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Posts Made By: James DellaPenna

October 2, 2004 09:34 AM Forum: Politics

Undecided voters

Posted By James DellaPenna
Although I am a registered independent I decided which way I was going to vote long ago. The differences between Kerry and Bush are rather evident. Much has been said about how difficult it is for the undecided voters to make a decision but I have difficulty relating to that. What exactly is it that still has them on the fence? Perhaps these are people who always have a hard time making decisions? Just wondering.

October 18, 2004 06:25 PM Forum: Politics

Early voting results

Posted By James DellaPenna
News reports indicate that early votes will not be counted until "after" the election, apparently along with absentee ballots.

The problem with this is that early voting this year appears to be shaping up as a significant percentage. I hope we are not headed into a situation where the election is called before a significant portion of votes are even counted.

Does anybody know the nitty gritty details how this is supposed to work?

October 29, 2004 04:18 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

EP repairs--second post attemp.

Posted By James DellaPenna
I know this has been discussed before but does anyone know who repairs Meade EP's? Meade will not provide this service because all their EP's are imported. Anybody on the sponsors list do this?

February 8, 2005 07:24 PM Forum: Binoviewers

Bino resolution

Posted By James DellaPenna
In keeping with Don Wyman's timely suggestion I am introducing a new thread.

Without identifying my brand of bino (heaven forbid) I would like to know how many bino users with SCT's in the 10"-11" range are actually able to resolve the E and F stars of the Trapezium under about #4 seeing conditions.

I am using a pair of high quality binos, 19mm and 24mm Panoptics, and a properly collimated Nexstar 11. Under #4 skies and moderate transparency I am unable to resolve E and F. I do have mild to moderate stigmatism and do not use eyeglasses when viewing. Are my aging eyes the problem?

Just curious if others experience this degree of difficulty.

February 24, 2005 01:35 PM Forum: Refractors

Meade 102ED-vs-Orion 100ED

Posted By James DellaPenna
Any opinions? I've seen comments on the Orion but virtually nothing on the Meade. How do they stack up to each other?

April 2, 2005 07:33 PM Forum: Off Topic Discussions

April Fools jokes

Posted By James DellaPenna
When I used to live in the mid-coast Maine area the local newspaper (published in Rockland) always had a couple announcements on April 1st that were a bit preposterous and always fabricated. Most locals learned to expect and look for them but occasionally both newcomers and some long time county residents would fall for it (to their later embarrassment).

I think the one that generated the greatest outrage was a proposal by a local developer to build "rock condos" inside the picturesque rock cliffs on the mountain overlooking Megunticook Lake in Camden! People were ready to march on city hall until they discovered it was a ruse.


June 6, 2005 02:21 PM Forum: Binoviewers

Bino use after scope collimation.

Posted By James DellaPenna
My C11 has miraculously held its collimation for almost half a year without being touched but just recently needed to be tweaked. I normally do this with an 8mm Radian (350x). After getting it right where I want it in cyclops mode I switch to my normal mode of binoviewing.

When making the transition I discover I still have not mastered that final 1% to collimation perfection. It looks fine at high power cyclops mode yet is ever so slightly off in lower power bino mode. In bino mode it seems to be most detectable when only slightly out of focus, revealing ever so slightly skewed diffraction rings. If I return to cyclops mode it is not detectable, even at higher power.

One gets the feeling that perhaps collimation should be done with the binos in place since that's the predominant use of the scope but the general consensus is that this is a no-no.

Looking for opinions, please. Thank you.

June 8, 2005 02:49 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Re: celestron 11gps vs. meade 10 lx200gps

Posted By James DellaPenna
My first choice would be the Celestron due to the greater liklihood of getting quality service should you ever require it. Others will provide various pros and cons for each scope but service is what really sets them apart.

I am a Nexstar 11 GPS owner so yes, I'm biased!

April 7, 2006 04:29 PM Forum: AstroMart FAQ

My Classifieds question

Posted By James DellaPenna
My Classified begins with the oldest classifieds first. It used to begin with the most recent. How does one change it back to begin with the most recent?

May 26, 2006 02:03 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Deep Sky

Questions from CCD newbie---equipment?

Posted By James DellaPenna
I plan to jump into CCD imaging with the Meade DSI II color camera. I have an Orion 100ED but a poor mount for imaging (standard CG5) and can not afford a GM-11 or CGE. Therefore, the scope I planned to use is a Nexstar 11 w/ wedge and f/3.3 reducer. It is understood that even though this gets me down to 933mm focal length, this is still quite high for a CCD, especially for a beginner.

An alternative option available is an old C80 achromat gathering dust in a corner. My questions are twofold:

1. How best could I piggyback the C80 on my Nexstar 11 and where might one find the necessary parts to do this?

2. Is the C80 of sufficient quality for deep sky CCD imaging? I am well aware it may not be good on planets or the Moon due to the color problems. I can use the Nexstar for imaging those objects.

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