Posts Made By: James DellaPenna

Recently I managed to drop a 24.5 SWA (part of a bino pair) on the ground. When I got home I discovered the upper potion of the EP had a slight rattle to it. Apparently something has loosened in the stack of lenses. There does not appear to be any visible cracks or chips. I have not attempted to unscrew the upper housing for two reasons:

1. I have never done it before.

2. Number one affirms I would not know what I was doing.

I have read other EP damage stories on this forum with suggestions to return it to Meade. Does Meade actually repair these at there California facility and if so, is the repair charge worth it compared to just replacing it with another used one?

Is anybody getting response to emails sent to support@celestron.com ? I sent one 2 weeks ago and resent it one week ago,---still no response! Am I committing a cardinal sin by asking two questions in the same email instead of just one?

Several days ago Joe Williams began a discussion with this title regarding Iraq. Even though Joe and I are on opposite ends of the political spectrum I was as disheartened as he was that hardly anyone would actually answer his question.

For the sake of discussion I volunteered a suggestion I read in Sunday's editorial section. See http://www.astromart.com/messages.asp?message_id=198237&page=7 . Not one of you made any significant comment on the suggestion. Not one of you offered an alternative suggestion.

I am taking it upon myself to pick up the torch and repeat the question. "O.K, What would you do?" All of us on this forum are adept at sniping the president, the military, bad intelligence, conservatives, or liberals in an attempt to toot our horns but there have been very, very few thoughful solutions offered regarding Iraq.

I challenge everyone on this forum to come up with a specfic course of action to resolve the conflict in Iraq. In doing so, I ask that you not regress into what went wrong in the past or whose fault it was. Much of the heated arguements on this subject have as much to do with our collective frustration as our individual perceptions.

If you were the leader of the free world, what would you do to hopefully resolve this conflict and restore some of the respect we as a nation like to think we deserve?

Orion Shorty Plus.

Some of you got out of line and Herb pulled the chain temporarily just to remind you he can! I love it! Way to go, Herb.

Is the Denk 2-arm Power Switch for use with the Denk-II 2" nosepiece only or can it be used on the Denk Standard?

I was browsing the net under Alex's Galaxy and discovered this interesting site:

http://www.buymoonproperty.net/

Latest internet buzz--Does Edwards look vice presidential?

He certainly looks better than the Dan Quaile "deer caught in the headlights" look.

I don't want this thread to deteriorate into a debate about green laser usage. That has already been well covered in previous discussions.

One thing I have gathered is that the Class IIIA lasers (Orion, Scopestuff, etc.) have the highest brightness allowed by the FDA. I would like one for use exclusively for public event parties where lots of children are present but still wish to limit the brightness to a reasonable level.

What brands of green lasers are available in a lower level of brightness than Class IIIA?

My primary scope is a Nexstar 11 but I also use the Meade AR6. The refractor is primarily used at public viewings or educational viewings for elementary school students, usually on the Moon, brighter planets and bright globulars.

The views are good for an achromat simply due to the 6" aperture. The downside is the weight (25 lbs.) and tendency to shake in the breeze on my CG-5 mount, even with an Astrosky tripod. I am toying with the thought of replacing the OTA with the Orion 100ED for the color correction and 7-lb OTA weight.

Would the superior image sharpness of a 100ED mostly make up for the loss in aperture downsizing from a 6" achromat or would aperture still rule? The light weight and expected stability on the CG-5 is really appealing. I have been spoiled by the light gathering power of the 6" achro but have also been impressed with the views through a TV 101 pumped up with a Powermate. The Orion ED is no Tele Vue but it's as close as my budget will ever get to an APO.

I know; it is a subjective question but opinions would be appreciated, especially from the ED crowd. Than you.