Saw this in another group ...

the name of the observatory was  "Cloudbait"


- Leonard

In the file folder "Leonard's Pics" is some stuff I have for barter
or sale. All items are in excellent condition. Items are:

1. Telrad with dew shield and heater. Telrad is modified for 12VDC or
batteries. Four Telrad books with many sky charts and descriptions of
objects, from Sky Spot Publishing ... Bright Objects, Messier Objects
(vol 1&2), and Overlooked Objects. Use them in conjunction with the
Telrad.

2. Extra-large 3-drawer (plus top compartment) toolchest (20x12x10)
for lenses, tools, gadgets, documents, etc.. I will supply foam to
line the drawers, which you can custom-cut to suit your needs.

3. Custom collapsible toolchest support table with AC powerbar on
rear side. Toolchest and table were custom to fit under a Celestron
tripod with toolchest lid open, or the whole combination can be off
to the side of the tripod somewhere. Table has holes around periphery
for affixing lights etc.

4. Astro Engineering "Imager's Filter Wheel" with five 1.25" threaded
holes. Built like a tank.

5. Shorty keyboard. Saves space on accessory/work tables beside scope
setup.

6. 6x30 Celestron crosshair finderscope. Came with Celestron C8
scope, but was replaced with a 9x50.


I hope I have not contravened the OAFs group charter by posting this.
If so, then report me and I will be sent off to a labour camp for
25yrs.  :)

Seriously, if this is not allowed, let me know and I won't do it
again.

- Leonard

If you can't sell to your friends, who can you sell to?  Ferengi Rule of
acquisition #29....actually I think the actual translation has the word "screw"
somewhere in it...
Seriously, this is a friendly group and I doubt you will offend anyone.
Richard

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: lknoll1234
   To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Friday, December 08, 2006 10:24 PM
   Subject: [OAFs] I have some stuff for barter or sale


   In the file folder "Leonard's Pics" is some stuff I have for barter
   or sale. All items are in excellent condition. Items are:

   1. Telrad with dew shield and heater. Telrad is modified for 12VDC or
   batteries. Four Telrad books with many sky charts and descriptions of
   objects, from Sky Spot Publishing ... Bright Objects, Messier Objects
   (vol 1&2), and Overlooked Objects. Use them in conjunction with the
   Telrad.

   2. Extra-large 3-drawer (plus top compartment) toolchest (20x12x10)
   for lenses, tools, gadgets, documents, etc.. I will supply foam to
   line the drawers, which you can custom-cut to suit your needs.

   3. Custom collapsible toolchest support table with AC powerbar on
   rear side. Toolchest and table were custom to fit under a Celestron
   tripod with toolchest lid open, or the whole combination can be off
   to the side of the tripod somewhere. Table has holes around periphery
   for affixing lights etc.

   4. Astro Engineering "Imager's Filter Wheel" with five 1.25" threaded
   holes. Built like a tank.

   5. Shorty keyboard. Saves space on accessory/work tables beside scope
   setup.

   6. 6x30 Celestron crosshair finderscope. Came with Celestron C8
   scope, but was replaced with a 9x50.

   I hope I have not contravened the OAFs group charter by posting this.
   If so, then report me and I will be sent off to a labour camp for
   25yrs. :)

   Seriously, if this is not allowed, let me know and I won't do it
   again.

   - Leonard





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Solar Tsunami... Dec 06 2006
http://www.nso.edu/staff/dooling/tsunami/

The video is awesome.
http://www.nso.edu/staff/dooling/tsunami/tsunami-hlmovie.mpg

Len

> http://www.nso.edu/staff/dooling/tsunami/tsunami-hlmovie.mpg

HFS!

Attilla:  "HFS" --- h-m-m-m, hm-m-m-m, I guess you mean "Holistic
Factful Scenes". Right?

I have an *extremely* hard time getting my head around the
immensities of size and energies involved in such daily occurences on
our star, our nuclear furnace, our source of survival. If we were
closely exposed to even one tiny whiff of a ripple of a wave of such
an occurence, we'd be instant toast.

When I look through the eyepiece of my pathetic little 8" SCT and see
globs, nebulas, galaxies, and open clusters, I am *stunned* at the
inconsequential importance of my being. Sometimes I just stare and
don't know what to think except that I am *nothing* in the overall
scheme of things. BTW ... my wife will confirm this. :-\

- Leonard



--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "Attilla Danko" <danko@...> wrote:
>
> > http://www.nso.edu/staff/dooling/tsunami/tsunami-hlmovie.mpg
>
> HFS!
>

Hi,
If your still looking for a motherboard, I've got two with CPUs on
them, one is an Celeron 333 on Acer AX6BC (see
http://global.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/ax6bc.htm), the other is a
Celeron 366 on P6EXP-Me (apparently this mobo cant take more than
256MB of ram despite having 3 DIMM sockets, never tried it though).
Both have AGP + >=3 PCI slots + >=1 ISA.

I'd be willing to trade both for some PC100/133 RAM >=128MB sticks
(I've got a 64MB and 32MB sticks you can have too), or nothing if you
dont have any RAM that matches what I need!!!

