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Slewing sound frequency
Brian Herbst <dbherbst@...>
Hello,
I am a new owner of a 600EGTO mount and have had a couple of opportunities to use it. One thing that is obvious is that I am going to need an illuminated reticle for the callibration routine. Also, since my left eye is next to useless, I will be anxiously awaiting any polar alignment scope that may be made available (next to impossible for me to focus just one eye to infinity through the RA shaft thus seeing Polaris is very difficult for me). Anyway, I have a question for the veterans here: Is it normal for the mount to fluctuate in sound frequency as it is slewing to objects? I have the slewing speed set at 1200 so I would have expected a uniform motor 'whine' as the slewing is taking place. For the most part that is what I get but occasionally it will briefly go down in frequency (as though it is slowing down) and then recover to the steady whine that I presume represents the proper slewing speed. It seems to be OK regarding the pointing accuracy so maybe I am being picky with my observations?..... Any others here observing the same thing and is this normal? Brian Herbst
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Re: Abell Catalogue and things
Chris,
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All of the 2712 Abell galaxies are included so you can request any number from 1 to 2712. The Abell planetaries are a separate list and are not included in the keypad. We'll be changing the bindings on the manuals. Regarding polar alignment, Arcturus and Aldebaran both lie on a line that goes through the pole and Polaris. Use Capella, Rigel, Sirius, Pollux, etc instead. Marjorie Christen Astro-Physics
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Spratt [mailto:cspratt@...] Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 4:41 PM To: ap-gto@...; Subject: [ap-gto] Abell Catalogue and things I notice that the there are 2715 Abell galaxies listed in the GOTO Keypad listings for my 600E mount. (Not all the Abell objects are covered). Is there a "master" list of these somewhere as I don't want to have to scroll down the entire list and write it out to see what is there. Also, the keypad's (600E Goto) manual binding is a wee bit poor as the pages are already separating after only 2 weeks. I haven't used it that much either! (Especially not in the damp outside.) Anyone else noticed this? The poor binding that is. And - On choosing stars for polar alignment it is recommended in the 600E Goto Keypad manual that one doesn't use Arcturus as it is close to Polaris in RA. As Polaris is at 2 hours and Arcturus is closer to 14-15 why is this too close? Aldebaran on the other hand is close - under the recommended + or - 4 hours. Misprint perhaps? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Offer-Earn 300 Points from MyPoints.com for trying @Backup Get automatic protection and access to your important computer files. Install today: http://click.egroups.com/1/2344/3/_/3615/_/955402877/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: Safe zone of the 600E GTO mount.
Larry Denmark <kldenmark@...>
For those using TheSky, by Software Bisque to control your telescope, you
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can literally map out your own unique horizon lines and keep the scope within those set boundaries... very easy to do, too. Larry Denmark E-mail . . . kldenmark@... Web site . . http://home.att.net/~kldenmark/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marj" <marj@...> To: <ap-gto@...> Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2000 12:10 PM Subject: RE: [ap-gto] Safe zone of the 600E GTO mount. Dear Mr. Bodart,simple circle around the zenith that the user can set on the hand controller.DigitalSky Voice in the future. Charles, are you listening?
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Re: Safe zone of the 600E GTO mount.
