Posts Made By: Les Burel

Perhaps Florida is not the best place for a reflector but after being out of the hobby for many years I picked up a Celestron 114 with a CG-5 mount at a camera store in Titusville that was having a hard time moving scopes. He marked it down pretty good.

After having had an AP155 and a Unitron 4" I didn't expect much. It certainly is better than the 2.4" Unitron I had years ago and for simple ease of setting up, it beats the refractors, of course. I just cradle it in my arms and put it out in the driveway.

Apparently the 114 (f8)is sold with a lesser mount now but the Chinese CG-5, doesn't seem to share some of the problems I've been reading about on the web.

Always was a starhopper, anyway so maybe something will come up with a heavier scope on the mount. Any recommendations on a larger reflector for this mount? Also are there any Florida residents out there with reflectors. How has the environment treated your reflector?

Possibly, this may be review of interest..

http://www.cloudynights.net/lab/telescopes/planetary.pdf

I'm looking for a review on the Meade 75 series of SN's. Preferable the 10".

Your statement is true. The "why" of all that is harder to come by. I have never lost a package when shipping with USPS and I know that loss has to happen given the volume. (eBay, I'm not a vendor) But I priced UPS to China and Asia, and to Europe. UPS wanted about $60.00 to ship a package that USPS would do for about $18.00. Those kinds of shipping expenses can radically inflate the cost on an item and make it unavailable to foreign markets. All my shipping to those aforementioned places was done by Air Mail Letter Post. I have never shipped Global Priority. In my listings I let the potential foreign buyer know that I am not responsible for foreign deliveries. It's up to the buyer to chose the delivery method if the seller's choice is not applicable.

The thought that crosses my mind is this: you must fill out a customs form. If you underrate the value of what you are shipping and derate the contents from a whole unit to parts for that unit then you may escape the notice of some sub-human slug that got past that particular country's respective postal employment screener. Geez, imagine if you write "diamonds" on the customs form. Imagine again if you write in a value of $300.00.
Also, USPS gives you a receipt when you ship and the receipt states the country or zip to which the package is delivered.

The AZ-3 looks like my Vixen alt-az. There has been a past collaboration between Vixen and Orion. It works OK for the Vixen Custom 80mm scope that I have. But there is no 1/4" screw mount.

Keep in mind that the Vixen has two mounting rings and a camera tripod has one 1/4' screw. The AZ-3 could have the same Vixen configuration, I don't know but contact Orion about that to be sure.

eBay isn't good for much in the astro hobby but they do have good bargains on camera mounts. I think that if you shop around you will find a good mount for less than $100.00. I bought a heavy duty Vivitar mount for $10.00 plus $10.00 shipping.

Check out the used Manfrottos', Bogens, Velbons, etc.

Truth is, as I write I don't know how the TV60 tube ring is configured for mounting. If the AZ-3 is a clone of the Vixen alt-az I doubt if you can use it. My mount uses slots that are cast in the rings.

Les Burel

I'm in Zephyrhills, FL. I would be interested. There is a club down where you are talking about in the glades.

You are into astronomy now. The span of a human life is but a second in the cosmological scheme.
You are not young, you are old. You are not old, you are young. You are not here, you are there. When you have been there a while you will wish you were here. (nostalgia)

This is the second post I've read tonight concerning a younger amateur's desire to connect with an age appropriate astro crowd. I'm 57. When I was younger I ran into the same situation. It would easy to say that the older people in the hobby are still kids at heart. But, I suspect that astronomy never was a kid's game nor an adult's.

Astronomy is a transcendant experience and sometimes I think why shouldn't someone be drawn to it. Those that do it, get it. Those that don't, don't. I can't remember a time when I wasn't interested in astronomy. I know a lot of people who feel that way about NASCAR, paintball,.....

Ken Lay and the Clintons also socialized. The nature of goverment and the upper classes at that level are such that most everyone is enjoying connections with everyone else.

I think that it is important for us folks in the lower realms to realize that the exploits of those in the upper realms are no more than news as is fit to be dispensed to the mob. We should realize, also, that the realms of power achieved by those upper echelons transcend political parties. They are not us!

Should be pointed out: If you are wrapped up in the hype of a pro/con media
reality then you can not be who you are.

What separates religion from politics is that politics promises a chicken in every pot and religion promises you will live forever after you die, of course.

When they mixed religion with politics I came to believe that I would spend eternity at KFC, unless I was really bad. Then I'd be stuck at the McDonald's drive-up window for an eternity. Come to think of it I have been stuck at a McDonald's drive-up window for an eternity.

Hard to believe that my salvation depended upon my choosing Wendy's.

Lived in Cocoa Beach while working on the construction of Launch Complex 41 which is the home of the Atlas 5 rocket. If you are standing in the town of Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach it packs a bigger decibel punch than the shuttle which is virtually silent at that distance. Sounds like a Harley.

The Lockheed Atlas 5 uses Russian rocket motors and raccoons infest the LC41 tower, birds, too. Relevant facts, indeed.