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Posts Made By: Phillip Ostroff

March 3, 2006 04:25 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

LX200 8" Classic Power Supply Options

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Hi All,

I'm looking around for a cheapish ($80-$100) power source for my LX200 Classic. I bought a power supply from Scopestuff, it's a 12volt 7AH battery, lasts about 3 hrs right now. With the Messier Marathon approaching, I'm looking for more power, Capt'n! I've been looking at something like a 12 volt 17AH system which I figure could last around six hours or so. Something like a powertank or these battery pack/charger systems you see at Walmart.

Anyone had experience with any of these? Can someone suggest battery life in the field for any of them on an LX200 classic?

If I could afford a Kendrick I wouldn't be asking. And a local astronomer suggested building my own, but my financial resources are strained.

Thanks in advance,
Cheers
Phil

May 7, 2006 06:16 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

"Saxon" Brand of Scopes in Australia

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Hi All,

Looking into getting a scope for Dad, who lives in the Great Land Down Under. Scopes down there seem hugely expensive compared to prices of equivalents here in the US, and I was thinking of buying one here and shipping it.

In my research, I ran across a brand called Saxon. The prices seem reasonable (even with the exchange rate) but I was wondering if anyone had heard of or used these scopes before? Specifically interested in the 8" Dob model. Are they the same as Orion (same manufacturer?)

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers,
Phil
http://theguvnah.blogspot.com

September 2, 2006 03:17 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

The Moon Through a Dob

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Gday Folks,

So I bought a new Orion XT6. I own an LX200 8" Classic, but wanted a "grab and go" with enough "umph" for a quick setup, enjoyable experience. Thus the XT6 Classic. 8)

Anyway, had it out for the first time tonight and decided to try a basic moon shot. The attached image was taken by placing my digital camera up against an Orion Stratus 21mm eyepiece, and just a no-nonsense shot. Camera is a 3.5 megapixel Fuji Finepix. I was a little impressed with this shot, considering there was no tracking motor and it was manual and somewhat haphazard.

Probably been tons of shots done this way but wanted to make a little contribution!

Cheers,
Phil

September 10, 2006 05:45 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Dead LPI?

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Hi Folks,

Not sure if this is the right forum to ask, but here goes..

Have a Meade LPI. One night it just stopped. Laptop didn't register it, red LED on LPI never came on. I tried it on different PCs, and very rarely the LED light will come on.

Has anyone experienced this? Is the LPI dead and ready for a tombstone? Do I have any last chance ways to repair it?

Cheers,
Phil

October 10, 2006 09:16 PM Forum: Eyepieces

New UO Wide Field Eyepieces?

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Gday there,

Anyone know anything about the new line of UO widefields? Focal lengths range from 5.7mm to 25mm, and boast a 70 degree FOV.

I was going to start purchasing some good old cone top orthos for double star and planetary work but just noticed these on their web site.

http://www.universityoptics.com/125inch.html#70

Cheers,
Phil

February 8, 2007 07:20 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mounting a WO Petzval 66 onto an LX200 Classic

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Gday there,

I have a question... I have an 8" LX200 Classic. I just bought a STANDARD Meade wedge for it, and am messing around with the Meade DSI for now before I move into something more complicated, camera wise. I have read here and there that the standard wedge is not great in terms of vibration, but to be honest I haven't really noticed a whole lot of vibration as of now.

So, I'm looking at the WO Petzval 66ED for some wide angle views and photos. Would anyone know if this is pushing the weight too far for the standard wedge? I could probably be fine in alt-az mode just for observing, but wondering about the equatorial setup for photos...

Anyone else got a Petzval on their LX200 with the standard wedge?

Cheers,
Phil

July 6, 2007 05:39 PM Forum: Wildlife Photography

Aussie Kookaburra

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Hello,

I usually don't post here but thought some of you might like this shot. I found this Kookaburra on a hike I recently took just outside of Melbourne, Australia. These birds will sometimes let you get quite close if you're careful.

Cheers,
Phil

November 28, 2007 10:36 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Mars - Heading in the Right Direction?

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Hello!

Attached is my latest and "greatest" Mars image from last night. Seeing was 4/5, transparency 3/5 - an okay night. Image was taken with a Toucam through my LX200 8" F6.3, on an alt-az fork (I don't have a wedge). It's about 400/600 frames at 10fps.

Don't laugh but it's my best image of the red planet to date. (Pitiful, I know). I'm just excited to have been able to capture the ice cap!

Long story short - I am yet to try messing with it in Photoshop. Would would be the best thing to do with this image to try and draw out some detail? Unsharp masking? Sharpening? (I am a photoshop newbie) More importantly, would you consider this a "workable" image (i.e. something that is decent enough to even warrant further post-processing)?

Many thanks in advance for any help/advice out there.

Cheers,
Phil

January 8, 2008 09:46 PM Forum: Reflectors

Meade 12" Lightbridge Review

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Gday there,

For anyone interested, I posted a small review of the Meade 12" Lightbridge Deluxe on my blog. There is already a review for this scope on Astromart so I didn't want to bother the web site owners with another "official" review posting of the same scope. But I did want to put another review out there for folks considering the scope for purchase.

All-in-all, it's a great scope. Very nice views, good construction and a joy to use. Yes, I know it's not a fancy Starmaster, Obsession or something of that fine calibre. But, for the price (especially the revised pricing) it's really a good scope. I'll probably make a few tweaks but for an out-of-the-box experience, it's first class!

You can see the review here if you're interested: http://theguvnah.blogspot.com/2008/01/meade-12-lightbridge-first-impressions.html

Clear skies,
Phil

April 14, 2008 06:01 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Rima Ariadaeus with an SPC900 webcam & LX200

Posted By Phillip Ostroff

Hi There,

Thought I would throw this image into the mix. I took it not too long ago and have been messing with processing. This was taken using my LX200 8" Classic in alt-az mode, with a barlowed (2X) Philips SPC900 web cam. Seeing was maybe 3/5. This was best 270 out of 900 frames from a .AVI file.

Thanks to Dan Petersen for his tips!

Cheers,
Phil