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Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

开云体育

Brian, thats what I will have to go through scott, B&H Foto won't custom order a GM8 without a tripod. Iam hopeing Highpoint Scientific, will they have free shipping. Losmandy will charge about $100.00 shipping.



Sent from my Boost Mobile Phone.


-------- Original message --------
From: Brian Valente <bvalente@...>
Date: 1/28/20 1:06 PM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

I’m pretty sure they sell just the mount without legs.?

On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 10:45 AM Deric Caselli <JethroStCyr@...> wrote:
Thanks Chip,? maybe Scott, will sell me just the GM8 mount head by itself.



Sent from my Boost Mobile Phone.


-------- Original message --------
From: Chip Louie <chiplouie@...>
Date: 1/28/20 10:11 AM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: Corrections and additional information]

Hi Deric,

Mostly because it is dead stable and very well dampened. If you haven't had the pleasure of using a Berlebach Planet it has much better damping traits than any of the metal tube tripods (Losmandy HD, Folding, MA on LX200 tripod, Losmandy LWT), you can see this at the eyepiece which settles immediately when the scope is touched or the Berlebach is bumped. The Berlebach doesn't ring leaving little evidence of being bumped, it is warmer to the touch in the cold, a little lighter, folds more compactly for transport.?

It really is a better tripod from a performance POV but you do need to be aware of moisture and? the check the leg clamps as it gets colder during the session. Other than these traits it is an outstanding tripod for any GM8G or G11G mount particularly used visually.
--

Chip Louie - Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware

--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

I’m pretty sure they sell just the mount without legs.?

On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 10:45 AM Deric Caselli <JethroStCyr@...> wrote:
Thanks Chip,? maybe Scott, will sell me just the GM8 mount head by itself.



Sent from my Boost Mobile Phone.


-------- Original message --------
From: Chip Louie <chiplouie@...>
Date: 1/28/20 10:11 AM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: Corrections and additional information]

Hi Deric,

Mostly because it is dead stable and very well dampened. If you haven't had the pleasure of using a Berlebach Planet it has much better damping traits than any of the metal tube tripods (Losmandy HD, Folding, MA on LX200 tripod, Losmandy LWT), you can see this at the eyepiece which settles immediately when the scope is touched or the Berlebach is bumped. The Berlebach doesn't ring leaving little evidence of being bumped, it is warmer to the touch in the cold, a little lighter, folds more compactly for transport.?

It really is a better tripod from a performance POV but you do need to be aware of moisture and? the check the leg clamps as it gets colder during the session. Other than these traits it is an outstanding tripod for any GM8G or G11G mount particularly used visually.
--

Chip Louie - Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware

--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

开云体育

Sonny, the one thing the tripod? feet pads do, is keep the legs from pushing into the ground.



Sent from my Boost Mobile Phone.


-------- Original message --------
From: sonnyedmonds@...
Date: 1/28/20 12:06 PM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

Well, no, few would use a wooden tripod in the Industry now.
And they have much more advanced things for damping, including suspensions and rubber tired dollies that are smooth as silk.
But, the dampening was an added bonus back when they carried about their tripods and the camera's were flapping taking frames. The tripods help dampen the vibrations from the camera mechanisms.

Personally, I prefer Aluminum. And Stainless Steel. But not pot metal aluminum (cast). Because I'm use to leaving my mount set up and covered.
The only time I can recall blatent ground vibrations showing in my imaging was when I was using an Orion G3 camera. But I had terrible luck with that. Replaced 3 times in the first year, and I and 5 friends could not process the images from it.
Anything prior to July 2017 was with the G3. I got really good at extremely long exposures. 20, 30 minute single shot images weren't unusual. One night, I just left things run and got a single 5400 second image. (90 minutes) Because the tracking was spot on. It was impossible to stack images from the G3, so one friend told me, "Sonny, you just stack with time." One of my many work-rounds with the AVX.

