Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Use this section to discuss "standard" Baader/Coronado/ Lunt SolarView/ Daystar, etc… filters, cameras and scopes. No mods, just questions/ answers and reviews.
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Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by gabrieli »

In the next month or so, I will be ordering a Quantum filter from Daystar. I’m interested in the best choice for prominence imaging (my main interest when I first started solar imaging).

I know that prominences are best imaged with wider bandwidths (these provide high contrast images according to Daystar)

Here’s my question:

What does a wider bandwidth do to detail in the prominence itself?

In other words, does a wider bandwidth produce a brighter prom with a hazy blob appearance?
I would want a filter that can show some prom details as well as a bright image.

If anybody owns a Quantum filter at medium (0.6A) or higher (0.8 A bandwidth) can you give an impression of what you can see in a prom image with your filter?

Or, if someone can refer me to some sample images taken at different bandwidths (Daystar’s examples give word descriptions but don’t really show differences well in their images)

Is double stacking such a filter feasible?



Thanks.

Lou


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by p_zetner »

Hi Lou.
I do all of my H-alpha imaging with a Daystar Quantum PE 0.6A filter.
Here are some recent images (including proms) under conditions of good seeing.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29045&p=265306#p265306
Cheers.
Peter


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by gabrieli »

Thanks for the reply, Peter.Your images are very persuasive. They show good detail, both in the proms and chromosphere.

Lou


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Hi Lou,

I do not want to say anything bad about Daystar but I bought some not long ago, April 2018, a QUARK and a QUANTUM PE 0.4Angström and both were blind. It took me over a Year to solve this problem with Daystar. In this regard the customer service was horrible.

I paid that time US $ 13,700.00 for both and this was not a Peanut. After long discussions i finally got my money back. I will never ever again buy something from DayStar.

OK, this does not have to mean that you will have the same bad luck.

Just make sure by writing that you get a good one as well as if something does not work out for your they solve the problem quickly.

Rainer


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

I have a Quantum SE 0.6A filter. Its an old ATM filter (Del Woods etalon). It shows prominences in great details. It is still the best h-alpha filter I have seen prominences. You will see many details "inside" the prominences and the dynamics is out of this world. I do have (normal with the PE filters)a high resolution spectrographic scanning of the etalon. The filter is pretty good, but not a PE filter.
I do have a SolarSpectrum 0.3A filter. But the filter is a clear "surface" winner. But the 2 filters works great and complement each other.
My telescope is a Baarder 8" Tristar or 60/80mm Apo's.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

I do not want to say anything bad about Daystar but I bought some not long ago, April 2018, a QUARK and a QUANTUM PE 0.4Angström and both were blind. It took me over a Year to solve this problem with Daystar. In this regard the customer service was horrible.

I paid that time US $ 13,700.00 for both and this was not a Peanut. After long discussions i finally got my money back. I will never ever again buy something from DayStar.

OK, this does not have to mean that you will have the same bad luck.

Just make sure by writing that you get a good one as well as if something does not work out for your they solve the problem quickly.

This is quite disconcerting.

I have been a DayStar filter owner since 1976 when Del Woods introduced these filters to the amateur astronomy community. My ATM 0.7 filter was the equivalent of today's Quantum SE line. My previous experiences with Del and Mark Wagner, who both did subsequent services and blocker replacements, were outstanding - timely and good communication was the norm.

Two years ago I replaced the ATM 0.7 filter with a 0.6 Quantum PE - the ultimate grade of contrast uniformity - which was only a couple of years old, and falls well within the 10 year transferable warranty. However, the filter has since developed a problem and fails to come on-band despite indicating it is on-band. I documented this issue by doing a direct apples-to-apples comparison with a 0.7 Coronado SM90 on two identical scopes stopped down to f30. As can be seen, the Coronado filter (top) is nicely on-band, while the DayStar (bottom) is not.

I returned the filter to DayStar over three months ago with the above documentation. Per DayStar's website the turnaround time for a service check is three weeks. I have called and emailed DayStar 2 or 3 times; so far all I have heard back is that the filter is in the "lab," and that when they provide and "update" I will be informed.

