Hello All,
I purchased a 10" Guang Sheng Dobsonian recently and enjoy using it very much. But I would like to get the most out of it.
I want to add digital setting circles and am looking at different options. Argo Navis looks good but I want to know what other options are available.
I saw an announcement on the
www.cloudynights.com forum for BETI - a Bluetooth telescope adapter (in the vendor announcements section). Here is the website:
www.astrodevices.com. It is an Australian company too. So I am thinking about the following configuration:
1. BETI ($200);
2. Astromist planetarium software (US$39);
3. Treo680 (free since I've already got one);
4. Telescope encoder kit.
BETI's pinout for the encoder connector seems to be the same as the Argo Navis pinout so I should be able to get the encoders kit ready-made. I can just attach BETI to the base and not worry about the wires as it will communicate through Bluetooth to my phone/pda.
This configuration seems to cost significantly less than Argo Navis - just ~$250 if I use my Treo. I searched the Internet and everyone seems to have a very good opinion of Astromist. Astromist also provides a lot more in terms of functionality than Argo Navis - I downloaded the free version and it seems to be a very nice piece of software. I should also be able to use CDC software on my laptop (that does not have a COM port) as it seems to be compatible with BETI.
I am seeking an opinion on this configuration. What does everyone think?
Regards,
J.