Hi Ifikratis.
Yes. I don`t know the reason, but that procedure worked for me.
Good luck!

Fernando

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you guys for your replies!
> "Glad" to hear that the problem is not only mine..
> So, (in order to know what to do), Fernado you suggest to do the "One Star
alignment" instead of "two Star alignment". Then Park. Then unpark and it would
look ok..
> If not, please tell me the correct procedure.
> I'll try possibly tomorrow.
> Thanks!
>
> Regards,
> Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> >
> > Gday Fernando
> >
> > Good to hear
> > Even if you cant see the sky, the unparks and blind gotos
> > would confirm if it was in the ballpark, vs 90deg off
> > Now lets hope Mr Ifikratis's scope comes to life as well :-)
> >
> >
> > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi Andrew. After 1 star, I did four or five park/unpark/goto tests and all
seemed to work fine. No real goto tests as it's cloudy and maybe it's going to
rain (scope is already covered). But the coordinates reported by the Autostar
and the slews apparently show the patch is now working OK.
> > >
> > > Many thanks
> > >
> > > Fernando
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I can see no reason why one star would be different to 2 star
> > > > but if you can try a few more park, unpark, goto tests
> > > > and confirm it has stabilised, it may just be an internal var that needs
resetting.
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > >
> >
>

Re focusing knob

The simplest and cheapest improvement I ever made to my focuser was to fit one
of those bungs that fit on the end of walking sticks.  I found one that is a
perfect fit.  It gives the focuser a chunky feel with much better control and
the cost is negligible.

John

Gday Ifikratis

I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in polar can result
in funny data
if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars correctly
tho,
anyway, try it and see :-)

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you guys for your replies!
> "Glad" to hear that the problem is not only mine..
> So, (in order to know what to do), Fernado you suggest to do the "One Star
alignment" instead of "two Star alignment". Then Park. Then unpark and it would
look ok..
> If not, please tell me the correct procedure.
> I'll try possibly tomorrow.
> Thanks!
>
> Regards,
> Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> >
> > Gday Fernando
> >
> > Good to hear
> > Even if you cant see the sky, the unparks and blind gotos
> > would confirm if it was in the ballpark, vs 90deg off
> > Now lets hope Mr Ifikratis's scope comes to life as well :-)
> >
> >
> > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi Andrew. After 1 star, I did four or five park/unpark/goto tests and all
seemed to work fine. No real goto tests as it's cloudy and maybe it's going to
rain (scope is already covered). But the coordinates reported by the Autostar
and the slews apparently show the patch is now working OK.
> > >
> > > Many thanks
> > >
> > > Fernando
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I can see no reason why one star would be different to 2 star
> > > > but if you can try a few more park, unpark, goto tests
> > > > and confirm it has stabilised, it may just be an internal var that needs
resetting.
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > >
> >
>

Hmmmm....
When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">" and "^".
That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply pressing
Enter when prompted to center).

Fernando


--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@...> wrote:
>
> Gday Ifikratis
>
> I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in polar can
result in funny data
> if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars correctly
tho,
> anyway, try it and see :-)
>
> Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
>

I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have not got yet
the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole (something) > (
something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume is how away it
is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..

Regards,
Ifikratis


--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@...> wrote:
>
> Hmmmm....
> When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">" and "^".
That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply pressing
Enter when prompted to center).
>
> Fernando
>
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> >
> > Gday Ifikratis
> >
> > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in polar can
result in funny data
> > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars
correctly tho,
> > anyway, try it and see :-)
> >
> > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> >
>

Gentlefolk (the rest know who you are)

I have received two different email from bogus email address
(no-reply@...).

The email warned me that my mailbox was deactivated and includes a
handy-dandy utility to fix the problem. (DOH!)

The biggest problem is that I have scanned it with two different virus
scanners and neither sees a problem.  So, it's too new.  DO NOT OPEN THE
ATTACHMENT.  Delete the email

The email comes from some company in Great Britain (hobar.gov.br).

Kevin
Lx90 moderator team.

Unless it is against the rules, I will be posting in the files section a summary
description of two OTA's I am putting up for sale.  One will be a classic Meade
102ED APO 102mm / 920mm - f/9 APO refractor with Williams Optics 2" dual speed
Crayford focuser and brand new 2" 99% dielectric diagonal.

Also... a brand new 8" Meade SCT (same as LX90 with White Painted tube) with
UHTC coatings, crayford focuser, 2" 99% Stellarvue Diagonal, full baffled dew
shield, Bob's knobs and the Peterson Focuser upgrade.

Please feel free to contact me if you need more information and are interested.

Thanks
Warp

The suffix ".br" is Brazil not Britain (".uk"). Nonetheless thanks for the
info, it has not reached me yet but will keep an eye out for it.

