The little things that perfect a setup

[The60mmKid]

I enjoy adding little touches that make my setups a joy to use. For example:

Clamping the eyepiece tray to the counterweight bar allows the eyepieces to act as the counterweight while keeping them within easy reach 😎

I'm curious whether others have tips and tricks to share.

[John]

That is a very nice setup 🙂

Is the scope a Ceravolo ?

The "little thing" that makes my observing much more enjoyable are the double glazed french windows between my usual observing spot  on the patio and our dining room. 95% of my observing is done within 2 metres of this warm room which I can easily pop in and out from to change eyepieces, consult a star chart, post on SGL, have a warm drink etc, etc. The scopes live in the room as well so that makes putting them out and popping them back in easy as well.

Without this I would not be in the hobby I reckon 🙄

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by John

[The60mmKid]

7 minutes ago, John said:

That is a very nice setup 🙂

Is the scope a Ceravolo ?

The "little thing" that makes my observing much more enjoyable are the double glazed french windows between my usual observing spot  on the patio and our dining room. 95% of my observing is done within 2 metres of this warm room which I can easily pop in and out from to change eyepieces, consult a star chart, post on SGL, have a warm drink etc, etc. The scopes live in the room as well so that makes putting them out and popping them back in easy as well.

Without this I would not be in the hobby I reckon 🙄

 

Thank you! Yes: Ceravolo HD-145. I feel incredibly lucky to own it.

I hear you about comfort. For a time, I'd observe with a binocular telescope from inside a room in my house. The windows looked out onto a decent portion of sky. Needless to say, the image was significantly degraded by the glass window. But I used low magnification, and it was so nice and warm, so I could just sit there sipping tea, listening to music, and gazing at M42 or the moon for an hour at a time. Not bad at all.

Edited December 2, 2023 by The60mmKid

[Franklin]

47 minutes ago, John said:

The "little thing" that makes my observing much more enjoyable are the double glazed french windows between my usual observing spot  on the patio and our dining room.

I get the appeal of your "little thing" and am envious. My back garden only has access from the side of the house and it is an absolute pain going back and forth. The side door is in full view of the street and I'm sure all the neighbors must see the door opening and closing throughout the night and think I'm a complete lunatic!😁

[Franklin]

1 hour ago, The60mmKid said:

I enjoy adding little touches that make my setups a joy to use.

The APZ looks a good fit on the SW pillar, I wish they still made the taller version.

[The60mmKid]

Just now, Franklin said:

The APZ looks a good fit on the SW pillar, I wish they still made the taller version.

The APZ/SW pillar is a great combo! SW makes a 16" extension, which I bought from FLO. But I think it makes the setup too tall for my purposes. It would work nicely with a 4" or 5" refractor, though.

[Franklin]

Just now, The60mmKid said:

The APZ/SW pillar is a great combo! SW makes a 16" extension, which I bought from FLO. But I think it makes the setup too tall for my purposes. It would work nicely with a 4" or 5" refractor, though.

Yes, I think the SW pillar plus extension is the only option available currently for refractors users. Orion US used to sell three different height pillars in black but I haven't seen the taller one for years.

[IB20]

3 hours ago, John said:

That is a very nice setup 🙂

Is the scope a Ceravolo ?

The "little thing" that makes my observing much more enjoyable are the double glazed french windows between my usual observing spot  on the patio and our dining room. 95% of my observing is done within 2 metres of this warm room which I can easily pop in and out from to change eyepieces, consult a star chart, post on SGL, have a warm drink etc, etc. The scopes live in the room as well so that makes putting them out and popping them back in easy as well.

Without this I would not be in the hobby I reckon 🙄

 

Agree with this. Have a similar configuration. Keep all scope caps and eyepieces in there too. It’s really handy when there are cloudy moments as I can nip back inside and flick the kettle on or have a neb at SkySafari or SGL. 

In summer when the heat differences aren’t as huge, I sometimes sit in the house and have the scope on the doorstep. 😅

[Stu]

4 hours ago, The60mmKid said:

I enjoy adding little touches that make my setups a joy to use. For example:

Clamping the eyepiece tray to the counterweight bar allows the eyepieces to act as the counterweight while keeping them within easy reach 😎

I'm curious whether others have tips and tricks to share.

I’m just hoping that the CW bar doesn’t rotate with the scope 😱😱😱🤣.

Neat idea.

Nothing revolutionary from me other than getting to a setup which just works with minimal changes. For instance, my solar white light setup I spent a long time refining until I got it to a stage where I’m happy it delivers the best images and I don’t need to mess around with different eyepieces. I generally keep the same eyepieces in the binoviewer and just vary the mag by using extension tubes, very simple. Best of all, the whole rig is a very easy one handed lift into the garden.