In my past work I escorted Seismologists placing seismographs in tunnels at Sylmar Converter Station. Fascinating how ultra sensitive they are, they recorded even the traffic on the freeways nearby. Tapping your foot near the unit even registered.
So I take the ground vibrations into account when setting up. Lawn, gravel, dirt are good dampeners. But I use sanded in bricks and concrete walkways. Then avoid walking around when the camera is active recording.
Another thing I've found that works is paver stones, or in the desert bricks worked well. A friend in Albuquerque NM uses pavers now since I suggested it to him because he moves different mounts around. That way he has a flat level area to set his mount on to start with. My jury is still out about the mount pads sold to put under the mount legs. Personally, I don't believe they do much for vibrations. YMMV
My currant camera doesn't like taking long exposures, so vibrations haven't been an issue. 120 second is it's tops. Beyond that it gets hot pixels. I use to refer to the hot pixels as "Rainbow Sprinkles" with the G3. Eventually I learned how to filter them out. But it was actively cooled. My Infinity is passively cooled, so I don't dabble beyond 120s. And it stacks the images for me.

Do any of your folks use pads under your mounts? And what do you think about them?
Have any of you tried adjustable feet for fine adjusting to level your mounts? I've always managed to get the deck level without. But can see the advantage to adjustable feet.

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

开云体育

Thanks Chip,? maybe Scott, will sell me just the GM8 mount head by itself.



Sent from my Boost Mobile Phone.


-------- Original message --------
From: Chip Louie <chiplouie@...>
Date: 1/28/20 10:11 AM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: Corrections and additional information]

Hi Deric,

Mostly because it is dead stable and very well dampened. If you haven't had the pleasure of using a Berlebach Planet it has much better damping traits than any of the metal tube tripods (Losmandy HD, Folding, MA on LX200 tripod, Losmandy LWT), you can see this at the eyepiece which settles immediately when the scope is touched or the Berlebach is bumped. The Berlebach doesn't ring leaving little evidence of being bumped, it is warmer to the touch in the cold, a little lighter, folds more compactly for transport.?

It really is a better tripod from a performance POV but you do need to be aware of moisture and? the check the leg clamps as it gets colder during the session. Other than these traits it is an outstanding tripod for any GM8G or G11G mount particularly used visually.
--

Chip Louie - Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware

Re: Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

[email protected]
 

I worked around CAT 5 and 6 systems, but not directly with them.
My understanding from follow Electrical Mechanics was you can go up to 1500 feet of wire with CAT 6, maybe with CAT 5.
But for us home remote operators, I can't imagine someone running 500 yards of wire for their observatory.

I have too many obstacles to fool with when I considered do wire to the outside. Hard scapes, walkways, and the biggie... a pool.

Do let us know how it comes out and what you think of the speed and reliability, Gary. It should be good, really good.
I'm in Bortle 5-6 skies. I use a Badder Sky Glow filter all the time as a rule. Works good.
But I have an empty hole in my filter wheel in the hope someday I can find a dark site. Or the lights go out....
Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

[email protected]
 

Well, no, few would use a wooden tripod in the Industry now.
And they have much more advanced things for damping, including suspensions and rubber tired dollies that are smooth as silk.
But, the dampening was an added bonus back when they carried about their tripods and the camera's were flapping taking frames. The tripods help dampen the vibrations from the camera mechanisms.

Personally, I prefer Aluminum. And Stainless Steel. But not pot metal aluminum (cast). Because I'm use to leaving my mount set up and covered.
The only time I can recall blatent ground vibrations showing in my imaging was when I was using an Orion G3 camera. But I had terrible luck with that. Replaced 3 times in the first year, and I and 5 friends could not process the images from it.
Anything prior to July 2017 was with the G3. I got really good at extremely long exposures. 20, 30 minute single shot images weren't unusual. One night, I just left things run and got a single 5400 second image. (90 minutes) Because the tracking was spot on. It was impossible to stack images from the G3, so one friend told me, "Sonny, you just stack with time." One of my many work-rounds with the AVX.