Simon

Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom (apologies to Jefferson et al)



   _____

From: lx90@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lx90@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kevin
Muenzler
Sent: 16 November 2009 21:35
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lx90] Virus alert





Gentlefolk (the rest know who you are)

I have received two different email from bogus email address
(no-reply@eaglecreek <mailto:no-reply%40eaglecreekobeservatory.org>
obeservatory.org).

The email warned me that my mailbox was deactivated and includes a
handy-dandy utility to fix the problem. (DOH!)

The biggest problem is that I have scanned it with two different virus
scanners and neither sees a problem. So, it's too new. DO NOT OPEN THE
ATTACHMENT. Delete the email

The email comes from some company in Great Britain (hobar.gov.br).

Kevin
Lx90 moderator team.





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

Typically the virus or applet that crashes you computer is embedded in the
web link



Thanks for the heads up



From: lx90@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lx90@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kevin
Muenzler
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 4:35 PM
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lx90] Virus alert





Gentlefolk (the rest know who you are)

I have received two different email from bogus email address
(no-reply@...
<mailto:no-reply%40eaglecreekobeservatory.org> ).

The email warned me that my mailbox was deactivated and includes a
handy-dandy utility to fix the problem. (DOH!)

The biggest problem is that I have scanned it with two different virus
scanners and neither sees a problem. So, it's too new. DO NOT OPEN THE
ATTACHMENT. Delete the email

The email comes from some company in Great Britain (hobar.gov.br).

Kevin
Lx90 moderator team.





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

This one came as an email attachment.
I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday!
I ain't gonna open it! ;)



-----Original Message-----
From: lx90@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lx90@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jim
Holland
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 4:11 PM
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [lx90] Virus alert

Typically the virus or applet that crashes you computer is embedded in the
web link



Thanks for the heads up



From: lx90@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lx90@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kevin
Muenzler
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 4:35 PM
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lx90] Virus alert





Gentlefolk (the rest know who you are)

I have received two different email from bogus email address
(no-reply@...
<mailto:no-reply%40eaglecreekobeservatory.org> ).

The email warned me that my mailbox was deactivated and includes a
handy-dandy utility to fix the problem. (DOH!)

The biggest problem is that I have scanned it with two different virus
scanners and neither sees a problem. So, it's too new. DO NOT OPEN THE
ATTACHMENT. Delete the email

The email comes from some company in Great Britain (hobar.gov.br).

Kevin
Lx90 moderator team.





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



------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from this group mailto lx90-unsubscribe@...!
Groups Links

Gday Ifikratis

The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder precision.
However, the main problem is
if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
( vs the <5min from pole message )
the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
and hence removes this as a source of error.
Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have not got yet
the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole (something) > (
something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume is how away it
is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
>
> Regards,
> Ifikratis
>
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> >
> > Hmmmm....
> > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">" and
"^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> >
> > Fernando
> >
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Gday Ifikratis
> > >
> > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in polar can
result in funny data
> > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars
correctly tho,
> > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > >
> > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > >
> >
>

Thank you very much Andrew!

That was a really nice piece of advice!
I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.

Regards,
Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@...> wrote:
>
> Gday Ifikratis
>
> The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder
precision.
> However, the main problem is
> if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> and hence removes this as a source of error.
> Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
>
> Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> >
> > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have not got
yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole (something) > (
something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume is how away it
is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ifikratis
> >
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hmmmm....
> > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">" and
"^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > >
> > > Fernando
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > >
> > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in polar
can result in funny data
> > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars
correctly tho,
> > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the telescope to
the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the One Star
Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to release
both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar home
position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the star
selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's arrows
and press enter.
This would act correctly to the alignment? If the one star alignment acts just
like a sync then I think it would be ok..

Regards,
Ifikratis


--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you very much Andrew!
>
> That was a really nice piece of advice!
> I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
>
> Regards,
> Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> >
> > Gday Ifikratis
> >
> > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder
precision.
> > However, the main problem is
> > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> >
> > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have not got
yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole (something) > (
something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume is how away it
is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Ifikratis
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">" and
"^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > >
> > > > Fernando
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > >
> > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in polar
can result in funny data
> > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars
correctly tho,
> > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > >
> > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Ok, when are they?  According to my calculations they should be tonight
(11/17-18).  I've read and hear that they were last night (11/16-17) and
that they are tonight.  I got up this morning at about 3:00am CST because
there was supposed to be good knot of dust at about that time.  I saw a
total of about five in 30 minutes.  Two were really nice fireballs, mag -5
or so.  One came from behind me and was bright enough to cast a shadow on
the ground.  That's one thing I really like about the Leonids, bright
fireballs.


Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE
29º14'52"N 98º14'50"W
Eagle Creek Observatory
http://www.eaglecreekobservatory.org <http://www.eaglecreekobservatory.org/>

I believe that all this hype of global warming is going to turn out to be
nothing more than mother nature having a hot flash.




