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Hints, Tips and Trickery

Cinderhella

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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On 1/23/2018 at 15:29, Cinderhella said:

I've had the chance to try out a Newt/Dob and the viewer was a wee bit awkward to reach without craning my neck just a tad too much and with needing to have my powerchair reclined to simply sit...

Well, there were some choice complaints from my upper torso and I have pretty bruise to mark the occasion!

Happy days LOL

Im racking (and wrecking) my brain to think of a perfectly usable set up for you and your chair. I know powerchairs can be big and bulky, and getting the front of the chair between tripod legs comes with its own issues. Scope wise, the eyepiece has to be at the back end.....nearest you. This means a refractor scope. 

EQ mounts honestly are a no go, so Alt-Az is the way forward. You still maybe have the problem of wheelchair fitting between tripod legs. It may not be an issue. Im thinking is there any way to possibly attach a small refractor scope onto a parralellagram mount which is usually used for binoculars.

A few yrs ago i knew a guy in America who was an avid bird watcher.One of his mates who is confined to a powerchair, was also into it and he had a small parralellagram mount attached to his wheelchair which allowed a small spotting scope or binoculars to be attached. He also had a table type contraption across the front of the chair with a camera/tabletop tripod attached so he could take images of the birds. Im sure he paid to have his chair rigged up like this. 

My point is, that it can be done. It doesnt really need to cost a small fortune either. If you can find someone who is technically minded (quite a few people here build all sorts of rigs), they could probably come up with something.

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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I've been looking at wheelchair tablet mounts as a lot of them are extremely stable for holding heavier goods, but I'm not wholly sure if one would take a tabletop, though.

What I might do is give FLO a ring on the morror and ask their advice. It's the big, giant six wheel behemoth that's the main issue because it's not just bulky, it's also clumsy when it comes to small movements even on the lowest speed setting. If I didn't need the recline and shock absorbing, I'd be pleading for a different chair!

I truly hate time delay on wheelchairs!

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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I have a rather unsavoury set of neighbours that enjoy being bullies.

To the point where there's a residents meeting next week, so hopefully something will be done about them and then I could have a little pedastal or something on my lawn without fear of complaining, whining or all out destruction.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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4 minutes ago, Cinderhella said:

I've been looking at wheelchair tablet mounts as a lot of them are extremely stable for holding heavier goods, but I'm not wholly sure if one would take a tabletop, though.

What I might do is give FLO a ring on the morror and ask their advice. It's the big, giant six wheel behemoth that's the main issue because it's not just bulky, it's also clumsy when it comes to small movements even on the lowest speed setting. If I didn't need the recline and shock absorbing, I'd be pleading for a different chair!

I truly hate time delay on wheelchairs!

There are a couple of other options. One is remote observing where you hook a telescope up to a camera/laptop and control it from the comfort of inside your home. A lot of members here do this. The other option is binocular astronomy.......get the biggest pair of bins you can afford/manage and attach them to a parralellagram mount (which can stay outside). Binocular astronomy is what ive done most of my life and its brilliant and easy and set up takes no time. Most members here who own a scope of any sort, will also have a pair of bins. 

You do have options. Nothing is outside of your reach/aim.

Good idea about talking to FLO. They will surely be able to help you or point you in the right direction. One thing that they simply will not do is sell you something that is useless to you, or shrug you off.

*love your ever changing pics*

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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15 minutes ago, Cinderhella said:

I have a rather unsavoury set of neighbours that enjoy being bullies.

To the point where there's a residents meeting next week, so hopefully something will be done about them and then I could have a little pedastal or something on my lawn without fear of complaining, whining or all out destruction.

Its your property?. You either pay rent or own it. You can do what you like and the neighbours cant say diddly. Once you dont erect anything which blocks out sunlight to their property, you are good to go.

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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Thank you for the compliment on my FB profile photo! It was taken during a film noir B&W shoot in September of last year.

You're absolutely right in that nothing is impossible! Just ask the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park about life finding a way :D

I think talking with FLO will be the way to go here, I think, and also been giving a lot more thought to binoculars, even with my plans to purchase the Vixen SG 2.1 quirky bins! They are out and out adorable LOL

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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2 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Its your property?. You either pay rent or own it. You can do what you like and the neighbours cant say diddly. Once you dont erect anything which blocks out sunlight to their property, you are good to go.