Let me know,
Eric

--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, InQ <inq@...> wrote:
>
> Ah yes, that's who I was thinking of. That means finding a free
saturday :)
>
> keith.hadley wrote:
> >
> > --- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com <mailto:OAFs%
40yahoogroups.com>, "pawb63"
> > <paul.wefers_bettink@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm not a computer expert, but I know that there is a Computer
> > > recycling store in Ottawa where one can get ancient computer
parts.
> >
> > You speak of "Computer Recyclers" open for business on Friday and
> > Saturday at www.computerrecyclersottawa.com. I bought obsolete
PC100
> > memory for my laptop from them.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
------
> >
> > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> > Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.15.11/575 - Release Date:
06/12/2006 12:22 PM
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Tentatively, I can say I am interested. But I am going to have to dig to
see where I put my ram - I think I have two 128 meg sticks, but I could
be wrong. Looking at the specs I think it would be best if I went with
the Acer board. I know for a fact that the old HD is fine as I booted
from it on a friends computer. It has windows XP on it, and a ton of
memory resident programs ... and I recall that after booting was done,
and the computer idling, it sat at pretty close to 260 meg memory used,
which is why I pushed it from 256 to 512.

Ah the joys of upgrading.

I also have some weird cards I picked up at a garage sale, I think it
was the same time I got the second 256meg stick. One of the cards is
PCI, and its a SCSI card. I should actually collect this stuff together
for the next RASC swap table.

I'll post when I find the RAM.

Ni!

Eric Benson wrote:
>
> Hi,
> If your still looking for a motherboard, I've got two with CPUs on
> them, one is an Celeron 333 on Acer AX6BC (see
> http://global.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/ax6bc.htm
> <http://global.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/ax6bc.htm>), the other is a
> Celeron 366 on P6EXP-Me (apparently this mobo cant take more than
> 256MB of ram despite having 3 DIMM sockets, never tried it though).
> Both have AGP + >=3 PCI slots + >=1 ISA.
>
> I'd be willing to trade both for some PC100/133 RAM >=128MB sticks
> (I've got a 64MB and 32MB sticks you can have too), or nothing if you
> dont have any RAM that matches what I need!!!
>
> Let me know,
> Eric
>
> --- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com <mailto:OAFs%40yahoogroups.com>, InQ
> <inq@...> wrote:
> >
> > Ah yes, that's who I was thinking of. That means finding a free
> saturday :)
> >
> > keith.hadley wrote:
> > >
> > > --- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com <mailto:OAFs%40yahoogroups.com>
> <mailto:OAFs%
> 40yahoogroups.com>, "pawb63"
> > > <paul.wefers_bettink@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I'm not a computer expert, but I know that there is a Computer
> > > > recycling store in Ottawa where one can get ancient computer
> parts.
> > >
> > > You speak of "Computer Recyclers" open for business on Friday and
> > > Saturday at www.computerrecyclersottawa.com. I bought obsolete
> PC100
> > > memory for my laptop from them.
> > >
> > >
> > > ----------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> > >
> > > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> > > Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.15.11/575 - Release Date:
> 06/12/2006 12:22 PM
> > >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.15.15/580 - Release Date: 08/12/2006
12:53 PM
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hey Leonard,
But those beautiful, immense, powerful, and distant objects in the sky that
make you feel so inconsequential, can they laugh, smile, cry, make friends,
love, be curious, have a sense of wonder, learn, read, write, spelll, and,
more importantly, open a can of tuna?
Joe


------------------------------------
When I look through the eyepiece of my pathetic little 8" SCT and see globs,
nebulas, galaxies, and open clusters, I am *stunned* at the inconsequential
importance of my being. Sometimes I just stare and don't know what to think
except that I am *nothing* in the overall scheme of things.

That's a great sentiment Joe. We are miraculous bags of water aren't we?



I especially like the can of tuna bit. Now, how would we set up that
experiment? Does it count as success even if the tuna gets a little singed
in the process?



Andrew



-----Original Message-----
From: OAFs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:OAFs@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Joe
Silverman
Sent: December 10, 2006 10:55 AM
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [OAFs] Re: Solar Tsunami Dec 6 -06




Hey Leonard,
But those beautiful, immense, powerful, and distant objects in the sky that
make you feel so inconsequential, can they laugh, smile, cry, make friends,
love, be curious, have a sense of wonder, learn, read, write, spelll, and,
more importantly, open a can of tuna?
Joe


------------------------------------
When I look through the eyepiece of my pathetic little 8" SCT and see globs,
nebulas, galaxies, and open clusters, I am *stunned* at the inconsequential
importance of my being. Sometimes I just stare and don't know what to think
except that I am *nothing* in the overall scheme of things.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Andrew: Well I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I was kind of kicking around the
idea of a close fly-by with a long marshmallow fork stuck out the window
sporting a can of Tuna-by-the-Sea. =8-O

- Leonard


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Andrew Ross
   To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 11:34 AM
   Subject: RE: [OAFs] Re: Solar Tsunami Dec 6 -06


   That's a great sentiment Joe. We are miraculous bags of water aren't we?

