Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?)
OK, I finally powered up the CGEM a little while ago. The menu is fairly intuitive, and start-up isn't as intimidating as I thought. After all these decades, Celestron still can't write a top-notch user manual. Close enough, put the money into the mount instead of the technical writing department. It's not as noisy as some people tried to make me believe. Certainly not offensively loud, although not as quiet during the slew as my little Tele-Track mount. And when tracking, it is absolutely silent. The GPS accessory makes alignment a breeze. I've got the 80mm ED on there now and will be swapping it out for the 100mm ED shortly. I'll set it up for full visual, with 50mm finder, reflex sight, 2" diagonal and the heaviest EP in the box- probably my UO 40mm 7/70. It's "refractor night" in the basement. I have 2 Losmandy dovetail plates in-hand, and as soon as 2 more arrive that have been on back-order for a couple of weeks, I'll set up the mount for my 6" f/8 Newtonian and go planet hunting. On 5/11/10, Rob Ratkowski Photography <ratkwski@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Chuck
either way HAVE FUN!!!!
Aloha Rob
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They put their money where their mount is ... ________________________________ From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 8:41:00 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) OK, I finally powered up the CGEM a little while ago. The menu is fairly intuitive, and start-up isn't as intimidating as I thought. After all these decades, Celestron still can't write a top-notch user manual. Close enough, put the money into the mount instead of the technical writing department. It's not as noisy as some people tried to make me believe. Certainly not offensively loud, although not as quiet during the slew as my little Tele-Track mount. And when tracking, it is absolutely silent. The GPS accessory makes alignment a breeze. I've got the 80mm ED on there now and will be swapping it out for the 100mm ED shortly. I'll set it up for full visual, with 50mm finder, reflex sight, 2" diagonal and the heaviest EP in the box- probably my UO 40mm 7/70. It's "refractor night" in the basement. I have 2 Losmandy dovetail plates in-hand, and as soon as 2 more arrive that have been on back-order for a couple of weeks, I'll set up the mount for my 6" f/8 Newtonian and go planet hunting. On 5/11/10, Rob Ratkowski Photography <ratkwski@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Chuck
either way HAVE FUN!!!!
Aloha Rob
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Hey Chuck, will you be bringing it to either/both of the SPOC open houses this weekend? patrick p.s. Sun viewing starts at 6. On 12 May 2010, at 20:41, Chuck Hards wrote:
OK, I finally powered up the CGEM a little while ago. The menu is fairly intuitive, and start-up isn't as intimidating as I thought. After all these decades, Celestron still can't write a top-notch user manual. Close enough, put the money into the mount instead of the technical writing department.
It's not as noisy as some people tried to make me believe. Certainly not offensively loud, although not as quiet during the slew as my little Tele-Track mount. And when tracking, it is absolutely silent.
The GPS accessory makes alignment a breeze.
I've got the 80mm ED on there now and will be swapping it out for the 100mm ED shortly. I'll set it up for full visual, with 50mm finder, reflex sight, 2" diagonal and the heaviest EP in the box- probably my UO 40mm 7/70. It's "refractor night" in the basement.
I have 2 Losmandy dovetail plates in-hand, and as soon as 2 more arrive that have been on back-order for a couple of weeks, I'll set up the mount for my 6" f/8 Newtonian and go planet hunting.
Patrick, I doubt that will make it Friday, but Saturday remains a possibility as of now. I still haven't received my aluminum case for transporting the equatorial head. It is supposed to be here tomorrow. So if I can install the die-cut foam and otherwise put together some kind of transportation procedure by then, I could make it Saturday, stay tuned. This is a LOT more gear to haul around than my old "little" equatorial mount, or a Dob. I put the 100mm ED on there last night with WO 2" enhanced diagonal and my UO 40mm 7/70 ep (some 30 years old!). The mount was just slewing it's little heart out and never skipped a beat. A 4" refractor isn't even close to being a test for this mount. I'm going to mount the 80mm and the 100mm side-by-side as soon as I can buy the tandem adapter. On 5/13/10, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> wrote:
Hey Chuck, will you be bringing it to either/both of the SPOC open houses this weekend?
