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Posts Made By: Steve Sands

June 15, 2009 11:13 AM Forum: Ask rating questions here

How do I get a (bogus) bad rating removed?

Posted By Steve Sands
Mike,

Please forward this information to Herb. This is a violation of the TOS. He can not rate you unless a deal actually went down.

Steve

July 19, 2009 04:07 PM Forum: AstroMart FAQ

uploading photos

Posted By Steve Sands
Hi Weldon,

The vast majority of the time, the reason pictures will not upload is that they exceed the maximum size allowed. With today's 10+ megapixel cameras, that is easy to do! Try scaling your photos down and see what happens.


July 27, 2009 10:01 PM Forum: Celestron

Celestron Service/CN16 GPS/CG-5 goto

Posted By Steve Sands
Rod,

I just purchased one of these units to use on my Nexstar 8SE mount. It took quite a while for it to acquire satellites. My Garmin GPS does the same thing, BTW. When I am going to go out and observe I turn the mount on and let it sit for 10-15 minutes or more prior to when I start the alignment process. I get a message that the GPS is linked when it does its thing. When I set it up for the first time, I had a similar situation as yours. I think that you probably had a timing issue and need to give it a chance to link. And what someone else said is true .... if it was flown across the country it takes a bit longer the first time to get settled. That was in the instruction sheet I received with this unit (which I will agree is sparse at best!). The GPS link up is not instantaneous and the mount will still prompt for the 1, 2 or 3 star alignment, even before the link is completed.

Hope that helps!

July 27, 2009 10:07 PM Forum: Coronado-Lunt-DayStar Solar Filters

Coronado MaxScope 60 question-

Posted By Steve Sands
Dante,

With no intention of insulting you ( shocked ), are you sure you were focusing in on the actual solar disk or were you on the pseudo image (for lack of a better term) that is produced in these units. It is a secondary image that I can't explain the cause of very well...I am sure someone can spell this out better for you. When I first set up my Coronado SM90/ BF30 I focused in on this dark and difficult to see image, thinking it was my intended target. Then I decided to move the scope around a bit and the actual solar disk popped into view, bright and full of detail. What you are describing is exactly what I first experienced, although you have a very unique description! grin

August 4, 2009 09:25 PM Forum: Mounts

Nexstar 8SE mount w/ refractor?

Posted By Steve Sands
Jackie,

I have the Celestron Nexstar 8SE and use the mount to hold my Lunt 60mm h-alpha scope. They use the Vixen dovetails, also. It is more than adequate for the job and would certainly handle a 9 pound OTA. I also use it to hold a William Optics 80mm APO without a problem. The Vixen dovetails are becoming more and more common place. Also, companies such as ADM make Vixen to Losmandy and vice-versa adapters which really allow me to switch stuff around on my mounts!

The tripod is indeed a tad bit undersized, but it works fine for what I am doing. I don't know about other compatible tripods, but I am sure someone out here can answer that question.

And yes, the drive is a little noisy, but nothing that causes me any concern. I have had no reliability issues with it so far. I use the CN-16 GPS unit which makes setup a snap.

August 7, 2009 05:39 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

New Scope Buggy assembly advice needed

Posted By Steve Sands
Hi Jerry,

Nope, that is the design and it works very, very well. Unless you try to pull this behind your car, those wheel assemblies will not come out. Also, it is assumed that you will have the weight of a tripod bearing down on it. This makes it very easy to adjust for different sized tripods. I am not sure what you mean about making turns without a tripod...they still won't come out. Set it all up and give it a whirl. I think you will find this to be an excellent device that was well thought out. Remember, you're pullin' this thing around at slow walking speeds. And NO, I don't work for ScopeBuggy! grin

August 13, 2009 09:42 PM Forum: Eyepieces

20mm 100 degree comming

Posted By Steve Sands
Well, now Anacortes has a pre-order ad for the TeleVue 21mm Ethos! 8O No price is listed, but I am SURE it will be under $1,500!!

September 16, 2009 02:11 AM Forum: Ask rating questions here

amend initial rating

Posted By Steve Sands
You can not change the rating once it is posted. You can only delete it. You could delete it and respond to the ad again to generate another rating ticket, but that is a bit of work for what you want to accomplish. shocked

October 18, 2009 04:27 PM Forum: Telescope Making

mirror cell pivots

Posted By Steve Sands
Dan,

I use stainless steel nylon insert lock nuts. You can adjust them to where ever you need to and they stay put. They have a rounded top for the bar to "teeter" on. This has worked well for me.

October 25, 2009 11:39 PM Forum: Telescope Making

I need help finding a cassegrain secondary

Posted By Steve Sands
Martin,

I am with Floyd...I wouldn't go away easily on this one. What a ridiculous situation! In the event that you need an optician to fabricate a new one because these losers will not, I would highly recommend Michael Lockwood ([email protected]). I personally know Mike and have several of his mirrors, all superb. He refigured a secondary for me on a Mak-Cass I rehabbed and now it is an awesome instrument. His website is www.loptics.com.

Hope it all turns out well in the end for you!

Steve

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