Telescope help?

Hey guys,

I have an Aldi-special Optus Reflector telescope and I'm having a total mare setting it back up. My grandad bought it years ago and passed it on to my dad because he's in to that sort of stuff. My mam's always going on about setting it up but when my dad tried it just doesn't focus on owt.

My grandad definitely had it working though, I remember looking at the moon when I was a kid, and me and my lad have been in the front garden in the freezing cold trying to get it to work and we can use the finder but the telescope itself will give you glances of lights and leaves but I have no idea how to get something in focus. I know it's a rubbish telescope, but when looking it up on the internet, if it focuses you should be able to see the planets and Orion at least.

Anyway, it's driving me crazy, someone's lost the instruction manual so I dunno what the focus knob is and my mam'll keep going on about it til the end of time unless I actually work it out so someone PLEASE HELP!! Hahaha. Even if someone can photocopy/find me an instruction manual I'll be forever grateful.

Much appreciated,

Ay

reply to post by Ayana


Hi Ay,

Meade has a line of scopes called Optus as well. It might possibly be a rebranded scope.
is there a model number on it? Or perhaps you could get a photo of the thing, and we can work it out?
I have a hunch that it's something like this one?
www.amazon.co.uk...

reply to post by spacedoubt


It's similar but a bit older. I'll go and get a few pictures now if it'll help and I'll see if there's any sort of model number on. I couldn't see one before, but I'll check again.

Obviously, I did take the lens caps off when I was trying to use it, they're just on now as it's sitting in the spare room and knowing my luck something would happen to it if I'd forgotten!!

If you need any more info I'll try and get it tomorrow. There isn't a serial number that I can see. The viewing is 1.5x and there are 3 lenses that attach, but I can't remember what they say. I probs shudda checked the magnification and stuff as well but I forgot. It's not great though.

I think it's this...

Reflecting mirror diameter 76mm
Focal Length 700mm
31.7mm diameter eyepiece – 20mm, 12.5mm,6mm
erecting eyepiece 1.5x
magnification 35x-116x
finderscope 5x 24mm

And to be honest, the thing has terrible reviews where ever I look online. Unfortunate, but my mam won't buy another, proper one for my dad, and my dad won't buy one. I think my grandad got it from a car boot sale sometime years ago. We should've asked him how to set it up properly before he passed, to be honest, but I don't think anyone ever bothered.

He definitely had it working though, so I know I must be doing something wrong with it coz I should at least be able to see the moon. Really sucks being a chemist in a family of engineers...

reply to post by Ayana


Did you have a look a you tube ?
video.search.yahoo.com...;_ylt=A0oG7thTM89SikYAcVZXNyoA;_ylu=X3o'___'B0ZWl2YXByBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1ZJUDMyN18x?p=how+to+work +optus+reflector+telescope

how to work optus reflector telescope

Sometimes find some gems of knowledge.

reply to post by donlashway


Ahh! Wonderful

edit: never mind i read you did take the cap off my bad

reply to post by Ayana


I have a three inch reflecting telescope, and the focusing on that is done by the knob just under the eyepiece of the main scope. You line up what you are looking for using the veiw finder, and then you locate the object you are looking at again through the main scope, using very fine adjustments of elevation and so on. Once you find it, you are supposed to use the various eyepieces and the focusing knob to get the best look at your target. I lost most of the bits for mine, but was still able to get a damned good veiw of the moon when it passed the closest to the Earth a while back.

Some people say its important to be able to look for things by their name and position in the sky... me? I just find cool stuff up there through the veiw finder, and then have a look through the main scope. Of course, my telescopes elevator arm has worked a bit loose from the casing, so keeping it level and steady is a son of a bastard to do, but easy things are rarely worth doing in my experience!

Whatever happens, I hope its fun!

reply to post by TrueBrit


See, I can't work out which is the actual focussing knob. I thought it was the silver bit, but it doesn't seem to make any difference when you move it, regardless of whether or not you can see something in the scope, you just can't see anything through the telescope. I did get a leaf though, and my boyfriend got the wall, so I have no idea what we're doing wrong.

reply to post by Ayana


Ok... You see where the eye piece for the main scope is? The bit you look through? There should be a knob attached to the base of the eye piece, right near the casing of the telescope itself. That is the one for making adjustments to your focus. Try looking at the moon with it. You will find that you can adjust the level of sharpness of the image, by using that knob. That's all it does. Increasing or decreasing magnification is done by use of different lenses, which should have come with the telescope, and can be switched out for the one currently in the eyepiece.

There will be a little silver knob which releases or tightens down, the lens which is currently in the eyepiece. If you want to swap a lens out, release the current one, with the small silver knob near the top of the eyepiece, pull the old lens out, and try a new one.

It's not easy, but when you get the hang of selecting the right lens, and using the focusing knob properly, you should be able to make out good detail levels on the moon. When you can do that, you can try aiming your gaze further afield !

reply to post by TrueBrit


Y'see, it doesn't actually have a knob under it. It has something that moves the eyepiece out, but it deffo doesn't actually focus on owt coz I tried it, and with all the eyepieces.

reply to post by Ayana


Well moving the eyepiece in and out is what creates the variations in focus levels. The differences may be slight but they are there, unless of course something is not set up right, and without looking at it myself, I would not be able to tell.



Also, you might want to check out this basic explanation of a few key pointers of small scope use before continuing this little adventure. There are, in addition, many other decent vids on the old you tubes, which might help you out.

Also, you mentioned that your scope does not have a knob under it. No, it does not, but I can see from the picture you posted that it has the knob I am on about. It is on the base of the eyepiece, near the casing of the main scope. That's the one you are after, no doubt about it.

Pink Bed.

reply to post by TrueBrit


Ah, so that means something inside the telescope itself isn't right if that doesn't help. Aw, you're so much help! Thank you!! I appreciate it a LOT.

And, just to add, it isn't my bed. My bed has dinosaurs.

reply to post by Ayana


Don't forget, it is important to let your scope acclimate to the temperature difference between the area in which it is stored, and the area in which it is being used. As the vid says, half an hour, to an hour outdoors, should be enough to let that happen. It's so that any fogging on the lens, or the mirror, and any temperature warping caused by the change in ambient temperature, have time to regulate themselves.

If something IS not right inside the scope, then more research is required in order to find local optical workshops which would be capable of correcting any faults. Such emporia are also good places to pick up advice on any niggling issues you may have with operating the scope in future.

The ability to observe the movement of the planets, not to mention the nebulae and galaxies in deeper space, to witness the unfolding of the story of the universe, is one of the most inspiring things one can spend time doing. When one considers the awe with which one is struck when staring up at the night sky with the naked eye, it is reasonable to attempt to augment that experience with higher powered optical assistance.

Anything I can do to help a person have that experience, I consider a pleasure, not a chore