Hi DMers,

It's cold and icy outside, so I thought I would share some pics of the dolly I
made for my DM-4. I am in no way a woodworker and only have a minimum of tools,
so I wanted something anyone could make, but still look good, function perfectly
at minimal cost.

I used two 3X3 hardwood posts. They are held together by a 6" X  5/16" lag
screw. To stabilize them, I screwed in two  large, thick L-brackets, using 1" X
3/8" lag screws. For leg receptacles, I found used some hardwood index card
holders from my office, screwing them down to the top of the dolly in the places
appropriate for my DM fixed leg tripod. I used locking 3" casters for wheels and
finished the wood with a couple of coats of tung oil (super easy way to achieve
a well-sealed natural finish. I wanted safety tied downs for the legs to prevent
tip-over. Not wanting to modify the mount in any way, I settled on bungee cords
that wrap around the legs at the knobs that hold the tripod braces and tray.
They are fixed to the dolly by placing the bungee cord hooks into large
eye-screws screwed down into the top of the dolly. Every screw and joint is also
glued. Finally, I took a 3' piece of hardwood 1X1 and made a handle by putting a
screw hook in one end and a makeshift handle on the other. The screw-hook fits
into a large screw-eye placed on the end of the 3X3 post. All parts (except the
index card holders)  are standard and were purchased at Lowes.

The total project cost was under $100.00 and took about 2 hours of time. The
only tools required was a drill, tape measure and small crescent wrench. I used
a rag to wipe on the tung oil. Again, I am not a woodworker or much of a DIY guy
at all.

How does it work? Great! I can roll my scope in and out of the garage.
Vibrations, even at high power, settle out in under a second (as you would
expect with a DM). I think it looks better than a commercial unit and is way
less expensive.

You can see pics in the photos section at "Randy Roy's Toys". Here's the link:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/discmounts/photos/album/394769944/pic/list

Randy

Now that you mention it, it's not so bad. My friends in E. Ark where it hit -18f
last night would love to have my balmy 25 deg weather! It's all relative, unless
you live in Florida!

Randy

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "Tom Peters, DiscMounts" <tom@...> wrote:
>
> LOVE IT !!!!!
>
> Tom
>
> But what's "cold and Icy outside" mean?? I heard it means I can't wear shorts
and a t-shirt.....but I can imagine that could be true!
>
>
> Thank you for considering DiscMounts.
> Please visit us at http://www.discmounts.com/
>

Fellow DM'ers:

I have just sold my DM-6, and the buyer informs me it is missing one of the set
screws that hold the encoder shaft and keep it from spinning.  I never noticed
this as I did not use encoders, but the new owner will.  Can anyone tell me if
Tom Peters sells such a tiny part individually; or what are the specs of the set
screw, so I can source one myself?

Many thanks for any help!

- John H

Tom,
Thank you for personally helping!  It means a lot to me as well I'm sure to Mr.
Beerbower.
Best regards,
John

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "Tom Peters, DiscMounts" <tom@...> wrote:
>
> John,
> Mr Beerbower emailed me. I asked him to check to insure he is actually missing
a screw. There are two holes in each shaft, one for a set screw one to let the
air out when the shaft is installed. I asked Mr. Beerbower to check and get back
to me. If he needs one I'll gladly help him out.
> Tom
>
>
> Thank you for considering DiscMounts.
> Please visit us at http://www.discmounts.com/
>
> On Feb 17, 2011, at 7:16 PM, jkharris86 wrote:
>
> > Fellow DM'ers:
> >
> > I have just sold my DM-6, and the buyer informs me it is missing one of the
set screws that hold the encoder shaft and keep it from spinning. I never
noticed this as I did not use encoders, but the new owner will. Can anyone tell
me if Tom Peters sells such a tiny part individually; or what are the specs of
the set screw, so I can source one myself?
> >
> > Many thanks for any help!
> >
> > - John H
> >
> >
>

We will be at the Winter Star Party from Feb.26 through March 6, NEAF is April
16 & 17 we will be traveling April 12 through April 21. I'll have inventory at
both events, but it's best to email me if you know you want something.

