My new toy

Barrykgerdes · #1 23-06-2011, 12:05 PM

I bought a HEQ5 mount from B&T on Tuesday, delivered yesterday.
I have it set up next to my computer in the computer room and have been trying it out. It is a pleasure to drive and connects to the computer without bother where I am running Stellarium.

It might even get moved to the yard sometime where I may put a telescope on it. But at the moment nights are too cold so I will be content to watch it slew to targets. What a lovely new toy for me to play with.

Did somebody say I should be using it as designed looking at the heavens? I don't care I like it as it is!

Barry

gbeal · #2 23-06-2011, 12:44 PM

Congrats Barry, get some of those glow in the dark stars, the ones kids have, and stick them on the ceiling. Then you will feel right at home.
Gary

jenchris (Jennifer) · #3 23-06-2011, 01:04 PM

I'll bet you can't get it to do Louie lou I - (Dave)

I prefer my coffee machine in the den and the scope in the garden

renormalised (Carl) · #4 23-06-2011, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barrykgerdes

I bought a HEQ5 mount from B&T on Tuesday, delivered yesterday.
I have it set up next to my computer in the computer room and have been trying it out. It is a pleasure to drive and connects to the computer without bother where I am running Stellarium.

It might even get moved to the yard sometime where I may put a telescope on it. But at the moment nights are too cold so I will be content to watch it slew to targets. What a lovely new toy for me to play with.

Did somebody say I should be using it as designed looking at the heavens? I don't care I like it as it is!

Barry

Think of it as "astronomical" art....a fine statue

renormalised (Carl) · #5 23-06-2011, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbeal

Congrats Barry, get some of those glow in the dark stars, the ones kids have, and stick them on the ceiling. Then you will feel right at home.
Gary

Paper cutouts of the planets and moons, throw in a few asteroids and comets

Barrykgerdes · #6 23-06-2011, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbeal

Congrats Barry, get some of those glow in the dark stars, the ones kids have, and stick them on the ceiling. Then you will feel right at home.
Gary

About 15 years ago I bought a couple of cards of those stick on glowing stars and planets. Spent a few hours sticking them to the ceiling and walls of my grandaughters bedroom, configured as a view of the southern hemisphere. It impressed her greatly.

I can't do it to my room now as it would require climbing a ladder. Something I avoid as much as possible.

Actually I bought the mount to learn about the synscan and see if I could make the polar scope into a useful addition that can be viewed on a small screen. The manual is devoid of any useful information on characteristics.

When I have finished playing the mount will probably go to my grandson to further his astronomy interest.

Barry

Barrykgerdes · #7 23-06-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenchris

I'll bet you can't get it to do Louie lou I - (Dave)

I prefer my coffee machine in the den and the scope in the garden

I have one of those fully automatic coffee machines. I just think "coffee" and it arrives in a cup hot and steaming!

Barry

CoolhandJo (Paul) · #8 23-06-2011, 08:29 PM

Nice one Barry! Stick a vole on it and bring up to Wiruna. We will do some imaging on it!

Barrykgerdes · #9 24-06-2011, 08:56 AM

Hi Paul

I will bring it to Wiruna. We can have a race to see who can get a polar alignment fastest. Ha Ha!

I will need to put an OTA etc on it first of course. I may need to be an indian giver to Trevor and get some of my gear back.

I won't be at Wiruna for both July viewings. I need to attend some home chores for the first and Trevor can't go for the second.

Barry

CoolhandJo (Paul) · #10 28-06-2011, 03:51 PM

Barry - let me know when you are going up. I will bring my 6inch Newt and you can whack it straight on!

Barrykgerdes · #11 28-06-2011, 06:04 PM

Hi Paul

I have been playing with the synscan attached to the computer. I have been writing a program to access all its PC available commands. They are similar to the Celestron but only a limited version. Just about all you can do is read the position and goto your own generated position.

All I can do is read a data base into the program and select an item, star, comet, planet, NGC, messier or entered coords. Then send the mount to that position.

I should be able to vary the track rate but haven't decoded the method yet and there must be a way to put date time and location in because the GPS adaptor does that. However the Celestron commands don't work.

Barry

multiweb (Marc) · #12 28-06-2011, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barrykgerdes

I bought a HEQ5 mount from B&T on Tuesday, delivered yesterday.

Paint it black, do a straight swap with the G11 and don't tell Trevor. He won't know.

tlgerdes (Trevor) · #13 28-06-2011, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by multiweb

Paint it black, do a straight swap with the G11 and don't tell Trevor. He won't know.

Dont come to Wiruna then, you might get a midnight visitor with a spanner and you could wake up with G11Q5

RobF (Rob) · #14 28-06-2011, 08:19 PM

Barry, congrats on your new baby. If you're writing code for it, you're never going to be really happy until you get EQMOD going. May as well get a cable made up or buy an EQDIR unit. Resistance is futile - you will be assimilated...!

Barrykgerdes · #15 29-06-2011, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobF

Barry, congrats on your new baby. If you're writing code for it, you're never going to be really happy until you get EQMOD going. May as well get a cable made up or buy an EQDIR unit. Resistance is futile - you will be assimilated...!

Not really at the moment. That is not what I got the mount for. I may even put a telescope on it sometime.

I have heard of the EQMOD and will play with it sometime but I have other projects to work on first.

Barry