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View Full Version here: : Good bang for buck digital setting circles


Jemmo
28-07-2015, 06:51 PM
Hey guys I'm after some info on digital setting circles. I'm horrible at star hopping and trying to find dso's. I don't have huge amounts of money so I was wondering if people know any half decent digital setting circles maybe under $200 to help me find those dso's. If you know anyone selling 2nd digital setting circles let me know as well

barx1963
28-07-2015, 09:42 PM
$200 is probably going to be a bit of a stretch to be honest. Best bet is to save up and get a decent system. The Argo has one huge advantage in that it is Aussie made and Gary's customer service is second to none. He recently spent about 30 minutes on the phone with me discussing a small issue with a cable.
I have heard of a system called Nexus which uses an interface with a mobile and have seen some reports indicating it works OK, but how it goes for hardware for a GSO/Bintel dob I am not sure, while Gary is definitely able to set up hardware for your scope to operate on Ago. the link for Nexus is here if interested http://www.astrodevices.com/products/Nexus/Nexus.html

Don't completely give up on star hopping. Once you have found a few targets it gets easier. Often times it is a matter of how you go about it. Firstly, decent charts make a huge difference. Minimum IMHO is Sky Atlas 2000 but I love Uranometria 2000. Then get a table to put the charts on and a red headlamp. Dress warmly and be patient. I always use a red dot finder or a Telrad to locate that first star, then switch to using the finder for the fainter ones. Locate a bright star near to your target that you can see naked eye then plan out your star hop, then go to the scope, use the red dot finder to get it in the view of the finder and the main scope and then start hopping. The hardest thing is working out the directions, but it becomes second nature after a while.

After a few successful hops the sense of satisfaction will be obvious!!

Cheers
Malcolm

Jemmo
29-07-2015, 06:20 AM
Thank you Malcolm. I'm just looking now and normal setting circles. I have found a pattern to print off but am just unsure how much I'll been to blow it up to suit my bintel mount. I've also ordered a magnetic digital angle meter

SteveInNZ
29-07-2015, 08:17 AM
Have you considered making a mount for a smart phone and using something like SkEye (Android) ? You can use it in Indirect mode with a single calibration star. It's free and should easily get your target into the finder scope. You can probably buy a suitable phone for $20 these days.

Steve.

Jemmo
29-07-2015, 08:19 AM
Thanks Steve I'll look into that
Steve is there an iPhone equivalent do you know?

dannat
29-07-2015, 09:18 AM
if yo look up jmi (http://www.jimsmobile.com/buy_ngc.htm) -they have some basic digital setting circles -units from 200+ - though you'll still need to get some encoders also -with the exchange rate they are less appealing

the other item you can get is an astrofix (https://sites.google.com/site/astrofixdeepsky/home) -basically a digital compass & inclinometer -i have one -you need to know the alt/az cords of your obj. though -under $200 [if you want you can borrow & try mine, pm me]

Jemmo
29-07-2015, 09:23 AM
Thanks for that Dan I think I'll go with an iPhone mount and a decent all along with manual setting circles I should be pretty accurate then

SteveInNZ
29-07-2015, 10:46 AM
Sorry. I lead an iFree life so don't know what's available for iPhone.
Have a look at the description for "indirect mode" for SkEye and see if there's something that does the same thing. Originally it was quite unique but it may be more common now. If not, you can probably use someone's old Android phone just for that. It doesn't need a connection.

Steve.