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

Hi Kevin....
The evening of Nov. 16 and morning of the 17th, so this morning should have been
around
peak; clouds here have persisted, but early last week we were seeing about 10-12
very
bright Leonids per hour without really looking....pretty good indications.

Dr. Clay
_____
Arkansas Sky Observatories
MPC H45 - Petit Jean Mountain South
MPC H41 - Petit Jean Mountain
MPC H43 - Conway West
http://www.arksky.org/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Muenzler" <kevin@...>
To: <lx90@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:16 AM
Subject: [lx90] Leonids


Ok, when are they?  According to my calculations they should be tonight
(11/17-18).  I've read and hear that they were last night (11/16-17) and
that they are tonight.  I got up this morning at about 3:00am CST because
there was supposed to be good knot of dust at about that time.  I saw a
total of about five in 30 minutes.  Two were really nice fireballs, mag -5
or so.  One came from behind me and was bright enough to cast a shadow on
the ground.  That's one thing I really like about the Leonids, bright
fireballs.


Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE
29º14'52"N 98º14'50"W
Eagle Creek Observatory
http://www.eaglecreekobservatory.org <http://www.eaglecreekobservatory.org/>

I believe that all this hype of global warming is going to turn out to be
nothing more than mother nature having a hot flash.




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



------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from this group mailto lx90-unsubscribe@...!
Groups Links

Gday Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the telescope to
the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the One Star
Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to release
both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar home
position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the star
selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's arrows
and press enter.
> This would act correctly to the alignment?

Almost, ( you dont need to touch the RA clutch )
You really need to set the RA axis to the correct polar home position,
as this is used for cordwrap calcs, encoder datums etc.
The DEC axis isnt critical for the first star,
( if you have drift aligned and dont intend to touch your wedge ),
hence you can temporarily set it to whatever angle will clear the image train,
then fix the clutch.
When the scope slews to the first star, it is only going to move 1deg in DEC,
and whatever RA is required to line up with polaris.
As such, it wont hit anything on the first slew.
Before accepting the first star, loosen only the DEC clutch.
Hit enter and go to the second star, manually guiding the OTA in DEC.
Once the system asks you to centre the second star,
align it best you can manually and set the DEC clutch.
It should already be close in RA.
Now just use the Hbx to fine centre as per normal and its done.

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia




If the one star alignment acts just like a sync then I think it would be ok..
>
> Regards,
> Ifikratis
>
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> >
> > Thank you very much Andrew!
> >
> > That was a really nice piece of advice!
> > I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ifikratis
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Gday Ifikratis
> > >
> > > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder
precision.
> > > However, the main problem is
> > > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> > >
> > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have not
got yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole (something) >
( something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume is how away it
is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Ifikratis
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">"
and "^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > > >
> > > > > Fernando
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in
polar can result in funny data
> > > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park vars
correctly tho,
> > > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Thank you very much Andrew..this is something I didn't know..
However the goto's were good.
But what you describe is the two star alignment..if Fernado is correct and only
the One star alignment can properly align the scope after unpark, what should be
done then? If I remember correctly the autostar is promting to center the star
using only the wedge adjustment cotrols..
  Fernado I would be grateful if you could explain what you did step by
step..what do you mean a blind one star alignment?

Regards,
Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@...> wrote:
>
> Gday Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> >
> > However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the telescope
to the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the One Star
Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to release
both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar home
position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the star
selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's arrows
and press enter.
> > This would act correctly to the alignment?
>
> Almost, ( you dont need to touch the RA clutch )
> You really need to set the RA axis to the correct polar home position,
> as this is used for cordwrap calcs, encoder datums etc.
> The DEC axis isnt critical for the first star,
> ( if you have drift aligned and dont intend to touch your wedge ),
> hence you can temporarily set it to whatever angle will clear the image train,
then fix the clutch.
> When the scope slews to the first star, it is only going to move 1deg in DEC,
and whatever RA is required to line up with polaris.
> As such, it wont hit anything on the first slew.
> Before accepting the first star, loosen only the DEC clutch.
> Hit enter and go to the second star, manually guiding the OTA in DEC.
> Once the system asks you to centre the second star,
> align it best you can manually and set the DEC clutch.
> It should already be close in RA.
> Now just use the Hbx to fine centre as per normal and its done.
>
> Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
>
>
>
>
> If the one star alignment acts just like a sync then I think it would be ok..
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ifikratis
> >
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Thank you very much Andrew!
> > >
> > > That was a really nice piece of advice!
> > > I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Ifikratis
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > >
> > > > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > > > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder
precision.
> > > > However, the main problem is
> > > > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > > > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > > > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > > > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > > > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > > > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > > > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have not
got yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole (something) >
( something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume is how away it
is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for ">"
and "^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Fernando
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in
polar can result in funny data
> > > > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park
vars correctly tho,
> > > > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Missouri has been cloud-covered since the last ice age it seems, and we even has
a good snow shower on the 17th.  So, so much for Leonid viewing.  But, even
though it may be juvenile to take pleasure in others' misfortune, I have to
admit I had to hide a smirk when I received the following from my poor nephew
Larry who has the bad luck to fly a Learjet for an Alaskan medical service:


"Just checkin' in.  I was thinking about you last night as we prepared to depart
Anchorage at midnight -- just an hour short of the time the meteor progs said
that we could expect to see an unforgettable display of mother nature's
space-trash attacking  our planet.

