Posts Made By: Gary Heath

I was just playing with a Meade MySky Plus and was surprised to hear it say that "you can see individual stars in M33 with a 12" telescope".
I didn't think this was possible unless using an instrument that would allow you to look at M33 in different wavelengths.
I mean .... I've seen Meade make some tall claims before, but this one is new to me.

Any comments ....?

What goes around comes around.
Like him or not ..... it's Mary Jo that should have final judgment over him.
I'd carry a grudge for a little more than one lifetime if somebody drove me off a bridge, then left me to drown while they went home, changed cloths, and then went off to breakfast.

I wanted to let you all know that I was recently contacted by Chris Floyd the inventor and owner of the Sky Rover StarChair 3000.
He is back after some health issues and currently has a run of 20 StarChairs almost ready for shipping to new homes.
3 of these are ready now, with 17 more that will be ready in about a month, at which time he is planning to have his site www.starchair.com back on line.
Chris told me that the ones that are ready now use the same analog joystick to drive the StarChair about the sky.
This is a PC gamers' joystick and works quite well, but they are getting harder to find.
The other 17 will be using a Penny and Giles digital joystick, which is a high precision, industrial grade joystick that doesn't use the same internal moving components as does the PC joystick, and will have a very long life.
This change to the P&G joystick necessitated the input circuit be redesigned, which according to Chris is beta tested, and he is waiting for the double sided circuit boards to be delivered.

I have been using my StarChair for almost the past 5 years, mainly with my 25X150 Fujinons.
It has had some pretty large individuals taking rides in it, and lots of fidgety children, has traveled all over the US with us for more then 3 years stowed away in the storage bay of our motorcoach, all with no problems whatsoever ...... so I'm a happy StarChair owner.

I've done a number of modifications to mine, and this winter will modify the mounting system for my 25X150 Fujinons so they will have a gas strut assisted lift system to make it easy to add some other modifications, and to work similar to the normal binocular lift system that the StarChair comes with for mounting binos up to 110 mm.
I want to experiment using telescope optics with the chair, as it is the most comfortable way to observe the night sky.
I have a small 12 volt electric blanket that connects to the battery of the StarChair, and the existing accessory big Fuji mounting system can handle a load well in excess of 45 lbs, so I'm hoping to find the "sweet spot" between focal length and the appearance of vibrations that is really your head slightly moving from heartbeat/breathing and etc., that will allow the use of more powerful instrument than my 25X150 Fujis.
The StarChair is "encoder ready" so it can use any of the DSC systems out there.
I just recently changed from a JMI NGCMax to a Sky Commander and have been using 8K tic encoders. I am also experimenting with both the Celestron SkyScout and Meade MySky to use as finders, but mainly to add the multi-media (video and audio) to the ride.

I've asked Chris to provide some pricing info that I can pass on, and I hope to hear back soon regarding that.
I believe in late 2004 I paid just over $4k for the chair, and ~$1500 for the mount to handle the big Fujis, that and the shipping, import tax, and I hired an import broker to handle the paperwork for customs, the total delivered price was ~$6300 as I recall.
A fair sum to be sure. But when I look at all the money I've spent on different scopes that have me either climbing ladders, bent over/kneeling on the ground with little pebbles digging into my knees ..... just so I could get to to eyepiece, then spending many nights freezing my extremities off, all just plain making it an uncomfortable and physically tiring situation that negatively impacted how much time I actually spend at the eyepiece 'truly' observing ........ the comfort and warmth of a platform that's basically an overstuffed armchair with a heating blanket (which I added for less than $30) the StarChair is a bargain!

If my "uni-mount" for other optics works out, all I'll need to attach is a cup holder, 12Volt cooler and small pizza oven ....... and then I'm not coming in anymore!!

In any case ...... I'll post more information as I obtain it, and keep the forum updated on my modification's success or failures.


