DaveL59

Didn't think to mention yesterday but if you feel the accuracy is poor is that because you're not tight on target when you align the camera?

You should be able to use pinch-to-zoom to expand the area of interest so you can home in better.

If you mean that when guiding it's poor perhaps that's the sensitivity of the phone sensors and magnetic interference. You may need to reset the compas sensor which is usually done by waving the phone around in a figure of 8 pattern for a few mins.

that's odd as I can adjust so I can get a picture in daylight moving the 2 indicated to the left

This was just handheld at my desk rather than on the cradle and with night mode off, but effect is much the same. On a bright day tho I can see this could be problematic if you can't slow the exposure enough.

Out of interest which phone are you using?

5 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Blimey- that’s a long drive Dave! I’m not sure i have the eyes for telling them apart but on the moon last night there was no noticeable fringing 👍 Comparing to the 200k on Saturn though was a bit unfair- the aperture really made a difference of course- way more to see with the 200k

Mark

ah well he didn't want to ship and I figured I wanted it enough. Very nice chap with an old Moggie Minor van so we chatted about that for a while too. Funny it was like an echo of my regular drives around the country for work in the past but without the pressure to hit an arrival time etc 🙂 

My resistance on getting an R held but I did end up winning this earlier

just have to hope I can fettle it 😄 

4 hours ago, markse68 said:

 

I have an RS too dave but Trevor piqued my interest again and you read nice things about the older aluminium tubed R (apart from the focuser  ) and purple is nice

Mark

 

Always nice to buy from someone who's cherished it, mine was the same hence driving to Coventry to pick it up a couple years back. Do let us know if you find the optics better in the R tho, then again do I want to know and then get tempted? 😉 

11 hours ago, markse68 said:

They’re remarkable bang for the buck Magnus 👍

was this the one Trevor mentioned? I managed to resist the temptation but then I already have the 100RS so I'd have only got it to compare the objectives (mine's a light green rather than purple).

Can't say how that'll perform but I have a vintage 3-inch with a spalled lens which I used black paint to cover the damaged area. Still a very usable scope tho its lost a little aperture so fingers crossed for you that it all works 🙂 

I'd hazard that if the lens ring looks chipped that its maybe been apart before and the lens edges and rings blackened? So could just be paint flaking away that is now floating about in the air gap. Only way to know would be to dismantle but that of course implies a risk of the lens ring is indeed bakelite or any thread lock has been used. Probably safest to remove the field lens as you'd have more space to work?

maybe Tommy did make it to the moon after all, tho he'd have been out of O2 a long time ago

actually looks pretty neat, like the design of the telephoto side and the early price makes it very affordable for a wider market.

5 hours ago, Dave scutt said:

Don't think I need to make a Parallelogram mount , adjusted the legs and mount and can  sit back in comfort looking straight up

I wonder you could almost retract one leg completely and have the remaining legs either side of you and use the shortened leg as a handle? I assume you can set the legs to wider locked positions?

A trigger grip is easier in use tho than a regular ball head, at least for speed and simplicity esp on colder nights.

Is that Matt Damon?

no wait, he was the Martian wasn't he... 😉 

1 hour ago, cathal said:

Hi there,

First time poster, new member.

I was gifted a Star Sense Explorer DX 102AX. I am now trying to configure the app for navigation.

When i go through the quick setup, the camera view does not appear in the app as it does at 2:10 in this video : https://youtu.be/kjZ9xakQSsw?t=130

 

I am unable to configure the camera because of this. I have spent the last hour searching online for an answer to this but cannot turn up anything.

Has anyone experienced this before or can point me in the direction of the info ?

I searched here on the forum and also found nothing.

Thanks

C

Are you getting a pure white screen in daytime or a pure black screen when it goes to the camera view?

You might need to go into the advanced camera controls and adjust the settings.

Reading that piece I kinda agree that a less controversial name would have been better. In current times we're seeing a lot of backlash against certain past events and figures, rightly or wrongly. It is the past and needs to be remembered for its effect on peoples lives but it does also need to be put behind us else we never move on to better times. That said when you look at attitudes in some military and other organisations, in Webb's case I do agree with that article.

That's one heck of a long USB3 cable too, hope nobody trips over it and pulls it out of the connector...

9 minutes ago, BinocularSky said:

As DaveL59 noted, it's usually miscollimation. The "until adjusted to the bridge of your nose" usually means "only looking through one tube" . Unfortunately, the Gumtree ad is no longer available, so I can't see which Bressers it is, but the very cheap ones are usually quite simple to conditionally align (full collimation is not easy without a proper optical bench). If you can let me have a pic of them, if it's one I've done in the past, I can send you details of how to do it.

ahh you're braver than me then. While I'd take on a pair that are out if they were at the right price and have a fair few in the collection here, I balk to recommend to someone who's never tried/done this to avoid disappointment if things don't work out or get damaged 🙂  

7 hours ago, Shimrod said:

I'd assume the binoculars use the same IS system that is found in Canon lenses. While it is something that may fail one day (a mix of mechanical and electronic components), I have some Canon lenses that are 15 years old and none of those with IS have failed so far.