I was so stoked.  I'd seen some pretty good Leonid showers but this one was
gonna be the motherlode.  It was my leg so I'd have the west window -- good
planning.  I measured my caffeine intake for peak meteor alertness without being
in pet-monkey-mode.   I got the cockpit dark enough that a housecat would have
to squint to see the instrument panel.   I cut the strobes.  I did everything
but make a picnic basket.  I was at the right place at the right time.   I did
my job!

But the Leonid meteor shower was a hoax.  And those bastards at the NASA
Meteoroid Environment Office made my list.  I saw about half-a-dozen
garden-variety meteors -- two point five less than I normally see on a clear
dark night.  I feel violated."

Ken

Gday Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:

> But what you describe is the two star alignment..

No its not :-)
A Polar one star still goes to 2 stars
its just that, the first is always Polaris/Sig Octans
and you are "supposed" to use wedge controls to centre it.
Then it goes to a bright star near the equator.
Polar 2 star chooses 2 bright stars ( not Polaris )

However, a blind polar one star can be done if your wedge is well aligned, as
when it says centre Polaris, you just hit enter without looking ( or adjusting
your wedge ), as you know your wedge is correct. That process is what i
described below.

> if Fernado is correct and only the One star alignment can
> properly align the scope after unpark, what should be done then?

You only need to do the Polar one star align once properly, then park.
THis should reset all basic variables correctly.
On unparking, you now just get the time, select a target and "goto", thats it.

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia

>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> >
> > Gday Ifikratis
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > >
> > > However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the telescope
to the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the One Star
Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to release
both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar home
position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the star
selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's arrows
and press enter.
> > > This would act correctly to the alignment?
> >
> > Almost, ( you dont need to touch the RA clutch )
> > You really need to set the RA axis to the correct polar home position,
> > as this is used for cordwrap calcs, encoder datums etc.
> > The DEC axis isnt critical for the first star,
> > ( if you have drift aligned and dont intend to touch your wedge ),
> > hence you can temporarily set it to whatever angle will clear the image
train, then fix the clutch.
> > When the scope slews to the first star, it is only going to move 1deg in
DEC, and whatever RA is required to line up with polaris.
> > As such, it wont hit anything on the first slew.
> > Before accepting the first star, loosen only the DEC clutch.
> > Hit enter and go to the second star, manually guiding the OTA in DEC.
> > Once the system asks you to centre the second star,
> > align it best you can manually and set the DEC clutch.
> > It should already be close in RA.
> > Now just use the Hbx to fine centre as per normal and its done.
> >
> > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > If the one star alignment acts just like a sync then I think it would be
ok..
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Ifikratis
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Thank you very much Andrew!
> > > >
> > > > That was a really nice piece of advice!
> > > > I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Ifikratis
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > >
> > > > > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > > > > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder
precision.
> > > > > However, the main problem is
> > > > > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > > > > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > > > > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > > > > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > > > > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > > > > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > > > > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> > > > >
> > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have
not got yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole
(something) > ( something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume
is how away it is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for
">" and "^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Fernando
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > > > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns in
polar can result in funny data
> > > > > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park
vars correctly tho,
> > > > > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Thank you very much Andrew..and for your patient to explain..
(Actualy I understood what you said to your previus posttoday while I was
driving..)
So, I'll perform the prodecure you described.
Thanks again.

