Hi all - just joined in...

[Ambermile]

Originally Posted by dhumpie

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

Darren

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 (Jeanette)]

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

Sounds cool! Am trying to get over for New Year if possible but ticket prices go silly at that time of year. 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 (Chris)]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by 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

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

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by Ambermile

Sounds cool! Am trying to get over for New Year if possible but ticket prices go silly at that time of year. 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

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 )

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 (David)]

Originally Posted by Ambermile

Hi H0ughy

I'll take some pics later (raining now )

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

Thanks Mate, and sorry about the US bit

[Ambermile]

Oh well, pics in the other thread