Ratlet

I suspect I need to improve my humidity control in the shed.  I put a telgizmo cover over it to keep dust off but I'll start more rigorously putting dehumidifier packets in to keep the humidity under control.

Oh dear.  1 year up the shed and the 10" is being eaten!  Didn't want to be spending my Monday cleaning my mirror but I think this needs to be dealt with.

Looks good now it's be cleaned, but I think some of the coating might have been damaged slightly.  Looks absolutely fine but the water beads on it rather than runs off, so either they've damaged the coating or deposited something on it.

How is it falling off?  I found with my quickfinder it stuck to the dob fine, but it wouldn't stick to the plastic.  If you aren't using the findershoe, or have a spare one on the dob I can print you up an adapter for it.

https://www.printables.com/model/55851-telrad-dovetail-mount

Or I could do something like this:

https://www.printables.com/model/116497-telrad-reflex-sight-mount-for-telescopes

And you could use straps to hold it on.  Or I could give it a larger surface area where it meets the mount so it will stick better.

If you buy a model that is not conductive to having barrow wheel/handle fitted myself and @bosun21 used a sack barrow with a fold out toe for moving our dobs (he put me on the idea).  Only mod needed is some slightly longer rubber feet so you can get the toe under the dob.

I find it very easy to setup when moving from the shed and a bungee cord stops the tube from moving around.

It might just be you're in focus is why you get the red halos.  I found best results by getting it in focus and then backing off slightly.v if you use a bahtinov mask with some vintage prime focus you'll get awful red stars.

With the takumars you get red halos on one side of focus and very light blue on the other side.  The red is very noticeable, but the blue much less.  You basically want to err on the blue side as it ends up looking like very slightly bloated stars.

I've noticed that going by Nina if I focus for the 'best' focus my stars look awful, but if I back it off slightly they look better so long as I head towards blue halos.

Welcome back.  My wife is similarly afflicted with boardgames.  She'll be delighted to know that the Venn diagram of astronomy and boardgames has some overlap lol.

You'll get some good feedback on dob choices here for sure.  

1 hour ago, Elp said:

I found ipolar straightforward, cant remember exactly the routine, does it need two or three Ra rotations first then you're presented with the red/green circle alignment routine?

The need for ioptron handsets to be plugged in is slightly annoying if using computer controllers, on my CF tripods I simply hang it off the centre hook, the coiled cable ensures it doesn't move down. With the default literock I suppose you can place it on the accessory tray? I've seen some 3D prints people have made of a holder which affixes to one of the legs and you simply plonk it in when not in use.

Aye. Every time I've used the mount previously it didn't ask for alignment just gave me the cross.  It was asking for the RA to be rotated but I kept thinking it couldn't possibly be that so gave up.  I was pretty tired by that point lol.  It was 100% operator error.  I know what I'm doing now so won't be a problem in the slightest.

I did have one of the 3D printed brackets but it wasn't great.  Wouldn't be hard to fix the design flaw.

I think hanging it off one of the screws on the 2" adapter would be perfect, just the little bit of rope wants to go flat so I need to open it which is very slightly frustrating with gloves.  Very slightly though.

To an extent I think I've been looking at greater automation (integrating wth sky safari) with my mounts to make it easier, but honestly using the hand controller was much better I think.  I'm still going to try and get sky safari to work, but ultimately doing some proper planning and making an observing list is what I need to do.  If you know the NGC/messier/etc number it's a doddle getting it to navigate with the paddle.

5 minutes ago, Stephenstargazer said:

On the AZ75 that must be just like pushing a small dob around, very natural and potentially even smoother. Even easier eyepiece position so I can feel a Newtonian coming on.......... 😈. Just need one more good reason.

Hope you're not coming down with Aperture Fever.  There is only one cure...

I had my Gem28 out last night for some visual.  A marked departure from my usual is the mount has been imaging only so far.  My other mounts are nowhere near enough to handle the TecnoSky 102ED so I'm a bit limited in choice!

Initially I got caught out because the ipolar wanted me to confirm positions which it has never needed before.  I got out quite late and had a busy day so the instructions on the screen didn't make much sense, but the with benefit of hindsight they are perfectly sensible.  In the end I just used some numbers I found on a cloudy night thread which I think corresponds to the middle of the sensor with no calibration.  Can't remember them off the top of my head, but they worked well.  Next time I'll do the proper alignment routine.

I decided to try and pair it with SkySafari on my android phone but could not for the life of me get it to work.  I managed to get the setup done but could not get Skysafari to assume direct control.  Again the middle of the night is not the time to try and resolve IT issues.  Honestly I think with some better prep work on my part I can sack off the mobile completely.  I found the tactile feedback of the hand controller miles better than working with a mobile.  Especially with gloves on.