Best Regards,
Kamenidis Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@...> wrote:
>
> Gday Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
>
> > But what you describe is the two star alignment..
>
> No its not :-)
> A Polar one star still goes to 2 stars
> its just that, the first is always Polaris/Sig Octans
> and you are "supposed" to use wedge controls to centre it.
> Then it goes to a bright star near the equator.
> Polar 2 star chooses 2 bright stars ( not Polaris )
>
> However, a blind polar one star can be done if your wedge is well aligned, as
when it says centre Polaris, you just hit enter without looking ( or adjusting
your wedge ), as you know your wedge is correct. That process is what i
described below.
>
> > if Fernado is correct and only the One star alignment can
> > properly align the scope after unpark, what should be done then?
>
> You only need to do the Polar one star align once properly, then park.
> THis should reset all basic variables correctly.
> On unparking, you now just get the time, select a target and "goto", thats it.
>
> Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
>
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Gday Ifikratis
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the
telescope to the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the
One Star Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to
release both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar
home position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the
star selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's
arrows and press enter.
> > > > This would act correctly to the alignment?
> > >
> > > Almost, ( you dont need to touch the RA clutch )
> > > You really need to set the RA axis to the correct polar home position,
> > > as this is used for cordwrap calcs, encoder datums etc.
> > > The DEC axis isnt critical for the first star,
> > > ( if you have drift aligned and dont intend to touch your wedge ),
> > > hence you can temporarily set it to whatever angle will clear the image
train, then fix the clutch.
> > > When the scope slews to the first star, it is only going to move 1deg in
DEC, and whatever RA is required to line up with polaris.
> > > As such, it wont hit anything on the first slew.
> > > Before accepting the first star, loosen only the DEC clutch.
> > > Hit enter and go to the second star, manually guiding the OTA in DEC.
> > > Once the system asks you to centre the second star,
> > > align it best you can manually and set the DEC clutch.
> > > It should already be close in RA.
> > > Now just use the Hbx to fine centre as per normal and its done.
> > >
> > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > If the one star alignment acts just like a sync then I think it would be
ok..
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Ifikratis
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Thank you very much Andrew!
> > > > >
> > > > > That was a really nice piece of advice!
> > > > > I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > > > > > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and encoder
precision.
> > > > > > However, the main problem is
> > > > > > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > > > > > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > > > > > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > > > > > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > > > > > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > > > > > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > > > > > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I have
not got yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole
(something) > ( something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume
is how away it is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > > > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both for
">" and "^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly (simply
pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Fernando
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the way.
> > > > > > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns
in polar can result in funny data
> > > > > > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the park
vars correctly tho,
> > > > > > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

My experience too.  This year was a dud for North America.  I saw a few
really nice fireballs but no "shower."

Kevin

-----Original Message-----
From: lx90@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lx90@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of kdwmjw
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:07 PM
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lx90] Re: Leonids


Missouri has been cloud-covered since the last ice age it seems, and we even
has a good snow shower on the 17th.  So, so much for Leonid viewing.  But,
even though it may be juvenile to take pleasure in others' misfortune, I
have to admit I had to hide a smirk when I received the following from my
poor nephew Larry who has the bad luck to fly a Learjet for an Alaskan
medical service:


"Just checkin' in.  I was thinking about you last night as we prepared to
depart Anchorage at midnight -- just an hour short of the time the meteor
progs said that we could expect to see an unforgettable display of mother
nature's space-trash attacking  our planet.

I was so stoked.  I'd seen some pretty good Leonid showers but this one was
gonna be the motherlode.  It was my leg so I'd have the west window -- good
planning.  I measured my caffeine intake for peak meteor alertness without
being in pet-monkey-mode.   I got the cockpit dark enough that a housecat
would have to squint to see the instrument panel.   I cut the strobes.  I
did everything but make a picnic basket.  I was at the right place at the
right time.   I did my job!

But the Leonid meteor shower was a hoax.  And those bastards at the NASA
Meteoroid Environment Office made my list.  I saw about half-a-dozen
garden-variety meteors -- two point five less than I normally see on a clear
dark night.  I feel violated."

Ken





------------------------------------

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Groups Links

I just tested tonight..it worked!!!
Thank you very much Andrew and Fernando!
It unparked correctly, and everything seems ok with that.
I also found on TheSky that the Autostar driver is working better (more
appropriate) than the LX200 driver.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you very much Andrew..and for your patient to explain..
> (Actualy I understood what you said to your previus posttoday while I was
driving..)
> So, I'll perform the prodecure you described.
> Thanks again.
>
> Best Regards,
> Kamenidis Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> >
> > Gday Ifikratis
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> >
> > > But what you describe is the two star alignment..
> >
> > No its not :-)
> > A Polar one star still goes to 2 stars
> > its just that, the first is always Polaris/Sig Octans
> > and you are "supposed" to use wedge controls to centre it.
> > Then it goes to a bright star near the equator.
> > Polar 2 star chooses 2 bright stars ( not Polaris )
> >
> > However, a blind polar one star can be done if your wedge is well aligned,
as when it says centre Polaris, you just hit enter without looking ( or
adjusting your wedge ), as you know your wedge is correct. That process is what
i described below.
> >
> > > if Fernado is correct and only the One star alignment can
> > > properly align the scope after unpark, what should be done then?
> >
> > You only need to do the Polar one star align once properly, then park.
> > THis should reset all basic variables correctly.
> > On unparking, you now just get the time, select a target and "goto", thats
it.
> >
> > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> >
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the
telescope to the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the
One Star Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to
release both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar
home position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the
star selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's
arrows and press enter.
> > > > > This would act correctly to the alignment?
> > > >
> > > > Almost, ( you dont need to touch the RA clutch )
> > > > You really need to set the RA axis to the correct polar home position,
> > > > as this is used for cordwrap calcs, encoder datums etc.
> > > > The DEC axis isnt critical for the first star,
> > > > ( if you have drift aligned and dont intend to touch your wedge ),
> > > > hence you can temporarily set it to whatever angle will clear the image
train, then fix the clutch.
> > > > When the scope slews to the first star, it is only going to move 1deg in
DEC, and whatever RA is required to line up with polaris.
> > > > As such, it wont hit anything on the first slew.
> > > > Before accepting the first star, loosen only the DEC clutch.
> > > > Hit enter and go to the second star, manually guiding the OTA in DEC.
> > > > Once the system asks you to centre the second star,
> > > > align it best you can manually and set the DEC clutch.
> > > > It should already be close in RA.
> > > > Now just use the Hbx to fine centre as per normal and its done.
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > If the one star alignment acts just like a sync then I think it would be
ok..
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thank you very much Andrew!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > That was a really nice piece of advice!
> > > > > > I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > > > > > > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and
encoder precision.
> > > > > > > However, the main problem is
> > > > > > > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > > > > > > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > > > > > > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > > > > > > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > > > > > > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > > > > > > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > > > > > > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I
have not got yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole
(something) > ( something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume
is how away it is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > > > > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both
for ">" and "^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly
(simply pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Fernando
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > > > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the
way.
> > > > > > > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star aligns
in polar can result in funny data
> > > > > > > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > > > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the
park vars correctly tho,
> > > > > > > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Gday Ifikratis