   I especially like the can of tuna bit. Now, how would we set up that
   experiment? Does it count as success even if the tuna gets a little singed
   in the process?

   Andrew

   -----Original Message-----
   From: OAFs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:OAFs@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Joe
   Silverman
   Sent: December 10, 2006 10:55 AM
   To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   Subject: RE: [OAFs] Re: Solar Tsunami Dec 6 -06

   Hey Leonard,
   But those beautiful, immense, powerful, and distant objects in the sky that
   make you feel so inconsequential, can they laugh, smile, cry, make friends,
   love, be curious, have a sense of wonder, learn, read, write, spelll, and,
   more importantly, open a can of tuna?
   Joe

   ------------------------------------
   When I look through the eyepiece of my pathetic little 8" SCT and see globs,
   nebulas, galaxies, and open clusters, I am *stunned* at the inconsequential
   importance of my being. Sometimes I just stare and don't know what to think
   except that I am *nothing* in the overall scheme of things.

   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All:

Yes, I know, this query will probably end up taking its place in the
amazing astronomical hall of fame right beside sunken red bricks and
sinking tripod tips [ :) ], but I have to ask ... what types of
connectors do you use in your 12VDC astronomical gadgets so that you
don't have to worry about looseness, number of
insertions/extractions, and other such inconvenient things?

I recently changed my 12VDC power distribution box's connectors from
2.5mm coaxial power jacks to good 'ol 0.175"dia banana jacks. Now I
know I won't have any relaibility problems, but these are obviously
not the best solution (mating force, exposed metal, etc.)

On some websites I've seen exposed alligator clips, twisted-together
wires [ =8-O ], and all sorts of gawdawful connections, but there
*has to be* the ultimate outdoor 12VDC connector.

Any suggestions for a really reliable, rugged, small, and convenient
outdoor connector? Circular DIN connectors might be OK, but all that
screwing/threading makes me tired thinking about it.

- Leonard

P.S.  Yes, OK, I admit it, I'm bored tonight. If anyone has any
better topics (not difficult) then go for it.

Len,

My all-time favorite is 2-conductor flat trailer connectors. You're probably
familiar with the standard "flat-4" style trailer connector, but there's
also a 2-conductor version you can get from places like Princess Auto. These
guys are polarized (one male and one female connector), and robust as hell.
If one standardizes on having the supply side positive being the female
connector, then you can mate these in the dark in complete confidence. They
carry lots of amps with little resistance due to the firm and generous
contact surface, and when connected there's pretty much nothing to
inadvertently contact. You can stomp them in the mud all day and they ask
for more.

They go for about 3 bucks a set at reputable trailer shops.

Bill



   _____

From: OAFs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:OAFs@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
lknoll1234
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:25 PM
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [OAFs] Outdoor rugged connectors



All:

Yes, I know, this query will probably end up taking its place in the
amazing astronomical hall of fame right beside sunken red bricks and
sinking tripod tips [ :) ], but I have to ask ... what types of
connectors do you use in your 12VDC astronomical gadgets so that you
don't have to worry about looseness, number of
insertions/extractions, and other such inconvenient things?

I recently changed my 12VDC power distribution box's connectors from
2.5mm coaxial power jacks to good 'ol 0.175"dia banana jacks. Now I
know I won't have any relaibility problems, but these are obviously
not the best solution (mating force, exposed metal, etc.)

On some websites I've seen exposed alligator clips, twisted-together
wires [ =8-O ], and all sorts of gawdawful connections, but there
*has to be* the ultimate outdoor 12VDC connector.

Any suggestions for a really reliable, rugged, small, and convenient
outdoor connector? Circular DIN connectors might be OK, but all that
screwing/threading makes me tired thinking about it.

- Leonard

P.S. Yes, OK, I admit it, I'm bored tonight. If anyone has any
better topics (not difficult) then go for it.







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Bill:  'Princess Auto' --- 'Princess Auto' --- all I ever hear from
everyone is amazing stories about 'Princess Auto!'. It's almost has
cult status, like Rocky Horror Picture Show, or Little Shop of
Horrors.

But, OK, being an 'unusual-store-aholic' (Cohen&Cohen, Computer
Recyclers, Flea Markets, etc.) you've convinced me ... that's the
final straw ... I have to go to Princess Auto.

Seriously, why didn't I think of that? Auto/trailer connectors ... of
course. Frequent connect/disconnect, reliabilty or else an 'improper
lighting' ticket, lots of vibration and jouncing about. That sounds
like it might be the solution.

My only fear is that I'll never want to leave Princess Auto once I
get inside.