In my past work I escorted Seismologists placing seismographs in tunnels at Sylmar Converter Station. Fascinating how ultra sensitive they are, they recorded even the traffic on the freeways nearby. Tapping your foot near the unit even registered.
So I take the ground vibrations into account when setting up. Lawn, gravel, dirt are good dampeners. But I use sanded in bricks and concrete walkways. Then avoid walking around when the camera is active recording.
Another thing I've found that works is paver stones, or in the desert bricks worked well. A friend in Albuquerque NM uses pavers now since I suggested it to him because he moves different mounts around. That way he has a flat level area to set his mount on to start with. My jury is still out about the mount pads sold to put under the mount legs. Personally, I don't believe they do much for vibrations. YMMV
My currant camera doesn't like taking long exposures, so vibrations haven't been an issue. 120 second is it's tops. Beyond that it gets hot pixels. I use to refer to the hot pixels as "Rainbow Sprinkles" with the G3. Eventually I learned how to filter them out. But it was actively cooled. My Infinity is passively cooled, so I don't dabble beyond 120s. And it stacks the images for me.

Do any of your folks use pads under your mounts? And what do you think about them?
Have any of you tried adjustable feet for fine adjusting to level your mounts? I've always managed to get the deck level without. But can see the advantage to adjustable feet.
Re: Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

 

Natalie, Sonny, Deric:

Thanks much for all your thoughts and comments.? I am now starting to setup my initial configuration in my house for testing.? Going to start with Direct Ethernet Crossover Cat 5 connection between G-II Mount and my Computer.? We'll see how that goes.

Gary in Oklahoma City
Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

开云体育

Interesting discussion on the tripods, and yes I do think about back aches. I was hoping to get one later today but my weather App is compulsive liar LOL.



Sent from my Galaxy Tab A



-------- Original message --------
From: Les Niles <les@...>
Date: 1/27/20 1:59 PM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

Yes, for AP I’d expect the stiffness of aluminum would be of more benefit. ?One shouldn’t be messing around with the telescope when the camera’s on, and if it’s windy enough to induce vibrations it’s not a good night for AP. ?For visual use, though, one is often touching the telescope, intentionally and/or unintentionally, so vibration dampening could be useful and stiffness in the tripod is not as important. ?

There’s little if any weight advantage in the Berlebach tripods of similar capacity to the Losmandy HD and LW. ?There is more selection from Berlebach so it may be possible to save some weight by more closely matching the tripod capacity to what it needs to carry — Losmandy says the HD is good for 425 lb, but a G11 fully loaded with equipment and counterweights shouldn’t be more than about 150 lb. ?Does anyone else get a back ache just thinking about hauling around this gear? ;)

? -Les



On 27 Jan 2020, at 10:03, Brian Valente <bvalente@...> wrote:

hmmm - i have mixed feelings about wood tripods. I'm not against them and they are quite beautiful and portable.?

on the other hand I'm not sure I think there is a need for dampening? In hollywood (where I work) there is no wooden tripods that I know of in professional tv or film production today. If the dampening were both needed and effective, i think we would see more of them. hollywood has no problem spending tons of money for any small improvement anywhere.?

same as for astrophotography. I am not concerned about dampening since there isn't anything around that really needs to be dampened, but maybe I'm an unusual case.?

for super portability i use a set of carbon fiber legs from really right stuff (i have a cem25 not a gm8 so that wouldn't work for the losmandy head), and they seem to work great for m



On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 9:51 AM <sonnyedmonds@...> wrote:
Many don't know about woods dampening properties. They get blinded by the Wow factor of sleek anodized aluminum, and brushed stainless steel.
You will still see a lot of Surveyors using tall wood tripods. There is a good reason... ;^)

But for me, removing the head (since Losmandy makes it so simple) and leaving the base set, Polar Aligned, and covered, is a good goal. No weather worries.
But I have another consideration. I have a semi-circle block wall, 5'6" tall, I'm considering putting a base on, and putting the 12" extension on, then the head. Using the wall as a pier. ;^)
It would certainly work fine for my refractor. The wall is a stand alone around the pool equipment, and dead solid. So I'm always thinking.... and that always gets me into trouble.
Clear Skies!