I will have the Sky Commander MASTER UPDATE BOX with me at both events.
I'll be able to update your XP-4 it takes about 5 min. There is a small update
for EQUATORIAL mounts. It does not affect Alt-Az. Mounts. Personally I wouldn't
bother if you don't have an equatorial. The change is from 5.02-SP04 to
5.02-SP05. You will need to access the SETUP Menu by holding the up & down
arrows while powering up, to see the SP- rev.

Hope to see you there!

Tom

Tom,

Thanks for passing on the dates.

Hope you get some opportunity in these trips for some r and r. You deserve it!
Thanks for all the help that you have given me.

Terrence

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "discmounts" <tom@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> We will be at the Winter Star Party from Feb.26 through March 6, NEAF is April
16 & 17 we will be traveling April 12 through April 21. I'll have inventory at
both events, but it's best to email me if you know you want something.
>
> I will have the Sky Commander MASTER UPDATE BOX with me at both events.
> I'll be able to update your XP-4 it takes about 5 min. There is a small update
for EQUATORIAL mounts. It does not affect Alt-Az. Mounts. Personally I wouldn't
bother if you don't have an equatorial. The change is from 5.02-SP04 to
5.02-SP05. You will need to access the SETUP Menu by holding the up & down
arrows while powering up, to see the SP- rev.
>
> Hope to see you there!
>
> Tom
>

I am still looking around for a form fitting tripod carry bag for the standard
DM-4 tripod only, any recommendations! When I last looked at the Orion cases
they were a little on the large seize.

Thanks Roy
E=mc²

The hardest thing to coupe with as you age is the passing of friends and family.
Last year we lost Milton Wilcox a long time DM-6 owner. I'm sad to say I
received a letter from Mrs. Claire Desjardins that Ray Desjardins passed Jan.6.
Ray had two passions Astronomy with his DM-4 and Tak-102 and Ice Hockey. Ray
passed doing what he loved. We will surly miss our friends and pray for their
families as they grieve.

Tom

Roy:

You're going to need something over 50" long (measure yours just to be sure) and
it's helpul to get one with a side-pocket long/large enough to store the braces
and knobs seperately so they're not banging around the wood legs. Adorama sells
a 53" Tenba bag for ~$70 that may fit the bill:

http://www.adorama.com/TBT538BK.html

It has a side-pocket but you may want to call and ask about its size.

Also, google "tripod bag" and search ebay's "Camera & Photo" category using the
same search term.

Tom

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, Roy Ramdeen <deepsky01@...> wrote:
>
> I am still looking around for a form fitting tripod carry bag for the standard
DM-4 tripod only, any recommendations! When I last looked at the Orion cases
they were a little on the large seize.
>
> Thanks Roy
> E=mc²
>

Tom:

Please convey my condolences to the Wilcox and Desjardins families.

Tom

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "discmounts" <tom@...> wrote:
>
> The hardest thing to coupe with as you age is the passing of friends and
family. Last year we lost Milton Wilcox a long time DM-6 owner. I'm sad to say I
received a letter from Mrs. Claire Desjardins that Ray Desjardins passed Jan.6.
Ray had two passions Astronomy with his DM-4 and Tak-102 and Ice Hockey. Ray
passed doing what he loved. We will surly miss our friends and pray for their
families as they grieve.
>
> Tom
>

 

The hardest thing to coupe with as you age is the passing of friends and family. Last year we lost Milton Wilcox a long time DM-6 owner. I'm sad to say I received a letter from Mrs. Claire Desjardins that Ray Desjardins passed Jan.6. Ray had two passions Astronomy with his DM-4 and Tak-102 and Ice Hockey. Ray passed doing what he loved. We will surly miss our friends and pray for their families as they grieve.