Thanks!
Leonard



--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "Bill Wagstaff" <mrwagstaff@...> wrote:
>
> Len,
>
> My all-time favorite is 2-conductor flat trailer connectors. You're
probably
> familiar with the standard "flat-4" style trailer connector, but
there's
> also a 2-conductor version you can get from places like Princess
Auto. These
> guys are polarized (one male and one female connector), and robust
as hell.
> If one standardizes on having the supply side positive being the
female
> connector, then you can mate these in the dark in complete
confidence. They
> carry lots of amps with little resistance due to the firm and
generous
> contact surface, and when connected there's pretty much nothing to
> inadvertently contact. You can stomp them in the mud all day and
they ask
> for more.
>
> They go for about 3 bucks a set at reputable trailer shops.
>
> Bill
>
>
>
>   _____
>
> From: OAFs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:OAFs@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of
> lknoll1234
> Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:25 PM
> To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [OAFs] Outdoor rugged connectors
>
>
>
> All:
>
> Yes, I know, this query will probably end up taking its place in
the
> amazing astronomical hall of fame right beside sunken red bricks
and
> sinking tripod tips [ :) ], but I have to ask ... what types of
> connectors do you use in your 12VDC astronomical gadgets so that
you
> don't have to worry about looseness, number of
> insertions/extractions, and other such inconvenient things?
>
> I recently changed my 12VDC power distribution box's connectors
from
> 2.5mm coaxial power jacks to good 'ol 0.175"dia banana jacks. Now I
> know I won't have any relaibility problems, but these are obviously
> not the best solution (mating force, exposed metal, etc.)
>
> On some websites I've seen exposed alligator clips, twisted-
together
> wires [ =8-O ], and all sorts of gawdawful connections, but there
> *has to be* the ultimate outdoor 12VDC connector.
>
> Any suggestions for a really reliable, rugged, small, and
convenient
> outdoor connector? Circular DIN connectors might be OK, but all
that
> screwing/threading makes me tired thinking about it.
>
> - Leonard
>
> P.S. Yes, OK, I admit it, I'm bored tonight. If anyone has any
> better topics (not difficult) then go for it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

I wouldnt recommend using the flat-four style trailer connectors. I
use them on my scope trailer and i've had lots of reliablity problems
with them. The trailer connectors that look like giant DIN plugs are,
I expect, a much better bet. However they are heavy and bulky. They'd
get in the way, and they'd unablance a scope if you had a couple of
them at the eyepeice end of a dobsonian.

I haventfound a connector that I like yet.

Lots of scope gear uses rca audio plugs for power. Starmaters use
2-pin molex connectors. Many drives on eq mounts use coax DC
connectors that you see on mundane wall-transormers.

  I use a mixture of all three. RCA plugs are a lot easier to connect
and disconnect than molex connectors. Of the two I think the molex
connectores are less likely to get shorted out.  I really dont like
the coax-dc connectors because they have very little friction holding
the plugs into the jacks.  None of them are desgined to be exposed to
the elements.

I think something like a BNC connector (looks like an rca plug but is
a twist-to-lock bayonet) might be a good choice. Normall they're used
for radio frequency connections on lab instruments. They cost several
times what rca connectors cost.


Add Electronics,  233 Armstrong Ave. Ottawa (closed mondays), is a
good place to get cheap connectors.

I consider Princess auto to be a telescope parts store (at least the
racks in the back). I sneak in there whenever I can. Princess auto and
Lee Valley tools are probably the two most fun stores in ottawa.


-ad

--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "Attilla Danko" <danko@...> wrote:
>
> Princess auto and
> Lee Valley tools are probably the two most fun stores in ottawa.

Some advice: ensure that you have permission from your parent or
guardian *before* you visit these stores. Your return visit home goes
much more smoothly when you already have a permission slip in hand.

Hello Attilla:

I had the 2.5mm coax connectors on my 12VDC pwr distribution box. I figured if
it was good enough for the scope companies it was good enough for me. Lesson
learned. Not solid enough and not enough contact area (maybe 10 or so square
mils if lucky!). I actually searched for some that were more rugged and better
interlocking than the usual fare and found that Switchcraft has some good ones
(in as far as 2.5mm goes). So anyway, I've replaced them with Banana jacks for
now (the kind which are low profile hollow outside-threaded tubes).

See my 12VDC pwr distribution applications in 'Leonard's Pics' photo folder. You
can see I still haven't put the banana plugs on the cut-off wires yet. The power
distribution box allows simultaneous connection of the power packs and battery,
and displays voltage and current of the two groups of banana jacks (one group
per power pak).

I got rid of the RCA's on my dewstraps and replaced them with 2pin Molex's, but
I had to use an exato knife to cut off the retaining tabs (kind of defeats the
whole idea) because they were almost impossible to pull off (when removing the
finderscope). I liked them because they're polarized, rugged, and lots of
contact. But because they were *too* hard to connect/disconnect, they will be
replaced with a banana jack dewstrap junction box (see photos).

This weekend will be my 'replace-all-plugs-with-banana-plugs' weekend, then my
setup will be ready to go again (not like I've missed anything with the balmy
ckear skies we've been having) until I find my perfect dream connector.

I haven't looked through all my big catalogues yet (Digikey, Electrosonic,
Newark, Allied, Mouser) for ideas. I was kind of avoiding that because the
switch sections are so huge and not always contiguous for any one type of
connector. That's why I thought I'd ask in the OAFs group first to see if I
could save myself the hours of eyestrain (what's left of my eyes). I still have
to check out the auto connectors at Princess as well.

