Mark in Macc

Hi all, it's been a while since I was on the forum due to work and home life pressures, but I have recently been enthused by an astro friend of mine who purchased a StarSense for his AVX mount. I have a CG5-GT mount purchased around 2010 (one of the last ones I think) and I'm interested to know if anyone has any experience with this set up. My mount is bulletproof and never fails me. I know it's getting on a bit, but I don't really need to update at the moment for visual only. A few questions below if anyone can help:

Where to attach the StarSense camera? I have a C9.25 with finder scope attached. Does the StarSense replace the finder scope or should it be installed as well as the finder scope? If so, then where can it be attached on the OTA?

Do new StarSense units still need to have the firmware updated out of the box? Are they now shipped with up to date firmware?

Will I need to update the firmware on my mount?

Are there still some versions of the CG5-GT mount that are not compatible? If so, how do I find out if my mount is compatible or not?

 

Questions, questions....

I have a pair of 15 mm NLVs that I use in binos and they are just ok size wise. I think the bodies are a similar size to the SLVs. If you have a large conk, they might feel a bit crowded. 25 mm TV plossls are excellent though. They would be my choice, and are already.

What is lens pen for?Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

They are for cleaning lenses and comprise of a carbon pad at one end and a brush at the other. They come in 2 sizes, standard and mini for smaller lenses.

I've just noticed that Alan has started selling eyepiece bags at Skysthelimit. Might be worth a look. Looks like there are a few other new items in his shop as well.

Looks great. What's the one on the top left?

Getting on pretty well with the Starguiders so added the 25mm and 5mm. Thought the 5mm was a bit of icing on the cake and wouldn't be used much but it seems to be very easy to get on with. Looking forward to trying it on Jupiter. I also bought a UHC filter from Alan. Not entirely sure about the filter. It darkens the sky well but it is quite fierce - really does turn stars very green indeed. The Pleiades were spectacular in their greeny wonderfulness...I might come round to it...the jury is out.

I meant this set of course.

Having laid my hands on the BST starguiders I have spent a pleasant morning playing with my Maplin box and a craft knife. It looks kind of neat (apart from the bottoms of the holes which are a relief map of the moon - there is presumably an art to sculpting foam but it eludes me).

Nice set. You need to complete it though with the 15

Nice glass. Would be good to hear what you think of the 14mm. very envious.

I forgot to mention, I can seal the box when I'm observing so that the contents remains dew-free.

This is my slightly different approach to storing EPs. Welcome to my binobox. Consisting of a 7L Sainsbury's Klip Lock food container, lined with foam from a Decathlon camping mat, containing individual mini plastic boxes for my EPs (lined of course). The WO binos are ready loaded with 2 x WO 20mm WA EPs and have a 2" adapter permanently attached to the nosepiece so that I can swap between binos and my 2" EPs without breaking stride. The mini boxes contain my 25mm TV Plossls and my 15 mm Vixen NLVs. Sweet.

Looking good. They obviously found a good home