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Macavity

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Everything posted by Macavity

  1. I should also point out that I have not TRIED out a "Yagi Idea"... It may never get off the ground! (sic) Aside: I did note that this supplier has some left? πŸ˜‰ https://www.hamradio.co.uk/comet-cya-1216e-1-9m-1200mhz-16-element-yagi-pd-14061
  2. My idea of testing a YAGI on 23cm waned (with supply!) But Interesting, that commentators feel "ANY dish" would be better than a Yagi etc. Better screened from "ground effects" etc. But, it remains a vague ambition to just HEAR (and identify) *something* "above" 70cm. 😁 There is a 23cm Amateur TV repeater near? Whether it is line-of-sight, I'll have yet to check. There are HUGE signals on (nominal) 23 cms Band. Quite WHAT these are... "who knows"! πŸ˜›
  3. I did envisage a boring LCD Astro Clock. Now on "back burner"! lol I sense you can be fairly "safe", with motions of Celestial Bodies... It's just a "simple" matter of programming... a few equations etc. πŸ˜› I get a feeling these (detuned?), cheap, analog clocks are not very good - Even for predicting Lunar Phases? But you might just make use of / upgrade(?) some attractive Clock / Dial into something? πŸ˜‰ P.S. I live close to Sea, but gave up ambitions for a "Tidal Clock". That's an entirely different Can o' Worms?!? (+ I don't even Fish!) πŸ˜…
  4. I suppose, the ubiquitous 1960's 30x30 (terrestrial) refractor COULD have dissuaded... But I TRIED everything - even Solar Projection! Determination? Darwinian Selection? 😁 On a sadder note, local Astrol Soc once sent around a chap to buy my pristine EQ3-2. He turned up with some horrid, home-made, 6-inch reflector - Weighed "half a Ton"! 😱 Someone from the local society had offloaded their heap of JUNK onto him!?! But he was not that stupid. Beat me down to 30% of the EQ3-2 price. 🀨 But, perhaps it is also the responsibility of Astronomers to work out if someone (adult), has any aptitude, towards becoming an Astronomer? Hey, I gave a "two hour intro" to Astronomy? Clearly, he understood nothing! <sigh> His *girlfriend* took notes tho... πŸ˜›
  5. Recently enjoyed the film "Hidden Figures" - I believe a certain amount of liberty was taken with reality! But thought provoking / moving etc. 😎 https://www.space.com/35430-real-hidden-figures.html
  6. I may yet relieve you of my irritating presence. 😁 But, many things conspired, to make ME (subconsciously?) less likely to do any Astronomy? "Old Age", the weather, security lighting? But most of all the impact of Covid in recent years. πŸ€” (It certainly killed off our local Astronomy Society in its original format/place!) But then, you kind of get used to associating with Amateur Astronomers... Heaven help me, where else would one find such... "erudite company"! 🀣
  7. Heheh. I did some "research". (Random) Long (short!) Wires can have "better" lengths... for e.g. Amateur Bands! I'll have to dig out this stuff! Radio Astronomy's First Cousin etc. 😁 Locally, the VHF/UHF bands have a fair number of "novice" class operators. But I see 23cm (close to Hydrogen Line) is NOT accessible to them? There are 2m/70cm repeaters locally. Aside: I did a "factory reset" on my SDRUno software, I sense it works rather better now! πŸ˜‰ With the *plethora* of controls, I suspect I twiddled something I should not have? lol
  8. Further aside: I don't think I have ever heard quite so much activity on the HF amateur bands (20m (17m) 15m (12m) 10m) as now. Just put up a new (rather short) "long wire" antenna too. But, whatever the "Solar Activity", something is working! πŸ˜‰ https://www.qsl.net/4x4xm/HF-Propagation.htm#Reg2
  9. I will never be the world best "Classical Imager"... Or even the world best Visual Astronomer. I did pioneer (remote/Watec) EEVA maybe? My Solar efforts (Solar Frankenscope) a modest source of pride? 😎 I certainly relate to folks with worrying "back problems"! But then I am FED UP with lacking health care and being "blamed for everything" for simple getting old... 😏 But, before I give up, Radio Astronomy intrigues... The idea of e.g. a "Micro Araceibo" (See image). πŸ˜‰ I haven't yet sold off my stuff. I am reminded of the care with which I chose... upgraded stuff etc. πŸ˜› I do feel SAD when Amateur Astronomers "quit"! Of course, I understand / relate to that as well... Sometimes wish I had a "Sorcerer's Apprentice"! 😁
