Hi all - just joined in...

[Ambermile]

I'm in the UK, but got a little mail from David P about something else so decided to come and check you all out ;)

Have been over to your parts a couple of times, may even come over for New Year as well - pennies permitting! So, what do I do? Member of the local Norwich Astro Soc, I'm an engineer, have a company called Ambermile that makes the odd astro bits now and then. Just sold my LX200 12" in favour of widefield stuff. Got an SN-6 and two semi-apo Megrez 80 II's. The SN and one Megrez now grace an EQ6 Pro - the other Megrez for the car.

Am a member of the QCUIAG group as well as UKAI. Guess that about sums it up really. Look forward to talking to you all in the future.

Arthur

PS - Oh - I tend to be more a piccie than a visual type but No 2 Megrez is changing that :)

[Starkler]

Welcome to the mad house that is IceInSpace.

Im sure some of our resident lunatics will drop in to say hello ;)

[davidpretorius]

Welcome Arthur,

i will be getting back to you with more specifics soonish. My wife is about to throw the dish cloth to me to wipe up the dishes.

We are not allowed to be rude about newzealanders as gary drops in here a lot!

Yes shane warne is a very good cricketer, but i must admit, harmison, flintoff, peterson - > a very good core!!!

enjoy your stay!

[cahullian]

Hi Arthur

Welcome to the ice house

nice part of the world you come from. I'm heading over that way in april next year.

Gazz/Irish

[acropolite]

:welcome: Arthur..:D

[[1ponders]]

:gday: and :welcome: Arthur. Boy, word certainly gets around about this place. :D

[RAJAH235]

A warm welcome, Arthur. :welcome: :D L.

[jjjnettie]

Hi Arthur

[Ambermile]

Thanks for the welcomes. Seems a friendly - place once I catch up with the time difference that is :)

Maybe I'll just hang around and see what goes on around here, you people have a whole new list of things to look at down (?) there and it's going to be interesting seeing what you all do! Getting on for winter up here though :cold: so good time for this stuff - you all observing in shorts 'n' T shirts I guess?

Arthur

[davidpretorius]

yes arthur, there are some superb dso guys and watch out for the mars pics coming up over the next couple of weeks

[SpaceGeek]

gday:gday: , whazzup?

u shall get 2 know me as da "funny talkin' person" although i only do it now and den (well, most of da time):rofl: . dis is an xample. in case ur wundring, i dont speak like dis out of me mouth all da time.:P
:welcome:
cya 'round

[RB]

G'day Arthur

Welcome, hope you enjoy your visit.

:gday:

[h0ughy]

Welcome, but you sold your 12" :sad:

[33South]

Hi Arthur

South Norfolk is that anywhere near North Suffolk? :lol:
In my boyhood :cold: in the 50s I spent quite a few holidays at Hopton-On-Sea, apparently if I went there today I wouldn't notice any difference.

[ving]

well helllloooo there! :D

[atalas]

Hello Arthur :welcome:

[ominous2003]

Welcome Arthur ;) have a :drink: , my shout

[Ambermile]

Hi H0ughy

I did indeed. I am basically a piccie person and even running the LX at f/3 it was still basically an f/10 fov. That was fine with modified webcams but when I get an ART up and running (please God make it soon) that will stay around long enough for me to play, I want W_I_D_E field! Hence the f/5 scopes.

Actually just delivered the 12" this morning. I love doing that to people... like "Have you seen one of these before?" I ask politely. "Um, no - only on the 'net..." they reply. Smug grin, open boot and wait.

"HOLY F****** SH**!! It's a mini Hubble!!" Bigger smug grin :rofl:



Ah - now we're talking :lol:



Yup - Hopton's about 20 miles away. Luckily, most of the villages down the East coast hardly ever change. Means less LP for me here as my garden faces East and currently it's not polluted at all.

Arthur

[chunkylad]

:welcome: Hi Arthur, welcome.

[dhumpie]

Welcome Arthur. Another notherner to join our fray...yippee. That means more news and piccy's from the north!!!!!

Darren

[Ambermile]

Hi Darren - thanks for the welcome. No piccies for a while, I am now sorting the laptop>EQ6 control and aligning. Looking good so far. From the North? I want the Magellanic Clouds. I want them. I *will* have them... maybe at new year...

Arthur

[jjjnettie]

When you come over we'll have to have a star party in your honour Arthur. Take you for the Grand Tour of the Southern Sky.

[Ambermile]

Sounds cool! Am trying to get over for New Year if possible but ticket prices go silly at that time of year.:confuse3: I have the kids to think of as well with school holidays. First time over there the school said it's OK as it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. Second time they had changed schools so we got away with it again. This time we are going to need a new excuse;)

Arthur

[33South]

End of January is the inaugral Lostock IceInSpace Astrofest 26-29th Jan 2006.

[h0ughy]

Arthur, can you put up a post of your EQ6 setup and how you set up you computer control?

[h0ughy]

think of it as a student exchange program, but no one from Aus is willing to go to the US. The educational benefits are huge, country, people culture, demographics, and no prawn on the BBQ. :)

[Ambermile]

Hi H0ughy

I'll take some pics later (raining now :cold: )

Simple set up though. Got a 6 metre lead made up to run from the handset to COM1 serial port on the laptop. Running Cartes du Ciel I just told it to use the ASCOM command set, selected Celestron 5 as the mount and I was away. I thought it's be a lot harder but in the end it was straight in. Have to tell the handset to flick into RS232 mode (Utilities>RS232) before connecting CdC to the scope but other than that, no secret. Tell the software to track, confirm scope is where it thinks it is and then sync laptop to scope (right click on current position and select sync scope to current object, then confirm).

Then you can just point at something on the screen and tell it to go there. Simple. You do have to align the scope first before going into RS232 mode but noew the mount is on a pier I have found that as long as I have Parked the scope at the end of the previous session I can go straight to the RS232 mode without aligning and it's pretty close anyway.

Arthur

PS - I'm UK not US :)

[h0ughy]

Thanks Mate, and sorry about the US bit ;)

[Ambermile]

Oh well, pics in the other thread :(