That's very true. Also true is that they're extremely petty and childish and do things such as park their work van to where another neighbour can't access her gas and electricity box, then pretend they just got back from holiday in order to stop said work van from being towed. They're very, very vindictive and I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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10 minutes ago, Cinderhella said:

Thank you for the compliment on my FB profile photo! It was taken during a film noir B&W shoot in September of last year.

You're absolutely right in that nothing is impossible! Just ask the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park about life finding a way :D

I think talking with FLO will be the way to go here, I think, and also been giving a lot more thought to binoculars, even with my plans to purchase the Vixen SG 2.1 quirky bins! They are out and out adorable LOL

Ive thought about buying a set of Quirky, just for the hell of it. A couple of members have them and say they are great.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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28 minutes ago, Cinderhella said:

It's been such a struggle to resist them, I tell you that!

I just looked at them again. I thought they were more expensive than they are. Something to look at in the future. Im still getting over the shock of having to pay 350 euros VAT today on a Hydrogen Alpha filter that i ordered a couple of weeks ago and paid 1K for.

Its for observing prominences on the Sun. 

I have to laugh at the word "cheap".

 

QuarkAd.jpg

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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11 minutes ago, Cinderhella said:

I've made my decision and giving the Startravel 120 AZ3 a go. Got a moon and light pollution filter in there before I upgrade the eyepieces.

Nice scope from what i can gather about it. 120mm refractor.....not to be scoffed at. The AZ3 mount would drive me nuts because of the slo-mo controls. Im not a fan myself, but they do work well (just not with frozen fingers). 

Where did/are you buying from?.

The light pollution filter may come in handy, but the Moon filter may not.

Well done for grabbing the bull by the horns. I hope it works out for you. Let us know. If not, you can return it or sell it on without losing too much cash.

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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This is where my shiny pair of gloves will come in handy! I sewed extra lining on the inside as to keep the bulk down and make them as toasty as possible in chilled English weather. They're not waterproof, unfortunately, but we can't have everything.

And I've just spied an ad for Quirky.

I want Quirky.

ETA: The slow-mo controls are one of the reasons for my purchase. My pain meds run to four times stronger than Morphine, so I can be a bit a fluffbomb when it comes gadgetry in general. The slower something moves, the more control I feel I have and so the mount sounds to be ideal for me.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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OK great. The slo-mo controls sound ideal for you. 

Ive given up on trying to find gloves for wheelchair users. Ive tried cheap rugby gloves with grip on the palms, middle of the road priced ones and expensive gloves designed specially for wheelchair users.

None of them work. Im  now thinking of buying a pair of gloves that scaffolders use...............not for astronomy, but every day use.

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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You not tried cyclist gloves or motorcycle gloves? If you buy a pair a size bigger, you can stitch a thin, warmer lining to the insides and they work really well.

Will DM you a few links that could well be a game changer for you. Hang on a tick, marra. We'll get you sorted with a pair of hand socks :D

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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I just ordered a pair of these: They look like they are durable. They are weight lifter,cyclist,wheelchair gloves. Look to be full finger gloves or fingerless.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PADDED-LEATHER-CYCLING-TRAINING-FITNESS/dp/B0114KWRXC/ref=pd_cart_vw_2_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0114KWRXC&pd_rd_r=1H2FHG946RQ7R9X8N5JX&pd_rd_w=w1Dif&pd_rd_wg=Cl00a&psc=1&refRID=1H2FHG946RQ7R9X8N5JX

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Cinderhella

Cinderhella

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A tip for everyone buying a telescope.

Always have your phone charged when you make your purchase. If you do not, you may end up with an accusation of fraud because you're not purchasing your usual stuffs and have a validation code sent to your battery dead mobile phone...

Such fun.

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JOC

JOC

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Wow, this thread clicks along at a fair pace when I turn my back on it for a while.  I'm pleased the hear that you think you have something to try.  I had also wondered about some of that kit the binocular guys use.  There was a picture posted last year of someone's setup - it might have been in buy and sell, a big......well......yes.....parallelogram as was noted above.  It kind of stretched out and allowed the binoculars to dangle down in the line of sight rather than being held up in the line of sight, which I think might be quite useful as a concept for you.  I looked at the picture for a long time before I worked out how the mount worked.  There was some, wonderful mathematical principle in operation which kind of maintained the balance as the binoculars were pointed in different directions.  Fascinating, even if you have already found a different alternative.  My apology for rambling, but interesting that someone else had also considered offering it as a suggestion as I think it would be useful

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