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@...> wrote:
>
> I just tested tonight..it worked!!!

Ooohhh goody. :-)
I was beginning to wonder if there was an unforseen bug.
I know 2 star aligning creates funny baselines and offsets
but i cant see how it would affect the way i wrote the patch.
I can only suspect there was some old data in there that got reset by doing the
clean polar one star align.

> I also found on TheSky that the Autostar driver is working better >(more
appropriate) than the LX200 driver.

Again you need to be carefull.
Many serial commands dont do what they say, ( or do it properly )
All initial testing should be done using the Hbx only,
then compare to the software.

Anyway, you seem happy now so have fun,
but just watch each unpark for a few times
till you are happy its stable :-)

Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Regards,
> Ifikratis
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> >
> > Thank you very much Andrew..and for your patient to explain..
> > (Actualy I understood what you said to your previus posttoday while I was
driving..)
> > So, I'll perform the prodecure you described.
> > Thanks again.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> > Kamenidis Ifikratis
> >
> > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Gday Ifikratis
> > >
> > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > >
> > > > But what you describe is the two star alignment..
> > >
> > > No its not :-)
> > > A Polar one star still goes to 2 stars
> > > its just that, the first is always Polaris/Sig Octans
> > > and you are "supposed" to use wedge controls to centre it.
> > > Then it goes to a bright star near the equator.
> > > Polar 2 star chooses 2 bright stars ( not Polaris )
> > >
> > > However, a blind polar one star can be done if your wedge is well aligned,
as when it says centre Polaris, you just hit enter without looking ( or
adjusting your wedge ), as you know your wedge is correct. That process is what
i described below.
> > >
> > > > if Fernado is correct and only the One star alignment can
> > > > properly align the scope after unpark, what should be done then?
> > >
> > > You only need to do the Polar one star align once properly, then park.
> > > THis should reset all basic variables correctly.
> > > On unparking, you now just get the time, select a target and "goto", thats
it.
> > >
> > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > However..something I forgot to mention..because I cannot set the
telescope to the polar home position (because of the optical train), I'll do the
One Star Alignment using the technic , I think dick, has proposed. That is to
release both clutches..then press enter when prompted to set the scope to polar
home position. Then let the motors run and when beep and promt to center the
star selected, center manualy/tighten the clutches/center using the autostar's
arrows and press enter.
> > > > > > This would act correctly to the alignment?
> > > > >
> > > > > Almost, ( you dont need to touch the RA clutch )
> > > > > You really need to set the RA axis to the correct polar home position,
> > > > > as this is used for cordwrap calcs, encoder datums etc.
> > > > > The DEC axis isnt critical for the first star,
> > > > > ( if you have drift aligned and dont intend to touch your wedge ),
> > > > > hence you can temporarily set it to whatever angle will clear the
image train, then fix the clutch.
> > > > > When the scope slews to the first star, it is only going to move 1deg
in DEC, and whatever RA is required to line up with polaris.
> > > > > As such, it wont hit anything on the first slew.
> > > > > Before accepting the first star, loosen only the DEC clutch.
> > > > > Hit enter and go to the second star, manually guiding the OTA in DEC.
> > > > > Once the system asks you to centre the second star,
> > > > > align it best you can manually and set the DEC clutch.
> > > > > It should already be close in RA.
> > > > > Now just use the Hbx to fine centre as per normal and its done.
> > > > >
> > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > If the one star alignment acts just like a sync then I think it would
be ok..
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Thank you very much Andrew!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > That was a really nice piece of advice!
> > > > > > > I'll post later after I have tested this with the unparking.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > The numbers are "woofy" to say the least with a 497 ( ETX )
> > > > > > > > but should be better with an LX90 as it has better gears and
encoder precision.
> > > > > > > > However, the main problem is
> > > > > > > > if you do a 2 star and get the 40>  30^ type message
> > > > > > > > ( vs the <5min from pole message )
> > > > > > > > the scope uses a polar transposition matrix to do gotos etc
> > > > > > > > and this can affect the RA readings / parking at times.
> > > > > > > > If you do a Polar 1 star, the scope acts as a true polar mount
> > > > > > > > and hence removes this as a source of error.
> > > > > > > > Sooooo, dont use Polar 2 star if you know you are well aligned.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "IfikratisK" <ificratis@> wrote:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I think I have done a very good drift polar alignment, but I
have not got yet the message you refer Andrew...I get somethine like " pole
(something) > ( something) ^". I don't remember the numbers now.. This I assume
is how away it is in azimuth and declination? Do you know how accurate it is?..
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > > > Ifikratis
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "Fernando" <fcampuzano25@> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Hmmmm....
> > > > > > > > > > When I did the 2-star, the message was 40mins from Pole both
for ">" and "^". That surprised me because I was doing the alignment blindly
(simply pressing Enter when prompted to center).
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Fernando
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "johansea" <johansea@> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > Gday Ifikratis
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > I never saw what either of you saw when i was testing,
> > > > > > > > > > > but i did do several sets of reloads/resets etc along the
way.
> > > > > > > > > > > I cannot see why a 2 star would affect it, but 2 star
aligns in polar can result in funny data
> > > > > > > > > > > if you dont get the '< 5mins from Pole' message .
> > > > > > > > > > > A clean polar one star, then park, "should" reset all the
park vars correctly tho,
> > > > > > > > > > > anyway, try it and see :-)
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > Andrew Johansen Melbourne Australia
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Dick:
Thanks! look like the ticket!