Be sure to download the latest software manual and hardware firmware versions for the mount. If it is like my CGE, the manual that comes with the mount and the firmware is several versions out of date. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 8:41 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) OK, I finally powered up the CGEM a little while ago. The menu is fairly intuitive, and start-up isn't as intimidating as I thought. After all these decades, Celestron still can't write a top-notch user manual. Close enough, put the money into the mount instead of the technical writing department. It's not as noisy as some people tried to make me believe. Certainly not offensively loud, although not as quiet during the slew as my little Tele-Track mount. And when tracking, it is absolutely silent. The GPS accessory makes alignment a breeze. I've got the 80mm ED on there now and will be swapping it out for the 100mm ED shortly. I'll set it up for full visual, with 50mm finder, reflex sight, 2" diagonal and the heaviest EP in the box- probably my UO 40mm 7/70. It's "refractor night" in the basement. I have 2 Losmandy dovetail plates in-hand, and as soon as 2 more arrive that have been on back-order for a couple of weeks, I'll set up the mount for my 6" f/8 Newtonian and go planet hunting. On 5/11/10, Rob Ratkowski Photography <ratkwski@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Chuck
either way HAVE FUN!!!!
Aloha Rob
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Chuck: If you need the USB to 9 pin Ser. adapter and/or patch cord they can be had easily enough but I have the setup here in my desk drawer and will gladly loan it to you if you want to update your hand box. No need to buy one right now, save the $30+ until you are up to speed on you rmount. Steve
From: djcolton@piol.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 13:25:53 -0600 Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?)
Be sure to download the latest software manual and hardware firmware versions for the mount. If it is like my CGE, the manual that comes with the mount and the firmware is several versions out of date.
-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 8:41 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?)
OK, I finally powered up the CGEM a little while ago. The menu is fairly intuitive, and start-up isn't as intimidating as I thought. After all these decades, Celestron still can't write a top-notch user manual. Close enough, put the money into the mount instead of the technical writing department.
It's not as noisy as some people tried to make me believe. Certainly not offensively loud, although not as quiet during the slew as my little Tele-Track mount. And when tracking, it is absolutely silent.
The GPS accessory makes alignment a breeze.
I've got the 80mm ED on there now and will be swapping it out for the 100mm ED shortly. I'll set it up for full visual, with 50mm finder, reflex sight, 2" diagonal and the heaviest EP in the box- probably my UO 40mm 7/70. It's "refractor night" in the basement.
I have 2 Losmandy dovetail plates in-hand, and as soon as 2 more arrive that have been on back-order for a couple of weeks, I'll set up the mount for my 6" f/8 Newtonian and go planet hunting.
On 5/11/10, Rob Ratkowski Photography <ratkwski@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Chuck
either way HAVE FUN!!!!
Aloha Rob
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Thanks, Don and Steve. Included with the mount is a cable that's a 9-pin serial connector on one end, and a phone-style jack that plugs into the hand control on the other. After perusing the Celestron site, I've determined that this cable will work. It's actually included in the package for using the computer to control the telescope. A CD is included with it with the neccesary control software. But NOWHERE in the manual is upgrading the firmware mentioned. It's buried on the Celestron webiste, but it is there. They have a decent Q&A page and that's where I found the link to the upgrade download. I didn't try a site-based search, perhaps that would have gotten me there faster. I'm trying to absorb all I can. This is only my second "GoTo" mount and while not terribly more complex than my first one, which is alt-az, this one is quite a bit more capable and there is much to absorb for a guy who's mind is still wrapped around synchronous motors and setting circles, lol. I may play with it as-is for a few days before I upgrade the controller, we'll see. Now, here's an engineering question: Would it be better to use the smaller counterweight, further out on the dec. shaft, or a heavier weight, closer-in? The difference is only 6 lbs. I'm thinking less total mass on the mount is good, but then a longer moment-arm may contribute to vibration. Thoughts?