  10. Thanks, for the information and links @wxsatuser ! πŸ™‚ My kid-self did quite a bit of HF band SWL-ing back in the 70's - Not far from Manchester. πŸ˜‰ Back in those days, "everyone" seemed to be into stuff like that. Less so, now, perhaps? Sadly, I viewed the (then) RAE and "morse test" with (too much?) trepidation! But I suspect the knowledge of the two hobbies are highly complemetary. Cetainly SGL's Radio Astronomers have impressive RF knowledge! 😎 When I envisaged this, my N.Wales QTH had line-of-sight view towards both Manchester and Liverpool. During the Pandemic, someone built a "ruddy great house" in the way! But, I may still just have a few degrees clearence to one side of it. πŸ˜› At 200m I may just have a (touch and go) height clearance! Will probably get a budget priced 23cm YAGI to "play around"... https://youtu.be/QwwH5yMD0fk?si=QYHO3ci3R41yc8X3 As noted in the "German" Links above, the possibility to get a basic WHIFF of Radio Hydrogen Line depends on beam width too. Also, Manch & L'pool are within a few deg (the YAGI has a beam width of 20-30 deg?) Might just FIX one up in that *general* direction! πŸ˜‰ Also, since above YAGI is cheap... he mentions grub screws, maybe it could be retuned from 23cm to 1420MHz with angle grinder? 😁 At the moment, just getting more experience with UHF Tech...
  11. Heheh - The same questions occur to me again. (As asked before!) Despite new Diamond X-5000 also has 23cm... No signals (yet). lol. But think I might revisit the idea of a "Micro Araceibo", as a start! πŸ™‚ https://www.astropeiler.de/beobachtungen-der-21-cm-linie-mit-einfachen-mitteln/ P.S. Thanks again @robin_astro for the link(s) 😎
  12. If the camera is just for monitoring, you could avoid using a screen grabber (and tying up another PC). If the coax cable is a v.LONG run, just invest in a suitable video buffer / amplifier. Plug the cable into your "lounge" TV etc. https://www.onlinesecurityproducts.co.uk/amplifiers/genie-cctv-gca01hd-coaxial-video-amplifier.html Switch the video source (via TV remote) to keep an eye on the observatory, while you watch late night movies! Or buy a budget, low voltage, screen? πŸ™‚
  13. Sadly they seem to have stopped making REALLY sensitive CCD chips now? But I did buy a couple of TINY cameras wth very sensitive chips in the past. A BIT of IR (or Red) light helps considerably for obsy monitoring cameras! πŸ™‚ If you are happy with COAX output... You might try something similar to: https://www.spycameracctv.com/products/1080p-hd-tiny-pinhole-camera-low-lux-4-in-1 Check out the "lux" spec? It will probably be a "bit of an experiment" tho'! πŸ™ƒ They probably have a C-type thread, to allow a change of lens / field of view...
  14. Bit "off topic", but thought it might amuse the odd kindred spirit... 😁 For many of us, the pandemic had a significant effect on progress? I now find myself 3 years older, and dreams of "Radio Astronomy", have become slightly more remote? Idem many other things, sigh! πŸ€” But suddenly, I felt INSPIRED! I phoned up "John The Aerials" (To be said with Welsh Accent?) [teasing]. The upshot being this! (Diamond D777 Aircraft Band, plus an X-5000 2m/70cm/23cm Ham Bands). 😎 These Antennas had been "Kicking Around"... But are now installed! John is a "good bloke" - He can climb Ladders... And we also had a lot of fun, playing with my Nano VNA-F + "NoElec" preamp etc. πŸ˜› Behind left PC speaker lurks an Antenna Switch + my RSP1A SDR! πŸ˜‰ Aside: Of course, it is NOT Radio Astronomy! But (as they say on TV) "It's the Journey"?!? A lot of us have "Lost (Astro) Mojos"? But... 😁 P.S. Don't get *too* distracted by SWL-ing... "Scanning" etc. etc. 🀣
  15. Too late... Prof. Brian Cox has spoken (as requested?) πŸ˜‰ https://twitter.com/ProfBrianCox/status/1702173161788195150 He's too late?!? I blame "Celebrity CAKE Bakers" etc. 😁 https://twitter.com/pubity/status/1702661539575243065
  16. Just in case anyone was desperately wondering?!? (From a simple Google Search!) 😁 Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is the dominant volatile organic sulfur in global oceans. The predominant source of oceanic DMS is the cleavage of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), which can be produced by marine bacteria and phytoplankton. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25416398/
  17. There should be MORE of these? Actually, mention of *Vdb* "triggered" me! 😁 Not the same one (lol), but such things might deserve more (expert) imaging?
