jam1e1

I use the ST2 with both an APM152 and 12" F4 Newt, not at same time, but only on side puck. I upgraded the puck to a longer one too as the manufacturers ones are insufficient in my opinion, think its the ADM one i upgraded to. Note with a frac suggest get the pillar too for viewing around zenith. It dampens relatively quickly and performs well for me - as per above comments yes there is room for improvement, but for a fair priced/performance setup does the job.

thanks that's super really useful! im saving up for one camera setup to start with, likely go for 8mm too and see how i get on with that.

Great captures! Got a few questions as looking to do similar setup to yours 1) how did u find best balance of Fov? 2) how much data roughly does it generate per night? 3) are the captures filtered down to just relevant meteor shots, or does it record whole video too? 4) would you mind sharing a picture of setup as want idea of how would look if did permanent setup?

hi all Some captures below from Oculus all sky camera, subs set to 15 seconds, black and white. Location near Gatwick, UK. Times are as per file names. Assume these are all persids, there is an obvious plane in one sub (00 05 12) with meteor to the side. I havent marked these up yet hence some are fainter than others hence harder to immediately spot. There are what look like two mini fireballs in 04 00 and 04 02 subs. Jamie

got my new blue filter in the post on friday, fitted ok so all back to normal now gladly!

thanks for advice ive got a new filter coming too- glad i checked it. Does anyone know if white light filter diagonals have a similar issue? hope not.....

hi just seen this post - mine doesnt look good not too old only 2 years ish - lunt 60 bf1200. have emailed lunt/bresser. always kept mine indoors and in box...may invest in the moisture packs J

hi white b1200 2015 Whilst on this topic noticed this strange mist type cover - any suggestions on what this is - i wouldnt have noticed if didnt do this! J

Suggest check it is definitely a primary related issue as per other posters comments before attempting any maintenance. In my instance I heard a definite minor 'clunk' sound, to investigate i put the scope vertical with primary on bottom, unscrewed the cell from the tube then gently lifted tube off. From what I recall, believe it was a slightly loose mirror clip that meant very slight play in the cell/mirror giving rise to clunk sound. I tightened this then readjusted the mirror cell screws as they were right at end of thread for some reason (way they came). Note I didn't need to take the mirror out of cell directly, moreover adjusted (apologies my post made it read like took completely out!). Either way once put back collimation held and clunk sound didnt return. Going to try not tightening the locking screws - good tip!

suggest check the collimation holds when move scope from horizontal to vertical and back to horizontal i.e 180 degrees using laser or cheshire and check dot doesnt move over course of the rotation- say this as my vx12 came with primary incorrectly fitted so had very slight play and lost collimation when moved. Managed to fix myself by taking mirror out cell and putting it back correctly adjusted, though took advice from OO to do it correctly to avoid over tightening and mirror pinching As per your points on cooling and multiple nights, definitely suggest give a couple more nights to get fair view as Ive had similar nights where seeing is poor one night and crystal sharp next....convinced myself scope was at fault when no more than basic atmospherics. As per johns point even though mine comes out 'cold' from garage still needs a good 45m to acclimatise for better views

I did a brief review on my OO 12" F4 when bought new from OO. Optically its superb and the star colours really come out well and sharp on a good night of seeing with paracorr across most of FoV. I got the 1/10 mirror and performs very well, feels a step up from skywatcher in terms of optics and focuser, owned both 8" and 10" before. However, i had some minor mechanical issues. 1) when unboxed there was a fragment or two of broken glass, however never determined where it came from and mirror appear fine so let that one pass ( i fed back to them). 2) The primary mirror moved slightly when passed over vertical hence lost collimation- cut a long story short i had to disassemble scope and found out the collimation / adjustment screws on primary were never quite adjusted correctly, fixed myself and now solid holding and recollimated fine. 3) the focuser 'broke' the other day(after about 2 years of owning), in summary the 10-1 focuser lost all grip, had to take focuser apart and found a screw had some how come loose, now fixed. Scope is back in working order. Had i been less DIY capable would have posed a frustrating experience, however managed to fix so all good. 4) the scope ring tighteners are quite small and on a cold night really hard to properly tighten if fingers cold hence couple of times ive had scope slightly slip though not too big of deal. 5) the dovetail is not very long at all c 8 inch roughly hence not much play to move up/down to get EP in good position if using non dob mount - you can buy bigger adapter but they quoted me c£150 for adapter to get longer dovetail. Overall, optically I love it, QA could do with some work and mechanically there are improvements to be made. Keep in mind SW were not flawless, but price a lot lower given economy of scale. Would I buy again .............Yes if got a good discount (i.e from a show where they tend to give discount e.g. astrofest) tried to keep it factual as possible, hope that helps. J