Excellent! They include it. Someone at Celestron is using their head. Do you have a computer with a 9 pin serial? I couldn't agree more with you. Use the mount for a short while then work with upgrades. My experience has been that weight further out does add to the vibration. Kind of a tuning fork thing, ya know? I'll bet you could ask a hundred people and the answers would be 50/50.
Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 21:07:27 -0600 From: chuck.hards@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?)
Thanks, Don and Steve.
Included with the mount is a cable that's a 9-pin serial connector on one end, and a phone-style jack that plugs into the hand control on the other. After perusing the Celestron site, I've determined that this cable will work. It's actually included in the package for using the computer to control the telescope. A CD is included with it with the neccesary control software.
But NOWHERE in the manual is upgrading the firmware mentioned. It's buried on the Celestron webiste, but it is there. They have a decent Q&A page and that's where I found the link to the upgrade download. I didn't try a site-based search, perhaps that would have gotten me there faster. I'm trying to absorb all I can. This is only my second "GoTo" mount and while not terribly more complex than my first one, which is alt-az, this one is quite a bit more capable and there is much to absorb for a guy who's mind is still wrapped around synchronous motors and setting circles, lol.
I may play with it as-is for a few days before I upgrade the controller, we'll see.
Now, here's an engineering question:
Would it be better to use the smaller counterweight, further out on the dec. shaft, or a heavier weight, closer-in? The difference is only 6 lbs. I'm thinking less total mass on the mount is good, but then a longer moment-arm may contribute to vibration.
Thoughts?
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OK, I just found the King of Counterweights. Patrick can feel like the Paramount weights are a bargain: Astro Physics lists a 30-pounder for their "El Capitan" $27K mount: 30SCWT $365.00 On 5/13/10, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes I do. I'm attaching the cable now, so I don't lose it. ;o)
On 5/13/10, Steve FISHER <sfisher01@msn.com> wrote:
Excellent! They include it. Someone at Celestron is using their head. Do you have a computer with a 9 pin serial?
Ouch! Ah, but I see in today's (13 May) paper that Garfield the Cat is a big fan of the Paramount ME (known amongst Paramount users as the "ME"). http://www.garfield.com/comics/todayscomic.html LOL, patrick On 13 May 2010, at 23:34, Chuck Hards wrote:
OK, I just found the King of Counterweights. Patrick can feel like the Paramount weights are a bargain:
Astro Physics lists a 30-pounder for their "El Capitan" $27K mount:
30SCWT $365.00
Anybody see the Beetle Bailey comic the other day where Miss Buxley was talking about her love of stars? ________________________________ From: Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Thu, May 13, 2010 11:46:07 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) Ouch! Ah, but I see in today's (13 May) paper that Garfield the Cat is a big fan of the Paramount ME (known amongst Paramount users as the "ME"). http://www.garfield.com/comics/todayscomic.html LOL, patrick On 13 May 2010, at 23:34, Chuck Hards wrote:
OK, I just found the King of Counterweights. Patrick can feel like the Paramount weights are a bargain:
Astro Physics lists a 30-pounder for their "El Capitan" $27K mount:
30SCWT $365.00
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As I was installing the serial cable on my computer for eventual firmware upgrade to the hand controller, I started looking at the manual for the computer control software. I have no immediate plans to use the computer to control the mount, but thought I'd install the software just to satisfy my curiosity about the user interface and various controls. Well, the included CD was cracked, broken, and not useable. I have emailed the seller, High Point Scientific, asking about a replacement. Stay tuned for their response. BTW, I got this mount for $1250.00, with free shipping. It was sold at a discount for no reason other than the factory seal on one of the cartons had been breached. It is brand-new and under warranty. So far, it works flawlessly.
