My main scope is the Meade LX200 GPS/UHTC 14". It is mounted on a concrete pier within the observatory. I have made a
few upgrades to it, Peterson stainless steel gears to replace plastic gears, Peterson Easy Clutch system. Losmandy counter
weight system. Also have done a Mitty upgrade to the Meade wedge.
*That's my boy in picture.
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I purchased the Losmandy G-11/Gemini as a travelling setup and to be used for astrophotography. This mount is a beauty
and the mechanics are superb. Out of the box I am getting 2 min images with no star trailing with the Orion ED80 mm. Well
worth the $$$$ spent.
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Here is my Meade AR-6 sitting atop the Losmandy G-11/Gemini. I upgraded the sub par Meade focuser with a Moonlight Dual Speed CF2-AR6 focuser. This focuser is silky smooth. Ash Observatory is in the background.
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The Orion XT-10 and ED80 on a Losmandy dual saddle sitting on the G-11/Gemini. The Orion ED80 makes a excellence imaging
scope for wide field imaging or as a guiding scope.
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This is my warm room. It is my daughter's old bedroom and looks out over the observatory. The computer here is networked
to the one in observatory via Cat 6 cabling. I can controll the Meade LX200GPS/UHTC 14 and webcams (Meade LPI, Meade DSI-C
and ToUcam) and focus from the warm room and internet. In the future I hope to be able to open the roof and turn everything
on from the warm room and via the internet.
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Dell Inspiron 6000 Notebook was added so I can image and guide with the travelling setup. I use GuideDog for guiding and had to add a parallel port, as the Dell only has USB ports. To do this I ordered a Quatech SPP-100 PCMCIA/Parallel Port card. Also had to get older drivers to support 0378 address from Customer Support at Quatech. Also
needed a GPINT-PT adapter ( Shoestring Astronomy) to connect from parallel port to RJ12 autoguide port on Losmandy G-11/Gemini. Everything works fine with this card
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Hutech modified Canon 350D.This UV/IR blocking filter allows the astronomically important H-alpha to be recorded, and is the most
cost-effective way to adapt the Canon digital cameras for astronomical use but does not allow for IR photography. It features
a very sharp cutoff at the band edges to insure that reflections between the filter and image sensor are minimized. An additional
filter in the front-filter position or the camera's custom white-balance function may be used to achieve proper color balance
for non-astronomical photography.
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Pyramid 25 amp Adjustable Power supply (PS-26KX). I use this convertor to power all 12v equipment except scope.
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The Series IV is a self-contained unit. Absolutely no
modifications to your own camera are necessary and it is used out of the box. It attaches to
your telescope's t-ring or adapter the same way your DSLR camera does
now. The Series IV has a bayonet mount identical to your
camera's.
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Meade Lunar Planetary Imager (LPI) can be used on any telescope
for making images. It is VGA resolution (640x480) color CMOS chip is capable of creating high-quality lunar and planetary
images, as well as daytime terrestrial images. And with the capability to make long exposures, you can digitally capture bright
deep sky objects with the LPI system that only costs a fraction of a typical astronomical CCD imager system.
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Meade Deep Sky Imager with Autostar Suite represents a revolutionary
breakthrough in CCD astro-imaging. Meade Deep Sky Imager is a high-performance, easy-to-use color CCD camera that allows
every astronomer to shoot and process stunning deep sky photographs of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and planets.
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