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Posts Made By: Floyd Blue

October 12, 2008 06:05 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Polar Scopes...right forum?

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi Marc,
I have the G-11 and the Polar scope. It is virtually the same one that Astro Physics uses and it is very good in my opinion. What is it that you heard that was so terrible?
The Polar scope uses Polaris and two other stars that are visible even under heavy light pollution. I have no problem in my backyard, which is terrible for light.
Plus, the G-11 has two built in routines for refining the alignment for you. I use Polar Align Correction most of the time.
You can do as good a polar alignment as you can with the polar scope and then do a two or three star alignment and follow up with the Polar Alignment Correction and get a pretty good polar alignment for photography. For visual use, just a 2-3 star alignment is fine.

January 28, 2009 05:41 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Tripod rubber ends?

Posted By Floyd Blue
I find a lot of sizes of rubber and plastic end caps for round legs at Floyd's Hardware store. I would think that other hardware stores would also carry a lot of these. Perhaps you could find a replacement and then just get a 4 pack of them, replace all 3 and keep a spare?

January 28, 2009 07:11 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Maybe a letter to the company?

Posted By Floyd Blue
I think that to reach the companies, you need to write a letter, not an email, to the corporate office and tell your tale.

Many times people on the lower end of the chain do not inform those at the high end of the problems incurred during business. So, they do nothing to improve it.

But, if everyone that had a problem would write a letter of explanation, this just might change. I guess a phone call could work, but do you really know whether the person you are talking to is in charge? That is of course a problem with a letter too, but if address to the CEO or Customer Service Dept head, you will probably get it to that person or their secretary.

I have had to do this a few times and in almost every case, I got resolution from the top.

February 24, 2009 09:57 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Power Supply Question

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi,
I think the 9 amp hour rating is low for a Go-To system. I have had some issues myself with less than 12 amp hour.I usually would take two 12 amp hour batteries with my Starmaster and change it if I was on a long night. Also, I have had some of the jump start units and they did last a year, but then began to run out too quickly, leading me to believe the battery was being discharged too much and then had to be cycled (recharged) too often causing an early failure to hold charge. You never know how old these units are when you buy them, could have been made a while before then.

I did have the LXD650 which is the same as the LX200 Classic and it came with an 12v to 18v adapter, which I used all the time. I bought a second one that I still have and I use it on my G-11 which also prefers 18v.

I have since switched to a big Marine Deep Cycle battery that cost $65 at Walmart and has 115 amp hours and now I can run my G-11, cameras and 17" laptop all night without a problem. I still use the 12v to 18v adapter, even with the larger battery.

July 27, 2010 03:13 AM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

HELP!!!! Mold on Corrector Plate

Posted By Floyd Blue
If it is mold, it needs to come off. The longer it is there, the more chance there will be damage to the coatings.
I think that Alcohol would be better, less aggressive on the coatings and it should kill mold. But, I would be willing to hear what others have used.
I am a little skeptical about some home remedies, some have proved to be destructive.

April 1, 2011 05:45 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Considering starting with a Celestron 8

Posted By Floyd Blue
I found the Celestron 8" GPS to be a great scope. Yes, 8" aperture is limited, but it gave very nice views and was quick to set up. Great Go-To and performance made it enjoyable to use. The only thing that did bother me was dew on the front plate, this happened anytime dew was an issue. A dew heater would have possibly cured this.

April 1, 2011 05:45 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Considering starting with a Celestron 8

Posted By Floyd Blue
I found the Celestron 8" GPS to be a great scope. Yes, 8" aperture is limited, but it gave very nice views and was quick to set up. Great Go-To and performance made it enjoyable to use. The only thing that did bother me was dew on the front plate, this happened anytime dew was an issue. A dew heater would have possibly cured this.

August 10, 2011 05:12 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Cooling the primary mirror

Posted By Floyd Blue
Cooling is important, but almost more important is scrubbing the boundary layer (hot air on the surface) from the mirror surface. This can actually have a more profound effect on the way the mirror performs than equilibrium of the overall temperature. This is done with fans that blow across the upper surface of the mirror. Then 1 or 2 fans are placed to blow onto the bottom of the mirror, to make sure both sides are cooling down at the same rate. Unequal cooling can result in changes in the figure of the mirror.

August 19, 2011 06:51 AM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Televue eyepiece vs Cheap Celestron multi Set

Posted By Floyd Blue
Get no argument from me on that! 8)

May 29, 2017 11:18 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Starting over - Telescope and Astrophotography - E

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi Shawn,
I think this subject is more complex than you realize. grin

First, where you image, has a great deal to do with your equipment selection, as well as the type and sizes of objects you intend to capture.

When beginning, short focal length, is recommended. The mount is the heart of any system and deserves a lot of consideration before purchase. To me, this should be your biggest investment.

Buy well, buy over time, upgrading as you go. This is not the simplest hobby one could choose, good luck. wink
Floyd

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