Tom

 

Roy:

You're going to need something over 50" long (measure yours just to be sure) and it's helpul to get one with a side-pocket long/large enough to store the braces and knobs seperately so they're not banging around the wood legs. Adorama sells a 53" Tenba bag for ~$70 that may fit the bill:

http://www.adorama.com/TBT538BK.html

It has a side-pocket but you may want to call and ask about its size.

Also, google "tripod bag" and search ebay's "Camera & Photo" category using the same search term.

Tom

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, Roy Ramdeen <deepsky01@...> wrote:
>
> I am still looking around for a form fitting tripod carry bag for the standard DM-4 tripod only, any recommendations! When I last looked at the Orion cases they were a little on the large seize.
>
> Thanks Roy
> E=mc²
>

New Products

About a year ago, I made hints of a tray that would mount on the top of the DM-4
and DM-6 mounts to hold eyepieces. At that time the material I selected was too
thin to support eyepieces like I wanted, and the thicker material couldn't be
milled by my plastics manufacture with his current equipment. Well new equipment
has arrived. The new "Eyepiece/Computer Tray" is now available allowing easy
reach for your eyepieces no matter where your telescope is pointing.  There are
two versions one for the DM-4 and one for the DM-6 (actually they are the same
but the DM-6 requires an additional piece). There is also an optional mount for
the Sky Commander. The tray has 4 holes for 2 inch eyepieces and 5 holes for 1¼
inch eyepieces. In addition, the size of the tray was chosen to support a Web
Computer (8"X12").  This allows the computer to be connected to the Sky
Commander and interface with programs such as "The Sky Serious" by Software
Bisque. Having the computer on top of the mount is easy to view from the
eyepiece. It's great! It also does away with long cables or Bluetooth adapters
that may interfere with your neighbor's Bluetooth. I use a MAC Air 11.5" and can
point the telescope using the Sky Commander or the computer screen.

The DM-4 Eyepiece Tray is $110.00
The DM-6 Eyepiece Tray is $135.00
The Sky Commander/Computer kit adds $50.00 to either.
(see attached pictures in the Forum picture section)

They are compatible with all DM-4s and DM-6s. They can also be configured to fit
with the scope mounted on the left or right side of the mount.

To interface the computer you will need to use the "download serial adapter" and
cable that came with your Sky Commander (the cable must be reversed with the end
which has the small wire jumper plugged into the serial adapter)  and a serial
to USB converter (the one I use for the MAC was $30.00)

I have the trays in stock!

Winter Star Party (WSP)

The WSP was held at the Girl Scout camp in Summerland Key in the Florida Keys.
The allure of the WSP is steady skies, because of the small land mass and the
air flow across thousands of miles of ocean, which provides constant
temperatures. In addition, the observing fields face south at 24 deg. latitude 
allowing the Southern Cross to rise above the horizon and Omega Centauri to rise
into stable air. But weather is weather and a cold front pushing down from the
north caused windy weather this year. I was born and raised in S. Fla. and can't
remember so many days of strong winds. Even my kids were complaining.  But we
did have a few nights of fair seeing and at least an hour on two each night of
good seeing. The vender area where we parked is away from the beach where most
people set up and is sheltered from the wind a little. A windy day in the Fla.
Keys beats a good day at the office anytime. I think most enjoyed the week.
Binocular viewing was very good and there were a lot of great speakers talking
on a variety of Astro subjects. The centerline for the ISS Sun crossing was in
Marathon Key about 10 miles north. Allen Freedman was able to catch some very
good frames in white light as it transited. I was only able to take a few WSP
pictures which I will be posted on the DM website when I can get organized. I'm
still unpacking and cleaning telescopes and eyepieces.

