SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

OK, so I gone and done it.
My Orion ED80T CF is being weird. And I couldn't find any reason for it.
I think the coatings have degraded after the 10-ish years I've used it heavily. Often the images look like I took them through the fog, on clear nights. And there is a weird looking smear down the one side.
Yet peering through it and down the sensor there is nothing visible.
So, I have a new AT130EDT rolling in on FedEx today. Hopefully... (sez it is out for delivery)

What I'd like, Vs: what is practical for me, is this. What I thought I wanted is $2000 [i]more[/].
Nice and simple, like the 80 has been. Albeit, chunky. Like 10 pounds approximately chunkier. I've always wanted a big telescope. Jumping from 480mm to 1000 mm
If I fall in the pool with it, I think I'll just hold on and drown.

I hope I don't have to buy an engine lift from Harbor Freight. Estimate 26.5 pounds with my hardware attached.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

[quote=SonnyE]OK, so I gone and done it.
My Orion ED80T CF is being weird. And I couldn't find any reason for it.
I think the coatings have degraded after the 10-ish years I've used it heavily. Often the images look like I took them through the fog, on clear nights. And there is a weird looking smear down the one side.
Yet peering through it and down the sensor there is nothing visible.
So, I have a new AT130EDT rolling in on FedEx today. Hopefully... (sez it is out for delivery)

What I'd like, Vs: what is practical for me, is this. What I thought I wanted is $2000 [i]more[/].
Nice and simple, like the 80 has been. Albeit, chunky. Like 10 pounds approximately chunkier. I've always wanted a big telescope. Jumping from 480mm to 1000 mm
If I fall in the pool with it, I think I'll just hold on and drown.

I hope I don't have to buy an engine lift from Harbor Freight. Estimate 26.5 pounds with my hardware attached.[/quote]
Did you also buy the focal reducer/flattener for the scope?

bwa

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Not yet, They are out of stock right now.
Darn thing is a $200 add on.

My mistake also.
It's 910 mm. Not 1000mm

Marc G Loc: East Grinstead, West Sussex, England

Looks like a beaut mate.
Like BWA said, I would highly recommend a reducer / flattener when you have the funds

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks Marc!
It is a monster. I got some views on The Great Hurcules Star Cluster last night. (Easy target.) But stopped to check the focuser EAF. But what I saw I liked. Bigger, brighter, clearer. Galaxy season is not really exciting to me. But it is good to get dialed in.
Sure enough, I needed to correct some things. So I brought it in at 23:30 and checked the worries.
But should be good through Monday, weather wise.
No doubt some small cloud will see it and call the rest.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Silly Me!
No pictures, didn't happen.

I think I'll go tidy up wires and such....

(Download)


(Download)

Railfan_Bill Loc: "Lost Wages", Nevada

Hey Sonny,
I saw your rig and noticed that you have a ZWO camera attached. Well let me tell you a tale. When I first assemble my equipment for a night of imagining, I failed to turn on the dew heater IN THE CAMERA! I had a streak of distortion running at a roughly 45° angle. Again, I fail in turning on the heater in the camera and that haze remained for the longest time. Now when attaching the ASI AIR Plus, I turn on the camera heater and I can go along with imagining all night long. Dumb things like that can always mess with your mind. BTW, my ZWO camera is a 071 APS-C camera using a Sony sensor.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Hi Bill,
Yup, mine is an ASI1600MM Pro, which I think just meant it came with the EFW, filters, and I don't remember.
It was way too much camera for my ED80T CF. The object was tiny, tiny in the middle of a big star field.
It is a 4/3 size sensor. And cooling I normally run at -15° C. It has a separate 12 volt supply, and USB3 to the laptop.
I don't use an AIR, but instead have a StarTech Powered USB3 hub on the scope with a single USB3 cable to my Laptop mount computer.
I finally tried NINA again and my other stuff wouldn't run with NINA, but the ASI hardware works like it was made for it. I finally got NINA working by watching many YouTube video's. Cuiv the lazy geek has a bunch of instructional videos that go through the various parts of NINA so I learned how to set it up and get it going. Then it slews and centers with plate solving, focuses, starts guiding, and begins taking images and storing them. I use USB thumb drives for storage so I can move the images around.
Now, I love that program. When I load or build a sequence, and start it, it starts the cooling first and won't go forward until the camera has reached the set temperature. Works great!
NINA tells me if something isn't turned on in the equipment. Sometimes that's a PITA, but I usually can get it running.
In setting the new telescope up, I removed the camera and may have found the problem of the weird "smear". I carefully cleaned the cover glass and it appears pristine now. Won't know until tonight though.
Normally NINA will start up and run the sequence I've got in it. I build one and save it, then I can run it another night, or the next to gather like the narrowband.
I'm still green as grass and haven't figured out the color magic. But I'm making leaps and bound from my beginnings.
I got a good look at The Hurcules Cluster last night, but the auto focus was having dificulty so I stopped and packed it in. Then fixed the problem. Operator error, as usual.
I spent some time today doing some revamping. The scope is so big I had to revise my harness for it's spread out distances. But I Got-R-Done. Changed where my Hub use to mount, and didn't have to rework my wiring harness.

