My new toy

[Barrykgerdes]

I bought a HEQ5 mount from B&T on Tuesday, delivered yesterday.
I have it set up next to my computer in the computer room and have been trying it out. It is a pleasure to drive and connects to the computer without bother where I am running Stellarium.

It might even get moved to the yard sometime where I may put a telescope on it. But at the moment nights are too cold so I will be content to watch it slew to targets. What a lovely new toy for me to play with.

Did somebody say I should be using it as designed looking at the heavens? I don't care I like it as it is!

Barry;):lol::thumbsup:

[gbeal]

Congrats Barry, get some of those glow in the dark stars, the ones kids have, and stick them on the ceiling. Then you will feel right at home.
Gary

[jenchris]

I'll bet you can't get it to do Louie lou I - (Dave)

I prefer my coffee machine in the den and the scope in the garden

[renormalised]

Think of it as "astronomical" art....a fine statue:):P

[renormalised]

Paper cutouts of the planets and moons, throw in a few asteroids and comets:):)

[Barrykgerdes]

About 15 years ago I bought a couple of cards of those stick on glowing stars and planets. Spent a few hours sticking them to the ceiling and walls of my grandaughters bedroom, configured as a view of the southern hemisphere. It impressed her greatly.

I can't do it to my room now as it would require climbing a ladder. Something I avoid as much as possible.

Actually I bought the mount to learn about the synscan and see if I could make the polar scope into a useful addition that can be viewed on a small screen. The manual is devoid of any useful information on characteristics.

When I have finished playing the mount will probably go to my grandson to further his astronomy interest.

Barry

[Barrykgerdes]

I have one of those fully automatic coffee machines. I just think "coffee" and it arrives in a cup hot and steaming!

Barry:thumbsup:

[CoolhandJo]

Nice one Barry! Stick a vole on it and bring up to Wiruna. We will do some imaging on it!

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi Paul

I will bring it to Wiruna. We can have a race to see who can get a polar alignment fastest. Ha Ha!

I will need to put an OTA etc on it first of course. I may need to be an indian giver to Trevor and get some of my gear back.

I won't be at Wiruna for both July viewings. I need to attend some home chores for the first and Trevor can't go for the second.

Barry

[CoolhandJo]

Barry - let me know when you are going up. I will bring my 6inch Newt and you can whack it straight on!

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi Paul

I have been playing with the synscan attached to the computer. I have been writing a program to access all its PC available commands. They are similar to the Celestron but only a limited version. Just about all you can do is read the position and goto your own generated position.

All I can do is read a data base into the program and select an item, star, comet, planet, NGC, messier or entered coords. Then send the mount to that position.

I should be able to vary the track rate but haven't decoded the method yet and there must be a way to put date time and location in because the GPS adaptor does that. However the Celestron commands don't work.

Barry

[multiweb]

Paint it black, do a straight swap with the G11 and don't tell Trevor. He won't know. :whistle:

[tlgerdes]

Dont come to Wiruna then, you might get a midnight visitor with a spanner and you could wake up with G11Q5:question:

[RobF]

Barry, congrats on your new baby. If you're writing code for it, you're never going to be really happy until you get EQMOD going. May as well get a cable made up or buy an EQDIR unit. Resistance is futile - you will be assimilated...! :D

[Barrykgerdes]

Not really at the moment. That is not what I got the mount for. I may even put a telescope on it sometime.;):lol::thumbsup:
I have heard of the EQMOD and will play with it sometime but I have other projects to work on first.:shrug:

Barry