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Posts Made By: Thomas Dey

December 17, 2016 02:49 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Meade Series 4000 Smoothies

Posted By Thomas Dey
Nice! I love any smoothies. The Plossls are excellent for your scope... fancier eyeps are $$$ and extravagent. At f/10, f/8 feed the Plossls perform perfectly. My scope is f/3.8 so (sigh) "NEED" TV and the Paracorr = $$$. I've been collecting them. Tom

December 30, 2016 05:11 AM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Fun Winter Objects

Posted By Thomas Dey
Thanx for the tips! I sold off the 29-inch and haven't got the 36 running yet. But the 16-inch binos should be wonderful for such targets. I used to observe in all weather regardless... but gotten lazy and less dedicated. Tom

December 31, 2016 01:39 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Astrosystems Comes Through

Posted By Thomas Dey
Randy is meticulous, dedicated and responsive. He provided many parts for my 29 Dob long ago and now for the 36 (diag mount, spider, GoTo, bearings...) and profuse pointers on building the scope. Tom

January 4, 2017 03:26 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Telescope equipment rental

Posted By Thomas Dey
Hi, Tony, Seems your major competition would be local, established astronomy clubs, many/most lend equip to members, token fee, and very negotiable terms. The hobby is regionally, on average, pretty dilute. So, the total business would likely be sparse. Closest analogy that I am familiar with is musical instruments e.g. my daughter's oboe before buying one ($5000). But, even there, the local schools and music shops collaborate... so customers are known locals referred by teachers/established musicians. I would put quality scopes and instruments in similar category... costly and needing care. Yet, it is rather regrettable that the average Ethos probably gets looked thru a couple hours a year?! Tom

January 11, 2017 10:59 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mirror f ratio

Posted By Thomas Dey
Many ways, this one works fine: set it e.g. against a wall. Take any flashlight (little MagLite works good) and a piece of paper and aim it at the mirror from about 11 feet away. There will be a bright image of the light on the paper. Move in and out until you get a sharp image at same distance of the light. Measure that with a tape. Half that is the focal length. 62.5 in would be f/5; 75 would be f/6. This is a Very Good measurement and can be used to build the tube etc. with no unpleasant surprises. The same technique can be refined to become the "Foucault Test." I always built this "finder" into my testers. Beauty is you never even have to go dark, so can use it in a lighted room (kitchen, office, lab) without bothering anybody. Tom Dey

January 20, 2017 07:35 AM Forum: Home Observatories

Remote Observatory Testing

Posted By Thomas Dey
Very nice and good luck with the project! PS I personally got lightning-struck 35 years ago... Ummm, I survived and became an astronomer. Tom

January 22, 2017 01:29 AM Forum: A Day in the Life of the Administrator

No pics in ads

Posted By Thomas Dey
My initial login and some other actions have been taking a LONG delay, so much so that I go on to other tasks and let it execute. Other sites behaving OK, so isolated to Amart, I guess. That's been a couple/few days? Such has occurred at irregular intervals (few times a year) then gets better. I have always figured some sort of miant at the server site. Tom

January 29, 2017 11:27 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Lurking In Lynx...

Posted By Thomas Dey
Hi Rod, Thanx for the list, descriptions, and Lynx links! I'm photon-starved for snow and clouds lately, another week forecast. I sold off the 29 and delinquent in replacing it with the 36 (in crates). But the 16-inch binos would of course be perfect for these targets and just 50-yards up the hill behind the house (where I'm sitting now). I intend to chase those targets down and report back. Tom

January 30, 2017 10:41 PM Forum: A Day in the Life of the Administrator

Re: SCAMMER ALERT QSI-683wsg "bundle" for $2500

Posted By Thomas Dey
Hi David, Well... that's quite tragic! I used "good indicator" to allow for the rare dissatisfaction in a deal. Cosmetics don't bother me, but I know many people want minty only. Best for sellers to overtly disclose negatives in their ads! Here's one where I emphasized that, the buyer was delighted. http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=740761 Tom

February 2, 2017 12:44 PM Forum: Reflectors

36-INCH TELESCOPE

Posted By Thomas Dey
nother picture

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