--?
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio?
Re: Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

 

开云体育

Sonny, the bluetooth does work but it is a much weaker signal than Wifi. As for Nightvision Your device needs to be high specs what will work for navgating around the property wont work for visual astronomy. I think you can get into it for around $ 3000.00? and like anything else with this hobby, you can spend as much as you like. LOL.. and a couple of High end filters a 610nm? Long pass filter and a 12nm Ha filter by Astronomik or Badder this device like the G11 is a total game changer. Check out the threads on CN's EEA forum. And the YouTube videos by Carpe? Nocturnum, he goes by Cnoct on CN. As for SCT telescopes the Celestron Edge HD's can do so many things well. Large Aperture. Long focal length with a corrector lens. At f10 it works well in light polluted areas. As for imaging not the best to start out with . I will purchase a small aperture? wide field fast APO to start out the Wild West adventure we call Astro imaging. Newts are the best bang for the buck for aperture no doubt about it and they can be very fast. By all means get the young ones interested I loved doing Astronomy as a kid but forgot about it for too many years but I am back now. Happy Skies to you Sonny.



Sent from my Galaxy Tab A



-------- Original message --------
From: sonnyedmonds@...
Date: 1/27/20 11:27 AM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

I hope you have a better experience with your Bluetooth than I have. My Bluetooth devices seem to get stopped by the walls of my house. Stucco, like 80% of Los Angeles.
But WiFi was a bugger, too. The new Baby Dell 2 in 1 and a new router finally fixed those woes.
My wife has been interested in nightvison devices. But we never went further than curiosity. I've long been a refractor nut. Although, when it came down to the wire, my first two wish lists were the refractor I have, and a 10" Astrograph. Both aimed at Astrophotography. I've known guys with the Edge HD and they liked them. But I'm a bit hesitant about reflectors. I'm considering a Mak-Newt as a next telescope because like my refractor, it can do both visual and camera work. I'm leaning towards a visual to get the Grand-kids interested. A friend of mine in Canada states his Mak-Newt will be the last of his he will sell off.
So I suppose I am justifying to myself ways to put the new Losmandy mount to work. LOL!
All it takes is to throw money into the black hole. ;^)

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

oh man, i didn't even think about visual, that's a great point for the dampening!


On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 11:59 AM Les Niles <les@...> wrote:
Yes, for AP I’d expect the stiffness of aluminum would be of more benefit.? One shouldn’t be messing around with the telescope when the camera’s on, and if it’s windy enough to induce vibrations it’s not a good night for AP.? For visual use, though, one is often touching the telescope, intentionally and/or unintentionally, so vibration dampening could be useful and stiffness in the tripod is not as important. ?

There’s little if any weight advantage in the Berlebach tripods of similar capacity to the Losmandy HD and LW.? There is more selection from Berlebach so it may be possible to save some weight by more closely matching the tripod capacity to what it needs to carry — Losmandy says the HD is good for 425 lb, but a G11 fully loaded with equipment and counterweights shouldn’t be more than about 150 lb.? Does anyone else get a back ache just thinking about hauling around this gear? ;)

? -Les



On 27 Jan 2020, at 10:03, Brian Valente <bvalente@...> wrote:

hmmm - i have mixed feelings about wood tripods. I'm not against them and they are quite beautiful and portable.?

on the other hand I'm not sure I think there is a need for dampening? In hollywood (where I work) there is no wooden tripods that I know of in professional tv or film production today. If the dampening were both needed and effective, i think we would see more of them. hollywood has no problem spending tons of money for any small improvement anywhere.?

same as for astrophotography. I am not concerned about dampening since there isn't anything around that really needs to be dampened, but maybe I'm an unusual case.?

for super portability i use a set of carbon fiber legs from really right stuff (i have a cem25 not a gm8 so that wouldn't work for the losmandy head), and they seem to work great for m



On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 9:51 AM <sonnyedmonds@...> wrote:
Many don't know about woods dampening properties. They get blinded by the Wow factor of sleek anodized aluminum, and brushed stainless steel.
You will still see a lot of Surveyors using tall wood tripods. There is a good reason... ;^)

But for me, removing the head (since Losmandy makes it so simple) and leaving the base set, Polar Aligned, and covered, is a good goal. No weather worries.
But I have another consideration. I have a semi-circle block wall, 5'6" tall, I'm considering putting a base on, and putting the 12" extension on, then the head. Using the wall as a pier. ;^)
It would certainly work fine for my refractor. The wall is a stand alone around the pool equipment, and dead solid. So I'm always thinking.... and that always gets me into trouble.
Clear Skies!