Willie

--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "autostaretx" <rseymour@...> wrote:
>
> What i did was build a 4-button box with an RJ-10 plug
> (you can cut a telephone handset cord in half to get the
> wires and the plug... coiled handset cords are commonly
> available in "dollar stores".)
>
> Details:
> http://www.weasner.com/etx/autostar/as_apm_sim.html
>
> good luck
> --dick
>
> --- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "wilgaze" <wilgaze@> wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone know how to test a 909? My guiding suddenly stopped working. I
tested the shoestring adapter and it is working fine. The scope will not respond
to guide comands but is fine with Starrynight and envisage. connections as
follows:
> > PC via usb and powered port to shoestring/PHD-GPUSB
> > Shoestring to 909
> > 909 to scope Aux port
> > Starshoot autoguide camera
> >
> > Thanks for looking...
> > Willie
> >
>

Hi Gene.
I've been taking images of M42 again, now with the filter threaded at the rear
side of the nosepiece T-2 adapter (so with the filter closer to the sensor of
the camera). The "donuts" still appear but now closer to the brightest stars and
at the opposite (left) side. So, clearly those donuts are related to the filter.
I have posted the new image in "Fernando" folder at the photos section.

Regards

Fernando


--- In lx90@yahoogroups.com, "lynol1000" <lynol1000@...> wrote:
>
> Fernando,
>
> Moving it closer will probably just move the reflection closer.
>
> Try a quick test on a bright star (altair?) to see if you get a reflection.
Position the bright star in different spots on the frame and shoot a few seconds
exposure at each position.
>
> The secondary image does look out of focus, it is a donut versus a spot.
>
> Here is the result of a reflection:
> http://home.comcast.net/%7Elynol1000/st4_guider/300sec_etx90.JPG
> In this case the reflection is from a reducer lens about 50mm from the ccd
surface, quite large separation between the two and the big donut in the
reflection.
>
> Gene
> http://www.astrogene1000.com
>

Hi all,

I have been trying to find alternatives for finder scopes for a while. My scope
"works" great, with duct tape.  I have to attach duct tape to the ring and scope
so that it does not fall out when the scope is in the vertical position. Is
there a finder scope ring out there that will actually hold a finder scope in
place? Two of my upper screws do not even touch the scope when screwed in all
the way!  I am lucky that I can get it to work with the 4 screws holding it in
place for alignment (plus the duct tape).  I have always ignored this and just
used the duct tape, but there has to be a catch.  Any info or similar stories
are welcome.

-M2

Could you post a picture or two?

Are you using the 'original' 7x50 Meade finderscope?
Are you using the 'original' Meade mounting ring set (which is a
single-piece unit)?
Are you using the 'original' Meade mounting screws?