I believe they use some sort of fluid lens/prism to achieve the stabilisation

Canon Stabilized 15x45 oil leak . How and what oil raplace ? - Binoculars - Cloudy Nights

The other thing to check is the battery door and compartment

Just now, Alan White said:

I bet he gets 365 days without cloud as well lucky fella!

don't forget the 1/4 day, probably the meteor window...

17 hours ago, maw lod qan said:

Wait, this isn't astro related!?

HOW DARE YOU!!

This is the end of my possible hope and dream of a dedicated solar telescope this year! So, it's definitely astro related.

So, I'm calling this piece of engineering,  The Lunt!

Honey get me a beer from The Lunt! Is there any ice-cream in The Lunt!

Maybe SWMBO will have sympathy for the devil.

oh fun, a friend of mine over here had one similar to that, kept tripping out the house mains!

Enjoy the new 'Lunt' , so long as SWMBO is happy and all that... 😉 

Not having a DX mount I don't know if/how you set the tension on it to allow smooth movement on the Alt axis or if there's a SloMo facility. You could add a weight to the objective end of the OTA (underneath) to counter-balance the mass of the heavier eyepiece combos but I've no idea if the DX would reach a load limit where it's movements become less smooth. Ideally perhaps a weight on a slider so you can fine-tune according to eyepiece, EP+barlow etc.

If you wanted them professionally collimated that'd cost several times more than the purchase price which on a cheap pair isn't worth it unless they are rare or of sentimental value. You might be able to align the prisms so that they work for you (conditional alignment) but a lot would depend on how they are built/assembled. I don't know if that one has tilt screws under the outer covering on the body or if you'd need to dismantle and use thin shims to tilt the prisms until they are aligned. There's info out there on the web, but random fiddling with the screws can make things much worse or even chip the prisms.

For sure a lot of patience, a good understanding about how to adjust and appropriate tools (good jewellers screwdrivers etc) would be needed as well as a suitable target to test against. Stars at night will do pretty well for the testing tho since its much harder for the brain to match up the dissimilar images in each eye with so little detail to stitch together.

Personally I'd pass, I think those often sold at Lidl so better to wait till they have them again and go in, check several pairs carefully and buy a pair that is already right 🙂 

37 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

To be fair, they were clear in their timetable: images at 15.30 our time, preamble before that.

I think it's only right that they have some public recognition. I've worked on a few long-running programmes (nothing like this scale) and there are always some dark days along the way. Many of them fail, and it often takes some serious determination from people who aren't necessarily involved in the details (the administrators, sponsors, politicians) to keep them alive. Webb was at serious risk of cancellation and some of the people on stage no doubt had a hand in saving it.

And I think it's reasonable that NASA marks the leading role they have had in making it all happen. They have been very effusive in their namechecks to other organizations so far.

Now for the pics!

funnily enough I was doing some online admin so never fired up the stream. Next thing Sky News switched across at the point they started to show the images and analysis so I didn't have to do anything or listen to any early rambling 😄 

Impressive images, very nicely done!

3 hours ago, globular said:

One HST

Customer Return

No longer required. Well used, open box.

No manufacturers warranty.

$1,500,000,000.00 $1,499,999,850.00  (saving $150.00)

I'd be expecting a bigger discount tho considering the defective gyros...

hmm interesting idea Bruce, but then the centre column on that tripod ain't really long enough, tho there's other more pro tripods it could work with. 

This gives some guidance on rigging a tripod that may be useful to Dave:

Build This Simple Binocular Mount - Gary Seronik

I have come across another type that was like 2 vertical/angled handles forming the two vertical sides of a triangle with a pair of horizontals at the top which clamped to hold the binocular barrels and this could be used comfortably when seated/reclined. Can't find a pic or listing now but they have come up on the bay from time to time. Was tempted at one point to buy one to see if they're any good but never did.

16 minutes ago, Chriske said:

One more important issue about tapping in printed parts... GO S*L*O*W... very slow...!
It is a soft material indeed and you might think tapping fast just because it is very soft.
Well, the problem is that the material will not release by itself from the tap, while your tapping in printed parts. The trick, like tapping in metal, turning the tap once in a while counterclock a little bit does not work in printed parts at all.
Blind holes (depending on how deep you need to go) are done in 4 'sessions'. Tap a few mm and remove the tap completely, clean the tap and continue tapping. Removing is also done very slow...!
Tapping a hole were you can see the tap at the other side sticking out(thinner parts)tap in one session, first remove the material sticking to the tap and then remove the tap, again very slowly.

Needles to say tapping in printed parts takes time...

If you tap in one go without cleaning the tap, the rubble will destroy the thread completely.

I'd agree, much the same with any plastic material as it can deform as much as cut. Also make sure the tap is clean and sharp if you want to create a good thread. A well used tap that has been used in metals will have dulled a little, still usable but in plastic might not perform too well.

What sort of screws are you planning to use in the threads? I've used nylon when I've tapped threads into acrylic tube which worked fine but they weren't really carrying any load.

4 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

Well all right then. Looks like ill need a 16'' dob then 🤣

only 16", I'd have thought 16 ft 😉