In the end I did a 1 star alignment on Vega and was off to the races.  I managed 3 or 4 targets and it did a good job finding the targets.  I needed to sync on a bright star when moving to the other side of the sky but that is to be expected on a one star alignment (my experience of the azgti was even with 3 star alignment and perfect setup it would still get lost).  The tracking was good and more than adequate for observing.  A massive step up on the AZGTI.

One thing I hadn't considered was unlike the AZGTI the GEM28 is not fitted with coffee grinder motors and was whisper quiet slewing around.

Whilst superficially a mixed bag I'm actually really happy with the result.  The GEM28 is an excellent mount for visual, handles to 102ED perfectly.  I thought the ipolar and using a laptop would be a pain, but it doesn't take long and honestly it gives the tube time to cool down.  The goto is night and day compared to the previous cheap mounts I've used.  I'd even go as far to say I liked it.  The only real issues were attributable to operator error or poor planning on my part and could have been solved with some prep work (prepare an observing list with NGC numbers, etc.) and RTFM before using the mount.

I was previously considering an EQ5 with a tracking motor for the 102ED due to poor goto/controlling experience with the AZGTI and a celestron 127SLT I had a couple years back.  That plan is now on hold (and my bank balance breathing a sight of relief).

EDIT:  My only minor critiscism is that I had a habit of accidently hitting the back button whilst centering things.  I'm going to have a look at 3d printing some thing to make it clear which buttons are for direction and which are for menus.  Maybe a barrier or an extension for the existing buttons.   Also need to 3D print a holder or maybe just a ring to keep the loop on string on the handcontroller open.  A holder would be nice, but it hangs off the eyepiece holder perfectly well.

Ended up the wife had had her family visiting from accross Europe so I didn't get out till about 2245.  Tough choice tonight, I could either take the Dob out for some guaranteed visual goodness or try mounting the Technosky 102 on the GEM 28 and figuring out that for visual.  In the end I decided to try the refractor.

Initially things did not go well.  The mount wanted me to callibrate the ipolar which I've never had to do.  In the end I couldn't figure it out and just used some default options from a cloudy night thread.  I then tried to pair it over wifi to skysafari and that was an even bigger disaster.  Just no joy at all.  I decided to throw caution to the wind and try a 1 star alignment on the handset.  Vega was up and not far off north so decided it would do.  To my surprise it wasn't a million miles away with the 32mm plossl after the slew.  Dropped in the 12mm BST, Aligned and threw it to M92. 

To my great surprise, it was right in the middle of the FOV!  A delightful sight.  I love the difference you get in targets between small and big scopes.  The 102 is obviously not going to present the same view as a 10", but it was really something watching the glob fade into view with more detail coming in all the time.  I've never really noticed before but there is a sweet spot for averted vision.  If you don't get it right the target looks a bit brighter but if you nail it it fairly pops!

I tried for M61 but I couldn't make anything out.  I remembered that with the AZGTI you were better off finding a bright star nearby to sync to first so I pointed it at Arcturus, and sync'd on that.  Before I went for a new target I dropped in the 8mm BST and decided I would try a star test.  I think with my Newts I've never seen a diffraction pattern quite like it.  perfect circles on both sides of focus.  Tried for M3  and got a fleeting glimpse of it before it got clouded out, literally seconds.  I plumped for Cor Caroli next.  I can't say why, but it's one of my favourite doubles.

Didn't get as much done as I would have liked, and hopefully I'll get some more cloud free nights before I'm back to work, but it was still a good night.  The GEM28 is a great mount.  It was nice having something capable of supporting the 102 at higher powers (it's now significant'y heavier with the handle and 2" diagonal).  After having persistant issues with the coffee grinder powered azgti it was a revelation.  Incredibly quiet even slewing at max speed and more accurate on the pointing to boot.  Quite happy with the evening all in all and felling much better (but very cold) for having gotten out!

It's that low down for me that I'm starting to doubt the existence of Sirius A, never mind B!

''

Nothing wrong with wanting an upgrade, but I tend to agree with John.

For the price of a focuser you could pick up a use 130pds and stick that in the tube rings.

I'd buy new just to avoid hassle, but I believe you can contact Celestron if you run out of activations.  Hope so.  I used 3 goes trying to get a phone that worked, a 4th on my daughter's iPhone and the 5th on my pixel after they released a patch because despite it being compatible it did not work!

Might email them tomorrow actually and check.  I'll report back.

I got the az80 cause it was on offer at flo, but it is absolutely worth it I think.

If you need a mounting solution for another scope and don't have a 3D printer, let me know and I can do one for cost + postage + hobnobs.  Someone is selling my design for £28 on ebay (rip off, but nought I can do) but I rattle them out for about £8 (inc postage).  If you do have a 3D printer, go for this one:

https://www.printables.com/model/559841-starsense-explorer-finder-shoe-mount-holder

But back to your question, it's brilliant.  Provided your phone is compatible (iPhones just are, android is a bit hit and miss, but pixel phones now work).