Best regards,

Gary

The SkyRover StarChair 3000 web site is back on-line.
See: http://www.starchair.com/

Best regards,

Gary

If Plossls don't work as advertised, do they have Plossable deniability? :S

Yes, I use a set of Fujinon 25X150's with a StarChair 3000.
But by the time I paid for the last price hike (in 2003) bought the special bracket for the big Fuji's, and paid for an import broker, paid shipping, and then paid California sales tax (yup, they hit me for it about 8 months after it went through customs) it was almost $6K!!
But I wouldn't sell it for that.
It isn't available anymore, and with a NGC-Max DSC computer on it, nebula filters in the eyepieces of the big Fuji's, and a plug-in 12V "car" electric blanket, I'm comfortable all night .... with viewing that is unlike any I've ever experienced before.
It's amazing how many objects are really too large for anything other than rich field viewing, and sitting in a well padded, heated easy chair that moves via a joystick, with pupils that are effectively 6" dia., is worth every penny it cost me. :-)

There were (and possibly still are) a few really good upgrades to the LX5 that might be found on Astromart.
I still have an old 10" LX6 Premier that started it's life as an LX5, but Meade did me a big favor when I bought the Meade CAT for my LX5, and they upgraded it to an 'LX6 Premier' and upgraded my CAT to a CAT COM which was then integrated into the scope as opposed to the add-on the kludge that the CAT was initially.
The CAT is "Computer Aided Telescope" which is a good sized panel that's basically a digital setting circle ..... but with 'much' more information displayed simultaneously and a 'much' better targeting grid.
The CAT COM is the same device but with the ability to be connected to a PC to and run a planetarium program to augment it's data base.
I have a program called Star Connect which operates under windows as a TSR (terminate and stay resident program) and then I use EazyComos as my planetarium program.
It works like using Software Bisque's "TheSky" with an LX200, but you move the scope to the target it directs you to after clicking on an object on it's sky map, as with any digital setting circle.
LodeStar is another program that will work with the CAT, and there may be others, but the last time I checked TheSky unfortunately would not work with the Meade CAT COM.
The CAT for the LX5 is an add on system but for the LX6 drive base it's more integrated with a host power panel that accepts direct plug in of the CAT, and the encoders are mounted in the arms as opposed to being clumsy looking add-ons.
There are other digital setting circles that can be added to the LX5/6 like the JMI NGC units, the Celestron advanced Astromaster, Sky Commander, and etc., some that can also be connected to a PC running a planetarium program and that 'are' compatible with TheSky.
These devices will make finding objects much easier for a person new to the hobby, or one that doesn't want to star hop.
JMI also sells both a DFC (digital focus counter) and moto-focus for the LX5/6 and there is an electronic DEC motor for it as well (a 'very' well advised add-on) There is a Super Wedge for it as well, that is 'much' better than the weak (marginal for an 8") unit that came with the LX5.
The top of the line Meade SCT of the time (1980's) was the 10" LX6 Primer the included a CAT COM and a Super Wedge
There is a Yahoo group dedicated to these scopes and you can find it by googling "yahoo Meade users groups" and then looking through the list for the LX5/6 group.
A few years ago I sent one of the members there all my LX5/6 documentation to be scanned and entered onto the site's file section, so you will find a huge amount of information there including wiring diagrams to modify the LX6/5 DSC hand box for adding a guider port to it.
Now that I've thought about it ........ I may just dig out my old 10" LX6 and put it back into service.

Best regards,

Gary

I just got the StarChair 3000 new retail price from Chris Floyd .
It will be $US6,095 plus freight and any import duty etc.. that your state might add.

After spending the past five years with mine, I can honestly say that I would gladly pay this if I didn't have one.
IMO the StarChair's $ per time period of 'actually observing' (that it provides as a result of it's total comfort for 'any' object position) is one of the best deals I've made in astro-gear purchases.

Best regards,

Gary

P.S. I have no affiliation with StarChair other than being a very happy customer that wants to share this unique observing experience with others.