Chuck, it might be possible to download the same info from the company's website. Just a thought -- Joe ________________________________ From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Thu, May 13, 2010 11:53:05 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) As I was installing the serial cable on my computer for eventual firmware upgrade to the hand controller, I started looking at the manual for the computer control software. I have no immediate plans to use the computer to control the mount, but thought I'd install the software just to satisfy my curiosity about the user interface and various controls. Well, the included CD was cracked, broken, and not useable. I have emailed the seller, High Point Scientific, asking about a replacement. Stay tuned for their response. BTW, I got this mount for $1250.00, with free shipping. It was sold at a discount for no reason other than the factory seal on one of the cartons had been breached. It is brand-new and under warranty. So far, it works flawlessly. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
You could be right, Joe, and I plan on checking that out, however, the company owes me a functioning CD (warranty issue that they need to make good on), and if I ever do take a laptop into the field, I'll want the CD along as a backup in case I ever need to re-install the program. On 5/14/10, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com> wrote:
Chuck, it might be possible to download the same info from the company's website. Just a thought -- Joe
The surplus military medical case arrived today. Sometimes, things just fall together nicely, and this is a case in point. The foam from the shipping box fit perfectly into the aluminum case in width, and is about 3" short in length. I will fill that space with foam and tuck some accessories in custom-made pockets- the AC adapter, for instance, and the DC cords will fit in that space nicely, as well as the printed manuals...a spare counterweight should I choose to schlep one around. Even the depth was perfect. I only have to cut the thickness of the top foam in half, and glue it to the army case lid, and I'm done! This just worked out better than I could have hoped. Here's a cell-phone photo showing the foam from the shipping box dropped directly into the aluminum case: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/Mountcase.jpg All that remains is consideration for the tripod. For now I can transport it in it's cardboard shipping container, but I think I'm going to order a padded case from Orion.
very nice Chuck! I love it when things fall into place ;^)
Chuck: That is amazing1 Perfect fit. Will you have to cut much foam to fit the mount in while set at 40° or will you crank it back to the shipping position when transporting? Steve
Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 16:37:35 -0600 From: chuck.hards@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?)
The surplus military medical case arrived today.
Sometimes, things just fall together nicely, and this is a case in point.
The foam from the shipping box fit perfectly into the aluminum case in width, and is about 3" short in length. I will fill that space with foam and tuck some accessories in custom-made pockets- the AC adapter, for instance, and the DC cords will fit in that space nicely, as well as the printed manuals...a spare counterweight should I choose to schlep one around. Even the depth was perfect. I only have to cut the thickness of the top foam in half, and glue it to the army case lid, and I'm done!
This just worked out better than I could have hoped. Here's a cell-phone photo showing the foam from the shipping box dropped directly into the aluminum case:
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/Mountcase.jpg
All that remains is consideration for the tripod. For now I can transport it in it's cardboard shipping container, but I think I'm going to order a padded case from Orion.
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That has yet to be determined, but I do remember when setting it up that lattitude was only off by a couple of degrees, as shipped. I'm hopeful. On 5/14/10, Steve FISHER <sfisher01@msn.com> wrote:
Chuck:
That is amazing! Perfect fit. Will you have to cut much foam to fit the mount in while set at 40° or will you crank it back to the shipping position when transporting?
Saturday night was the "shakedown cruise" for the CGEM at SPOC. I've been studying the user manual all week, got my gear packed reasonably well. For this first night, I selected the Orion 100mm ED. A modest telescope, astronomically speaking, but of very high optical quality. My intent was to get to know the mount, rather than seriously tour the night sky, although I did have some excellent views, including the crescent moon, Venus, Saturn (satisfyingly crisp, 4 moons visible in the 100mm), several galaxies, some double stars, and a globular cluster (small, spherical satellite galaxy of the Milky Way). Of course I forgot to bring the manual so I was navigating the control menu from memory. The week's worth of basement dry-runs paid off and I was able to actually use the scope/mount with some degree of confidence. A high, persistant cirrus softened the DS objects. Before it got truly dark, there was a terrific overflight of the ISS, followed a few minutes later by