Posts Made By: Steven Jindra

Dmitri
I agree with the others that the rings, especially the quality ones, such as the Parallax, are considerably more stable. In most cases the better quality clamshells (Tak, TV, etc.) are fine for visual. Most imaging setups include the high quality rings. Another advantage of the the rings is they do a better job of supporting additional equipment, such as guidescopes and perhaps a Telrad.
Steven Jindra

William
I don't have the TV-60, but I have a similar scope in the Tak FS-60. When using it for autoguiding I usually install a focal reducer. This not only provides a wider field to pick up a guide star, but also brings the focus point considerably forward. If you have a focal reducer you might try this.
Thanks
Steven Jindra

Bennett
With the 80ED you have an OTA capable of very nice deep space images, especially with a .8X or .63x focal reducer. In my opinion, the C11 should primarily be considered for Lunar and planets because of the weight and focal length, unless you want to mortgage the house to buy an AP1200 or a similar mount for it.

For imaging, I started with a used Celestron CI-700 and it proved to be a cost effective mount for up to a 5" F8 refractor, but best with an scope very similar to yours (FS-78).

Hope this helps.
Steven Jindra

I have one that I made into a Dob type mount. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow evening.
Thanks
Steven Jindra

Robert
Does he have an established history and good ratings on Astromart?
Has he made a number of intelligent posts on the Astromart Forums?
Does a Google search turn up any references to his being in any astronomy clubs or equipment forums?

These might indicate something about his character. On the whole, I've found most real astronomers and true Astromarters, although subject to being quirky (myself included), are generally honest to a fault. True frauds usually stand out and are short lived on this site.

Have you tried sending him Astromart Personal Messages, in case his email is down or his spam protection has become too agressive?

Was he to ship USPS, FedEx, UPS, or other? I've found USPS Airmail to be best to Canada, anything else could take quite a while.

I hope he turns out to be a straight up guy and you get your eyepieces.

In the mean time, I think you are doing right in being cautious with his name (and reputation), until fraud is established.
Please keep us informed.
Steven Jindra

Dan
I do feel your pain, and experienced a similar one myself a few nights ago. I woke up around 2 in the morning, set up on NGC6888 (Crescent Nebula), and went back to bed dreaming of the results of 3 hours of 20 minute HA images. Soon after I went to bed the mount and autoguiding developed a DEC bounce as you can see from the sample attached image. What makes it worse, I had to get up in the morning and go work the next day.
Steven Jindra

Charlie
I believe the Meade camera can be used to autoguide an LX-200 mount through a serial output from your computer to the serial input of the mount.
Hope this helps.
Steven Jindra

Paul
I don't think I would worry about that. On Astromart, if you place and ad and see the number of hits in a very short time, it's obvious there are a lot of interested buyers. Also when you place an ad and see how quickly it moves down the list as new ads are place, it's also obvious many sellers are out there too (of course the buyers and sellers are all the same people). When items are priced appropriate to the current market, they move fast. Underprice it a little and it's gone in a heartbeat.

In the last few months, I just went through a cycle where my interest faded and I sold quite a bit of very nice equipment. I then regained my interest, felt seller's regret, and bought back many (most) of the same model items for close the same prices and even gained a few optional parts. USPS and FedEx did well, but I broke about even. Where else could you do this without hurting yourself financially?

Steven Jindra

Greg
I love the way the high resolution, wide field view lets you get put everything in perspective. Excellent shot.
Thanks for sharing.
Steven Jindra

Craig
I believe what the seller was saying is that his preferred method of recieving payment is Paypal and the first person to respond with a "I'll take and can pay with Paypal" would get it over someone saying "I'll take it, and can send a Money Order (check, etc)".

For some, the ad may be posted one day and responses reviewed the next day. If an item is in demand or the price very good, there can be an overwelming number of responses to get back to. I normally try to respond to each one anyway, but for some, getting back to the successful buyer and then marking the ad as SOLD is good.

If you really want an item that normally moves well and it is priced right, asking a few questions, although certainly appropriate, will not lock you in over someone after you saying "I'll take it". If you have a concern or two, these can be included as qualifiers in your response. For example, if a refractor OTA is offered, but you are concerned about collimation and backlash in the focuser, you can respond with "if the collimation is good and the focuser has little or no backlash, I'll take it". Slower moving items allow for more questions and corospondednce. Bottom line though, you need to make sure, to a reasonable degree, that the item will meet your needs/wants before buying.

A little wordy, but I hope this helps.
Steven Jindra