�

Problems and Solutions With My Observatory

This year I began another attempt to adjust the polar alignment of the wedge and the Lx200 which I messed up a couple of yeas ago trying to make it better. I changed the configuration to the current one with the Orion DSCI II on the 400 mm lens and the SAC 9 being on the main scope. This year I realized that I needed to think outside my previous experience to continue the polar alignment. I found that I needed only to start the LX200 with the finder scope on the bottom and allow the LX200 to attempt to line up with the North star. Then I continued to press Enter till the scope is pointed in the general direction of the alignment star that the LX200 program picked at the final press of the Enter key the LX200 thinks it is polar aligned. This is the normal polar alignment procedure built into the LX200. However I can not see the north star easily so I have to perform drift alignment. Everything was going Ok till the LX200 began running away in declination which I could not stop. I was able to lower the scope using my scissors jack and remove it for repair. I found a loose wire in the fork arm and a voltage regulator burned out on the control board which I fixed. I am now awaiting a clear day to perform drift alignment and then I will be back in action.

�

Older info is below:

The reason I purchased the dome was forced upon me several years ago, at that time I was setting my scope up in my driveway and using the cameras and the LX200 through a laptop during the winter time. I found out first hand what happens when the sky is clear during the winter time.� With my medical problems at that time, I am hard pressed to describe how cold it gets.

I knew I could control the scope remotely if I could extend the RS232 port and the USB lines out to the driveway. I looked on the Internet and purchased some reasonably priced USB 1.1 over CAT5 cable extenders to operate the LX200 and the cameras remotely. This combination allowed me to setup the LX200 in my driveway up to 150 feet away, and then operate the scope and my SAC 9 from my computer in the house. The first time I tried that combination I found that I still spent quite a bit of time just setting up the scope, and if I encountered a problem, I had to go outside again. In the meantime I also found out that after dark, during the summer around here, the mosquitoes arrive in such large numbers that I was getting them in my mouth with each breath. Well I decided that was no longer a good idea either.

I found a clear plastic dome on the internet about 1 inch thick 42 inches in diameter and purchased it. My builder installed that and my telescope wooden mounting beam at that time. I mounted my scope using the aluminum plates described above but only needed one foot to raise the LX200 into the dome center. This looked promising but two things happened, I found my scope over the years had lost collimination and would not focus on a star. I purchased some adjustment knobs and believe I have that problem licked. I also found that the dome during the summer got so hot that I had to cover the scope with a reflective sheet to protect the electronics. This was almost as bad as other problems I had in the driveway.

That�s when I looked into a dome. I knew I could not install a large people dome so the RoboDome became my only alternative. I researched the RoboDome and asked several people who owned one how they liked them. I was able to actually see a RoboDome locally a short drive away. I purchased the dome and my builder removed the plastic dome and installed the RoboDome.

The RoboDome came as a freight shipment because of its size. The dome is made of fiberglass and I was able to move it around easily. I wired it up with no major problems and it worked the first time after the dome was installed.� I have had no problems with the RoboDome to date. here is a picture of the dome after it arrived awaiting installation.

The scope in my original configuration was set up using the original Meade diagonal which was poorly made, the threaded portion came loose, and I almost lost the SAC 9. I purchased the Orion diagonal which is better made and reflects light better.

Another problem developed when I purchased a SAC 4-2 one-shot color camera, it will not function on USB 1.1 it requires USB 2 which is a higher speed USB port. The Cat5 USB cable extenders only work at USB 1.1 the extenders can run the Telescope and the SAC 9 but not the SAC 4-2. There are USB 2 Cat5 cable extenders but they are very expensive. I purchased an inexpensive laptop to run just the SAC 4-2 and found that I could run it remotely over my home network but the picture was never clear on my indoor computer monitor. I could just see what I wanted to take a picture of but could not focus properly because of resolution differences between the laptop and my main computer monitor which I was never able to resolve.

I investigated on the web and found you can use Cat5 cable to extend the keyboard, video and mouse so-called KVM over Cat5. I purchased the extenders and a refurbished Gateway computer and placed it in the garage addition. The Gateway runs the Telescope, the Dome and all the cameras at the same time and I can use the same monitor for all my computers using a KVM switch.

I originally tried to use the SAC 4-2 as a finder scope, which I coupled with a shortened Orion Universal Camera Adapter to an old �T� mount 135 mm f5 lens from my 35 mm camera days. The reason I needed to have the adapter modified is the fact that all the CCD astronomy cameras I have used so-far use the old 35 mm camera �T� mount threads but are not set at the proper distance from the CCD chip to use a standard �T� mount lens directly.� You need to move the lens mount away from the CCD chip to focus at Infinity.� With this combination I could see stars but not recognize what I was looking at. I read somewhere that looking through a astronomy CCD camera was like "searching for a needle in a haystack looking through a straw".� Boy is that a true statement, the camera is more sensitive than your eye and sees more stars in a smaller area than you can. It does not help when you have some astigmatism to boot.