--?
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio?



--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

开云体育

Yes, for AP I’d expect the stiffness of aluminum would be of more benefit. ?One shouldn’t be messing around with the telescope when the camera’s on, and if it’s windy enough to induce vibrations it’s not a good night for AP. ?For visual use, though, one is often touching the telescope, intentionally and/or unintentionally, so vibration dampening could be useful and stiffness in the tripod is not as important. ?

There’s little if any weight advantage in the Berlebach tripods of similar capacity to the Losmandy HD and LW. ?There is more selection from Berlebach so it may be possible to save some weight by more closely matching the tripod capacity to what it needs to carry — Losmandy says the HD is good for 425 lb, but a G11 fully loaded with equipment and counterweights shouldn’t be more than about 150 lb. ?Does anyone else get a back ache just thinking about hauling around this gear? ;)

? -Les



On 27 Jan 2020, at 10:03, Brian Valente <bvalente@...> wrote:

hmmm - i have mixed feelings about wood tripods. I'm not against them and they are quite beautiful and portable.?

on the other hand I'm not sure I think there is a need for dampening? In hollywood (where I work) there is no wooden tripods that I know of in professional tv or film production today. If the dampening were both needed and effective, i think we would see more of them. hollywood has no problem spending tons of money for any small improvement anywhere.?

same as for astrophotography. I am not concerned about dampening since there isn't anything around that really needs to be dampened, but maybe I'm an unusual case.?

for super portability i use a set of carbon fiber legs from really right stuff (i have a cem25 not a gm8 so that wouldn't work for the losmandy head), and they seem to work great for m



On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 9:51 AM <sonnyedmonds@...> wrote:
Many don't know about woods dampening properties. They get blinded by the Wow factor of sleek anodized aluminum, and brushed stainless steel.
You will still see a lot of Surveyors using tall wood tripods. There is a good reason... ;^)

But for me, removing the head (since Losmandy makes it so simple) and leaving the base set, Polar Aligned, and covered, is a good goal. No weather worries.
But I have another consideration. I have a semi-circle block wall, 5'6" tall, I'm considering putting a base on, and putting the 12" extension on, then the head. Using the wall as a pier. ;^)
It would certainly work fine for my refractor. The wall is a stand alone around the pool equipment, and dead solid. So I'm always thinking.... and that always gets me into trouble.
Clear Skies!




--?
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio?
Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

hmmm - i have mixed feelings about wood tripods. I'm not against them and they are quite beautiful and portable.?

on the other hand I'm not sure I think there is a need for dampening? In hollywood (where I work) there is no wooden tripods that I know of in professional tv or film production today. If the dampening were both needed and effective, i think we would see more of them. hollywood has no problem spending tons of money for any small improvement anywhere.?

same as for astrophotography. I am not concerned about dampening since there isn't anything around that really needs to be dampened, but maybe I'm an unusual case.?

for super portability i use a set of carbon fiber legs from really right stuff (i have a cem25 not a gm8 so that wouldn't work for the losmandy head), and they seem to work great for m



On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 9:51 AM <sonnyedmonds@...> wrote:
Many don't know about woods dampening properties. They get blinded by the Wow factor of sleek anodized aluminum, and brushed stainless steel.
You will still see a lot of Surveyors using tall wood tripods. There is a good reason... ;^)

But for me, removing the head (since Losmandy makes it so simple) and leaving the base set, Polar Aligned, and covered, is a good goal. No weather worries.
But I have another consideration. I have a semi-circle block wall, 5'6" tall, I'm considering putting a base on, and putting the 12" extension on, then the head. Using the wall as a pier. ;^)
It would certainly work fine for my refractor. The wall is a stand alone around the pool equipment, and dead solid. So I'm always thinking.... and that always gets me into trouble.
Clear Skies!