One highlight for us,  I live in S. Fla. and have the opportunity to attend most
(26) of the WSPs. It's a standing joke if you want to win a door prize you sit
near Tom, because everyone around me wins. But out of the thousands of door
prizes given out over the years my wife and I have won nothing. Well my wife
Cheryl, was a winter of an astro globe this year!. Me, I'm asleep in the chair
when Cheryl's pushing on me hollering, "It's you! It's you!"
"Ya', I know," I exclaim, "I'm always me!"
"Get up dummy you won the grand prize"!
Now I have a Mead ETX-LS6 with tripod! Not bad but considering all my telescopes
it will be up for sale if anyone is interested.

Pictures to come, on the DiscMounts website.

Out with my favorite and in with a new favorite

I think most know I have a TEC-140 and have loved it. After 9 years on the list,
my name came up for an AP-130 GT, which I will receive in June. What to do! One
will have to go! But the decision became easier when a turn of events that all
happened in a few days and just before the WSP.  A customer that was looking for
a DM-6 and larger telescope offered to buy the Tec-140, G-11 tripod, and DM-6
package. At the same time a different customer had an unused TEC-180FL f7 for
sale. With Cheryl's blessing I bought the TEC-180FL. So I could have it for the
WSP. John packed it up and shipped it the next day before I could even get a
check in the mail.  But I still needed a tripod! Scott Losmandy had a G-11 in
stock and was kind enough to ship it the next day. I had terrible thoughts that
the 180 was going to be too big for me to handle by myself and even though I
have had good reports from customers, I had never tried a 45 pound long
refractor on the DM-6. Well 2 days before we left for the WSP the 180 was here
but still no tripod. I finally decided to take an old homemade tripod I had
built for my 16" RC out of the garage and modify it to hold the DM-6. Turned out
to be a good decision, the G-11 tripod arrived Fri. night, and I had to have
everything packed in the camper by Friday afternoon.

Wow, I'm so happy with the TEC-180FL/DM-6 system. I can handle the TEC-180 with
finder, diagonal etc with no trouble. Mounting it into the 8" Tilt-in saddle was
easy and safe. I'm extremely happy with the way the DM-6 handled the 180, even
in the winds at the WSP, and at 437 power. Wind gust would move the scope but
steady winds were very manageable.  Everyone that looked through the scope was
impressed at how smooth the mount moved. It truly likes the heavy scope.

The TEC-180FL is something special. Stars are tiny points, with true colors.
There is no false color and diffraction patterns are perfect inside and outside
of focus. Saturn at 437 power was three dimensional. The white line from the
storm was clearly visible when seeing allowed and the Crepe ring was plainly
visible as a translucent ring bordered by dark black between it and the ball.
It's interesting how well the 180 did on stellar objects compared with a very
good 14" dob sitting about 10 feet away. The 14" as expected had the edge in
brightness, but the 180 had the edge in contrast and sharpness. There was no
competition when comparing the views of Saturn. I can't wait to get some really
steady skies here at home in Ft. Lauderdale.

As a side note a customer mounted his MEAD 178ED f9 on the DM-6. The DM-6
appeared to handle it about the same as the TEC-180.

(see attached pictures in the Forum picture section)

 

New Products

About a year ago, I made hints of a tray that would mount on the top of the DM-4 and DM-6 mounts to hold eyepieces. At that time the material I selected was too thin to support eyepieces like I wanted, and the thicker material couldn't be milled by my plastics manufacture with his current equipment. Well new equipment has arrived. The new "Eyepiece/Computer Tray" is now available allowing easy reach for your eyepieces no matter where your telescope is pointing. There are two versions one for the DM-4 and one for the DM-6 (actually they are the same but the DM-6 requires an additional piece). There is also an optional mount for the Sky Commander. The tray has 4 holes for 2 inch eyepieces and 5 holes for 1¼ inch eyepieces. In addition, the size of the tray was chosen to support a Web Computer (8"X12"). This allows the computer to be connected to the Sky Commander and interface with programs such as "The Sky Serious" by Software Bisque. Having the computer on top of the mount is easy to view from the eyepiece. It's great! It also does away with long cables or Bluetooth adapters that may interfere with your neighbor's Bluetooth. I use a MAC Air 11.5" and can point the telescope using the Sky Commander or the computer screen.

