What did the postman bring? V2

[Littleguy80]

Couldn’t believe my luck when this came up on ABS on Easter Sunday! I have a birthday coming up so I’m putting it away for that. Should give some time for the clouds to clear 😉

[Stu]

1 minute ago, Littleguy80 said:

Couldn’t believe my luck when this came up on ABS on Easter Sunday! I have a birthday coming up so I’m putting it away for that. Should give some time for the clouds to clear 😉

Excellent! Reckon you’ll love that Neil 👍

[Littleguy80]

39 minutes ago, Stu said:

Excellent! Reckon you’ll love that Neil 👍

Thanks Stu! It looks fab. Looking forward to giving it a go  

[Space Oddities]

I got a small backpack from Lowepro, to carry my newly acquired FC-76DCU. It's a tight fit, but it fits!

The backpack is really nice and light, but quite rigid like a shell, and seems to offer a good protection. 

I could fit the two halves of the scope, as well as my Sightron Alt-Az mount and its handles. There's still some room left for a finder, a few eyepieces, tools, a book or tablet, cables, etc. Oh and the rings and dovetail bar that I forgot to put in here!

The tripod can be attached to the side, but that depends on the tripod obviously...  

Overall I am happy with my purchase. 139€ is a fair price to be able to bring this beautiful scope to remote places and keep it protected!

[saac]

On 28/03/2024 at 17:38, Ratlet said:

I'm wanting to build an electronic focuser and whilst there are plans available I figure it would be a good idea to actually try and understand electronics and programming (my job now involves both).  Won't be building a focuser with this, but will at least understand it a bit better.  I get stressed doing things without understanding why I'm doing it.

Figure this would be a good place to start.  Figure with the lack of clear skies I can spend an hour or so a night doing the projects.

You are going to have a mass of fun with that. Don't forget that you also get the likes of ChatGPT to write some scripts for you to help out with the learning process. Despite ending up buying a ZWO autofocuser I went down the road first of building one using the arduino - well worth it and great fun. 

Jim 

[Ratlet]

19 minutes ago, saac said:

You are going to have a mass of fun with that. Don't forget that you also get the likes of ChatGPT to write some scripts for you to help out with the learning process. Despite ending up buying a ZWO autofocuser I went down the road first of building one using the arduino - well worth it and great fun. 

Jim 

I'm having fun already 🙂.  Thus far I've made a variety of flashing lights, but I'm getting there.  For some reason electricity has always eluded me so it's kind of a challenge to myself this year to understand it.

Also got an eq platform on the build list and maybe an onstep setup.  The really nice thing about it is that I can potter with it whilst it rains!

Edit:  chat gpt is a godsend.  Especially when you can ask a question and then either ask it to rephrase it or (in my case) just say 'make the answer dumber'

Edited April 3 by Ratlet

[saac]

24 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

I'm having fun already 🙂.  Thus far I've made a variety of flashing lights, but I'm getting there.  For some reason electricity has always eluded me so it's kind of a challenge to myself this year to understand it.

Also got an eq platform on the build list and maybe an onstep setup.  The really nice thing about it is that I can potter with it whilst it rains!

Edit:  chat gpt is a godsend.  Especially when you can ask a question and then either ask it to rephrase it or (in my case) just say 'make the answer dumber'

I enjoy the physical side of using Arduino and building the kit but I do not have a head for coding. I used to find it ok but now I just don't seem to be able to find  enough motivation to learn the syntax and commands. ChatGPT, You Tube and Instructables are my Arduino project friends. I was quite chuffed with the digital setting circles we made for the school Dob, the coding was all the work of a very gifted pupil while I did the hardware side   My next project is to try out an all sky camera but I may use a Raspberry Pi for that - lots of examples available for me to learn from  

JIm 

[Ratlet]

1 hour ago, saac said:

I enjoy the physical side of using Arduino and building the kit but I do not have a head for coding. I used to find it ok but now I just don't seem to be able to find  enough motivation to learn the syntax and commands. ChatGPT, You Tube and Instructables are my Arduino project friends. I was quite chuffed with the digital setting circles we made for the school Dob, the coding was all the work of a very gifted pupil while I did the hardware side   My next project is to try out an all sky camera but I may use a Raspberry Pi for that - lots of examples available for me to learn from  

JIm 

If you ever have the time could you make a post showing the digital setting circles?  Sounds really cool.