--
Brian?



Brian Valente
portfolio

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

[email protected]
 

Many don't know about woods dampening properties. They get blinded by the Wow factor of sleek anodized aluminum, and brushed stainless steel.
You will still see a lot of Surveyors using tall wood tripods. There is a good reason... ;^)

But for me, removing the head (since Losmandy makes it so simple) and leaving the base set, Polar Aligned, and covered, is a good goal. No weather worries.
But I have another consideration. I have a semi-circle block wall, 5'6" tall, I'm considering putting a base on, and putting the 12" extension on, then the head. Using the wall as a pier. ;^)
It would certainly work fine for my refractor. The wall is a stand alone around the pool equipment, and dead solid. So I'm always thinking.... and that always gets me into trouble.
Clear Skies!
Re: Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

[email protected]
 

I hope you have a better experience with your Bluetooth than I have. My Bluetooth devices seem to get stopped by the walls of my house. Stucco, like 80% of Los Angeles.
But WiFi was a bugger, too. The new Baby Dell 2 in 1 and a new router finally fixed those woes.
My wife has been interested in nightvison devices. But we never went further than curiosity. I've long been a refractor nut. Although, when it came down to the wire, my first two wish lists were the refractor I have, and a 10" Astrograph. Both aimed at Astrophotography. I've known guys with the Edge HD and they liked them. But I'm a bit hesitant about reflectors. I'm considering a Mak-Newt as a next telescope because like my refractor, it can do both visual and camera work. I'm leaning towards a visual to get the Grand-kids interested. A friend of mine in Canada states his Mak-Newt will be the last of his he will sell off.
So I suppose I am justifying to myself ways to put the new Losmandy mount to work. LOL!
All it takes is to throw money into the black hole. ;^)
Re: Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

 

开云体育

Sonny, like you I am just getting started. The mount was first. I made a list from my research and could have gone with a Astrophysics Mach 1 but it would have cost about $6500.00 a Mach 2 at about $8,000.00 to get going, a Losmandy G11G came in at around $4200.00 with all the bells and whistles. I dont regret one bit on the choice I Made with Losmandy's G11G or should I say I regret it so much I also want a Losmandy GM8 for a grab & go rig LOL.. I dont want to buy a used mount unless it came from someone like Michael Herman. I bought a BlueTooth adapter from a group out of the Ukraine, it will connect to my Android tablet but that is all. It was cheap. I will probably need to buy a Microsoft or iPad and get a Wifi adapter. I have a HP 8.1 laptop that is not really in use I will try to use this for astronomy stuff only. Or pick up a PC with a tower for more power, we will see what comes. I plan to start with a DSLR astro moded camera first and start the learning from there. Their is a Astronomy club here but not very active so I Am pretty much on my own. Through my research I found a middle ground on settings for the camera and will have to adjust things from there. One nice thing about digital is you will not waste alot of film LOL... I may at some point I take your advice going remote. I love being outside viewing the stars, Nebulae, the moon, and planets in real time. A PVS14 nightvision device is amazing you can see soooooo much more. It is a WOW factor Item.As far as the mount 10 more pounds of lift could come in handy. I started out with a Celestron Evolution 6 Nexstar. Good little scope horrible mount though. Then Highpoint Scientific had a NEAF demo sale of a Celestron Advanced AVX with a Celestron 8 edge HD at around $1599.00 I dont think it was a mistake, learned alot from this rig until one night last October everything was fine for a few hours then it went up in smoke. Anyway The telescope is amazing. I guess I paid full price for the telescope and $150.00 for that mount so I really was not upset I new it was time to buy a real mount. And here I am. Happy Skies Sonny.