Dear Mr. Bodart,
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Welcome to the list. At the present time, the safe zone setting is a simple circle around the zenith that the user can set on the hand controller. Perhaps more complex safe zone controls can be incorporated into DigitalSky Voice in the future. Charles, are you listening? Marjorie Christen Astro-Physics
-----Original Message-----
From: Philippe BODART [mailto:phbodart@...] Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 10:15 AM To: AP-GTO List; Subject: [ap-gto] Safe zone of the 600E GTO mount. Hi everybody I am a newbie on this list. I am retired and I live in Provence in the South of France. I built an observatory above my garage in the garden. I received my new telescope one month ago. It is a 155 EDFS refractor with a 600E GTO mount. For the moment I am fighting with the problem of the safe zone. I understand it is the angle between the optical axis and the vertical under which the OTA could hit the tripod (or the pier in my case). In other respects the overturn zone is comprised between the hour angles of 10:40 (OTA towards West) and 22:40 or - 1:20 (OTA towards East). As a result there is a very large safe zone for the hour angles close to -1:20.I give more details hereafter. Did you make the same observations? (I apologize if the subject has already been discussed in your list). Is there anybody at ASTROPHYSICS I could write to? Which e-mail? Thank you for advising me. Regards Philippe Bodart. 1.Overturn zone. The overturn zone is comprised between the hour angles of 10:40 (OTA towards West) and 22:40 or - 1:20 (OTA towards East). This zone is independant of the set up of the safe zone (see further on). It operates if you ask for a "go to".On the other hand with the keypad buttons you can reach any point geometrically accessible. It is tricky as it is possible to leave the hour movement working for a while without any trouble after having reached the aimed object. Unfortunately it increases the size of the safe zone when the OTA is close to the vertical towards East (see further on). It is a pity that this zone cannot be set up. 2.Safe zone. It is the angle between the optical axis and the vertical under which the OTA could hit the tripod (or the pier in my case). The most dangerous zone is obviously related to an hour angle of -1:20 (see above).I decided to recut the collar of my pier but you will see that it remains relatively annoying with a camera. With HA = -1:20 I rotated the OTA until it hit the pier and I noted the related value of the declination.The safe angle is the complement to 90 of the altitude (that can be calculated as a function of the hour angle, of the declination and of the latitude of the site with the ad'hoc trigo formula).The safe angle is not the same according to the way you are going towards the pier (N side or S side). My results are the following: -with an eyepiece 16(N side) and 18 (S side). -with the camera "horizontal" 23(N side) and 16(S side). -with the camera "vertical" 16 (N side) and 16 (S side). You see that with the maximum allowed set up of 20 it remains a risk with the camera "horizontal" (in fact parallel to the RA axis, that allows you to have the N upside on the photos). The set up of the safe zone prevents the OTA from tilting less than the requested value to the vertical , even if it is not dangerous. It is the case for hour angles bigger than 0:00 for example (the system ignores the azimuth). If you ask for a "go to" to a position comprised in the safe zone there is no movement and the keyboard displays the following message: "Outside safe zone.Slewing canceled". On the other hand with the keypad buttons you can reach any point geometrically accessible. Once again it is a pity you cannot set up the overturn zone as the choice made by the manufacturer spoils the safe zone. On the other hand it is a pity that the system ignores the azimuth when deciding if the movement is dangerous or not. It took me a long time to realize all that and it is also a pity that the handbook is not more explicit.
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Re: problem connecting ST-7 to AP1200 GTO
Charles Sinsofsky <strfire@...>
Hello,
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Contact A/P concerning this issue of using a ST-7 as an autoguider, and/or controller of the telescope...call then, I have used my st-4 with no extra equipment. please contact them at 815-282-1513 for details ok. charles sinsofsky
----- Original Message -----
From: John Kruis <J.A.Kruis@...> To: <ap-gto@...> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2000 10:26 AM Subject: [ap-gto] problem connecting ST-7 to AP1200 GTO Has anyone ever experienced problems connecting the SBIG ST-7 to the AP1200 GTO?
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Re: problem connecting ST-7 to AP1200 GTO
Dan Knauss <dknauss@...>
John:
You might need an SBIG relay box. I needed one several years ago with an ST-7 I was using with a VE Digitrack drive corrector. Without it, it drove the mount continuously in right ascension. Give SBIG a call. Dan Knauss Has anyone ever experienced problems connecting the SBIG ST-7 to the AP1200 GTO?
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Re: problem connecting ST-7 to AP1200 GTO
Ray Gralak <ray@...>
Hi John,
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I use an ST-8E which is basically the same camera (but with a different CCD chip) with my 1200 GTO with no problems. The TIC cable by the way is a simple straight through 6-wire cable you can get from Radio Shack or any other electronic store. I would try getting another cable to see if that is the problem. When you do start to guide with the 1200 make sure you set the button move speed down to 0.25x or 0.5x, otherwise the mount will move too fast when guiding. -Ray Gralak
-----Original Message-----
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problem connecting ST-7 to AP1200 GTO
John Kruis <J.A.Kruis@...>
Has anyone ever experienced problems connecting the SBIG ST-7 to the AP 1200
GTO? When I connect the St-7 TIC-cable to the mount it starts to move westward. I checked cable connections/pinouts but I cannot get it right. My ST-7 is about 4-5 years old. John Kruis
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Re: Mylar washers instead of nylon
Chris Spratt
Can't find any in Victoria either. Got my handles though and they work great.