  18. I know naathing - Just watched restoration of old VW "Camper Van"! 😎 I envy you your skies / mobility. Does it have a NAME yet? Morning chuckle: "Camper Van Beethoven" 😁
  19. Quite fun to imagine... πŸ˜‰ https://youtu.be/uAJlg8MDAlU?si=K5T-ZzTJcJqjKVPr
  20. My prebuild Observatory arrived in large bits - Walls, Floor, Roof! All to be installed in one day! No time to place brick/tile spacers, between patio flags and floor sub-frame. πŸ˜‘ Rising damp/mold was a problem. I sense adequate under floor air circulation helps? The floor is (allegedly) "waterproof chip", so I placed canonical Rubber Squares on top. But it got very damp under these! Finally, I removed the "tiles", poured/painted a couple of coats of Non-creosote (non smelly!) penetrating Fence Paint on the floor... It worked! 😎 N.B. Fence Paint is not strictly for internal use (slightly toxic)! But it ceased to smell when dry, and I cannot imagine such would be a problem for typical Astronomer exposure... The key to the "remedial" floor coating seemed to be the *penetration* factor though. πŸ˜‰
  21. Sometimes I think one might begin with something (topic!) a tad easier? πŸ˜› I am "struggling" here? lol. But I am ever impressed re. SGL contributions... But then, to me, some "easy" (non-maths!) stuff, is met with bafflement? lol "We Scientists" have always struggled against NERD stereotyping though? Over recent years, I have become so accustomed to NOT mentioning any interest (past job) in "science"! Science has become "controversial" now? 😏 It's a paradox? The many "Science Fans" (c.f. social media!) struggle with Basic Maths but: "By Heavens", they know which Theory/Theorist is Right! 🀣
  22. Dare I admit that, for me, this thread taught me (reminded me?) that the BIG BANG has (at least) TWO meanings! Before/After the "unexplained"? πŸ˜… Most "scientists" seem comfortable with the idea of "not knowing" stuff? They once viewed someone's "theory of everything" with Equanimity? lol. But then, along came "popular" science... I am RIGHT... They are WRONG! 😏 Sometimes reminded of a past (RIP!) *Professor* (Long B.C. - Before Cox!) who used to challenge his various tutorial groups with an enigmatic: "Ah... So that's what YOU think"! All delivered with, notably KINDLY, "Deadpan"! πŸ˜‰ But I sense he was trying to get people to THINK (for themselves)? Perhaps that is the problem I have with "Popular Science"... It offers CERTAINTY to non-scientists, rather than delights in uncertainty? πŸ™ƒ
  23. A national newspaper - Which claims NOT to retain information on posters, once declared it had evidence (DATA!) that its *least* "trolled" articles were on Science! To any/most scientists, that must the most obvious of fallacies... πŸ˜›
  24. Belated P.S. I put *RED* led strips (actually modules) on wood battens - to point downwards. They are half way up the walls, shielded by (also wood) covers, so mostly illuminate the Floor! That way I can "see to do things" and avoid tripping over / treading on stuff. 😏 Obsy Walls are "Duck Egg" (Light) BLUE, which shows (by chance!) BLACK under Red light. 😎 I also have remote switchable *IR* Spot Lights plus low level Video Cameras for monitoring scope orientation - From my days as a " Video Astronomer". πŸ˜‰
  25. Can't find the *recent* link suggested by my Browser. But a FUN idea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton's_dome The "controversy" seems to have been around for quite a while though! I have to admit, sometimes the idea of "spontaneous symmetry breaking" in Particle Physics being... "inevitable" can seem a bit odd (to me) too? πŸ˜› The original idea: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/Goodies/Dome/
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