The DM-4 Eyepiece Tray is $110.00
The DM-6 Eyepiece Tray is $135.00
The Sky Commander/Computer kit adds $50.00 to either.
(see attached pictures in the Forum picture section)

They are compatible with all DM-4s and DM-6s. They can also be configured to fit with the scope mounted on the left or right side of the mount.

To interface the computer you will need to use the "download serial adapter" and cable that came with your Sky Commander (the cable must be reversed with the end which has the small wire jumper plugged into the serial adapter) and a serial to USB converter (the one I use for the MAC was $30.00)

I have the trays in stock!

Winter Star Party (WSP)

The WSP was held at the Girl Scout camp in Summerland Key in the Florida Keys. The allure of the WSP is steady skies, because of the small land mass and the air flow across thousands of miles of ocean, which provides constant temperatures. In addition, the observing fields face south at 24 deg. latitude allowing the Southern Cross to rise above the horizon and Omega Centauri to rise into stable air. But weather is weather and a cold front pushing down from the north caused windy weather this year. I was born and raised in S. Fla. and can't remember so many days of strong winds. Even my kids were complaining. But we did have a few nights of fair seeing and at least an hour on two each night of good seeing. The vender area where we parked is away from the beach where most people set up and is sheltered from the wind a little. A windy day in the Fla. Keys beats a good day at the office anytime. I think most enjoyed the week. Binocular viewing was very good and there were a lot of great speakers talking on a variety of Astro subjects. The centerline for the ISS Sun crossing was in Marathon Key about 10 miles north. Allen Freedman was able to catch some very good frames in white light as it transited. I was only able to take a few WSP pictures which I will be posted on the DM website when I can get organized. I'm still unpacking and cleaning telescopes and eyepieces.

One highlight for us, I live in S. Fla. and have the opportunity to attend most (26) of the WSPs. It's a standing joke if you want to win a door prize you sit near Tom, because everyone around me wins. But out of the thousands of door prizes given out over the years my wife and I have won nothing. Well my wife Cheryl, was a winter of an astro globe this year!. Me, I'm asleep in the chair when Cheryl's pushing on me hollering, "It's you! It's you!"
"Ya', I know," I exclaim, "I'm always me!"
"Get up dummy you won the grand prize"!
Now I have a Mead ETX-LS6 with tripod! Not bad but considering all my telescopes it will be up for sale if anyone is interested.

Pictures to come, on the DiscMounts website.

Out with my favorite and in with a new favorite

I think most know I have a TEC-140 and have loved it. After 9 years on the list, my name came up for an AP-130 GT, which I will receive in June. What to do! One will have to go! But the decision became easier when a turn of events that all happened in a few days and just before the WSP. A customer that was looking for a DM-6 and larger telescope offered to buy the Tec-140, G-11 tripod, and DM-6 package. At the same time a different customer had an unused TEC-180FL f7 for sale. With Cheryl's blessing I bought the TEC-180FL. So I could have it for the WSP. John packed it up and shipped it the next day before I could even get a check in the mail. But I still needed a tripod! Scott Losmandy had a G-11 in stock and was kind enough to ship it the next day. I had terrible thoughts that the 180 was going to be too big for me to handle by myself and even though I have had good reports from customers, I had never tried a 45 pound long refractor on the DM-6. Well 2 days before we left for the WSP the 180 was here but still no tripod. I finally decided to take an old homemade tripod I had built for my 16" RC out of the garage and modify it to hold the DM-6. Turned out to be a good decision, the G-11 tripod arrived Fri. night, and I had to have everything packed in the camper by Friday afternoon.

Wow, I'm so happy with the TEC-180FL/DM-6 system. I can handle the TEC-180 with finder, diagonal etc with no trouble. Mounting it into the 8" Tilt-in saddle was easy and safe. I'm extremely happy with the way the DM-6 handled the 180, even in the winds at the WSP, and at 437 power. Wind gust would move the scope but steady winds were very manageable. Everyone that looked through the scope was impressed at how smooth the mount moved. It truly likes the heavy scope.

