GEAR · IN USE
ZWO ASI662MC
The planned replacement for the SV205. Fewer, bigger pixels and seven times the frame rate, which is the pairing this scope actually wants.
STARLOG · 10 GEAR
Gear
What is in use, what is on the list, and what it actually measures.
GEAR · IN USE
AZ-GTe goto mount
Tracking alt-az goto. Residual drift measured at ~3 px/s on 11/09/2026 against 17 px/s undriven.
GEAR · ORDERED
Bahtinov mask
A slotted cap for the front of the Mak that turns focusing from a hunt into a single unambiguous adjustment.
GEAR · IN USE
2x Barlow
Doubles the effective focal length. Takes the rig from under-sampled to properly sampled — the single biggest change to image quality available without buying anything.
GEAR · IN USE
Focus lever
A long solid lever on the focuser, so focusing is a light touch downward instead of a twist of the knob.
GEAR · IN USE
102 mm f/12.7 Maksutov
1300 mm focal length. Scale confirmed on 11/09/2026 against the disc of Venus, not a spec sheet.
GEAR · UNDER REVIEW
76 mm f/9.2 Newtonian (Polaroid)
700 mm reflector, same aperture as the little one but double the focal length. Possibly the best-corrected small scope here, and possibly the one being sold.
GEAR · IN USE
76 mm f/4.6 Newtonian
350 mm focal length reflector. Small, and honest about it — the diffraction limit is the binding constraint on everything.
GEAR · IN USE
SVBONY SV205
USB colour camera doing lunar and planetary duty. Cheap, capable, and only if it gets a USB 3.0 link.
GEAR · IN USE
Camera tripod + galvanised bracket
Alt-az, undriven. Rebuilt 30 Aug onto a friction-loaded roller-bearing swivel — pointing is now a push rather than a fight.
Also in use
No write-up yet, but logged on these nights: AZ-GTi goto mount, 127 mm Maksutov, SVBONY SV165.