[Mr_Cat]

Big shout out to @Priestersfor this fantastic filter drawer!!

Very pleased with them.

 

[Nigella Bryant]

Postie brought an eaglemoss tellurium bought from fleebay. Nice little orrery of the Sun, Moon and Earth. Really smooth rotation. Nice addition to my astronomy collection, lol. 

 

 

 

Edited April 4 by Nigella Bryant
Video added

[cajen2]

To scale and no doubt accurate too! 😂

[Nigella Bryant]

27 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

To scale and no doubt accurate too! 😂

It's what they're using for the new Artimus lunar missions to accurately land on the moon, lol 😂 

[Littleguy80]

1 hour ago, Nigella Bryant said:

It's what they're using for the new Artimus lunar missions to accurately land on the moon, lol 😂 

I’m gonna need to buy a brass cog filter now for when I go out observing 

[Stu]

10 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Postie brought an eaglemoss tellurium bought from fleebay. Nice little orrery of the Sun, Moon and Earth. Really smooth rotation. Nice addition to my astronomy collection, lol. 

 

 

 

 

Very nice. I have one unbuilt in a box somewhere, must get round to putting it together 🤪

[Nigella Bryant]

28 minutes ago, Stu said:

Very nice. I have one unbuilt in a box somewhere, must get round to putting it together 🤪

Go on, you know you want to, 😂 

[bottletopburly]

New widefield setup thanks to @AstroGS 🤩 

 

[Ags]

Yummy!

[F15Rules]

Thanks to my good friend Steve (@Saganite) (and Tim, @Franklinof course), my recently acquired Vixen LVW set is now complete..

The new to me 3.5mm will give me 254x in my Vixen SD115S, and with the 1.6x barlow, 406x.

Here's the full set.. (L-R, back to front) - 3.5mm, 5mm, 8mm, 13mm, 17mm, 22mm, 42mm..

Plus decloaked 2" Axiom LX 23mm & 31mm 84 deg UWAs at bottom right..

Scope and Cyclops Eyepiece wise, I'm now done!! 😂

Dave

Edited April 5 by F15Rules
Additional text info

[Mr Spock]

5 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Here's the full set.. (L-R, back to front) - 3.5mm, 5mm, 8mm, 13mm, 17mm, 22mm, 42mm..

One approves of your taste in eyepieces 👍

[Saganite]

8 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Thanks to my good friend Steve (@Saganite) (and Tim, @Franklinof course), my recently acquired Vixen LVW set is now complete..

The new to me 3.5mm will give me 254x in my Vixen SD115S, and with the 1.6x barlow, 406x.

Here's the full set.. (L-R, back to front) - 3.5mm, 5mm, 8mm, 13mm, 17mm, 22mm, 42mm..

Plus decloaked 2" Axiom LX 23mm & 31mm 84 deg UWAs at bottom right..

Scope and Cyclops Eyepiece wise, I'm now done!! 😂

Dave

Very nice Dave, I feel much better now.....

[F15Rules]

33 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

One approves of your taste in eyepieces 👍

An entirely Logical response, Mr.Spock.. - thank you, and live long and prosper! 🖖🖖🖖

[LukeTheNuke]

1 hour ago, Ags said:

Yummy!

Gosh, I am so out of date. What is this? A Ritchey-Chrétien? To my untrained eye, it looks like an insane, fat refractor, that could be very exciting. Anyway, congrats, it looks like a potent scope! Will this be for imaging or visual or both?

Edited April 5 by LukeTheNuke

[Ags]

Yes it is an RC6, 154mm f9. It is primarily for imaging but will see how it goes visually too.

[Captain Scarlet]

A couple of packages from USA, one from Starlight Instruments and one from Stellarvue, each containing adapters to be able to fit my Feathertouch to my Stellarvue scope.

Storm Kathleen just coming through so it’s going to be a few days before I can give First Light.

Magnus

 

[Saganite]

On 03/04/2024 at 17:52, Littleguy80 said:

Couldn’t believe my luck when this came up on ABS on Easter Sunday! I have a birthday coming up so I’m putting it away for that. Should give some time for the clouds to clear 😉

Hi Neil,

After our discussion on the riser for the Berlebach Castor, I thought of you when I saw this up for sale, and I am pleased that you got it.  What a result.....

Edited April 5 by Saganite