Given the experience described above, I am becoming concerned...
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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Montana »

Bob, I hope you marked your filter, as you won't get the same one back otherwise. They have no serial numbers so I wrote my name on my Quark with permanent marker. They went ballistic, sent it back untouched. I wiped it off with ethanol, sent it back and they sent me an even worse filter back. It then took 6 months to get my money back. Just saying, you could get wonderful service as well ;)

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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Bob - I hope you will get your filter back and fixed.
We did send two 0.5A University filters and my 0.6A ATM to Daystar. They all needed new blockers, trimmere and a Quantum house. Turn around time was 5 weeks. And for sure its still the old Del etalons....
I had tested a lot of new (rear-mounted) h-alpha filters for a dealer and in private. If someone would like info, send a PM


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

BTW one of the old University 0.5A filters was owned by John Hicks. Del told him it was a great etalon. And I must say that the test sheet shows its out of this world filter. My 0.6A SE filter is close to a PE filter.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

Hi Alexandra,

Yikes! That's a horror story worthy of Halloween. The Quantum SE and PE filters do however come with an adhesive label with a serial number. Of course it could be removed and/or replaced... but I just hope they are really busy and I will eventually get a fully functional filter back to me. My fingers are crossed.

Hi Ljungmann - good to hear about your filters and experiences. But it sort of has me wishing I had kept my ATM 0.7A, which also was very very good... I have a saying about mistakes I made in my youth that I was "young and dumb." Can't use the young part anymore... ;-)

Is double stacking such a filter feasible?
Yes, but it is more difficult. Christian Viladrich has done this using a rare Coronado SMn quartz etalon filter,

viewtopic.php?t=27196

as well as others:

http://www.astrosurf.com/viladrich/astr ... rast-2.htm


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Hi Bob, yes thats why I have kept my old filter. Always thinking its a good ATM etalon when I was thinking about maybe something better. And my mix with a Solar Spectrum0.3A filter and The Baarder Herschel Wedge works brilliant.
I still do stupid things ;) selling a good 0.7A T-scanner and the worst some years ago selling a Vixen 102FL. Stupid.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Highbury Mark »

Lou - I hope you get a great filter. And Bob, I hope the only problem at Daystar Is that they’re busy. For equipment that can cost as much as small car, and that can require ongoing support like a car, we have to be able to trust the manufacturer’s customer service.
Recently a friend ordered a double stack filter set from Solarscope and was disappointed that they didn’t match up to his (excellent) Lunt DS. His money was returned immediately - no quibbles.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by DeepSolar64 »

I can't bounce for DayStar but concerning details in single stack ( wider bandpass ) Vs double stack ( lower bandpass ) on average I see more detail in proms in single stack. Many proms tend to be faint and even if double stack reveals them it shows little detail in them. Single stack wins here. Wider bandpass equals brighter image which reveals more detail. BUT if a prominence is really bright to begin with sometimes double stack can give a more detailed image since it may be overly bright in single stack. I base this on what I have seen using my two Coronado SolarMax II scopes but the results should be no different with DayStar or any other manufacturer. Now if the bandpass is too wide the image may get too bright drowning out detail in the prominences.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

Recently a friend ordered a double stack filter set from Solarscope and was disappointed that they didn’t match up to his (excellent) Lunt DS. His money was returned immediately - no quibbles.
My experience with the SolarScope DSF100 filters was that they were quite temperature sensitive, and could take over an hour just to come on-band. I did some extensive comparisons and made recommendations to SolarScope. It may be that SolarScope has not improved their IR blocking ERF coating. I found adding a Baader DERF helped tremendously.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/6844 ... try9786308


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

Update from DayStar - my filter was returned. A followup email from DayStar stated the etalon was replaced - which likely accounts for the long turnaround period. I'm waiting for some decent weather (could be weeks now in the Pacific Northwest) to determine how well it performs. Fingers (and toes ;-) are crossed.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

Bob Yoesle wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:45 pm
I do not want to say anything bad about Daystar but I bought some not long ago, April 2018, a QUARK and a QUANTUM PE 0.4Angström and both were blind. It took me over a Year to solve this problem with Daystar. In this regard the customer service was horrible.

I paid that time US $ 13,700.00 for both and this was not a Peanut. After long discussions i finally got my money back. I will never ever again buy something from DayStar.

OK, this does not have to mean that you will have the same bad luck.

Just make sure by writing that you get a good one as well as if something does not work out for your they solve the problem quickly.

This is quite disconcerting.

