Re: Some Questions


Message posted by lone wolf on May 06, 2005 at 12:30:38 PST:

Rather than rush out and get a telescope, given the time frame you have, I suggest getting some high magification binoculars that are designed to be put on a tripod.

If you still want to get a telescope, the choices are endless. Bottom end would be an Orion ED80. A step up would be one of the William Optics Megrez scope, which they sell in three flavors of glass, with fluorite being the best. All the Takahashi scopes are fluorite, so the FS78 would do the trick. [Tak has better QA,but costs more than William. It's a matter of Japan versus Taiwan, but William Optics is really getting a good reputation since they started collaborating with TMB. Orion gear is now Chinese made,but much cheaper than William or Takahashi.]

You still need a diagonal and eyepiece with the scope. I've been buying Vixen LVWs on the used market. They are reasonably wide angle but have little geometric distortion. For scopes in the 500m to 600mm range, I'd say a 17mm eyepiece would be best.

When it comes to diagonal, you have mirrors that will yield a left right reversal of the image. Not a big deal unless you plan to use the gear to spot tail numbers at bases. To get a "correct" image, you need an erecting prism.

If you want to take photos, this would take many more paragraphs. I really suggest getting good binoculars. Those Canon 18x50s with image stabilization are great. The next step down would be Fujinon binocs. One more rung down the ladder would be Nikon or Pentax.

Regarding wildlife on Tikaboo, mountain lions are always a possibility. I've run into them in California, so I don't freak out at sighting one, but I don't mess with them either. I never saw one in the desert, but they do exist. Snakes are out there, though again I never spotted one in the desert. I see a rattler or two a month during the summer in California. What I do see in the desert are desert hares, field mice, kangaroo mice, lizards, and near the TTR pronghorn and goats.


In Reply to: Some Questions posted by ISS on May 06, 2005 at 11:35:43 PST:

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