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Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

July 10, 2004 03:14 PM Forum: Telescope Making

Can fans be run off of 9 volts?

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Ian,
I had a fan kit purchased from Discovery that used a 9 volt battery: the same type of battery used in most smoke detectors. I've sold the 12.5" truss dob that had the kit but as I recall, the fan attached to the rear of the cell with two wires extending to the battery with a snap-in connector. It was super-compact with almost no added weight. It's probably just the thing you are looking for. The battery was attached with a small clip screwed onto the inside of the mirror box. No heavy batteries or recharges necessary.

July 14, 2004 02:52 AM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Viewing limits

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Well, I guess I will have to inform the makers of scopes to increase the light grasp specs on their products. For example, the "limiting" visual magnitude for an 8" is listed as mag 14 while for a 10" it is 14.5, as per manufacturing specs. I would stress these are maximum theoretical achievable magnitudes as stated by the maker(s). Most scopes don't achieve max performance for a variety of reasons so it's unlikely that the stated maximums will be achieved at all.

July 16, 2004 03:28 AM Forum: Telescope Making

cost effective?

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Mark,
Yes it certainly can be more cost effective to purchase a manufactured scope that works right out of the box. There are many decent units available from an array of vendors.
I think some of us enjoy building the scopes for the joy of creating and optimizing a fine instrument. It may cost more to do this although some have created cost-cutting methods as well and have simplified the construction and portability of a scope while using quality components. You have the choice and good luck with your scope!

July 21, 2004 02:00 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mirror re coating

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Floyd,
Good luck on the recoat.Hopefully there will be no sleeks on the new coating.Let us know when you receive it from the coater.
I think the standard coating makes more sense than the enhanced option as there's less risk for an alteration of the figure.

August 5, 2004 03:56 PM Forum: Politics

Bush's Accomplishments (For Jim Babcock)

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Jake,
I listened to Walter Concrite blast the Bush policy of pre-emptive war during a radio interview broadcast by KNX news. As many of us recall, Walter was the leading and most trusted news anchorman and journalist of his time. His comments during the Vietnam war caused Lyndon Johnson to re-think his plans and essentially verified what many had already suspected: the war in Vietnam was a failure just as Bush's policy of pre-emptive war is today...
That's another one for the list of ongoing failures of Bush and his cronies.

August 19, 2004 01:55 AM Forum: Politics

Senior Republican Congressman Breaks Ranks on Iraq

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Rep. Doug Bereuter of Nebraska,who,until recently was the vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, stated in a letter to his constituents,"I've reached the conclusion...it was a mistake to launch that military action, especially without a broad and engaged international coalition". The cost in casulties is already large and growing, and the immediate and long-term costs are incredible".He further stated,"Left unresolved for now is whether intelligence was intentionally misconstrued to justify military action". Congressional republicans were reportedly surprised and angry at his comments. There was no response from the White House to his charges...

August 19, 2004 02:27 AM Forum: Politics

Senior Republican Congressman Breaks Ranks on Iraq

Posted By Rod Kaufman
"He intends to make no more statements on the subject..." How many more does he have to make?
The panel he was vice chairman of reviewed the evidence the administration cited before going to war, according to CNN. I think he is in a better position to know than you...

August 19, 2004 03:29 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Kendrick Barlowed Lasers

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Bernie,
I don't have experience with the Kendrick barlow laser but I do use a barlow laser for collimation.
I've found that if the optical/mechanical alignment of my 16" truss dob is very good, I do not have to tweak the primary very much, if at all, when I first collimate with basic laser and re-check with the barlow laser. I do have to go up and down when I first apply the laser but I really don't need to tweak it alot when I follow-up with the barlow laser. If I bounced the scope around alot, there's a bit more tweaking that needs to occur with the barlow laser but not much.
Your mileage may vary.

August 26, 2004 01:33 AM Forum: Politics

Bush Oil Policies Ruining Pristine Lands/Dark Skie

Posted By Rod Kaufman
The August 25 2004 edition of the Los Angeles Times carried an extensive article on the administration's policy of opening vast expanses of protected wilderness in Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado to open drilling for oil.
Ranchers,farmers,hunters and fishermen,many of whom described themselves as staunch republicans, have denounced this activity and have registered their outrage at the Bush administration for initiating it at a torrid pace. Critics,moreover,note such activity will not decrease our dependence on foreign oil.
One of my favorite starting points for backpacking in the grand tetons is Pinedale Wyoming which now has oil rigs lit-up like christmas trees in the backyard of the national forest...so much for dark skies. The same thing is happening in New Mexico and in other areas of previously undisturbed natural habitat.
Bush, the oil companies favorite son at the helm...

August 28, 2004 01:10 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

How far will you go for dark skies?

Posted By Rod Kaufman
I typically drive one hour for magnitude 6 skies but with increasing overdevelopment in California, I suspect I will need to drive 2.5-3 hours for dark skies in a few years.

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