Looks great Adam - think im going to get a similar setup as next project. Have you experimented with different FoVs? i.e. some of the lenses are not fixed. Did you find the housing easy to construct? Plan is to build one camera setup ,then possible add two and plug both into same PC....however will plan for one and see how that turns out.

good effort! i find my Oculus only captures the brighter meteors, whilst more FoV there is a trade off of sensitivity (if thats the right term!). I have thought about doing video setup too

hi Stu640 good to see some people local too! will be good to catch up / meet with everyone soon - hoping for some clear nights ! Once got some clear nights ahead will suggest a couple of dates, Ranmore common is nearest semi dark place im familiar with so suggest that as a starter

Near junction 8 of m25 Stu - good for travel!

hi Stu Bignor is good - been there once but over 2 years ago - not for a while! Hoping to get there again soonish again. Normally head to Ranmore, if its looking good can plan to head there - though weather not holding out too well at moment! Likewise if can get in a session would be good. Jamie

hi all Been a while since a meet up has been organised! Would be good see who is about (all welcome) and then arrange a meet up, so please drop a note to say hi if you are up for a meet up soon. Weather this week not looking great so will keep an eye out, hopefully sometime next week if weather improves! Jamie

hi i use the SkyTee2 with pillar and apm152 scope (1200mm) and works well! think this is slightly shorter than above but may be heavier - either way cannot go wrong with this mount. Just note the payload of top loading puck is much less than side puck! (couple kgs at best, else will slip) cheers Jamie

hi ill be up for joining too (assuming free on that night!) Jamie

always good to find out something interesting / unique - not seen this before, will try for this on next session - thanks for sharing! whilst there is a double star 'catalog' , is there a list of triples / quad / quintets etc? there are a couple in orion / monocerous - would be interested to find a few more for next session

some 'brands' of the USB to serial cables have cheap chip sets in that are unreliable and dont always work - ensure the cable you got came from reputable supplier, else from supplier that confirms that compatible for this sort of upgrade

Thanks Mike - let me know how you get on. I may redesign it using velcro stapled onto fabric to merge the seams - as material about 1m wide -that way if wind gets too strong will just 'tear' apart and hence just stick back together

Hi, Thought i'd post something useful being first blog. Here is my solution to streetlights that may affect viewing: Blackout blind mark 1 Background is live next to a streetlight and this affects viewing. Built a cheap light blackout screen out of commonly available materials which has cut stray light by about 95%. Have researched commercially available option but came to expensive, hence designed my own. Roughly 4m tall by 3m wide. Advantages are: - significantly darkens garden for observing - cheap - lightweight - rolls up and easily stored away - can be used in light winds - parts can be bought from diy stores - came to about £40 total for parts Materials: - 2x 50x50mm fence post - 2x 4m wooden length wood poles - 2x 200cmx50cmx50cm fence posts for support - Felt nails - Staples - 6x 80cm nuts/bolts - 2x 12mx1m roll garden weed mat Steps: 1: lay out the 2 wooden poles to desired width 2: Measure out the weed mat and cut to double length poles are apart - this is to ensure best light block 3: Using felt nails tack the mat to first and second poles, ensuring each end is tacked to poles 4: repeat again for next level down depending on height of block. Since the weed mat is 1m 'high' i used 3x separate lengths cut to size 5: staple the gaps together to ensure light doesnt pass through 6: Match up the fence post to the wooden pole and drill 3x holes equal distance apart using appropriate side drill. Bolt the pole to the fence pole for sturdyness. Repeat for other side 7: site the 2x fence post holders desired width apart and hammer into ground using a driving tool 8: You should be ready to go - test the light block Finished pictures below. Hope it's useful! Jamie