the Shuttle, steadily overtaking it in orbit. Here is Ann and Alpine relaxing before the fall of darkness: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15014.jpg Part of the lineup of personal scopes: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15013.jpg Here is my friend Brad (left) and his buddy, who have recently taken the Bogdan class. Brad has built his own 6" and 10" Newtonians and came out to check out my CGEM. http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15015.jpg And here is the refractor on the mount, waiting for darkness: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15016.jpg The GoTo actions were extremely precise, after I performed a 5-star alignment/sync. Initially I just did a "quick align" after using the polar scope, which is simply an alignment using the GPS data only. Even that was good enough to place objects somewhere in the field of a low-power eyepiece. Once I did the 5-star alignment, slews were dead-on, even if they involved a meridian swap. Incredible. Other observers noted the lack of backlash when using the hand control to pan around. Very tight, precise slo-mo. My only gripes on the night are minor. Besides forgetting the manual, which I will keep a copy of in the storage case from now on, the battery died in my reflex sight halfway through the night and I forgot to bring a spare. And I actually removed the 50mm finder from the telescope after a while since I wasn't even using it with the GoTo, and it was in the way of the main eyepiece in some tube orientations. When I upgrade the focuser, I will move the finder to a different location. Probably mount it on a tube ring, like the reflex sight. Another thing to remember with a heavy mount is pads for the tripod feet, to keep them from sinking into spongy turf and losing alignment. Bruce had me set-up on the ADA pad since it wasn't a public night and he didn't bring the Celestron out, so I had concrete for last night. Erik, thanks for the idea to turn the storage case into a table by adding some short tubular leg sections! I'm tossing some ideas around to see how I can pull it off without adding any protruberances to the case when the legs are not installed. And BTW, Don's Takahashi Cassegrain displayed an incredible view of Saturn. Don't pass up the chance to look through his scope the next time he brings it out. I am very happy with this mount. All I need is more time with it, to become familiar with it. Thanks to Don and Bruce who had several helpful suggestions and observations.
Great, sounds really promising. --- On Sun, 5/16/10, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote: From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Sunday, May 16, 2010, 1:01 PM Saturday night was the "shakedown cruise" for the CGEM at SPOC. I've been studying the user manual all week, got my gear packed reasonably well. For this first night, I selected the Orion 100mm ED. A modest telescope, astronomically speaking, but of very high optical quality. My intent was to get to know the mount, rather than seriously tour the night sky, although I did have some excellent views, including the crescent moon, Venus, Saturn (satisfyingly crisp, 4 moons visible in the 100mm), several galaxies, some double stars, and a globular cluster (small, spherical satellite galaxy of the Milky Way). Of course I forgot to bring the manual so I was navigating the control menu from memory. The week's worth of basement dry-runs paid off and I was able to actually use the scope/mount with some degree of confidence. A high, persistant cirrus softened the DS objects. Before it got truly dark, there was a terrific overflight of the ISS, followed a few minutes later by the Shuttle, steadily overtaking it in orbit. Here is Ann and Alpine relaxing before the fall of darkness: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15014.jpg Part of the lineup of personal scopes: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15013.jpg Here is my friend Brad (left) and his buddy, who have recently taken the Bogdan class. Brad has built his own 6" and 10" Newtonians and came out to check out my CGEM. http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15015.jpg And here is the refractor on the mount, waiting for darkness: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/May15016.jpg The GoTo actions were extremely precise, after I performed a 5-star alignment/sync. Initially I just did a "quick align" after using the polar scope, which is simply an alignment using the GPS data only. Even that was good enough to place objects somewhere in the field of a low-power eyepiece. Once I did the 5-star alignment, slews were dead-on, even if they involved a meridian swap. Incredible. Other observers noted the lack of backlash when using the hand control to pan around. Very tight, precise slo-mo. My only gripes on the night are minor. Besides forgetting the manual, which I will keep a copy of in the storage case from now on, the battery died in my reflex sight halfway through the night and I forgot to bring a spare. And I actually removed the 50mm finder from the telescope after a while since I wasn't even using it with the GoTo, and it was in the way of the main eyepiece in some tube orientations. When I upgrade the focuser, I will move the finder to a different location. Probably mount it on a