I have been a DayStar filter owner since 1976 when Del Woods introduced these filters to the amateur astronomy community. My ATM 0.7 filter was the equivalent of today's Quantum SE line. My previous experiences with Del and Mark Wagner, who both did subsequent services and blocker replacements, were outstanding - timely and good communication was the norm.

Two years ago I replaced the ATM 0.7 filter with a 0.6 Quantum PE - the ultimate grade of contrast uniformity - which was only a couple of years old, and falls well within the 10 year transferable warranty. However, the filter has since developed a problem and fails to come on-band despite indicating it is on-band. I documented this issue by doing a direct apples-to-apples comparison with a 0.7 Coronado SM90 on two identical scopes stopped down to f30. As can be seen, the Coronado filter (top) is nicely on-band, while the DayStar (bottom) is not.

I returned the filter to DayStar over three months ago with the above documentation. Per DayStar's website the turnaround time for a service check is three weeks. I have called and emailed DayStar 2 or 3 times; so far all I have heard back is that the filter is in the "lab," and that when they provide and "update" I will be informed.

Given the experience described above, I am becoming concerned...

I sent my PE.38 to Daystar in May. I started to have issues with it staying on band and stabilizing last winter. I sent it back and they checked it and updated firmware. That took about 1 month. This spring I started to notice issues again and it appears the etalon went bad. They thought it was from getting to hot. They are looking for replacement that meets spec. I’m not as concerned about the amount of time. I just want it in spec and working order.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

Bob Yoesle wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:45 pm
I do not want to say anything bad about Daystar but I bought some not long ago, April 2018, a QUARK and a QUANTUM PE 0.4Angström and both were blind. It took me over a Year to solve this problem with Daystar. In this regard the customer service was horrible.

I paid that time US $ 13,700.00 for both and this was not a Peanut. After long discussions i finally got my money back. I will never ever again buy something from DayStar.

OK, this does not have to mean that you will have the same bad luck.

Just make sure by writing that you get a good one as well as if something does not work out for your they solve the problem quickly.

This is quite disconcerting.

I have been a DayStar filter owner since 1976 when Del Woods introduced these filters to the amateur astronomy community. My ATM 0.7 filter was the equivalent of today's Quantum SE line. My previous experiences with Del and Mark Wagner, who both did subsequent services and blocker replacements, were outstanding - timely and good communication was the norm.

Two years ago I replaced the ATM 0.7 filter with a 0.6 Quantum PE - the ultimate grade of contrast uniformity - which was only a couple of years old, and falls well within the 10 year transferable warranty. However, the filter has since developed a problem and fails to come on-band despite indicating it is on-band. I documented this issue by doing a direct apples-to-apples comparison with a 0.7 Coronado SM90 on two identical scopes stopped down to f30. As can be seen, the Coronado filter (top) is nicely on-band, while the DayStar (bottom) is not.

I returned the filter to DayStar over three months ago with the above documentation. Per DayStar's website the turnaround time for a service check is three weeks. I have called and emailed DayStar 2 or 3 times; so far all I have heard back is that the filter is in the "lab," and that when they provide and "update" I will be informed.

Given the experience described above, I am becoming concerned...

I sent my PE.38 to Daystar in May. I started to have issues with it staying on band and stabilizing last winter. I sent it back and they checked it and updated firmware. That took about 1 month. This spring I started to notice issues again and it appears the etalon went bad. They thought it was from getting to hot. They are looking for replacement that meets spec. I’m not as concerned about the amount of time. I just want it in spec and working order.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Bob Yoesle wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 1:50 pm Update from DayStar - my filter was returned. A followup email from DayStar stated the etalon was replaced - which likely accounts for the long turnaround period. I'm waiting for some decent weather (could be weeks now in the Pacific Northwest) to determine how well it performs. Fingers (and toes ;-) are crossed.
Hi Bob,

Great and I will cross fingers too. It is a pity that the customers do have to ask what was wrong instead the producer of the filters do inform more openly the customers what was wrong.

Anyhow the truth will always find it way out of darkness.

When I started my questioning with DayStar about my QUANTUM PE 0.4 Å filter sending them images and so on and finally they told me to send it back it was not only after a few months they admitted my filter was blind but they even send me a test sheet comparing my filters to Fred Bruenjes personal show piece which he uses on every possible occasion for public outreach. During NEAF 2019 we compared visually my blind filter to his showpiece where obviously the difference was like day and night. After that they took my filter with them and a few months later, of course after asking what is going on, I got a test sheet made by them comparing Fred's filter to mine.