The app is a bit weak though.  You cant save observing lists so you just need to search for each target in the software.  I think iPhones can integrate it with sky safari but I've no idea how good/bad that is.

I'm wanting to build an electronic focuser and whilst there are plans available I figure it would be a good idea to actually try and understand electronics and programming (my job now involves both).  Won't be building a focuser with this, but will at least understand it a bit better.  I get stressed doing things without understanding why I'm doing it.

Figure this would be a good place to start.  Figure with the lack of clear skies I can spend an hour or so a night doing the projects.

The desiccant isn't a magic bullet and needs time to work.  Or at least time to work before the water condenses out.  I think your desiccant is working, it just needs time.

If you are sealing the unit in a warm location (like inside) the air inside the box will be loaded with moisture and will need time to dry.  In this case you need to leave it for a while, sealed with the desiccant to dry out whilst it is still warm.  If you take it out to the cold before the desiccant dries the air then the moisture will still crash out of the air when it cools down.  

Could be integrated flux nebula?

9 minutes ago, Alan White said:

And just to show its not all Refractor mounting, here are my two 150mm Newtonians on the AZ75.

Love slow mo control on an alt az mounted newt.  Feels like you're giving the tube a cuddle.

How much space is there inside?  Could you try to more effectively seal it with some dehumidifier packets inside?

Sounds like a win, although one with a long lead time.  Fortunately (ahem) the weather is garbage so you've probably not missed much imaging time,

1 hour ago, LaurenceT said:

The " holiday" thing was a major part of my pitch to my Domestic Financial Controller

" the Az GTi is soooo noisy on a campsite".....

For all the times I've used (and I've taken it apart) I still can't find the coffee grinder.

Playing devil's advocate here, but Ed Ting is known to have high standards and to be particularly cautionary on astro imaging, particularly for people just starting out.

His standard position is that if not to start out in astrophotography, so something that is designed to be an easy start (and one that is soon outgrown) it's unlikely to be a comfortable fit for his opinions on what is useful.

Edit:  I'm wishing I hadn't wandered in here.  I'm looking at the images and thinking about getting one.  Would be ideal for going on holiday, or even for imaging faint stuff to sketch from.  This forum is dangerous!

13 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

I get the feeling that Ed had decided before the review that he will not like it because it seems he is a bit anti-technology for some reason, which is odd since his videos are usually pretty good and more on the objective side than subjective. I find it very odd that he decided to compare the Seestar to a Takahashi on an equatorial mount, you cant probably even get a flattener for the Tak for the price of a Seestar. Very tone deaf for sure.

I also dont quite buy the idea that you shouldn't buy one now because there will be a better one in a few years. If we followed this logic then we would never buy anything, since technology is always on the move.

I guess the 'there will be a better one along soon' doesn't apply if you collect vintage scopes?

Ed collects vintage scopes so it might inform his statement.  

I love Ed's videos but I made it 3 minutes in and gave up.  He's missed the point of the scope.

I couldn't help but think of @MarkRadice on Refreshing views on taking his 90mm on an azgti to Florida and doing live stacking.  I think Mark would get the point and the benefit of a scope like the seestar.  I think it would be great to take it out quickly set it up on some targets you couldn't hope to see by eye with a scope 10x the size.

I really enjoy sketching and the images the seestar makes look just about perfect for something to sketch from.  Nice balance of detail and colour.

I wish something like this existed when I started out.  I think it would be a better fit for what I want from my images than the cooled camera route I went down.  Though that's with the benefit of hindsight of course.

Fantastic!  I feel this is a silly question, but how do you get the curve looking natural?  Mine looks like they've been done by a 5 year old.  Also the shading of space, when I try that It looks awful

2 hours ago, bosun21 said:

I have used the Starfield on all the various modalities of the EQ5 mount. For plonk and point it's better to mark the points of the tripod legs on the ground making it quicker and easier for subsequent setups. When I used the tracking motors without go to I found that just getting Polaris in the polar scope FOV was sufficient for a nights observing. I placed three golf tees in the grass marking the tripod legs. I however seem to be a bit of an outlier in that I love go to. If set up correctly it works every time and allows me to spend the saved time at the eyepiece.

I've not got on with it so far.  I suspect that part of that is I was the azgti trying to point a 130pds.  It's pretty much on the limit of the mount.

I'm definitely going to give the gem28 a try though as I've heard good things.  It'll also fit in the workflow pretty well.  The 130pds lived in the shed so was already at ambient.  The refractor lives in the house for now so will need to acclimate, which will be time to setup the polar alignment.