From: "Jim Miller" 
To: "Russell Jocoy" 
Cc: 
Reply-To: "Jim Miller" 


a well built lightweight is just as stable. i've observed in winds where
everyone else had left our sierra viewing sight with their starmasters and
tripod mounted refractors.

shrouds and tubes have their uses but they come at the cost of being big
surfaces for the wind to act on. with care you can get good baffling
without them.

russell, have you ever built, owned or used a mindob? if you're ever up in
parkton, md, you're welcome to drop by for some viewing.

take care

jtm

("atm{at}shore.net")

  You can always use counter wieght on the opposite end, or redesign the
entire scope for one eyepiece.
Light wieght is great for transport but sucks for stability. A
featherwieght scope is nice if its on my
shoulder, but once it is on the ground, I want it fixed and stable.. Just
my thought...Remember that
your observing site is not as friendly as your workshop or garage..    RJ

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