an
issue. Somewhere I encountered a graphic that someone put together of 2
PST's duct-taped together to form a bino pair. It got me to thinking...

Clear skies,
Dave Jessie

In article . 202, Paul
Lawler wrote:

2. Diameter of internal etalon filter is only 25mm.

Not an issue. The aperture of the PST is 40mm. The light cone doesn't
encounter the etalon until it's narrow enough to be accommodated by its
small diameter.

--
Joe Bergeron

http://www.joebergeron.com

I am a long-time user of a Tak FS-60C with a Coronado SolarMax 40. I just
recently got a PST, and I am very impressed with what this scope can do. It
has much greater image brightness at higher magnifications, and the only thing
the PST loses with respect to the SM40 are the really fine filaments and plage
detail. Filiments and bright plage are still very evident, and the prominences
are utterly fantastic. I also have to option of attaching my SM40 to the end
of the PST to narrow the bandpass even further, giving me a disc image that is
much more detailed and contrasty than the SM40 alone could have achieved. Many
H-A filters have an etalon towards the back end of the light cone...my friend's
Solar Spectrum scope was like that. It makes no difference.

Mark
The Catman
^..^

www.geocities.com/mark_rosengarten
Owner/Coordinator of the Neko Ultraportable Solar Observatory
Fun WITH The Sun for Everyone!