I think what I will eventually end up choosing is some kind of mini-DIN, or
mini-banana. There are some nice small bananas which are much smaller than the
big blobby 0.175" ones I have now, but I haven't been able to find panel-mounted
sockets for them yet. The round-DINs (not the huge ones like mic connectors, and
not the micro ones like PS/2 connectors) are appealing because of the spring
contact fingers in their sockets and their twist lock retention (on some
models).

My 'astronomy dream connector' must have the following properties:

1. nice solid retention but not rediculous. I don't want to be pulling
connectors apart with pliers at 2am when it's below zero, yet I don't want wind
or bumping of a cable to cause intermittents or total disconnection.

2. lots of nice solid contact area like the molex's or the ones Bill mentioned
(the car ones might be better for floating inline power connections and not
panel mounting due to size, I'll have to check them out).

3. availability of both panel-mountable and inline versions of the sockets (the
panel mounting is important to me)

4. no chance of polarity errors in the dark

5. small (compact is good, I don't think my car or scope can hold any more
'stuff')

6. able to withstand hundreds of insertions/extractions, so some spring-thing
must be going on, such as the spring leaves on the shaft of a banana plug or the
fingers inside a mini-DIN

Maybe I'll bump into one of you OAFs at Princess Auto. I'll know you Attilla,
because all I have to look for is an 11ft tall knight with a mossy tree branch
helmet, screaming ni! at everyone and sending the staff off on shrubbery quests.

- Leonard


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Attilla Danko
   To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 12:36 AM
   Subject: Re: [OAFs] Re: Outdoor rugged connectors


   I wouldnt recommend using the flat-four style trailer connectors. I
   use them on my scope trailer and i've had lots of reliablity problems
   with them. The trailer connectors that look like giant DIN plugs are,
   I expect, a much better bet. However they are heavy and bulky. They'd
   get in the way, and they'd unablance a scope if you had a couple of
   them at the eyepeice end of a dobsonian.

   I haventfound a connector that I like yet.

   Lots of scope gear uses rca audio plugs for power. Starmaters use
   2-pin molex connectors. Many drives on eq mounts use coax DC
   connectors that you see on mundane wall-transormers.

   I use a mixture of all three. RCA plugs are a lot easier to connect
   and disconnect than molex connectors. Of the two I think the molex
   connectores are less likely to get shorted out. I really dont like
   the coax-dc connectors because they have very little friction holding
   the plugs into the jacks. None of them are desgined to be exposed to
   the elements.

   I think something like a BNC connector (looks like an rca plug but is
   a twist-to-lock bayonet) might be a good choice. Normall they're used
   for radio frequency connections on lab instruments. They cost several
   times what rca connectors cost.

   Add Electronics, 233 Armstrong Ave. Ottawa (closed mondays), is a
   good place to get cheap connectors.

   I consider Princess auto to be a telescope parts store (at least the
   racks in the back). I sneak in there whenever I can. Princess auto and
   Lee Valley tools are probably the two most fun stores in ottawa.

   -ad




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Keith: I've found that smuggling skills come in handy as well.
However, I think that works both ways because I notice the cake
decorating paraphernalia beginning to build up around the house and I
don't know where the heck it all came from.  :)

- Leonard



--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "keith.hadley" <yeldahtron@...> wrote:
>
> --- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "Attilla Danko" <danko@> wrote:
> >
> > Princess auto and
> > Lee Valley tools are probably the two most fun stores in ottawa.
>
> Some advice: ensure that you have permission from your parent or
> guardian *before* you visit these stores. Your return visit home goes
> much more smoothly when you already have a permission slip in hand.
>

I use the Dura Trax connectors from Tower Hobbies. I also purchased their
batteries. I put one of their 2000mAMP 10 cell battery in my equatorial dob
platform and another in bottom of my mirror box to run the fan and power the
secondary mirror dew heater.

I also never had problems with the RCA plugs used by my controller and dew
strips. I also use the cigarette plug connectors to attach my Marine Battery
to the controller. These cigarette plugs vary greatly in quality. I have one
that is fused and its springs are stiff so that it very makes a good
connection.

If under the unlikely event, I am at a star party and have 5 straight days
of observing, I would not have a problem with power. I can use my marine
battery to charge my other batteries.

Joe

Site:
www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD169&P=7

Hello Joe:  Ah, these look very much like the Molex/Waldom "Mini-Fit" and
"Micro-Fit" series with the little locking tab. Of course ... lots of contact
area, keyed for polarity, nice 'solid' feel, doesn't require pliers or prying to
disconnect, safety tab-lock, and small. Hmmmm, this may amount to something.

My main concern is with the panel mounting. The two pin, panel mounted, generic
Molex sockets I had (0.062" series ... see my photo folder "Leonard's Pics") did
not mount firmly enough in the panel to match the amount of force needed to
connect/disconnect them.