The TEC-180FL is something special. Stars are tiny points, with true colors. There is no false color and diffraction patterns are perfect inside and outside of focus. Saturn at 437 power was three dimensional. The white line from the storm was clearly visible when seeing allowed and the Crepe ring was plainly visible as a translucent ring bordered by dark black between it and the ball. It's interesting how well the 180 did on stellar objects compared with a very good 14" dob sitting about 10 feet away. The 14" as expected had the edge in brightness, but the 180 had the edge in contrast and sharpness. There was no competition when comparing the views of Saturn. I can't wait to get some really steady skies here at home in Ft. Lauderdale.

As a side note a customer mounted his MEAD 178ED f9 on the DM-6. The DM-6 appeared to handle it about the same as the TEC-180.

(see attached pictures in the Forum picture section)

My only disappointment with this & virtually all EP trays is their focus on
1.25" EPs.  I wish someone would make one with more 2" than 1.25" holes.  All of
my most used EPs are 2" (Ethos).  I haven't used a 1.25" EP in a long time,
except on my solar scope.

Don't suppose you'd make an alternate version with a couple more 2" holes and
maybe only a couple 1.25"?  Could it stand the weight?

 

Hello Roy:

I was able to purchase an eyepiece tray from Tom at the WSP for use on my DM6, with an Explorer Scientific 127ED. I didn’t mount my notebook on the tray as it was so windy where I was I thought the I would be fighting the screen slamming shut or the light screens being blown off. However, it was great to have my eyepieces in such a convenient location. As far as portability goes, it is a no-tools unit after the initial assembly; simple slide off the try and the top plate together. It is attached very snugly when in use and comes off easily in the dark when packing up.

Regards,
Bob

My wife ordered an Ipad and am thinking of how it can be used with my discmount
and SkyCommander. My favorite star atlas is the Cambridge Double Star Atlas and
it is available in digital form for use on an Ipad. I thought this could be
good, then read about the ability to connect an Ipad to a Sky Commander either
through a wire (SkyWire) or wifi (SkyFi). Has anyone used a similar setup and
wondering what software running on the Ipad would be best. I like simple to use
things and mostly observe double stars and some open clusters. Would the
Cambridge Double Star Atlas on an Ipad add anything over an interactive program
like StarSeek?  Thanks.

Dave

Dave,

I usually do not respond to postings when I have no idea of the answer, but the
topic does interest me. You might want to pose this to the Sky Commander yahoo
group as well. If you don't mind, regardless of the answer or source of the
answer, I would appreciate you letting us know here what you learn. I've hooked
a laptop up to the Sky Commander before and found it too clumsy for my use, but
an i-Pad would be interesting, indeed.

Randy

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "DaveA" <adamsdp@...> wrote:
>
> My wife ordered an Ipad and am thinking of how it can be used with my
discmount and SkyCommander. My favorite star atlas is the Cambridge Double Star
Atlas and it is available in digital form for use on an Ipad. I thought this
could be good, then read about the ability to connect an Ipad to a Sky Commander
either through a wire (SkyWire) or wifi (SkyFi). Has anyone used a similar setup
and wondering what software running on the Ipad would be best. I like simple to
use things and mostly observe double stars and some open clusters. Would the
Cambridge Double Star Atlas on an Ipad add anything over an interactive program
like StarSeek?  Thanks.
>
> Dave
>

Hi Randy,

I'll try to remember to keep you posted but please feel free to contact me, my
memory is not great for some things.  I downloaded SkySafari for use on an Ipod
touch and it seems very nice.  I called to order the SkiFi but Orion is out of
stock for couple of weeks.  It seems like a pretty seemless setup.  There are a
number of videos on the Southern_Skies website showing the software and how to
setup the SkiFi with their software.  It looks too easy almost.  I am looking
forward to having the cursor move about the star charts on the Ipad as I move
the scope.  Easy way to find things it seems.  The SkySafari software shows
double stars well.  It is easy to change the limiting magnitude of the stars
that show up and the seperation is displayed on the screen.  Amazing app for
$15.

