RE: [APML]: Anyone Autoguiding a G-11 with a Pictor XT?

["Richmann, Michael" <richmann@cmt.anl.gov>]

The Astro-Photography Mailing List
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Try http://www.cyberport.com/mapug/

Mike

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wil Milan [SMTP:wmilan@airdigital.com]
> Sent: Friday, July 10, 1998 9:45 AM
> To:   astro-photo@nightsky.com
> Subject:      Re: [APML]: Anyone Autoguiding a G-11 with a Pictor XT?
> 
> The Astro-Photography Mailing List
> ------------------------------------
> 
> When I purchased my 201XT I was told by Meade -- a Meade rep on
> the phone -- that the relay is required for any non-Meade scopes
> else damage could result to the non-Meade scope. Whether that was
> due to ground-loop problems from running off a common battery I
> don't know, but on the basis of Meade's advice I bought the
> relay. Anecdotally, I had been cautioned against using the 201XT
> straight into another mount by an individual who had his mount
> damaged by a 201 autoguider, which is why I called Meade in the
> first place. (I believe in his case it was a Celestron mount he
> was talking about, but it's been so long that I'm not sure.)
> 
> I tried to look up some details on this in the MAPUG archives,
> but I can't find them anywhere; the server (simplenet) seems to
> be disconnected. Anyone know where the MAPUG archives have gone?
> 
> Wil M.      
> mailto:wmilan@airdigital.com
> Astrophoto web site: http://www.airdigital.com/astrophoto.html
> ---
> "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, 
> the moon and the stars which You have set in place, 
> what is Man that you are mindful of him, 
> or the son of Man that you care for him?"  -- Psalm 8
> 
> 
> John F. Wall wrote:
> > 
> > The Astro-Photography Mailing List
> > ------------------------------------
> > 
> > Well you guys now have me a little worried.  I just bought a GM-8
> mount and
> > have a 201XT to use with it.  The original S&T review of the 201XT
> > indicated they just plugged it in and it worked fine.  I also
> checked out
> > MEades web page and they state that the 201XT can be used with any
> scope as
> > long as it has a telephone jack which the the GM-8 has.  I also had
> a quick
> > field test and the 201XT calibrated on first try and started guiding
> albeit
> > poorly because I had not set the Cr and Cd values for the OTA I was
> using.
> > But it did seem to function.
> > 
> > Are the problems mentioned below related to the 201XT or just for
> the 208XT
> > and up.
> > 
> > John Wall
> > 
> > At 10:14 PM 7/9/98 -0700, you wrote:
> > >The Astro-Photography Mailing List
> > >------------------------------------
> > >
> > >> Has anyone had any success autoguiding a G-11 or GM-8 with a
> Pictor
> > 208XT or
> > >> 216XT? A friend and I have been trying to get this to work
> without any
> > luck.
> > >> I'd like to know if it works for anyone before I waste any more
> time trying
> > >> to debug it.
> > >
> > >Are you using a relay box (or the Meade "solid state relay" box)
> > >between the Pictor and the G-11? If not that could be the
> > >problem. Pictor guiders have a voltage output rather than a relay
> > >output, and the voltage output has fried the mount electronics of
> > >many non-Meade mounts. Meade specifically states that you must
> > >not connect a Pictor guider directly to any non-Meade mount, else
> > >damage will result.
> > >
> > >Having said all that, if you don't have the relay box you may not
> > >want to get it, but sell the guider instead. The relay box is
> > >ridiculously expensive (I paid something like $100 for mine) and
> > >it is a royal pain to hook up. There are point-to-point wiring
> > >directions, *but the wires are unlabeled*, so you have to trace
> > >each wire through to see which is which. At least that's how mine
> > >was; maybe they're packaging better instructions with them these
> > >days.
> > >
> > >In my case, after spending the money and monkeying with all the
> > >wiring I found that the 201XT was a lousy autoguider, and I
> > >finally did what you call "the right thing": I got an ST-4. It
> > >took two seconds to plug into my two mounts (including my G-11),
> > >took only a few minutes to learn to use, and worked the first
> > >time I tried to use it. The ST-4 is simply a better mousetrap, in
> > >my humble (but now painfully experienced) opinion.
> > >
> > >Wil M.
> > >mailto:wmilan@airdigital.com
> > >Astrophoto web site: http://www.airdigital.com/astrophoto.html
> > >---
> > >"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
> > >the moon and the stars which You have set in place,
> > >what is Man that you are mindful of him,
> > >or the son of Man that you care for him?"  -- Psalm 8
> > >
> > >
> 
> --