I know I am being picky here, but hell, if I have to set up and tear down every
time I go out I want to reduce the 'gotchyas' as much as possible.

Thanks,
- Leonard


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Joe Silverman
   To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 2:33 PM
   Subject: RE: [OAFs] Re: Outdoor rugged connectors


   I use the Dura Trax connectors from Tower Hobbies. I also purchased their
   batteries. I put one of their 2000mAMP 10 cell battery in my equatorial dob
   platform and another in bottom of my mirror box to run the fan and power the
   secondary mirror dew heater.

   I also never had problems with the RCA plugs used by my controller and dew
   strips. I also use the cigarette plug connectors to attach my Marine Battery
   to the controller. These cigarette plugs vary greatly in quality. I have one
   that is fused and its springs are stiff so that it very makes a good
   connection.

   If under the unlikely event, I am at a star party and have 5 straight days
   of observing, I would not have a problem with power. I can use my marine
   battery to charge my other batteries.

   Joe

   Site:
   www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD169&P=7





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All:

If you are interested in astrocamping, I would love to chat with you
about it. It's two of my favourite things in one ... camping and
astronomy. I've scoped out some of the Provincial Parks and know some
good sites (some good ones are in the two Sandbanks meadow
campgrounds). I astrocamped for a week in one of the Sandbanks
meadows this summer. And then for another few days in the other
meadow. It was awesome! It borders on a blue area (over Lake Ontario)
and is very dark at night despite the faraway light from the
washrooms.

Also, I would like to try site #392 in Voyager. But it's non-
electrical, so a solar array or a trip back to Ottawa etc. during the
day would be needed to recharge your battery(s). But it is a
beautifully manicured and private grassy site that is seldom booked
because it's *too open* (ha-ha). Nearby electrical site 397 is not
bad either. The best electrical site there is site #416, with a big
site, pretty darn good privacy, and a wide vista at night.

Of course if you want the ultimate in dark sky Provincial Park
astrocamping, there is Algonquin, but I can't comment on it other
than the backpacking I used to do there in the Tea Lake area many
moons ago when my hair still had colour.

I wish Bon Echo had some nice open campsites. I might try to set up a
meeting with the park director about that. My wife and I camped in
the Hardwood Hills area (far away from the 'madding crowds' near the
lake) and it was just so beautiful I have no words for it. The canopy
of trees and the distance between campsites was like no other place.
However, at that time I had not bought my astro gear and did not
appreciate the darkness of the night skies there.

At Sandbanks I saw -for my first time- thick 'clouds' of stars in our
own galaxy with all kinds of dusty lanes. I have a Kendrick
observatory tent which I love, but it was so fantastic that at one
point I just sat outside and melted into my lawn chair, staring at
the vista before me. Warning: if you don't have an air conditioned RV
or 5th wheel, then bring a dining tent or something similar for
daytime sun shelter in the meadows!

- Leonard

Yes, that's *ast-R-ocamping*, not 'Ast-O-camping'.  :)

- Leonard

Lenoard,
The best Asstrocamping (yes Ass-trocamping) I've done has been at:

1) Nirvana - Irvine Lake airstrip north of Bon Echo
2) Algonquin Park - on the site of the radio solar area near the dish (not
far from Lake Traverse)
3) Texas Star Party

The Algonquin site is darker but more remote being 100km from the nearest
town.  Nirvana however wins as it's 2km from the nearest restaurant/rest
room and you're likely to have other astronomers on site with you.  The TSP
is however the best but just too darn far.

Cheers,
Albert.



----- Original Message -----
From: "lknoll1234" <lknoll@...>
To: <OAFs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 8:15 PM
Subject: [OAFs] Astocamping


All:

If you are interested in astrocamping, I would love to chat with you
about it. It's two of my favourite things in one ... camping and
astronomy. I've scoped out some of the Provincial Parks and know some
good sites (some good ones are in the two Sandbanks meadow
campgrounds). I astrocamped for a week in one of the Sandbanks
meadows this summer. And then for another few days in the other
meadow. It was awesome! It borders on a blue area (over Lake Ontario)
and is very dark at night despite the faraway light from the
washrooms.

Also, I would like to try site #392 in Voyager. But it's non-
electrical, so a solar array or a trip back to Ottawa etc. during the
day would be needed to recharge your battery(s). But it is a
beautifully manicured and private grassy site that is seldom booked
because it's *too open* (ha-ha). Nearby electrical site 397 is not
bad either. The best electrical site there is site #416, with a big
site, pretty darn good privacy, and a wide vista at night.

Of course if you want the ultimate in dark sky Provincial Park
astrocamping, there is Algonquin, but I can't comment on it other
than the backpacking I used to do there in the Tea Lake area many
moons ago when my hair still had colour.

I wish Bon Echo had some nice open campsites. I might try to set up a
meeting with the park director about that. My wife and I camped in
the Hardwood Hills area (far away from the 'madding crowds' near the
lake) and it was just so beautiful I have no words for it. The canopy
of trees and the distance between campsites was like no other place.
However, at that time I had not bought my astro gear and did not
appreciate the darkness of the night skies there.

