jjohnson3803

I'm in need of a tray or bag or something that can hang on my Manfrotto 475B tripod to hold an EP or a small red torch or whatever temporarily while observing. My Twilight-1 tripod has a steel spreader bar with some EP holes, but the 475B doesn't have a bolt extending below the head, so I need something that attaches to the three tripod legs. I was thinking of adding Velcro straps to a plastic frisbee or plate or hanging a small pouch on a leg. Any ideas or suggestions? I could fashion a tray out of plywood, but I'd prefer something soft / flexible. If there's a cheap commercial product, I'd consider that too. Thanks!

I was going to order one, but they were out of stock, then delayed, then ... In the meantime, I bought an f7 102ED. I'm curious to see if maybe I should have waited for 96mm to be back in stock.

I've never left a rig out in severe weather, but I use a Weber charcoal kettle grill cover. I use spring clamps to hold the bottom edge to the tripod.

I don't want to say it's aliens, but... it's aliens! 😁 Seriously, the Heavens Above web site might list some possibilities.

I'm curious about this. I use two AT and two Vixen SLV EPs. The designs are similar and I think the weights are very close. I do clamp down the az clutch when changing EPs, then gradually back off the tension without trying to rebalance. I keep the tension as loose as possible for the slo-mo to work. Maybe that's not the best way of doing things. Some people advocate using a zoom EP so there are no balance changes, but I'm not interested in switching to a zoom.

Interestingly, as I was driving home after picking up some fast food a couple nights ago, I went past a guy with TWO tripods in his driveway who looked to be in the process of setting up. So there appears to be another amateur astronomer less than half a kilometer away. 😁

I'm right dominant, but observe with my left eye usually. I should flip the orientation and put my finder on the right. What are you using for your az slo-mo control? Looks like aluminum.

Well, I just received mine two days ago and have used it once. I put it on my Manfrotto 475B which has a geared elevator, so no extension column needed. I tried it with all three of my refractors - ST80, AT120ED, ST120 - and it seemed to handle all quite well. I did not try very high power - that's a test for another session. I had no trouble with balance. I was surprised how easy it was to balance because I had a Stellarvue M1V (not sure what the Altair equivalent is called) friction mount and I sold it because I could never get the balance right. There was resistance in az with slo-mo at first, but that smoothed out. Balance is important in alt or you'll have to really clamp down the alt clutch. Slo-mo cables have fallen off almost every mount I've had, so I use knobs on my AZ5. I have shorties on the Zero now, but I'm looking for knobs for it. I find that cables with Phillips head set screws hold much better than thumbscrews. I also have a Twilight-1 tripod with a Berlebach puck adapter on it. I might try that with the Zero, but I really prefer to use the 475B. Anyway, that's my very limited experience so far. Edit: I should probably add that I think the Zero is a noticeable improvement over the AZ5 (not that the AZ5 is a bad mount).

I can assure you that shopping is most definitely one of my wife's hobbies.

I'm somewhat the reverse. There are some brands I absolutely will not buy, having learned from experience that they're poor quality or have poor customer service IMO.

My Zero showed up late yesterday afternoon. I put on two spare shorty slo-mo cables, but I think I'd prefer knobs. May I ask where you ordered yours? ADM has knobs, but they're $30 US per pair and I suspect I can get something similar for less. Thanks! Oh, BTW, the mount is performing quite well so far. There was a little sticking in az slo-mo, but that seems to have worked out already. Maybe it was just the lube needing to smear around a bit?

You might want to invest in an observing tent - not as a light block, but to shield your activities from neighbors until you build a permanent obsy. I'd wager you could resell it pretty easily later.

My first thought was one *can* take it with them when they die - you could be buried in that thing. 😁

Aside from my local club, I've not met anybody nearby who's interested. Seems there are many more model railroaders than amateur astronomers. And that's fine by me. I definitely prefer being alone under the stars and I never joined a model railroad club or anything like that. But I'm also 98% Finnish if my DNA test was accurate, so maybe the stereotypical reserved, self-isolating traits are at work here. 😁

Are Iridium flares still visible? I read somewhere that they were de-orbited or something.

👍 Exactly what I'm going to do. I ordered a Zero just a few minutes ago. This will be mainly for my 102/700 ED and hopefully my ST120. I have a Twilight-1 tripod, but I much prefer the Manfrotto.

I've been very reluctant to go down the EAA and astrophoto rabbit holes for the same, among other, reasons. I haven't done much with my iPhone, but the Nocturne app is great for constellation shots. I've gotten a couple of shots through my binos with StarryCam that suited me and I'm still learning Night Cap. If I ever want to get into heavy duty processing, I can buy datasets from ATEO and such.

I have two mature larches to my southeast that are beautiful trees, but I'd really like to see them fall down in a storm. Soon. 🙊

Thanks for the invitation, but I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic. Closest I've been to Yorkshire is Dublin and that was several years ago. 😁 I suspect my 102 is very similar to or the same scope as your Tecnosky, so good to know!

I've had both slo-mo and non-slo-mo / friction mounts. I much prefer slo-mo for many of the reasons listed above. Also, I could never get my friction mounts adjusted to "glide like butter" when following (alt-az) a target. Maybe they weren't high enough quality, I don't know. I wanted to love them, but it just didn't work out. I use knobs on my AZ5, so it's not necessary to move the tripod to reach any cables. FWIW.

I'm considering a Zero for my new 102ED f/7, weight about 10 pounds, maybe a tad over. Thoughts / experiences on whether a Zero could handle it well? My AZ5 is seemingly at its limit with the 102 and I prefer something lighter than a SkyTee. Thanks!

The 102ED has arrived and been tested on my SW AZ5. IMO it's really at it's limit. Focusing at higher powers is definitely wobbly although the vibrations damp out in about 2-3 seconds. I get the same result with the AZ5 on a Manfrotto 475B (my preferred tripod) or a Twilight-1 tripod with a Berlebach "puck" adapter. The 102ED is about 10 pounds according to my scale.

Two weeks until we switch to daylight savings time in the US. I know some people hate it, but I much prefer it to standard time. My internal clock just doesn't function as well on standard time here. Or maybe it's just the winter gloom and short days that do me in. Anyway, as another harbinger, I was slewing around Antares the other morning and the Summer Triangle is well up before dawn now. 😀

Maybe a plastic food container cap?

I use a small plastic spring clip on my 90mm. It's very similar to a clothes peg but the jaw opening is a bit larger.