I would say such a test sheet should come with every filter when we are spending thousands of dollars ... Even iOptron sends out test sheets of the periodic RMS of their sh.....y mounts :o


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

Thanks for that information Rainer. I'll give DayStar a call and see if I can get the test report that is generated for all PE grade filters:

http://www.daystarfilters.com/QuantumPE.shtml


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Bob Yoesle wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 6:07 pm Thanks for that information Rainer. I'll give DayStar a call and see if I can get the test report that is generated for all PE grade filters:

http://www.daystarfilters.com/QuantumPE.shtml
Hi Bob,

Thanks for the link. As I did no have any interest anymore in looking what DayStar is doing after the huge disappointment I did not see that page but that is interesting.

OK, I am now goin back into the past which I normally only do when there is something which really pi555es me off.

They present something which is somthing about the filter quality but it is just a quarter of the truth ...

I did not want to show the test sheet before as I still have some respect towards Daystar and as Forrest Gump said " Shit happens ", but now seeing just a part of the truth with which they want to show off about their filters I have to show it.

It is not only what they praise there with " Uniformity " and FWHM Full Width Half Maximum values, as their is another much more important point, IMHO, and you will realize it after looking at my test sheet ... and that is " Transmission " and now I have to ask myself, did they ever test my filter, a QUANTUM PE 0.4Å for a modest price of now of US $ 13,995.00, before sending it out to me ? I guess no as they were convinced they only produce quality. In 2018 I paid US $ 12,500.00 if I remember well. OK, I got my money back that that was not the important thing. I really wanted a QUANTUM PE 0.4Å filter in order to add more close up images to my Sun imaging.

And DayStar, if you read this, you will have to admit that I am right ... Not Everything what Shines is Gold :shock: :shock: :shock:

I just hope I am not banned from this forum because of presenting facts ... and if yes, Moderators please tell me, and I will close my account by myself :mrgreen:

DayStar_XmitCompare_Page_1.jpeg
DayStar_XmitCompare_Page_1.jpeg (311.78 KiB) Viewed 3808 times
Daystar_Quantum.JPG
Daystar_Quantum.JPG (163.06 KiB) Viewed 3807 times


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

Bob Yoesle wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 6:07 pm Thanks for that information Rainer. I'll give DayStar a call and see if I can get the test report that is generated for all PE grade filters:

http://www.daystarfilters.com/QuantumPE.shtml
I will try and ask for the same.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

torsinadoc wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 10:31 pm
Bob Yoesle wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 6:07 pm Thanks for that information Rainer. I'll give DayStar a call and see if I can get the test report that is generated for all PE grade filters:

http://www.daystarfilters.com/QuantumPE.shtml
I will try and ask for the same.
They will hate me

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by christian viladrich »

Interesting discussion ;-)

When I am retired (maybe in one year) I am planning to build a spectrohelio in order to measure accurately the FWHM of Ha (and Ca K) filters.

Regarding DayStar, accurate measurements have been made Big Bear Observatory (Ha, some years ago) and others at the solar tower of Paris observatory (Ha and Sodium D1).


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

To be honest, most Daystar filters I have seen visually has been good. I have owned a T-scanner 0.7A and a Quark. Sold both because I really bought them just for fun and you can't look in 4 filters with 2 eyes ;)
The Quark btw has a weird temperature setting, but my friend who has it now can work around the problem. I do test Quark filters when someone ask me for an opinion. This year I did test a filter - and its was too far into the blue...
I have a Quantum 0.6A SE (Woods etalon) and a SolarSpectrum 0.3A filter as reference. I do have a test sheet from Daystar when I got the Quantum House and new blockers and trimmers. I always do my tests visually and frankly its the only way to really test h-alpha filters....
I am so sorry to hear that your 0.4A PE filter did not work. The 0.5A sisters I know are so freaking great filters.
Yes, your test sheet shows the problem. Transmission. I know a 0.4A SE filter with to low contrast. An expert making filters has some times ago told about the mica and that you need to test them out in real life because your lab tests can fool you to believe in false bandwidth. I think it was transmission that could fool you. But I am not an expert and I just hope that all filters would return with flying colours.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

I've emailed DayStar to request a test report for my replacement PE etalon.

This whole topic brings up an important issue for consumer narrow band solar filters. At least DayStar produces a report for some of their filters. I note however in both the reports reported above there is no measurement for the filter finesse.