The 135 mm was also mounted on the LX200 finder scope rail and I could not line it up with the LX200 scope running in f10 mode. I pulled the SAC 4-2 off of the 135 mm lens and replaced it with the SAC 9 camera still using the modified Orion Universal �Camera Adapter and found that combination acceptable. I was able, the first night, to find the Orion Nebula M42 and track it using this 135 mm scope.� I could not find M42 in the main LX200 scope using the SAC 4-2 even though I could see it on the135 mm lens. I now know the problem was because the SAC 4-2 was not sensitive enough, it is a planetary camera.

I was reading Sky and Telescope magazine and saw a glowing review of the then new Meade DSI-2 single shot color CCD camera. It sounded like a solution to my problem with the SAC 4-2 and I was able to order one from a dealer out west. I had problems with camera when it arrived and had to send it back to Meade where I had more problems but finally I got a working camera in late winter.��I placed it on the LX200 and used it several times, some results during the winter are shown below. When warm weather came I became terribly dissatisfied with the DSI-2 camera which is un-cooled and produces many hot spots requiring extra time to make dark frames.

I then purchased the Orion Starshoot Deep Space Color Imager II which is a cooled camera and produces the same coverage as the Meade DSI-2. I was able to find a power supply for the Orion Starshoot which usually runs on a battery pack and that is now my second camera in the dome behind the SAC-9.

I purchased Rails and mounting rings to mount two piggyback telescopes from Scope Stuff http://www.scopestuff.com.

More pictures of the RoboDome both before and after assembly can be found here moredomepics.html

I installed some additional devices to check weather while runing my dome clouddetector.html

�

Some Astronomy Pictures

The following pictures of the Moon were made with the SAC 9 on the LX200 at f5 recently. The pictures are actually 50 millisecond captures of the crescent Moon.

Here are some pictures from my old configuration with the Meade DSI-2 mounted on the LX200 at f5.

The first picture of M42 the Orion Nebula was processed with AIP4WIN2 a program supplied in the book "The Handbook ofAstronomical Image Processing"2 edition, by Richard Berry and James Burnell after being combined from the summed captured RGBL Fits images by the AutoStar image processing suite. The second image is of M3 a globular cluster it is summed but not processed, the larger picture looks very much like what I have seen in my eyepiece of M3. The third picture is of M51 the WhirlpoolGalaxy also summed but not processed.

The following picture of Saturn was taken in 2006 using a SAC 4-2 and the AstroVideo program for capture and processing, I do not remember how many frames were used for this picture.The SAC 4-2 was barlowed at 2X on the LX200 giving a focal length of 4000 mm and an f20 scope. The picture was cropped to the current size.

�

Here are four 1996 pictures of COMET HYAKUTAKE C/1996 B2 taken with ASA 400 Film in a 35 mm camera, a 50 mm standard lens and a cable release on my standard tripod. Click on the picture for a larger view. Use your Browser Back key to get back here

Here are four 1997 pictures of COMET HALE-BOPP C/1995 O1 taken with ASA 400 Film in a 35 mm camera, a 50 mm standard lens and a cable release on my standard tripod. Click on the picture for a larger view. Use your Browser Back key to get back here

MY AMATEUR "HAM" RADIO HOBBY W3LED

I was able to pass the test and received a Technician class Ham license on 3-2-2010. I then studied and passed my General Class license on 3-20-2010 and then passed my Amateur Extra class test on 3-27-2010. I received my vanity call sign W3LED on 4-14-2010.

I had purchased an Icom IC-706 used, off E-bay and am setting this tranceiver up to use as a digital signal tranceiver for PSK31 and other digital signal types, and a backup transceiver. I purchased a brand new Yaesu FT-857D HF-6M plus 2 M and 70 Cm tranceiver and this is now my main voice tranceiver.

I have built a coaxial trap antenna for 10 M to 80 M and have that in my attic because of restrictions here. I also have a purchased 2 M to 40 M 4:1 baluned Windom. I also built a 6 M Hentenna, a half square for 10 M and a 2 M quad antenna. My Yaesu uses a commercial J-pole antenna for 2 M and 70 Cm. My Icom uses the quad 2 M antenna I built. I am using a SGC SG-237 automatic antenna tuner on a long wire antenna. I also use an SGC SG-239 on a loop antenna in my attic. From time to time I will update the page and let you know of my accomplishments.

73 W3LED