So I guess the moral is find a setup that works and then just enjoy the views. I have loads of gear that I don’t want to sell but which only gets occasional use so I don’t practise what I preach necessarily! 🤪

[900SL]

Its typically -10c or lower here. The absolute best little add on has been a Slate 5.5v router, which has extended the ASI range by 10m, so I can now sit indoors for image capture and mount control.

[The60mmKid]

44 minutes ago, Stu said:

I’m just hoping that the CW bar doesn’t rotate with the scope 😱😱😱🤣.

That scenario played out in my mind many times! "The maiden, and final, voyage of the otherwise really good looking setup..." Thankfully, the bar doesn't rotate on the APZ 🌚

[Franklin]

Just now, The60mmKid said:

Thankfully, the bar doesn't rotate on the APZ 🌚

What does the scope weigh and do you use a counterweight on the bar or just the eyepieces and tray?

[The60mmKid]

Just now, Franklin said:

What does the scope weigh and do you use a counterweight on the bar or just the eyepieces and tray?

Scope weighs 14lbs. Four 100° eyepieces weigh ~6lbs. Thoughts?

[Swoop1]

The little lecturn to raise my laptop to standing height- so much easier to focus when the screen is at a vierwable height.

[The60mmKid]

Just now, Swoop1 said:

The little lecturn to raise my laptop to standing height- so much easier to focus when the screen is at a vierwable height.

Borrowed long-term from the local uni? 😉

[bosun21]

1 hour ago, 900SL said:

Its typically -10c or lower here. The absolute best little add on has been a Slate 5.5v router, which has extended the ASI range by 10m, so I can now sit indoors for image capture and mount control.

Is the router connected to the Asiair by means of an Ethernet cable? I am considering going this route myself and I’d be very happy with an additional 10m.

[Franklin]

1 hour ago, The60mmKid said:

Scope weighs 14lbs. Four 100° eyepieces weigh ~6lbs. Thoughts?

I use an ED102 weighing around 5kg with the APZ and 1.65kg conical weight and it seems to be working fine. I did try using the long bar and weights equal to the scope but do not think it matters that much.

[Swoop1]

2 hours ago, The60mmKid said:

Borrowed long-term from the local uni? 😉

Cobbled together from a dismantled chest of drawers.

Only cost me a handful of screws.

[900SL]

3 hours ago, bosun21 said:

Is the router connected to the Asiair by means of an Ethernet cable? I am considering going this route myself and I’d be very happy with an additional 10m.

Yes, it works great. My tablet WiFi connects to the Slate router. If you need details of router and set up let me know

[bosun21]

15 hours ago, 900SL said:

Yes, it works great. My tablet WiFi connects to the Slate router. If you need details of router and set up let me know

Thanks. I am looking at this router

 https://amzn.eu/d/2zlby

What distance do you place the router from the Asiair? This method seems to be the resolution to my WiFi range I am looking for.

 

[Elp]

10 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Asiair

Which air are you using and what is the total distance you need to cover through what housing materials?

[bosun21]

32 minutes ago, Elp said:

Which air are you using and what is the total distance you need to cover through what housing materials?

It's the plus and I haven't actually measured it but it's on the edge of reception of the air. It cuts out about 3-4m short. The material is basically glass patio doors.

[Elp]

Get a cheap SMA extension cable, unscrew the existing aerial, insert SMA cable, screw aerial back onto the other end of cable. Make sure the SMA cable has the correct terminal types (male centre pin etc same as the connecting parts). Range will magically be better from the off. I don't know how they test these devices but the Pro and Plus v1 should never have been released like this considering they advertise WiFi use as a feature (before comments come in, the Pros wifi was/is woeful, sometimes it wouldn't even connect with my phone directly next to the unit), the minis WiFi propogation has been excellent and as expected decent range from the off.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Elp

[900SL]

7 hours ago, bosun21 said:

Thanks. I am looking at this router

 https://amzn.eu/d/2zlby

What distance do you place the router from the Asiair? This method seems to be the resolution to my WiFi range I am looking for.

 

I mount the Slate near to the ASI. It will operate on 5Ghz or 2.4GHz, I use 2.4GHz for longer range. Power from the auxiliary power port on a Pegasus mini power box

It also works as a hub, I have a Vixen mount and control is via Starbook 10, I can connect this to the Slate with ethernet cable, then ASI controls everything. Range is at least 10 m through triple glazing 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by 900SL

[Elp]

Windows don't really affect WiFi signal that much (why mobile phones tend to be glass and plastic backed). I can have my phone in line of site to the setup at countertop height (so in line of sight through brick) and the signal will drop, lift the phone up to window height and the signal comes back.