Cheers,
Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories
Aberdeen, SCOTLAND

Mark,

My Meade rings (cir 2003) fit perfectly to the Meade finder.  I finally went for
the
Orion right angle 9x50 finder, and it also fits the Meade rings just fine.  You
have
a defective ring set maybe? or just the screws are bad?

Joe




________________________________
From: MarkM <denebola1973@...>
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, November 24, 2009 9:02:42 PM
Subject: [lx90] Meade LX90 Finder Scope

Hi all,

I have been trying to find alternatives for finder scopes for a while. My scope
"works" great, with duct tape.  I have to attach duct tape to the ring and scope
so that it does not fall out when the scope is in the vertical position. Is
there a finder scope ring out there that will actually hold a finder scope in
place? Two of my upper screws do not even touch the scope when screwed in all
the way!  I am lucky that I can get it to work with the 4 screws holding it in
place for alignment (plus the duct tape).  I have always ignored this and just
used the duct tape, but there has to be a catch.  Any info or similar stories
are welcome.

-M2




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

Joe, I tried an Orion i think and it would not fit in the original rings. Even
the screws were different.They told me to take the screws out of my scope and
replace the rings. I wasn't going to take the screws out and open a can of
worms. So i found a 9x50 scope at Stellarvue and it fit the rings perfect and
right angle and red cross hairs. Great scope.
Elmo

--- On Wed, 11/25/09, Joe Tannenbaum <jtannenba@...> wrote:


From: Joe Tannenbaum <jtannenba@...>
Subject: Re: [lx90] Meade LX90 Finder Scope
To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 11:03 AM


 



Mark,

My Meade rings (cir 2003) fit perfectly to the Meade finder.  I finally went
for the
Orion right angle 9x50 finder, and it also fits the Meade rings just fine.  You
have
a defective ring set maybe? or just the screws are bad?

Joe

____________ _________ _________ __
From: MarkM <denebola1973@ yahoo.com>
To: lx90@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Tue, November 24, 2009 9:02:42 PM
Subject: [lx90] Meade LX90 Finder Scope

Hi all,

I have been trying to find alternatives for finder scopes for a while. My scope
"works" great, with duct tape.  I have to attach duct tape to the ring and
scope so that it does not fall out when the scope is in the vertical position.
Is there a finder scope ring out there that will actually hold a finder scope in
place? Two of my upper screws do not even touch the scope when screwed in all
the way!  I am lucky that I can get it to work with the 4 screws holding it in
place for alignment (plus the duct tape).  I have always ignored this and just
used the duct tape, but there has to be a catch.  Any info or similar stories
are welcome.

-M2

------------ --------- --------- ------

To unsubscribe from this group mailto lx90-unsubscribe@ yahoogroups. comYahoo!
Groups Links

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











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

Elmo,

I think I had to remove the objective from the Orion before slipping it in the
rings.  Whatever, it is a good fit and I enjoy the correct view.

joe

> -----Original Message-----
> From: lx90@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lx90@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
> Elmo Sherman
> Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 1:22 PM
> To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [lx90] Meade LX90 Finder Scope
>
>
> Joe, I tried an Orion i think and it would not fit in the
> original rings. Even the screws were different.They told me to
> take the screws out of my scope and replace the rings. I wasn't
> going to take the screws out and open a can of worms. So i found
> a 9x50 scope at Stellarvue and it fit the rings perfect and right
> angle and red cross hairs. Great scope.
> Elmo
>
> --- On Wed, 11/25/09, Joe Tannenbaum <jtannenba@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: Joe Tannenbaum <jtannenba@...>
> Subject: Re: [lx90] Meade LX90 Finder Scope
> To: lx90@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 11:03 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mark,
>
> My Meade rings (cir 2003) fit perfectly to the Meade finder.  I
> finally went for the
> Orion right angle 9x50 finder, and it also fits the Meade rings
> just fine.  You have
> a defective ring set maybe? or just the screws are bad?
>
> Joe
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
> From: MarkM <denebola1973@ yahoo.com>
> To: lx90@yahoogroups. com
> Sent: Tue, November 24, 2009 9:02:42 PM
> Subject: [lx90] Meade LX90 Finder Scope
>
> Hi all,
>
> I have been trying to find alternatives for finder scopes for a
> while. My scope "works" great, with duct tape.  I have to attach
> duct tape to the ring and scope so that it does not fall out when
> the scope is in the vertical position. Is there a finder scope
> ring out there that will actually hold a finder scope in place?
> Two of my upper screws do not even touch the scope when screwed
> in all the way!  I am lucky that I can get it to work with the 4
> screws holding it in place for alignment (plus the duct tape).  I
> have always ignored this and just used the duct tape, but there
> has to be a catch.  Any info or similar stories are welcome.
>
> -M2
>
> ------------ --------- --------- ------
>
> To unsubscribe from this group mailto lx90-unsubscribe@
> yahoogroups. comYahoo! Groups Links
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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>
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