Sent from my Galaxy Tab A



-------- Original message --------
From: sonnyedmonds@...
Date: 1/26/20 1:12 PM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

Hi Gary, nice to meet you!
I'll be 70 this March, so I can relate.
When I started my adventure 4-5 years ago, I did a lot of figuring out how to get what I was after. Unfortunately I put my trust into brands I remembered from my childhood and younger years. And those had evolved and gone to China.
I can understand the unloading, many businesses were. Unfortunately it has come back to bite us in the butt, or wallet.
After 5 months of grooming lists, I finally pulled the trigger on my best list and here came the boxes. After my first year of failures, I began to find fruition. But it took until July of 2017 to realize I was doing things right after all, when I got a used Atik Infinity camera and got for the first time.
Along the way, I met a friend in North Carolina who has handicaps from a childhood fall from a tree. He wrote about his setting up, then retiring to his "Bat Cave" in the basement to run his mount remotely.? Well that was a quantum leap I had long wanted to make, so we talked about it. He uses a commercial version that can tie to computers together. I found if frustrating because the free version always dropped out to try and get you to pay $840 for the paid version.
But I found something called that is open sourced (FREE) and works great to WiFi connect my outside computer, to my inside computer.
In my case, my 2005 Toshiba laptop was too weak to WiFi reliably, and it died trying (It was also 12 years old). So several more stumbles and I had a Dell 2 in 1 tablet/laptop. (I call it my Baby Dell). It was working fairly well, and my router died. So I got a new one that has dual band. And here I finally sat with the baby dell running my mount and all outside, while controlling it all from inside. All Wireless over my Home Network. The connection gives the outside computers desktop to the inside computer. So it's like sitting out there, but you stay warm. ;^)
So you might like to approach running your new Mount wirelessly. And not be limited by wiring. Thus being able to set your G11 further out if it gains you sky real estate.

Mine sets out near the back block wall and WiFi's about 60 feet through stucco walls and interior walls to my Belkin router in my home office/mancave.
I mount my telescope and connect 5 wires, and two power connections to my big battery, and a single USB to my Baby Dell. Then check my polar Alignment, do an alignment, check Vnc's address, and come inside to connect and start my evening's imaging. I've done remote alignments, too. But find I like to be at the mount for alignments. Helps to check operations before going fully remote.

I'm headed to Losmandy in February for my new Losmandy mount in February. Probably a GM811G HD, but to be determined at the factory, Maybe a G11G. Like Deric sez, it's only a little more for the extra capacity, and bigger DEC gear. (I don't need it, but it couldn't hurt.)
I set it, and cover between sessions. Not a tear-down kind of guy. More of a retain my Polar Alignment lazy guy. LOL!

Re: Astro-Imaging, the incurable disease !

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Hi Gary, nice to meet you!
I'll be 70 this March, so I can relate.
When I started my adventure 4-5 years ago, I did a lot of figuring out how to get what I was after. Unfortunately I put my trust into brands I remembered from my childhood and younger years. And those had evolved and gone to China.
I can understand the unloading, many businesses were. Unfortunately it has come back to bite us in the butt, or wallet.
After 5 months of grooming lists, I finally pulled the trigger on my best list and here came the boxes. After my first year of failures, I began to find fruition. But it took until July of 2017 to realize I was doing things right after all, when I got a used Atik Infinity camera and got for the first time.
Along the way, I met a friend in North Carolina who has handicaps from a childhood fall from a tree. He wrote about his setting up, then retiring to his "Bat Cave" in the basement to run his mount remotely.? Well that was a quantum leap I had long wanted to make, so we talked about it. He uses a commercial version that can tie to computers together. I found if frustrating because the free version always dropped out to try and get you to pay $840 for the paid version.
But I found something called that is open sourced (FREE) and works great to WiFi connect my outside computer, to my inside computer.
In my case, my 2005 Toshiba laptop was too weak to WiFi reliably, and it died trying (It was also 12 years old). So several more stumbles and I had a Dell 2 in 1 tablet/laptop. (I call it my Baby Dell). It was working fairly well, and my router died. So I got a new one that has dual band. And here I finally sat with the baby dell running my mount and all outside, while controlling it all from inside. All Wireless over my Home Network. The connection gives the outside computers desktop to the inside computer. So it's like sitting out there, but you stay warm. ;^)
So you might like to approach running your new Mount wirelessly. And not be limited by wiring. Thus being able to set your G11 further out if it gains you sky real estate.