tube ring, like the reflex sight. Another thing to remember with a heavy mount is pads for the tripod feet, to keep them from sinking into spongy turf and losing alignment. Bruce had me set-up on the ADA pad since it wasn't a public night and he didn't bring the Celestron out, so I had concrete for last night. Erik, thanks for the idea to turn the storage case into a table by adding some short tubular leg sections! I'm tossing some ideas around to see how I can pull it off without adding any protruberances to the case when the legs are not installed. And BTW, Don's Takahashi Cassegrain displayed an incredible view of Saturn. Don't pass up the chance to look through his scope the next time he brings it out. I am very happy with this mount. All I need is more time with it, to become familiar with it. Thanks to Don and Bruce who had several helpful suggestions and observations. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Ok, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I managed to get the Orion 100mm ED converted to an Antares dual-speed focuser. The Orion screw that broke off was a huge pain in the @ss. I was not able to remove the broken portion, even after drilling a small hole through it and trying back it out with a home-made "easy-out" tool. In fact the drill bit broke and I manged to put a scratch in the beautiful anodizing of the focuser body itself. GRRRRRR! I had to get a diamond bit in a pencil grinder and remove enough of the projecting shard of the broken screw to remove the focuser from the telescope. Then I rotated the adapter 60 degrees and re-drilled and tapped three new mounting holes in it. So now it's FINALLY done and works well. I can't wait to use it with the new focuser. The next scope I intend to adapt to the CGEM is my home-made 6" f/8 Newtonian (see S&T, March '99 issue). I'm trying to decide whether to make my own dovetail plate or buy a commercial one; also whether I should use my home-made tube rings or spend an arm-and-a-leg for aluminum ones from Parallax. Stay tuned.
Be careful if you get the cast aluminum ones from Parallax. They work fine but are brittle. I had a set attached to an 8-inch Mak-Newt in the car and went over a big bump. When I went to get the scope out the rings were both cracked in half. If you get them don't leave them attached to the scope when transporting them. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 6:16 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) Ok, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I managed to get the Orion 100mm ED converted to an Antares dual-speed focuser. The Orion screw that broke off was a huge pain in the @ss. I was not able to remove the broken portion, even after drilling a small hole through it and trying back it out with a home-made "easy-out" tool. In fact the drill bit broke and I manged to put a scratch in the beautiful anodizing of the focuser body itself. GRRRRRR! I had to get a diamond bit in a pencil grinder and remove enough of the projecting shard of the broken screw to remove the focuser from the telescope. Then I rotated the adapter 60 degrees and re-drilled and tapped three new mounting holes in it. So now it's FINALLY done and works well. I can't wait to use it with the new focuser. The next scope I intend to adapt to the CGEM is my home-made 6" f/8 Newtonian (see S&T, March '99 issue). I'm trying to decide whether to make my own dovetail plate or buy a commercial one; also whether I should use my home-made tube rings or spend an arm-and-a-leg for aluminum ones from Parallax. Stay tuned. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Wow, that's surprising. One would expect top quality for those prices. I was also considering their fully rotating rings for my 10" f/6 OTA. On 5/24/10, Don J. Colton <djcolton@piol.com> wrote:
Be careful if you get the cast aluminum ones from Parallax. They work fine but are brittle. I had a set attached to an 8-inch Mak-Newt in the car and went over a big bump. When I went to get the scope out the rings were both cracked in half. If you get them don't leave them attached to the scope when transporting them.
I had the standard hinged rings. It looks like the rotating rings are machined aluminum and probably much stronger. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 12:16 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) Wow, that's surprising. One would expect top quality for those prices. I was also considering their fully rotating rings for my 10" f/6 OTA. On 5/24/10, Don J. Colton <djcolton@piol.com> wrote:
Be careful if you get the cast aluminum ones from Parallax. They work fine but are brittle. I had a set attached to an 8-inch Mak-Newt in the car and went over a big bump. When I went to get the scope out the rings were both cracked in half. If you get them don't leave them attached to the scope when transporting them.
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I replaced the stock focuser on my Orion ED100mm with the Antares/GSO 2-speed focuser and I'm pretty happy with it. Now I'm looking at the William Optics 2-speed focuser and I'm wondering if it is in fact a better unit, or essentially will it perform identically to the A/GSO unit? It is about $50 pricier, but wouldn't require the adapter that the A/GSO focuser requires for the Orion scope. Anybody have an opinion?