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Wouldn't mind some washers though. Chris. Spratt Ron Wodaski wrote:
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Re: Mylar washers instead of nylon
Ron Wodaski <ronw@...>
I found some web pages when searching on "Mylar washers" -
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http://www.ceejayplastics.com/ http://www.thomasregional.com/ncal/pacificdiecut/ http://www.pennfibre.com/ Ron W
-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen E. Russell [mailto:sjruss55@...] Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 2:52 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Mylar washers instead of nylon Hello Ron, Where did you find those Mylar washers? What company makes them? I've tried several hardware stores and home centers but have had no luck in finding Mylar washers. I get a funny look when I asked for them. All I can find are Nylon, fiber, and rubber. Stephen metal washer, or in place of the metal washer. A trip to my localhardware store today turned up something that I'd never heard of, but thatis a better solution than the nylon washers: Mylar washers. * Harder than nylon, but not so hard as to be troublesometightening and loosening. They are also quite cheap, .24 to .30 a pair, dependingon size.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good friends, school spirit, hair-dos you'd like to forget. Classmates.com has them all. And with 4.4 million alumni already registered, there's a good chance you'll find your friends here: http://click.egroups.com/1/2885/3/_/3615/_/956353940/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: Mylar washers instead of nylon
Ron Wodaski <ronw@...>
I may have just gotten lucky, then. <g> I bought them at a hardware store
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about a half-hour drive from my home, called McClendon's. They are a chain, but I don't know how far they range. I'm near Seattle. I expect to be in that town sometime over the weekend; I will see if they will tell me anything about where they get them. If nothing else, I can buy some for you and mail them off. Ron Wodaski
-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen E. Russell [mailto:sjruss55@...] Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 2:52 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Mylar washers instead of nylon Hello Ron, Where did you find those Mylar washers? What company makes them? I've tried several hardware stores and home centers but have had no luck in finding Mylar washers. I get a funny look when I asked for them. All I can find are Nylon, fiber, and rubber. Stephen metal washer, or in place of the metal washer. A trip to my localhardware store today turned up something that I'd never heard of, but thatis a better solution than the nylon washers: Mylar washers. * Harder than nylon, but not so hard as to be troublesometightening and loosening. They are also quite cheap, .24 to .30 a pair, dependingon size.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good friends, school spirit, hair-dos you'd like to forget. Classmates.com has them all. And with 4.4 million alumni already registered, there's a good chance you'll find your friends here: http://click.egroups.com/1/2885/3/_/3615/_/956353940/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: Mylar washers instead of nylon
Stephen E. Russell <sjruss55@...>
Hello Ron,
Where did you find those Mylar washers? What company makes them? I've tried several hardware stores and home centers but have had no luck in finding Mylar washers. I get a funny look when I asked for them. All I can find are Nylon, fiber, and rubber. Stephen metal washer, or in place of the metal washer. A trip to my localhardware store today turned up something that I'd never heard of, but thatis a better solution than the nylon washers: Mylar washers. * Harder than nylon, but not so hard as to be troublesometightening and loosening. They are also quite cheap, .24 to .30 a pair, dependingon size.
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Re: new images
Chris Spratt
Have a look at my new web page for some images from various CCDs.
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visonneau-vin wrote:
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Re: new images
Ray Gralak <ray@...>
Hi Vincent from France,
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Nice images! Thanks for sharing them. -Ray from USA :-) p.s. You can check out some of my images with my AP1200 GTO and 5" refractor (still waiting patiently for my 155EDFS! :-) http://www.gralak.com/Astro/Astro.html
Hi
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new images
visonneau-vin <visonneau-vin@...>
Hi
Some new messier image on my home page,you can see them (messier8,m17,m13,m92,m57,m22,m21,m23 and ngc6826) at http://perso.infonie.fr/visonneau-vin/news.html Bye Vincent from France ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vincent VISONNEAU,St FIACRE S/MAINE LONG: 47.15 Nord LAT: 1.4170 Ouest (loire atlantique,sud de Nantes) http://perso.infonie.fr/visonneau-vin/index.html
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Re: AP Command set
Chris,
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I e-mailed it to you. Marjorie Christen Astro-Physics
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Spratt [mailto:cspratt@...] Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 12:52 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] AP Command set Anyone have the AP GOTO keypad command set (LX200 emulation) on disk? Don't want to have to type out the manual contents and I don't have a scanner. Need them to send to a programer I know who wants to see why his planetarium type program (graphical) doesn't work with AP GOTO mounts. He needs to check the initialization string etc. If you do please e-mail them to me. Thanks, Chris. Spratt
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AP Command set
Chris Spratt
Anyone have the AP GOTO keypad command set (LX200 emulation) on disk?