But NINA won't let the sequence start unless the steps are done. Oh, you can choose to leave this or that out if you want too. But I built myself a "Template" and have the beginning sequence items built into it. Makes it harder for the human error element to bite me.

Hopefully I'm getting the ghost and goblins behind me. I needed the extra aperture and focal length to get out there where I want to be. And the plate solving is more accurate now, I think. Looked like it anyway.
Thanks for the heads up about the cooling.
Come on dark!

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

https://www.astrobin.com/forum/c/astrophotography/deep-sky/more-couterweights-or-closer-conterweight/?page=1#post-38642

I’m sure this will stir conversations about whether or not it makes a difference or not but it really improves the amount of time it takes for the scope to settle down when affected by wind or even just focusing.
I cringe whenever I see a telescope balanced with the weight all the way at the end of the rod.

Beautiful telescope and I’m just hoping to help you get the most from it.

Yes I’m still alive out here in Albuquerque.
Looking forward to being centerline in October for the annular eclipse and trying to figure out where to go for the full eclipse.

I’m adding a photo to show I practice what I preach.

Stay safe out there and I hope all is well with you and yours.

Jim

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Hi Jim!
Long time no see.
Yes I don't like that 11 pound chunk of cast iron hanging out there either.
But I just couldn't wait for Losmandy to get back to me. Oh, just checked my Email, Brian wrote this morning.
Going to get a second 11 pounder. That'll get the CW back up the bar. It's very close to balance with the one.
Trust me, I'll be riding the CW's up as close as I can. Brian said a 21 pounder would be too much.
The monster weighs out at 31.1 pounds with my junk in the trunk. The OTA is 19 dry.

I'm as close to Full Auto as I can imagine. NINA has done wonders for me. Only thing it doesn't do is start up at a per determined time. Oh, and it doesn't help getting the behemoth mounted.
I guess I have to do something....

Glad to see you are still out there. All's well here for now.

Marc G Loc: East Grinstead, West Sussex, England

Certainly is a beast mate.
Looks good, good luck & have fun

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

It is Marc, quite the strain to get it onto the saddle. Getting use to it though. My clamp is rather high, about shoulders/face level. So, it gets awkward.
But the mount just doesn't seem to care at all. Once the beast is in the saddle, the mount runs it all over the sky.
And NINA has been stellar for me. I even did a fully automated Meridian flip the other night, that was a first!
Just progressing in my painfully slow way. (It's like crawling over broken glass, hurts to watch.)

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

There. I fix'd it.

LOL! Balanced good now.

Dubba Counterweights.

(Download)

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

[quote=SonnyE]OK, so I gone and done it.
My Orion ED80T CF is being weird. And I couldn't find any reason for it.
I think the coatings have degraded after the 10-ish years I've used it heavily. Often the images look like I took them through the fog, on clear nights. And there is a weird looking smear down the one side.
Yet peering through it and down the sensor there is nothing visible.
So, I have a new AT130EDT rolling in on FedEx today. Hopefully... (sez it is out for delivery)

What I'd like, Vs: what is practical for me, is this. What I thought I wanted is $2000 [i]more[/].
Nice and simple, like the 80 has been. Albeit, chunky. Like 10 pounds approximately chunkier. I've always wanted a big telescope. Jumping from 480mm to 1000 mm
If I fall in the pool with it, I think I'll just hold on and drown.

I hope I don't have to buy an engine lift from Harbor Freight. Estimate 26.5 pounds with my hardware attached.[/quote]

Congratulations on the telescope upgrade. I expect you will get some great shots with this one. Just remember in the end you cannot take your money with you so spending it now on what you enjoy is good choice.