Since a good sum of money is already expended on the better grade filters, a test report is a reasonable thing to expect. I think purchasers of lesser grade filters should also be able to obtain such a report, even if it might cost a bit more - say a $50 + USD to get such a report. This would allow the consumer to better choose what filters they would prefer, and perhaps encourage the manufacturers to adhere to tighter quality assurance standards. This could alsoprevent substandard filters from being sold in the first place:

Compare 2.jpg
Compare 2.jpg (484.91 KiB) Viewed 3770 times
On the left is a Coronado SM90ii filter of 2017 Tijuana production, and on the right is a Coronado SM90 of 2003 Tucson production. I would estimate the FWHM of the SM90ii to be no greater than 1.0 Angstrom, and the SM90 appears to be of the specified 0.7 Angstrom - or less:

Closu compare SM.jpg
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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Bob, I did pay 50 dollars to to get a test sheet. We did The same with the two 0.5A University filters. I think just like top quality Apos and mirrors you need to have some numbers to look at. If the SM90ii is on band I will not be happy at all. Rainers filter sheet with Freds shows that my Quantum 0.6 SE filter is much more on-band FWHM that The PE filters. But maybe its much more difficult to make a 0.4A or 0.3A filter “flat”.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

I see one problem and that is the prices you can get nowadays the H-alpha filters.

When I bought my stuff I paid around US $ 8,000.00 for two SM60 filters and one BF 30 and the people working for Coronado were really committed to their products ... Custom matching of 2 filters for best stacking were normal ... Now it is easier to win the Lottery ...OK, a bit exaggerated from my side

Look here for the price of the same filters nowadays

https://optcorp.com/collections/coronad ... ter-w-bf15

US $ 1,599.00 and that by two would be US $ 3,200.00 for which I paid in 2008 around US $ 6,500.00 (BF30 cost those days US $ 1,500.00)

Can they still make the same quality for 50% of the price ? I dare to say no and they do not care. Watching the Sun has become so popular that they do not need to care about quality.

Rookies buy a filter, look through, are amazed with what they see and then in the same way as our printed Photos from the Birthday, Wedding or Vacations in Gran Canaria they are buried in the drawer and never ever again see the Sun Light ...

As always just IMHO ...


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Ljungmann wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 4:44 pm Bob, I did pay 50 dollars to to get a test sheet. We did The same with the two 0.5A University filters. I think just like top quality Apos and mirrors you need to have some numbers to look at. If the SM90ii is on band I will not be happy at all. Rainers filter sheet with Freds shows that my Quantum 0.6 SE filter is much more on-band FWHM that The PE filters. But maybe its much more difficult to make a 0.4A or 0.3A filter “flat”.
Hi,

Interesting. The QUANTUM SE 0.6Å filter has a price of US $ 5,520.00 and you had to pay US $ 50.00 for getting a test sheet ?

They can not even afford to provide it together with the filter ? less then 1% ... to be exact 0.91% :lol:

I have noticed that we Amateurs are far too much acquiescent with our providers. We send them loads of money and still defend ...

:roll: :roll: :roll:


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Rainer, it was a upgrade from an ATM filter and they dont do tests for free and you will not get a SE filter test with a new filter. You have to know how you read the numbers when its not a PE filter. The SE filters can be anywhere from nearly PE to The minimum SE quality. It means that FWHM and spectral uniformity can vary.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

... and they don't do tests for free ...
You made my day ... Thanks

OK, I got it, but good customer service and customer satisfaction are based on information about the product you get from the producer. Especially in this price regions of thousands of Dollars or even tens of thousands ...

I read something in one of your posts mentioning University ... even more a reason to provide you = University with good info as there are hundreds of potentials customers there ;)

OK, and I will stop here now, makes no sense to keep discussing this.

I was very excited in getting a PE filter and I got trash ... customer service was under par ... they cheated on me and I will never forget it ... DayStar is History for me ...

Rainer


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

One last message in this regard and a side not ...

Fred Bruenjes from DayStar saw my images with my ridiculous double stacked original Coronado SM 60 + BF30 filters and judged them to be somewhere at 0.3Å to 0.4Å and afterwards I bought the QUANTUM PE 0.4Å.

