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Another Drizzle Dweller

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Everything posted by Another Drizzle Dweller

  1. Hello Bogmonster, Over the otherwise of the Commeraghs from you. Donal
  2. Hi Another possibility is the serial cable. Can you power up the mount and SB1, but nothing happens? If so check the serial cable. Starboiok required a straight through cable, rather than the normally available cross over serial cable. Th current SB10 worked perfectly on my SXW when I had to replace the cable due to erratic behaviour. Worth checking Another Drizzle Dweller
  3. I have an original SXW with the original Starbook controller. Having upgraded from an LXD 75 that required a strip down after about every four uses, I also looked for instructions. 16 years later I have not progressed beyond being able to remove the inspection covers over the gears. I never had to open it up. As per above, I also run it at slowest speeds. I recently did see a Vixen video cleaning a first generation type SXD mount. Unfortunately I have no link. and being in Japanese, I do not have much details. Donal Another Drizzle Dweller
  4. Hi Magnus, You missed nothing. Set up the C9.25 for two nights in a row, but very bad seeing, despite cloud less forecasts. M82 was visible, but could not see M81 in the C9.25 Another Drizzle Dweller Sunny South East!
  5. For information my Mk 2 , Baader Zoom was purchased in 2008 and is still giving good service. Another Drizzle Dweller
  6. Hi there, I am keen on getting a proper observing chair (the old ironing board chair is beyond repair) and after having a Uni 28 tripod for the last year I am happy to purchase a Berlebach chair. As usual though, Berlebach spoils us with choices. Generally with Berlebach, you get what you pay for but I am not sure what the advantages are with their offerings: The Charon model has 12 settings from 10 to 93 cm while the Hydra / NIX are fully adjustable from 25 to 75 cm. Is it a case of more settings in a smaller more usable range? While we all hope we have small butts, is the bigger seat size 25 by 21 versus 32 by 28 cm a consideration after a few hours observing? I like to use the binos occasionally, do all the chairs provide good back support when at the lowest positions? For reference I have a AZ100 on a Uni 28 tripod and use either a C9.25 or an Orion Optics SPX200 F4.5 scope. Regards\ Donal
  7. Hi Razvan I noticed that comment about time in the Nexus manual also and wondered what would happen this weekend as our clock go forward then. You have answered that question. Thanks. There is a suggestion in the manual that time is only required for correct rise and setting time of targets etc. Like you its the first GOTO system I know that does not require Time Zones. And Stephan, is that adjustment of the worms as simple as the instructions imply? I was waiting on someone to put up a UTube video Donal
  8. Hi John That also reflects my experience. I use a C9.25 on its own or with either a A62SS or an SPX200 F4.5. Everything in the FOV of an 8 mm BHZ eyepiece all the time Still havent worked out Nexus battery usage either. With the milder nights it seems to be improving . Donal
  9. Hi Battery usage on the Nexus DSC system is quite good. 4% after three hours usage last night. For the Techies, AstroDevices now have the Nexus DSC PRO. Same form factor and dimensions, but a faster bigger chip / engine. Apparently to support multiple laguages - as per a CN post. According to the Tech Spec it has temperature and humidity monitor (even though the current battery display has a temperature reading), and the new model supports even more encode ticks. The Nexus DSC is discontinued. They say its the same price. My logic in ordering the encoders and Nexus DSC was to future proof the system and cut down on future shipping costs. I can't even remember now how much it all cost 😝 Regards Donal
  10. To be honest I did not appreciate the advantage of the spreder bar when ordering, so I am actually looking at retrofitting the spreader now. Just wondering if anyone here has retrofitted a spreader rather than getting it delivered day 1? Slightly worried as the instructions talk about removing the screws on all the leg clamps to remove the existing pin to allow fitting of the new spreader axis pin. However the spreader pin on the spreader looks very similar to the existing pin. Think I read somewhere that Berlebach glue in the screws, so reluctant to start stripping down a new tripod. The pin on my mount is held in place with simple cotter type pin that a bit of pliers work should open. Can I simply pull out that pin without opening the leg clamps? Donal
  11. Suppose that using both the tray and the chain makes me the belt and braces type then!
  12. Busy night then fireballx15, enjoy Hi there, Long-time lurked, but first time poster on SGL. So here is my application letter for the Az100 owners club. Like many others, I am declaring myself as another happy AZ100 owner. Here are my impressions after 38 hours of use. The whole experience has been a pleasure, from initial contact with Derek, placing the order, through to the DHL notifications, unpacking and first light. I ordered the Uni 28 mount directly from Berlebach and they had a super-fast delivery also. Everything has been a pleasure with this mount, as everyone else has reported. There is no fighting with it, just sinply go out, observe and enjoy it. I got the mount primarily for my C9.25 and I dual mount it with my SPX 200 F4.5. The mount takes either OTA separately or both dual mounted in its stride. I also got the Nexus DSC and for me it is a super combination when used with Sky Safari. It just works out of the box. Probabally like most folk here, I started with the EXT series, then progressed to a CG5 (manual), an LXD75 (great learning mount, as it needed a complete overhaul after about every four sessions) and a very nice Vixen SXW with Starbook. However, the AZ100 is in a totally different class. One night all 18 targets of my SkySafari observing list were dead centre in an 8 mm eyepiece (0.46 Deg FOV) and 14 targets another night (Those 14 were achieved with a one star DSC alignment on Mars only. I just wanted to see how well the system worked). I cannot ask for better performance than that. Between Derek R and Serge A, you cannot get better service or products. And not forgetting Bill T from SkySafari either. Rather than repeat what everyone else says here are my additional observations. I just ‘went with the programme’ and got the dual saddle plates even though all my current scopes have Vixen rails. I had plans of upgrading the C9.25 with a Losmandy rail, but on reflection, the Rowan dual saddle plate essentially gives the same amount of contact area with the Vixen rail as the Losmandy rail would. Another unforeseen bonus with the Rowan saddle design. There seems to be no challenge overloading the AZ100 so I decided to go to the other extreme and dual mount my A62SS.(1.49 kg as Vixen insist in their specifications!). Even though the Vixen A62SS only has an 8 cm long ‘Vixen shoe’, it sits quite well in the Rowan saddle too. Upon checking, the Rowan saddle provides a bigger contact area than the Porta 2 does. The adjuster plate was extremely simple to align the second scope and only minimal adjustments were needed anyway. Next the PushTo or slow motion with extensions debate. All are super in use but I have not really found a preference yet. One night I found that the Pan Tilt handle (if placed on the left hand side) and the Nexus tray were too close to the Alt axis clutch. Derek’s simple answer was to remove the saddle and rotate the clutch by 45 Deg. Again impressed with such an elegant but simple design that allows for all of that. So far so good on my Rowan journey. The Rowan AZ100, Nexus DSC with Sky Safari on an Berlebach Uni 28 tripod are a winner for me anyway and suit my sytle of observing under Bortle 4 skies. My summary is that the Rowan AZ100 is for observing with and not for tinkering with. For those of you frustrated with the dangling chains on the tripod, why not keep the chain in place with a bungee.
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