Quote:
Originally Posted by gary
Hi Shah,
Thanks for the post. Gary Kopff here from Wildcard Innovations. Thanks
for purchasing an Argo Navis with your 18 UC.
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Hi Gary, certainly nice to have the Argo Navis as well. I've eyeing on it for several years now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gary
As many of the old hands will testify, the laser collimator is not necessarily the
be all and end all of collimating your scope, but it can be a handy accessory all
the same and most would recommend you definitely grab it.
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Ok, thanks for the advice. Since obviously the scope needs to get recollimate every session, I guess it is essential to have it in hand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gary
The above are all must-have accessories. The scope itself is incredibly light
but the Air Transport Association (ATA) travel case I find quite heavy and
awkward to carry. It is incredibly strong and I would absolutely use it whenever
I put the scope on a plane or stored it in the garage, but I would probably
just take the scope on its own and leave the case at home if only going
a couple of hours out of town to observe.
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Your posting in the forum mentioned about the overall size for the virtual mirror box and the rocker summing up to 61cm x 61cm x 34.3cm (24"x24"x13.5") . Looks like it can easily fit in my Toyota Avanza backseat area! That is by putting it flat.
But do you think we could like standing it on its side? It is rigid enough? It might be able to save some more space. I can also probably place the groundboard elsewhere to reduce it's height further more. What do you think?
Quote:
Originally Posted by gary
You are going to love this scope. When the budget allows it, grab yourself
a 13mm Ethos eyepiece to go with it. Simply amazing combination!
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Ahh!! the Ethos!!
. I am playing around with my budget and see where I can fit it. I'm kinda considering letting go the Travel Case with the Ethos. Most of my travelling for observation will be on the road (Malaysia is quiet a small country), so I was also considering of making a custom travel case locally. Still haven't decided though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gary
Greetings to you there in beautiful Malaysia. I see from the co-ordinates on your
signature that you are near K.L. Do you belong to an astronomy club there?
We'd be interested in hearing what the amateur astronomy scene is like in Malaysia.
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Yes, I'm pretty much near K.L. The sky from my housing area isn't great. Mag 4 at best. Need to travel away from the city for a descent dark sky. I do most of observation with the Mallincam Hyper Color and Mallincam B/W. Incredible camera for live viewing when using my 8 inch LX90 Meade. Just wonder how will I response when using it with the 18" UC !!
I am actively involved in giving talks and occasion public stargazing in the country. My personal website is at
www.falakonline.net . Just click on the Gallery link, and you can have some idea on what we have here. Most telescope owners here are using standard SCT. There are some really good astrophotographers as well. The ATM trend here is still very very rare. And it is even rare to find a truss-tube telescope here! But overall, the public in Malaysia are pretty much enthusiast information on any astronomy news and technology.
Getting the 18" UC is part of my program for next year IYA outreach activities. Hope it can create some impact!
Regards,