Posts Made By: Thomas Holst

Keith Estes said:

...And then there's the guy with almost three hundred deals, that offered me half of items worth, so he could use the equipment working with kids at his church. Maybe I'm just a skeptic?

I've heard that one before. There must be a lot of church astronomers out there. I'm a skeptic also.

Steve Sands said:

I am still trying to figure out WHY this thread is in the "Ask Rating Questions Here" forum????????????

Just ignore it and it'll go away.

Alex McConahay said:
...So, how much could a picture tell somebody? Or am I missing something?

Alex,

I am one of those people who likes to see at least one good photo of something I'm considering buying. I don't mean a stock photo from a web site but a photo of the actual item for sale. Here are some reasons.

1. I've run across a few ads where the item is sometimes accidentally misrepresented. In other words, the description and the photo do not match. This has usually been the result of the seller not being very knowedgeable about the item or its variations.

2. Some people place ads with maybe half a line of descriptive information, so a photo can make up the difference. Example: Seller places an ad for a 2" Televue diagonal. A couple photos can tell me if it's an Everbrite or not, and if it's the compression ring type or not. These facts make a big difference in value.

3. Some people's idea of "Excellent Condition" does not match mine. A photo can tell a lot more about condition than words. Items that appear to be filthy usually don't get a second look.

4. If an item has "defects", photos give me a better idea as to whether or not I can live with those defects.

5. A photo helps clarify what is included in a sale which might have many components.

6. The inclusion of photos and the quality of those photos tells me a lot about the seller. One poor quality, out of focus photo earns minus points. Several clear sharp photos, maybe with a closeup or two, earns positive points. I use this information to determine if I really want to do business with this person.

In addition to wanting to see photos of stuff I am looking to buy, I take the time to include as many good photos as practical of stuff I'm selling, which has had a positive effect on my sales. Usually the response from the buyer is "I want it. Where do I send the money?", rather than asking a bunch of questions. I also get very few low offers.

Try including some good photos in your ads and see if they don't make stuff sell faster and easier.

Lee,

With my slowly age-deteriorating eyesight and bifocals, I have a lot of trouble sighting in dim light, like at indoor ranges. After trying a friend's pistol with a good quality red dot finder, I bought one for my little Ruger 22 pistol. I shot the attached target on the first day of using the red dot sight, after spending a few rounds sighting it in. (I normally can't even shoot a rifle this well.)

Ronald,

I sounds to me like you've been more than patient with Meade in attempting to get your scope fixed and they have failed to live up to their promises. If I were in your shoes, here's what I'd do.

I'd type up a nice, neat, one page letter to the CEO of Meade Instruments Corporation and explain what you included in your Astromart Forum post (minus the Nigerian Scam comments). Write it in a calm and respectful manner, without any nasty words. I would then go on to explain that you expect Meade's CEO to personally respond back to you in one of the three ways listed below that would satisfy you.

1. Provide you with the promised Sky Insurance shipping box within 7 days of receipt of this letter.

2. Ship you a brand new equivalent replacement telescope within 7 days.

3. Send you a refund of the purchase price of your scope, a refund of the "Sky Insurance", and a pre-paid shipping box in which to send the defective scope back to Meade, all within 7 days.

End the letter with: "Thank you for taking the time to consider my request", sign it and mail it to the address below, via certified mail. I would bet that you would get the desired response.


Steve Muellner, CEO
Meade Instruments Corporation
6001 Oak Canyon
Irvine, CA 92618

Gerald,

I suggest you take a look through the Pentax DCF WP-II series binoculars, in either 8x42 (first choice) or 10x42 for astro use. In my opinion, they provide high-end performance for a low-mid price.

I've had mine for almost 5 years. It became a keeper when I added the eyecup extender.

Buck,

Your puzzlement is one of several reasons I abandoned the TV Starbeam on my TV scopes and came up with a very quick, easy way to attach/detach a Telrad (which I like better anyway), and it self aligns every time I put it on the scope. (See attached picture.) Lemme know if you want more info on how it works.

Re: Power Supply

Could be that the power supply is defective and providing more than the 12~18 volts the mount is designed for. I think it's safer to power it with a 12 volt lead-acid battery power pack. Make sure you observe proper polarity when powering the scope. Don't assume that a power cord is correctly wired. Check it with a voltmeter, confirming that the center contact is Positive.

Re: Hand controller

I don't have a clue. It could be that it's fried or it could be that you need to replace the 3 volt CR2032 coin battery behind the main power panel (next to the fuse). A friend had an LX200 which suddenly developed a mind of its own and started doing weird things. We never could figure it out, he finally gave up and bought a new Celestron.

I haven't had any real problems with other people at my local indoor and outdoor ranges. They are pretty well organized and supervised. Occasionally I've run into a newby at the range who obviously isn't familiar with the the way things are supposed to go, but a friendly visit with them sets things straight and is usually appreciated. Besides the deliberate personal safety habits I've developed, I also make it a point to be very aware of the people around me and what they're doing.

I did have one experience back in the mid-70's, which started me really keeping an eye on the people around me. I was shooting in an unimproved, unsupervised, semi-desert area in Southern California, which was popular for plinking and sighting-in rifles. It was on a Sunday and there were quite a few people there, shooting all types of weapons.

I noticed that the guy about 75' to my left was getting ready to fire a Ruger Old Army black powder revolver. When he raised his revolver and fired there was a surprisingly loud KA-BOOOOM, immediately followed by some pretty severe recoil.

At first, I though I had misidentified his revolver so I walked up to him and inquired as to exactly what he was shooting. It turned out to be just what I thought; an original blued steel Ruger Old Army revolver. When I asked what he was loading it with, he explained and demonstrated his loading procedure on the empty chamber he had just fired.

He started by dumping a "smidgen" of Hercules "Bullseye" (smokeless) powder from a can into the chamber then filled up the rest of the chamber with FFFg black powder. Before he could seat the ball on top of this combination*, I quickly went back to my car and got the Hell away from this nut.

* For those not familiar:

1. You NEVER put smokeless powder in a black powder firearm.

2. Hercules Bullseye is a very fast burning smokeless powder and very little is required to produce maximum chamber pressures in a firearm designed for smokeless powder. This makes it easy to accidentally double-charge a pistol cartridge, which will often severely damage the weapon.

3. You NEVER, EVER mix smokeless powder with black powder. It's like playing Russian Roulette.