Posts Made By: Tim Tooley

My 1982 Orange C8 w/fork mount and spur gear drive system has recently started to only work intermittently. You can always hear the motors and my drive corrector is certainly speeding them up or slowing them down but often the drive is apparently not working. I've read in my old C8 owners manual where apparently if the drive motor/drive gear engagement is too tight, it can cause some irregular drive behavior. Supposedly pushing the small end of each motor away from the center slightly can loosen that engagement a bit and perhaps clear up the problem. Does anyone have any tips on that procedure or any other ideas on roubleshooting or fixing this problem? I am all ears!

Haven't seen any comet Neat pics posted from this night and just got these developed. This was taken with a 0M-2n with Kiron 80-200mm zoom at 80mm riding piggyback on a C8. 2m exposure on Fuji 800 SuperG film. Scanner is extremely low end but result was acceptable.
Tim

Same setup at 200mm and a 2m exposure. A few lightening bugs made an appearance!

John,
Back in the mid-80s I picked up Astrophotography: Featuring the Fx System of Exposure Determination by Barry Gordon. Covers the basics and his Fx system is a very easy way to choose the right combination of exposure time/f-number/film ASA rating based on the brightness of the object. Used it mainly for prime focus and eyepiece project photography.

Piggyback photography with a modest focal length lens (around 200mm or less)it much more straight forward. You don't need a book to start. Just....
- choose relatively fast film to start (I use Fuji 400 or 800)
- get polar aligned
- choose a target
- ensure the camera doesn't shift on the piggyback mount
- bracket your exposures using a cable shutter release - you may be able to go 5m or more with good alignment & tracking without guiding if you don't have too long a focal length lens
- take multiple shots at each exposure setting just in case
- being able to guide via a guiding eyepiece on your scope helps but isn't necessary to start...required for longer focal lengths
- I don't usually use the 1hr development places
- you can usually get the developer to vary their printing process a bit to improve on original results
-practice and have fun
Tim

Here is one of the few pics that turned out of the Mercury transit. Very near the end of the event at about 1:00 PM or so from near Raleigh NC. Look above the M.
Taken using my Pronto at prime focus (f/6.8) at ASA 100 at I think 1/125 sec with a solar filter in place.
Used photoshop to adjust the sharpness a bit to bring out the planet just a little bit more.
First attempts earlier in the day inbetween the clouds were severely under exposed at 1/1000 sec. Photoshop adjustment of brightness, contrast, and sharpness showed the planet but certainly not worth posting!

Mike,
I don't have a lot of experience as I just recently picked mine up. Everyone I talked to prior to the purchase agreed with going with the FCD 100 model for the higher quality glass. If you go used, and get the FCD 1 model insure you don't get one with the rings that have the clasps that lock it down as they are flimsy and get one with rings with the large bolts to clamp down the rings.
I purchased a "new" refurb directly from Explore Scientific at a great discount and am very pleased. It looks brand new, has a clean sharp look and feel to it and it is a very sturdy and well made. My looks through it at Comet Neowise were excellent. I have not imaged with it yet but plan to shortly. 
My iOptron iEQ30 Pro mount seems to be sufficient for it at least for relatively short exposure imaging but I would say that is the minimum class amount for it. Time will tell.
Tim
Good luck.