Re: [APML] New Mexico and Provia 400F

["David B. Toth" <ve3gyq@amsat.org>]

At 10:10 AM 6/10/2003 -0400, Roland Roberts wrote:
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>
> >>>>> "Jon" == Jon Kolb <jkolb@datawest.net> writes:
>
>     Jon> I bought Tony Hallas' old non-goto MI-250, and that mount
>     Jon> handles it just fine.  It's a smooth tracking mount with a
>     Jon> big payload capacity, but I wish it had analog setting
>     Jon> circles on it.
>
>If you already have a laptop in the field, you might want to consider
>the MicroGuider-5, marketed by Kendrick.  I have one in the mail,
>should arrive any day.  You plug the encoder cables into the MG5, plug
>the MG5 into your serial port, and plug in a power adapter
>(cigarette-lighter style) to provide power to the MG5.  With the
>appropriate planetarium program, you do a two-star alignment and it
>will provide a mark on the screen to show where you are pointed.
>Well, that's all theory at this point---I'll let you know how it works
>out once I have it in hand....

Roland: if anyone has a set of digital setting circles based on the 
Celestron AstroMaster, there already is a serial interface in that device 
that interfaces your encoders to the planetarium program ... there are also 
other boxes that do not have databases in them that do the interfacing, 
such as Software Bisque's BBox and a number of others ....

You're right - in lieu of GOTO, this is a big help.


Dave

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