[mdgodf (Mark)]

Hi Nev,

Have you asked an IT/data technician about having an extension lead made up? I doubt you’d be able to buy one. I haven’t tested how far a USB extension lead will go but I’m sure it would be 10 meters. Someone from a good Computer shop could tell you that though I’m sure. I have 2 USB extension leads, each 3 meters. I tired it with the 2, just to see and it worked fine. I normally only need the one though.

Haven’t done any astrophotography (yet) but do have a lot of experience with PS CS2 (and the two versions before that) on ‘normal’ photography. As far as I understand it the Photoshop features needed for astrophotography have been in Photoshop for many versions and the newer versions don’t add much more that’s needed for astrophotography (but they are useful for normal photography) so you could buy an old version at a lot less – if you can find one – you could always upgrade from that.

Also programs like paintshop pro have the same features just in different spots and so are less useful if you are using one of the books written for Photoshop and astrophotography but do have the same functions and are cheaper.

I really like the LX200, works in everyway how I expected. I’d been out of amateur astronomy for many years having had an 8” f8 Newtonian on an EQ mount some 25 years ago and what a difference computerised ‘scopes make!

Apart from books, and ancillary stuff like power pack/battery the only other stuff I’ve bought are eyepieces (Vixen 40mm LV and 8mm LVW and a 12mm Orion reticule for alignment), a green laser so I can point things out to my wife – to try and keep her interested and dew shield and dew heater, just for the corrector plate at this stage.

I also picked up a cheaper Crayford focuser (Bintel branded) as I got tired of the cable for the Mead electronic micro focuser getting tangled and also I use glasses for reading but not looking through the ‘scope so to see the buttons on the hand box I need to keep taking them off and putting them back on which became a pain to do just to adjust fine focus. There is hardly any image shift when you focus with the Crayford focuser if you are careful. Though I ought to be able to remember where the buttons are...

I also use skytools2 (http://www.skyhound.com/skytools.html) for observation logging and planning and also controlling the go-to aspects of the scope which makes life really easy. Compared to the old 8” f8 I do a lot more looking now then trying to find – which I was never very successful at.

My ‘must haves’ for accessories would be in order…some more eyepieces, dew shield, planning/logging software, Crayford focuser and dew heater. The green laser is not fit for purpose by the way! There a lot more things I think I ‘must have’ but unfortunately my pocket says otherwise e.g. Vixen 17mm LVW.

I would also recommend doing a 'calibrate sensors' as soon as you can - it's explained in the manual - that will help with getting alignment stars in the finder first up so you can centre on them easily in future setups. You need to be able to identify sigma octanus though as it will slew to it and ask you to centre on it during the process which is near impossible from a suburban Sydney backyard. I addressed that by first setting up using some alignment stars that I knew (2 star alignments in the manual) doing some gotos to stars that I could easily identify and ‘syncing’ on them – to make sure the alignment was accurate. Then go-to sigma octanus and mark the position on the alt and az scales on the ‘scope with a china-graph pencil. Then when I did the calibrate sensors all I had to do to find sigma octanus was line up the marks on the scales. Now whenever I set up the alignment stars are in the finder.