Chuck, With all the goodies you have gotten lately, I must conclude that your ship must have come in or maybe your horse. Rodger -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 12:03 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) I replaced the stock focuser on my Orion ED100mm with the Antares/GSO 2-speed focuser and I'm pretty happy with it. Now I'm looking at the William Optics 2-speed focuser and I'm wondering if it is in fact a better unit, or essentially will it perform identically to the A/GSO unit? It is about $50 pricier, but wouldn't require the adapter that the A/GSO focuser requires for the Orion scope. Anybody have an opinion? _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Rodger, I've been saving for this stuff for YEARS. Just spending it all at once. In fact I'm about out of "goody" money for a while. I paid-off my RX-8 this month and that helps, too. But I am saving a few bucks for liver and onions! As an aside, did you know that a large Vlasic Kosher Pickle jar can hold almost $700 in quarters? ;o) On 5/27/10, Rodger C. Fry <rcfry@comcast.net> wrote:
Chuck, With all the goodies you have gotten lately, I must conclude that your ship must have come in or maybe your horse.
OK, El Presidente Hards has made it official. Almost time for L&O. Who wants to go where when? -- 2nd subassistant cruise director Bau --- On Thu, 5/27/10, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote: From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 12:23 PM Rodger, I've been saving for this stuff for YEARS. Just spending it all at once. In fact I'm about out of "goody" money for a while. I paid-off my RX-8 this month and that helps, too. But I am saving a few bucks for liver and onions! As an aside, did you know that a large Vlasic Kosher Pickle jar can hold almost $700 in quarters? ;o) On 5/27/10, Rodger C. Fry <rcfry@comcast.net> wrote:
Chuck, With all the goodies you have gotten lately, I must conclude that your ship must have come in or maybe your horse.
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L & O Expedition Members, Count me in but not this Saturday. Rodger C. Fry -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 1:09 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] L&O (Was: CGEM) (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) -- Non-L&O lovers please delete OK, El Presidente Hards has made it official. Almost time for L&O. Who wants to go where when? -- 2nd subassistant cruise director Bau --- On Thu, 5/27/10, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote: From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 12:23 PM Rodger, I've been saving for this stuff for YEARS. Just spending it all at once. In fact I'm about out of "goody" money for a while. I paid-off my RX-8 this month and that helps, too. But I am saving a few bucks for liver and onions! As an aside, did you know that a large Vlasic Kosher Pickle jar can hold almost $700 in quarters? ;o) On 5/27/10, Rodger C. Fry <rcfry@comcast.net> wrote:
Chuck, With all the goodies you have gotten lately, I must conclude that your ship must have come in or maybe your horse.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Chuck My GSO focuser on my 80mm Orion is a fine unit, the 2 speed focuser w/ my Williams 80mm sticks here and there, mostly in cold weather. I've taken it apart, cleaned and adjusted the focuser and still some places it will not draw out. I think you are fine w/ the GSO plus all Williams repairs are now thru Taiwan. Summer is here!! Rob
Nice! ________________________________ From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Fri, May 14, 2010 4:37:35 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?) The surplus military medical case arrived today. Sometimes, things just fall together nicely, and this is a case in point. The foam from the shipping box fit perfectly into the aluminum case in width, and is about 3" short in length. I will fill that space with foam and tuck some accessories in custom-made pockets- the AC adapter, for instance, and the DC cords will fit in that space nicely, as well as the printed manuals...a spare counterweight should I choose to schlep one around. Even the depth was perfect. I only have to cut the thickness of the top foam in half, and glue it to the army case lid, and I'm done! This just worked out better than I could have hoped. Here's a cell-phone photo showing the foam from the shipping box dropped directly into the aluminum case: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/Mountcase.jpg All that remains is consideration for the tripod. For now I can transport it in it's cardboard shipping container, but I think I'm going to order a padded case from Orion. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
participants (7)
-
Chuck Hards -
Don J. Colton -
Joe Bauman -
Patrick Wiggins -
Rob Ratkowski Photography -
Rodger C. Fry -
Steve FISHER