Don't want to have to type out the manual contents and I don't have a scanner. Need them to send to a programer I know who wants to see why his planetarium type program (graphical) doesn't work with AP GOTO mounts. He needs to check the initialization string etc. If you do please e-mail them to me. Thanks, Chris. Spratt
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Safe zone of the 600E GTO mount.
Philippe BODART <phbodart@...>
Hi everybody
I am a newbie on this list. I am retired and I live in Provence in the South of France. I built an observatory above my garage in the garden. I received my new telescope one month ago. It is a 155 EDFS refractor with a 600E GTO mount. For the moment I am fighting with the problem of the safe zone. I understand it is the angle between the optical axis and the vertical under which the OTA could hit the tripod (or the pier in my case). In other respects the overturn zone is comprised between the hour angles of 10:40 (OTA towards West) and 22:40 or - 1:20 (OTA towards East). As a result there is a very large safe zone for the hour angles close to -1:20.I give more details hereafter. Did you make the same observations? (I apologize if the subject has already been discussed in your list). Is there anybody at ASTROPHYSICS I could write to? Which e-mail? Thank you for advising me. Regards Philippe Bodart. 1.Overturn zone. The overturn zone is comprised between the hour angles of 10:40 (OTA towards West) and 22:40 or - 1:20 (OTA towards East). This zone is independant of the set up of the safe zone (see further on). It operates if you ask for a "go to".On the other hand with the keypad buttons you can reach any point geometrically accessible. It is tricky as it is possible to leave the hour movement working for a while without any trouble after having reached the aimed object. Unfortunately it increases the size of the safe zone when the OTA is close to the vertical towards East (see further on). It is a pity that this zone cannot be set up. 2.Safe zone. It is the angle between the optical axis and the vertical under which the OTA could hit the tripod (or the pier in my case). The most dangerous zone is obviously related to an hour angle of -1:20 (see above).I decided to recut the collar of my pier but you will see that it remains relatively annoying with a camera. With HA = -1:20 I rotated the OTA until it hit the pier and I noted the related value of the declination.The safe angle is the complement to 90 of the altitude (that can be calculated as a function of the hour angle, of the declination and of the latitude of the site with the ad'hoc trigo formula).The safe angle is not the same according to the way you are going towards the pier (N side or S side). My results are the following: -with an eyepiece 16(N side) and 18 (S side). -with the camera "horizontal" 23(N side) and 16(S side). -with the camera "vertical" 16 (N side) and 16 (S side). You see that with the maximum allowed set up of 20 it remains a risk with the camera "horizontal" (in fact parallel to the RA axis, that allows you to have the N upside on the photos). The set up of the safe zone prevents the OTA from tilting less than the requested value to the vertical , even if it is not dangerous. It is the case for hour angles bigger than 0:00 for example (the system ignores the azimuth). If you ask for a "go to" to a position comprised in the safe zone there is no movement and the keyboard displays the following message: "Outside safe zone.Slewing canceled". On the other hand with the keypad buttons you can reach any point geometrically accessible. Once again it is a pity you cannot set up the overturn zone as the choice made by the manufacturer spoils the safe zone. On the other hand it is a pity that the system ignores the azimuth when deciding if the movement is dangerous or not. It took me a long time to realize all that and it is also a pity that the handbook is not more explicit.
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Re: UT
Chris Spratt
I think that you have to set the Hand Controller (KeyPad) to UT for this to
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work. Larry Denmark wrote:
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UT
Larry Denmark <kldenmark@...>
I would like to set my imaging computer clock to U (for astrometry).
How can I do that and still have TheSky program 1) reflect the actual virtual sky for my site location at current local time, and 2) use the telescope link to point my telescope correctly, even though the hand controller for my AP 600E GTO is set to the current local time? Or must I also set the hand controller to UT? Larry Denmark ---- E-mail ..... kldenmark@... Web site .. http://home.att.net/~kldenmark/
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