So not even my images where a reason for DayStar to really check what they would deliver me ... sad sad sad

and now bye bye


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Rainer I will try to stop too. But in the old days when it was Del Woods who was the owner, you will not get a test sheet. I dont think he did test them that way. It was more of an artist working with these delikate mica etalons. You have to trust that he did a good job even it took years to get a filter. For me is SolarSpectrum an evolution on the shoulders of Del and I do trust that the company has an “artist” way of making the very best filters out there.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Ljungmann wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:55 pm Rainer I will try to stop too. But in the old days when it was Del Woods who was the owner, you will not get a test sheet. I dont think he did test them that way. It was more of an artist working with these delikate mica etalons. You have to trust that he did a good job even it took years to get a filter. For me is SolarSpectrum an evolution on the shoulders of Del and I do trust that the company has an “artist” way of making the very best filters out there.
We are not talking about the old days, we are talking about a year and a half ago, maximum two years ...

We all know the " Old Days " were better ... :shock:


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

My "new" quantum PE (.3 etalon, blocker and trimmer) will arrive today. I hope to test it later this week. They didnt have a copy of the test report to send me. I guess I needed to ask them prior to shipping it back

They did warn me when I shipped it for service, they were very backed up with work.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Highbury Mark »

Well - this thread has certainly cleared a few cobwebs. Very refreshing. The variability in solar etalons currently being made is too great. All it does is allow prices to come down over time, when what true enthusiasts want is some degree of assurance that they can buy a filter matching the advertised bandwidth (and as Bob says finesse). And I suspect most of us would be happy to pay more for peace of mind. Despite the challenges of making perfect filters - “more of an art than a science” it has been described - it’s simply not good enough to allow substandard products to enter the marketplace. Yet - as the previous post makes clear - they are busier than ever.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Highbury Mark wrote: Wed Nov 11, 2020 3:55 am Well - this thread has certainly cleared a few cobwebs. Very refreshing. The variability in solar etalons currently being made is too great. All it does is allow prices to come down over time, when what true enthusiasts want is some degree of assurance that they can buy a filter matching the advertised bandwidth (and as Bob says finesse). And I suspect most of us would be happy to pay more for peace of mind. Despite the challenges of making perfect filters - “more of an art than a science” it has been described - it’s simply not good enough to allow substandard products to enter the marketplace. Yet - as the previous post makes clear - they are busier than ever.
Hi Mark,

You summarized it very well and especially this ...
... when what true enthusiasts want is some degree of assurance that they can buy a filter matching the advertised bandwidth (and as Bob says finesse). And I suspect most of us would be happy to pay more for peace of mind.
I could have ordered a QUANTUM SE 0.4Å (for half the money) but no, I wanted the best in 0.4Å and therefor I ordered a PE ¿ and what did I get ? Neither a " Piece of Art " and not even " Peace of mind " ...

:?

OK, " Schwamm drüber " :lol: it is German


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

In the rear mounted etalon world I will always give the advice to buy the normal SE filters or the same from SolarSpectrum. So many other things can interfere like your telescope, temperatures, telecentric lenses, reducers, eyepieces, your own eyes astigmatism and cameras etc. that the SE type works pretty good - and it is cheaper. If you really do your homework one company do make better “normal” filters.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

I received my repaired Quantum PE. I returned a .38 and received a .32. The results are very disappointing. I talked with Daystar and they are going to take it back and evaluate it.

These images were taken from a 100/F11 refractor F44 at the Quantum.

The first set of images are taken 6 minutes apart (after stabilization) with Baader D ERF and UVIR filter. You can see the image is not uniform at 6 minutes and continues to worsen the longer the duration
Screen Shot 2020-11-22 at 5.31.09 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-11-22 at 5.31.09 PM.png (242.77 KiB) Viewed 3682 times



The second set of images are taken without the D ERF but UVIR and there is a major difference. Im not sure why the DERF makes such a dramatic difference on a 4" refractor?
Screen Shot 2020-11-22 at 5.32.14 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-11-22 at 5.32.14 PM.png (243.58 KiB) Viewed 3682 times


My prior filter was very uniform and stable. I used it for 40-60 m animations without variation. I am sending it back for the third time in 1 year. I am including the same set up with my front mounted Lunt 100 etalon (nearly impossible to tune on this long refractor)


Screen Shot 2020-11-22 at 4.24.00 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-11-22 at 4.24.00 PM.png (193.75 KiB) Viewed 3692 times


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Bob Yoesle »

Hi Alan,

Looks to me like you have two issues:

1. A DERF keeps the filter cooler from the start. Your first image is closest to on band where the filter was nearer to ambient temp. As the filter heats up more, it is shifted further into the red wing and goes off band. The second set of images without the DERF gives the etalon more heat from the beginning (no IR blocking), and it starts shifted off band in the red wing and shifts further to the red as it continues to increase in temperature.