The only issue I have so far is that it is a bit tough to tap on the star I want
to get info on.  I need to zoom in quite a bit to get an accurate tap.  I am
running it on on Ipod touch so the bigger sceen of the Ipad should help a lot
with this I think.  It took me about a half hour to get used to navigating about
the sky on the Ipod.  I don't have previous experience with a tablet so needed
to get used to scrolling with finger drags.

Dave


--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "randyroy777" <randyroy777@...> wrote:
>
> Dave,
>
> I usually do not respond to postings when I have no idea of the answer, but
the topic does interest me. You might want to pose this to the Sky Commander
yahoo group as well. If you don't mind, regardless of the answer or source of
the answer, I would appreciate you letting us know here what you learn. I've
hooked a laptop up to the Sky Commander before and found it too clumsy for my
use, but an i-Pad would be interesting, indeed.
>
> Randy
>
> --- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "DaveA" <adamsdp@> wrote:
> >
> > My wife ordered an Ipad and am thinking of how it can be used with my
discmount and SkyCommander. My favorite star atlas is the Cambridge Double Star
Atlas and it is available in digital form for use on an Ipad. I thought this
could be good, then read about the ability to connect an Ipad to a Sky Commander
either through a wire (SkyWire) or wifi (SkyFi). Has anyone used a similar setup
and wondering what software running on the Ipad would be best. I like simple to
use things and mostly observe double stars and some open clusters. Would the
Cambridge Double Star Atlas on an Ipad add anything over an interactive program
like StarSeek?  Thanks.
> >
> > Dave
> >
>

Randy,

I ordered a StarSeek module from Oceanside Photo & Telescope last week and it
came in this week.  I also downloaded the SkySafari software for the Ipod touch,
Ipad, etc. and love the software.  Talk about convenient and so much power in a
tiny package.  Have been using it on on Ipod touch so far, which I have found to
be big enough and very nice to to able to put it in my pocket.  The StarSeek is
working with the SkyCommander after setting the baud rate on the SC to 9600 and
using the two RJ-14 to DB-9 cables (one came with the SkyCommander and the other
came with the StarSeek) mated together to form one cable.
I am really impressed at how much the wifi module/Ipod/SkySafari adds to the
DM-6/SC and also for not too much cost.  It is something to move the scope
around and see the cursor moving on the Ipod.  I have posted a photo to the
photos sections.  The cables were able to be housed within the DM-6 so it is a
pretty seamless looking add on.  The wifi unit is velcroed to the side of the
DM-6.

Dave

--- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "randyroy777" <randyroy777@...> wrote:
>
> Dave,
>
> I usually do not respond to postings when I have no idea of the answer, but
the topic does interest me. You might want to pose this to the Sky Commander
yahoo group as well. If you don't mind, regardless of the answer or source of
the answer, I would appreciate you letting us know here what you learn. I've
hooked a laptop up to the Sky Commander before and found it too clumsy for my
use, but an i-Pad would be interesting, indeed.
>
> Randy
>
> --- In discmounts@yahoogroups.com, "DaveA" <adamsdp@> wrote:
> >
> > My wife ordered an Ipad and am thinking of how it can be used with my
discmount and SkyCommander. My favorite star atlas is the Cambridge Double Star
Atlas and it is available in digital form for use on an Ipad. I thought this
could be good, then read about the ability to connect an Ipad to a Sky Commander
either through a wire (SkyWire) or wifi (SkyFi). Has anyone used a similar setup
and wondering what software running on the Ipad would be best. I like simple to
use things and mostly observe double stars and some open clusters. Would the
Cambridge Double Star Atlas on an Ipad add anything over an interactive program
like StarSeek?  Thanks.
> >
> > Dave
> >
>