At Sandbanks I saw -for my first time- thick 'clouds' of stars in our
own galaxy with all kinds of dusty lanes. I have a Kendrick
observatory tent which I love, but it was so fantastic that at one
point I just sat outside and melted into my lawn chair, staring at
the vista before me. Warning: if you don't have an air conditioned RV
or 5th wheel, then bring a dining tent or something similar for
daytime sun shelter in the meadows!

- Leonard

Hi Albert: I'll have to make it to Nirvana sometime. I hear such good
things about it. Except for the bugs, but that probably varies
depending on the season.

Is some sort of permission required to camp there? Also, what is the
limitation on the number of days of camping?

- Leonard


--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "Albert Saikaley" <berts@...> wrote:
>
> Lenoard,
> The best Asstrocamping (yes Ass-trocamping) I've done has been at:
>
> 1) Nirvana - Irvine Lake airstrip north of Bon Echo
> 2) Algonquin Park - on the site of the radio solar area near the
dish (not
> far from Lake Traverse)
> 3) Texas Star Party
>
> The Algonquin site is darker but more remote being 100km from the
nearest
> town.  Nirvana however wins as it's 2km from the nearest
restaurant/rest
> room and you're likely to have other astronomers on site with you.
The TSP
> is however the best but just too darn far.
>
> Cheers,
> Albert.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "lknoll1234" <lknoll@...>
> To: <OAFs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 8:15 PM
> Subject: [OAFs] Astocamping
>
>
> All:
>
> If you are interested in astrocamping, I would love to chat with you
> about it. It's two of my favourite things in one ... camping and
> astronomy. I've scoped out some of the Provincial Parks and know
some
> good sites (some good ones are in the two Sandbanks meadow
> campgrounds). I astrocamped for a week in one of the Sandbanks
> meadows this summer. And then for another few days in the other
> meadow. It was awesome! It borders on a blue area (over Lake
Ontario)
> and is very dark at night despite the faraway light from the
> washrooms.
>
> Also, I would like to try site #392 in Voyager. But it's non-
> electrical, so a solar array or a trip back to Ottawa etc. during
the
> day would be needed to recharge your battery(s). But it is a
> beautifully manicured and private grassy site that is seldom booked
> because it's *too open* (ha-ha). Nearby electrical site 397 is not
> bad either. The best electrical site there is site #416, with a big
> site, pretty darn good privacy, and a wide vista at night.
>
> Of course if you want the ultimate in dark sky Provincial Park
> astrocamping, there is Algonquin, but I can't comment on it other
> than the backpacking I used to do there in the Tea Lake area many
> moons ago when my hair still had colour.
>
> I wish Bon Echo had some nice open campsites. I might try to set up
a
> meeting with the park director about that. My wife and I camped in
> the Hardwood Hills area (far away from the 'madding crowds' near the
> lake) and it was just so beautiful I have no words for it. The
canopy
> of trees and the distance between campsites was like no other place.
> However, at that time I had not bought my astro gear and did not
> appreciate the darkness of the night skies there.
>
> At Sandbanks I saw -for my first time- thick 'clouds' of stars in
our
> own galaxy with all kinds of dusty lanes. I have a Kendrick
> observatory tent which I love, but it was so fantastic that at one
> point I just sat outside and melted into my lawn chair, staring at
> the vista before me. Warning: if you don't have an air conditioned
RV
> or 5th wheel, then bring a dining tent or something similar for
> daytime sun shelter in the meadows!
>
> - Leonard
>

Hi all,

I recently had cause to do some research into radon levels,
measurement, and mapping.  One of the results of this research are a
couple of Google Earth image overlays that plot the "Equivalent
Uranium" and "Natural Air Absorbed Dose Rates" for the Ottawa (West)
area.  These overlays are available in the Files section under:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFs/files/Andre%20Paquette/Radon%20Maps/
You just need to download Google Earth (free) and load/activate the
overlays.

Although this is way OT for this group, I thought that others may
appreciate the cool-factor of having this in Google Earth, of
exploring where the "hot spots" are, and seeing if your own place is
on/near a hot spot.  Heck, it might even explain why you've got so
many "cosmic rays" in your CCD images.  ;-)

The data for the image overlays comes from:
http://gdr.agg.nrcan.gc.ca/wms/index_e.html
and was generated by simply zooming into the area I wanted, copying
the image, loading it into Google Earth, and specifying the
coordinates of the image corners, which are shown very precisely on
the web page.  I verified the alignment of the data by going through
the same process with the "NTS Sheet 50K" layer, which has grid lines
at nice round lat/lon numbers -- it matched Google Earth's grid exactly.

There is a nice description of the gamma ray spectroscopy used to
collect this data at:
http://gdr.nrcan.gc.ca/gamma/about_e.php
and the plots look very similar to the "Radon Maps" at:
http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/ottawa/radon_e.php
and
http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/ottawa/poster_e.php
except they're more useful since you can actually see where the
hotspots are relative to roads and such.