2. The filter has significant contrast non-uniformity, and to me would not come anywhere near what a PE graded filter should - which would have almost non-detectable contrast variation. It should require no flat to give very good contrast uniformity - just like the front LS100 etalon doesn't require a flat. The "PE" etalon you have actually looks like your garden variety Quark filter in this regard.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

My old unit didn’t exhibit the red wing shift with long surface animations (same scope no DERF). This etalon has a lower temperature setting (125F vs 153F). Any thoughts on why this unit appears to be more sensitive to external heating? I hope they test it while observing the sun.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Hi Alan!
Hmm - back to Daystar.
You need to get a test rapport for free, its a PE filter.
My filters works at 108F and 110F. Your filter is indeed a very hot one.
Looks like your Quantum house can't hold the temperature and what you see can be a bad etalon or that the filter has uneven temperatures across the stack. I have seen a very low contrast 0.4SE filter and it was not at all a 0.4SE filter. My 0.6SE was/is way way better.
The other problem can be a low transmission etalon. You will get fine numbers in the lab, but it will not qualify under the Sun.
Visually your filter should blow you out in the water. An active filament would be nearly black and the penumbra hard to see.
Good luck!


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by rsfoto »

Ljungmann wrote: Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:53 pm Hi Alan!
Hmm - back to Daystar.
You need to get a test rapport for free, its a PE filter.
My filters works at 108F and 110F. Your filter is indeed a very hot one.
Looks like your Quantum house can't hold the temperature and what you see can be a bad etalon or that the filter has uneven temperatures across the stack. I have seen a very low contrast 0.4SE filter and it was not at all a 0.4SE filter. My 0.6SE was/is way way better.
The other problem can be a low transmission etalon. You will get fine numbers in the lab, but it will not qualify under the Sun.
Visually your filter should blow you out in the water. An active filament would be nearly black and the penumbra hard to see.
Good luck!
So spending loads of Dollars with DayStar is a matter of Luck ...

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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by torsinadoc »

I’ll post a follow up when I get their report.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by christian viladrich »

I would agree with Bob. Your PE is not up to the spec.

BTW, it takes some time for the etalon to reach balance temperature. My PE 0.6 has a reference temperature of 58.3°C (137 F). It takes 15 min to go from 20°C to 55°C, and another 10 min to stabilize to 58°.
Noteworthy, the SolarSpectrum (I have a RG 0.3 A) has an active cooling (which is not the case on the DayStar). So it is faster to cool down (for example when removing the ERF).


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by LeoD »

I wonder though if Solar Spectrum has no such issues?
Christian, do you have the selected one?
regards
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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by george9 »

I like my Solar Spectrum RG32 0.3A. Very even, very bright. Perhaps a little wide, but I usually double stack it anyway. The temperature regulation works well.

George


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by Ljungmann »

Leo, I have the small ASO 1 0.3A filter. Its very even and bright in my 8" Triband SCT. Visually, active filaments are pure black streaks and the contrast are amazing. The TEC controller works fine. No issues. I do have a great Quantum 0.6A - its with an old Del Woods etalon.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by christian viladrich »

LeoD wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 3:01 pm I wonder though if Solar Spectrum has no such issues?
Christian, do you have the selected one?
regards
Leo
Mine is a standard RG32. Still, RG filters are selected by Solar Spectrum for their uniformity.
Still, in real life you don't really need a 32 mm aperture, so the smaller ASO filters are probably a better choice.


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by LeoD »

thank you all for your meaningful feedback, although I didn't expect to change the subject of the thread to Solar Spectrum :)
but it looks more promising vs Quantum
Quality control and real lifetime are essential for me, cause being outside of the US, any factory service means customs and transportation troubles
Leo


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Re: Advice requested on Quantum filter purchase

Post by christian viladrich »

I chanced upon this very detailed measurement of the performance of a DayStar 0.3 A. You have to download the paper to have a look at it.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/FP- ... _290297024

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... N/download


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