2005ApJS..159..100T

Using Hyades photometry published by Mendoza and other authors, Pinsonneault et al. have recently concluded that Cousins V-I photometry published by Taylor & Joner is not on the Cousins system. Extensive tests of the Taylor-Joner photometry and other pertinent results are therefore performed in this paper. It is found that in part, the Pinsonneault et al. conclusion rests on (1) a systematic error in Mendoza's (R-I)_Jphotometry and (2) a small error in an approximate Johnson-to-Cousins transformation published by Bessell. For the Taylor-Joner values of (V-R)_C, it is found that there are possible (though not definite) differences of several mmag with other results. However, the Taylor-Joner values of (R-I)_Cdata are supported at the 1 mmag level. Using the (R-I)_Cdata and other published results, an (R-I)_Ccatalog is assembled for 146 Hyades stars with spectral types earlier than about K5. For single stars with multiple contributing data, the rms errors of the catalog entries are less than 4.4 mmag. Temperatures on the Di Benedetto angular-diameter scale are also given in the catalog and are used to help update published analyses of high-dispersion values of [Fe/H] for the Hyades. The best current mean Hyades value of [Fe/H] is found to be +0.103±0.008 dex and is essentially unchanged from its previous value. In addition to these numerical results, recommendations are made about improving attitudes and practices that are pertinent to issues like those raised by Pinsonneault et al.