Theatre Hipparchus

A move up in Quality.

I placed an ad in Canada's Astronomy Buy and Sell looking for a Losmandy G 11. I was thinking about something sturdy enough to hold a 10" SC and a small refractor for guiding. By coincidence, a fellow who I have never met and who lives less than five miles away had a 6 month old Titan ready to go. A must have.

A few weeks later I added a GM 8 to learn with and use until the Titan is installed in the observatory. My plan is to port the 8 for wide fields at Star parties.

The learning curve begins in the workshop. Not much gets done but I like puttering around down there.

I have taken the servos off the Titan and installed them on the 8. I am a neophyte at anything mechanical but it was not difficult. At least two months before the observatory is ready so I ordered new servos for the Titan and I'll go back and forth with the Gemini. I am using industrial Velcro for the hand paddle and it's on there solid.

These Titans are phenomenal. 

I had hoped to port it around but after wrestling it into the workshop I think a permanent home where I can get it properly aligned is going to work out better. I tip my hat to the folks who lug these brutes out to dark sites and back. They are hardcore astronomers deserving of great respect. 

The Losmandy GM 8.

It was well used but I think it is developing into a fine mount with the upgrades. I like the intuitive modelling on the Gemini. After a bit of practice and patience during alignment I am finding the goto's are just deadly. I have ordered a dual plate mounting system for small refractor imaging/guiding.

No problem with computer connection. I spent the winter with an autostar and ironed out the bugs with it. Here I am using a Belkin 4 port powered hub. The grey dongle is a BBox type from software Bisque and a USB to Serial port adaptor. It goes into the RS232 port on the Gemini but it is obscured in this picture. Connects on COM 4 but I like to check in Windows Device Manager prior to connecting because sometimes it is a different COM if I have the CCD cameras hooked up.

Of note - I am using a PCIMIA usb adaptor into the laptop because I found out the hard way that  USB ports are attached directly to the motherboard. After a year of imaging and active use the porcelain conductors in the ports had worn out and fell off. New motherboards are $600. PCIMIA adaptors are $45. The Belkin handles the input from the cameras.

Plugging the values from the GPS into the Gemini was easy. I cold start most of the time just to get used to the flow of the Gemini. I think this inexpensive little GPS unit will come in handy for five or six road trips this season.

Power considerations. Initially, I blew and fuse and wasn't sure what was wrong. I opted for a 2 amp fuse in the nosepiece of the plug and this PYRAMID regulated power supply. That is a 600w Motomaster portable power supply in the background. I am testing for how long supply will last and furiously trying to learn basic electricity in the meantime.

Feel free to leave suggestions, ideas for future articles or comments in the section below.

David