I have both 1.25" Panoptics. I even have two 19mm (bino pair). Although I don't often use them in the bino anymore. There's just something about the 19mm that I like. The 24mm is still TV's best selling eyepiece. The 19mm is underrated I think. Most reviews I read about the 19mm before I bought it mentioned words to the effect of 'it just felt right' and similar. Its 13mm eye relief suits me perfectly. I can use the 19mm Pan for hours and not fatigue as with some EP's. One reviewer said that if you buy it he can guarantee it will be used a lot. He wasn't wrong. There's just something about it.

 

That's just weird. I would have thought keeping customers happy would be a better business practise.

 

I don't know about US law, but under UK law distributors are only liable if the goods are damaged or faulty. Then I think they are obligated to refund the money you paid for the goods. Many try to fob you off with a replacement but in the UK you can actually just demand your money back. Online shopping changes things though and you can order products without physically seeing them. With borked stuff FLO have even refunded my postage. There again, I've literally spent thousands of pounds there so they probably don't want to lose me as a customer. They told me I could send the Telrad back as it was too big for my 102mm Mak (I'd told them what I planned putting it on but it was only after I ordered it that anyone realised it was obviously too big). I decided to keep it though as it may solve a huge problem on the Bazooka. Plus I wanted to see one close up anyway, to see what all the hype is about.

It reminds me of the exploding garden table episode. I actually broke the thing assembling it even though it was flimsy (think balsa wood lol) and not up to standard IMO. It wouldn't have made a decent mount for a table top Dob anyway. It could be repaired easily enough. In the end I gave it to my neighbour. She fixed it and thinks it's great. I'd rather give it away than go through the rigmarole of returning the bloody thing and trying claiming it wasn't fit for purpose lol.



I saw an almost last quarter Venus with the 90mm Mak for a fleeting few moments between the clouds. It looked a bit like this at 50x.

 

Well, the Telrad dew shield works, I think. The mirror flip seems to work. It needs two AAA bateries.



It keeps making me think of this record for some strange reason. lol

 

Well, as the weather gets more spring-like, you should see a decent afternoon setting Venus from NY.



As you can see below, the crescent phase will be quite apparent.

 

My goodness! I take a snooze, and all Hades busts loose! That's quite the disturbing accounting, Ray. But it rather fits what I've been telling people from other nations about the "New, American-Business paradigm - "The customer is always wrong! If the customer complains about what they buy - throw him outta the door!"

People tend to think I'm kidding - but I've been seeing this unfold enough times for my analytical-mind to develop this theory. What this 'brave new business-model' will yield in the long run is run-away inflation and unemployment as business-after-business fails and goods & services start to vanish. In this instance, I can see both have a point: You might have paid for the postage to ship the cables back to them. But banning the customer? That's flat out outrageous! I'll look into options of other outfits for you Ray. "Where only the best will do!"

I was just involved in "The Great To Telerad or not to Telerad" debate over in the Dark Lord's nest. I pointed out that as these won't fit in a standed finder-shoe, one is usually 'stuck' with using their super-glue adhesive-strip, thus marking up our virgin telescope-tubes forever. As I had guessed - everyone fell in lock-step with me and booed loudly!

So the challange was to find a way to mount them without mucking anything up. One long-time member dismissed this possibility out of hand. Everyone gave up - the Guru has spoken! Derek (DRT) found the solution after I challenged them all to 'think outside the box.' And I told them the "It's Impossible" should never be believed, to look for the way! He found a small block of a metal-rail that fits the dovetail on the regular finder-shoes. Put the thing in. Then use the glue-strip on the metal-rail that fit the shoe! Problem solved!

Mean ol' me - using psychology on the denizens - without them knowing it. LOL!

I'm putting some final touches to the Vixen Porta II. Decided to use the stock 9.5" cable for the altitude-axis, rather than the 13" I had. So now I have another 13" cable on hand, and that stumpy, little 5" cable. And an extra VersaGo II aka AZ-4 mount in my armory! I wonder what sort of mischief I can use it for? I sure don't need another telescope!

Off to make my rounds, Gentlemen.....

Dave

 

This has to be irony, right? lol

 

It does seem ridiculously OTT Ray. I'm sure whoever told you that will change their mind when you want to spend some money.

 

It does sound crazy. I remember checking my bank statement for several months after returning a borked Antares eyepiece to RVO. I didn't mind paying the return postage so much but the refund was taking its time. I asked them about it as I was a tad concerned and they sorted it out for me in the end. Apparently they thought they'd already refunded me and reckoned it was a software glitch. I believe them lol. Almost everything I ask them about they don't have in stock and half of everything else I've bought has borked in some way and I've had to return it. I'm scared about buying anything from them now in case I have to return it. They're always so polite about it though. The way the economy is at the moment you'd think the last thing a distributor would want is to lose customers. I think Sterling is actually now worth less than Monopoly money lol.

 

No Mak - I actually wasn't being ironic: I have enough telescopes to give an Elephant a high-colonic! But other toys.....

Me thinks, Ray, give Tom/Agena a week. See if they don't issue an apology. If they do - accept it gracefully.

I just watched the live launch of a SpaceX Falcoln 9 stuffed full of Iridium-Satellites (10 of the buggers). That should clog-up our EP's for years to come! Oh joy!

- !%$#!!

I was hoping for another $-Billion-dollar fire-cracker.....

Dave

 

Every time I think I have enough eyepieces, I discover ways of needing more. I'm about saturated with scopes now, but a 150mm Newtonian or a 5" Mak would be an interesting upgrade or two lol.

 

An arm and a leg lol? Bearing in mind the 19mm only gives 21x on the ST80.

 

I see the 24mm TV-Panoptic commonly selling at $299-ish. Which TV claims is below list. I think the 19mm goes for the same.

Beware of the 'Slippery-Slope,'

Dave