Mine sets out near the back block wall and WiFi's about 60 feet through stucco walls and interior walls to my Belkin router in my home office/mancave.
I mount my telescope and connect 5 wires, and two power connections to my big battery, and a single USB to my Baby Dell. Then check my polar Alignment, do an alignment, check Vnc's address, and come inside to connect and start my evening's imaging. I've done remote alignments, too. But find I like to be at the mount for alignments. Helps to check operations before going fully remote.

I'm headed to Losmandy in February for my new Losmandy mount in February. Probably a GM811G HD, but to be determined at the factory, Maybe a G11G. Like Deric sez, it's only a little more for the extra capacity, and bigger DEC gear. (I don't need it, but it couldn't hurt.)
I set it, and cover between sessions. Not a tear-down kind of guy. More of a retain my Polar Alignment lazy guy. LOL!
Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

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Good Morning Sonny, the point on the vibration. dampening properties seems to be the main attribute? that no one mentions on reviews on Berlebach tripods, mainly how strong they are. With a side note to get double clamps to give you a little margin of protection do to temperature shrinkage in the wood. I will look into a Belebach on my next mount a GM8 and go from there. The Belebach is also lighter than the Losmandy HD tripod by about 10 Lbs. Happy Skies to you.



Sent from my Galaxy Tab A


-------- Original message --------
From: sonnyedmonds@...
Date: 1/26/20 11:40 AM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

Deric,
Wooden tripods have a history in the film industry for their stable vibration deadening properties.
I have an old Wooden Legged Tripod dating from the 1940's that is supposed to have been for holding a movie camera.
It's a Craig - Thalhammer Model. Made by the Craig Movie Supply Company, Los Angeles, California.

I'm surprised I found it online:

Just like this:?

Same-o, Same-o for wooden Surveyor's tripods. ;^)

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

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Deric,
Wooden tripods have a history in the film industry for their stable vibration deadening properties.
I have an old Wooden Legged Tripod dating from the 1940's that is supposed to have been for holding a movie camera.
It's a Craig - Thalhammer Model. Made by the Craig Movie Supply Company, Los Angeles, California.

I'm surprised I found it online:

Just like this:?

Same-o, Same-o for wooden Surveyor's tripods. ;^)
Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

开云体育

My thoughts are in the right Direction. My near future plans are to acquire a smaller aperture wide field APO say maybe ES Esprit 102mm or TS photoline 90mm something along those lines.a give a Berlebach tripod a try. Anyway any of these telescopes would work well for AP when I get all the other equipment together. So far things are working well with my G11 except the weather. I appreciate all the help and input from you and others here on this forum. I have been printing out alot of material to add to the Gemini manual.good proven reference material with the hope that I can avoid some of the errors.but I like a challenge and solving problems and have been around long enough to know when you reach a certain point of frustration "TAKE A BREAK" so you can clear your head then you can start thinking about okay what's not working right and what is working right and how to fix the former. Reading the threads on this blog I am beginning understand how Gemini works and figure out where the issues might be located. Enough rambling LOL... Happy Skies my friend.



Sent from my Galaxy Tab A



-------- Original message --------
From: Chip Louie <chiplouie@...>
Date: 1/25/20 9:48 PM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Is a Losmandy right for me?

Deric

You are preaching to the choir. I have the G11G for imaging and GM8G for portable visual work. My GM8G has 311K tic Astro Devices encoders with a Nexus DSC WiFi. It is fantastic to use on PUSH-TO mode.?
--

Chip Louie - Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware

Re: Is a Losmandy right for me?

 

Deric

You are preaching to the choir. I have the G11G for imaging and GM8G for portable visual work. My GM8G has 311K tic Astro Devices encoders with a Nexus DSC WiFi. It is fantastic to use on PUSH-TO mode.?
--

Chip Louie - Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware
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