My cause for researching this was finding fairly high levels of radon
in my basement (near Carp):  22 pCi/L.  I'm still in the process of
"sanitizing" the measurement and it could still turn out to be bunk,
but the investigation has been interesting.

For my penance of being off topic, I shall practice my Hungarian
translation...
"I will not buy this record, it is scratched."

Take care,

Andre

I don't know how many of you read http://www.badastronomy.com .  You should give
it a try, it's the blog of Phil Plait, a professional astronomer, writing about
astronomy, science, and other topics. One popular topic is making fun of
badly-represented astronomy in media and movies (hence the name). Always good
reading.

He is neck-in-neck for the 2006 "best science blog" award, with a site called
"Pharyngula", which is about the world of marine invertibrates. The two sites
are in a friendly rivalry, having fun poking fun at each other, both
encouraging more public interest in science. Voting ending in a few days.

If you'd like an astronomy site to be the 2006 Best Science site (as opposed to
a site on slimy tentacled spinless squid things), visit
     http://2006.weblogawards.org/2006/12/best_science_blog.php
and vote. You can vote once per day per computer.

- Richard

Sorry for the x-post, but if you check

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/OAOG/message/35179

you will note that we have an oppportunity purchase Televue products
at attractive prices. I've placed my order, but the more orders we
place, the better the deal.

Keith: I am very interested in this, but just don't know which
Televue lens to buy. Would this be in the 'Nagler' series of lenses?

I have some run-of-the-mill (Meade, Celestron, etc.) lenses in the
following sizes ... 5mm, 9.7mm, 25mm, and 40mm. I've read in other
groups that something in the range of 18mm would be a good general
purpose lens. Also, I don't know whether to buy wide angle or regular
FOV in these 'upper end' lenses.

Also, I've ordered a 2" dielectric diagonal, so I can now buy 2"
lenses for my C8. If you can advise me on this, I would be willing to
put my money where my mouth is (for once!  :).

- Leonard


--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "keith.hadley" <yeldahtron@...> wrote:
>
> Sorry for the x-post, but if you check
>
> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/OAOG/message/35179
>
> you will note that we have an oppportunity purchase Televue
products
> at attractive prices. I've placed my order, but the more orders we
> place, the better the deal.
>

--- In OAFs@yahoogroups.com, "lknoll1234" <lknoll@...> wrote:
>
> Keith: I am very interested in this, but just don't know which
> Televue lens to buy. Would this be in the 'Nagler' series of
lenses?

The list includes Naglers, Panoptics, Radians, Plossls, field
flatteners, scopes, etc.  (I can send you a copy of the list I have
received from the OAOG member who is sponsoring this activity, but
you may want to contact him directly.)

>
> I have some run-of-the-mill (Meade, Celestron, etc.) lenses in the
> following sizes ... 5mm, 9.7mm, 25mm, and 40mm. I've read in other
> groups that something in the range of 18mm would be a good general
> purpose lens. Also, I don't know whether to buy wide angle or
regular
> FOV in these 'upper end' lenses.
>

I'm sure other OAFs could advise you better than I.  I have a 5mm
Nagler that I bought from a fellow OAF.  It gives me an 82-degree
field of view at 300x magnification on my f5 12" dob, and it is a
fantastic EP. Naglers are impressive. They have very comfortable eye
relief (at least the newer ones I have looked through do), they have
a very wide apparent field of view that makes one think they're
looking through a window instead of a tube.

I'm looking at getting a 35mm Panoptic for a wide-field EP--perhaps
the longest focal length EP one can use on an f5 scope.  On my scope,
it will give me a 68 degree apparent field of view or 1.4 degrees
actual at 44x.

I personally find that the most used EP has an FL of twice the
scope's f number. So my most used EP is a 10mm Speers WALER.

The shortest usable EP would offer no more than 50x magnification per
inch.

The type of EP you are seeking would depend on the "need" you are
trying to fulfill. I am seeking 2 needs: first, I want the widest
apparent field of view that does not break the bank or weigh too much
(the 35 mm Pan weighs more than a 1/2Kg).  The other need: since I am
planning on spending money, I want only the best green lettering on
my EPs that money can buy.  That last need is another way of
expressing this thought: while Televues are undoubtably the best EPs
money can buy, there are several *almost* equally good EPs that cost
substantially less money. One could argue the cost/benefit analysis
of a Televue vs a close competitor, but, like an Aston Martin or
Rolls Royce, everyone will recognize your good taste.

> Also, I've ordered a 2" dielectric diagonal, so I can now buy 2"
> lenses for my C8. If you can advise me on this, I would be willing
to
> put my money where my mouth is (for once!  :).


The longer FL EPs are 2".

Finally, there's another reason for making a major equipment purchase
that should be obvious to everyone.  Right now we're running a streak
of really crappy weather, and one wouldn't want to break a streak. We
know that nothing assures continued crumby weather better than the
purchase of a new toy.

(Hmmm. I'd make a really poor salesperson.)

I suspect this streak of poor weather is what's motivating the
retailer to cut their prices.

Apparantly there is monster aurora in progress.

Anybody got sky?