Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums
Privacy Policy |
Please read our Terms
of Service | Signup and
Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
The weather sucks, and that's fine because I'm working 60hrs a week and don't have the new scope yet anyway.
I ordered the Zhumell 8" dob from one vendor, and then ordered a Baader Hyperion 21mm, 13mm (and 14 & 28mm FTR), and TV 2.5x powermate from another vendor. I checked Tue and noticed that the vendor that I ordered the scope from said "Thanks for the order, sorry, it's out of stock" so yesterday I frantically ordered the scope from another vendor. The website said that I should still received the scope by Fri. I hope that works out, but I'm not holding my breath.
I'm thrilled to be getting the new stuff, and like a little kid, it's killing me to have to wait. Ah well, the anticipation will make it that much better, right?
Hopefully, after the mandatory week of cloudy weather, I'll get some decent clear nights on a weekend.
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
 Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
|
coutleef
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 806
Loc: Montreal and St-Donat, Québec,...
|
|
We will cross our fingers that the day the scope gets in, the clouds get out. Usually, that is when they stay for a while.
Good luck
--------------------
François
Nexstar 8 SE
50mm StellarVue finderscope, Astronomik UHC-E and Orion OIII filters
WO Swan 40mm; TV Pan 22mm; TV Nagler 9T6, 12T4, 17T4; TV Plossl 11mm and 15mm.
WO 2" dielectric diagonal retrofitted with Denk Power Switch (and now reach the zenith with the shorty adapter).
|
Protheus
Vaguely offended
Reged: 09/01/07
Posts: 4643
Loc: Illinois, US
|
|
Good luck Steve.
Chris
--------------------
"To tread the sharp edge of a sword;
to run on smooth-frozen ice,
one needs no footsteps to follow..."
"Well, people sometimes ask me 'how did you get involved in astronomy?' I said 'I got born, what's your problem?'" -- John Dobson
"In discussing the large-scale structure of the cosmos, astronomers sometimes say that space is curved, or that the universe is finite but unbounded. Whatever are they talking about?" -- Carl Sagan
|
dgs©
Postmaster
Reged: 03/29/04
Posts: 13852
Loc: West Monroe, Louisiana
|
|
Gonna be a long week. 
--------------------
- david
8"Ø Newtonian on SVP, Moonlite CR2, Telrad
PST Oberwerk Ultra 15x70 Orion Ultraview 10×50
Hand-me-down Sears Refractor (Discoverer) 60mm×900mm
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world, remains and is immortal." --Albert Pike
|
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
Yes, long week
tick....
....tock
The worst part is that it's possible that I'll receive my eye pieces and powermate and not the scope. At least I could try the EP in the refractor, I guess.
It's a good thing I shave my head or I'd be pulling my hair out.
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
|
pops
sage
Reged: 12/22/07
Posts: 330
Loc: Cadiz, Kentucky
|
|
You must live around West Kentucky because our forecast is calling for rain Friday and Saturday. Your scope should arrive early Friday morning.
--------------------
Golden Pond Kentucky
10" Zhumell
Sky Commander
Celestron 114EQ
Telrad
Stratus 21mm
Stratus 13mm
Stratus 5mm
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
|
vinnie
Latinist
Reged: 01/05/08
Posts: 1446
Loc: Queensland, Australia
|
|
Hi Steve,
Well done mate, that rig is going to blow your socks off.
|
WNCAGC
sage
Reged: 06/25/08
Posts: 259
Loc: NC Mountains (God's country)
|
|
Congrats! I know the feeling!
--------------------
CPC 1100 XLT "The Big Monster"
Power Tank 17
NexImager
2" Smart Astronomy 10:1 dual speed Crayford focuser
2" Smart Astronomy Dielectric diagonal
2" Smart Astronomy 2x Barlow
2" Baader SCOPOS 35 mm prototype EP
Baader Hyperion zoom EP 8-24mm
Celestron dew shield
Bob's Knobs
|
Mike B
Starstruck
Reged: 04/06/05
Posts: 4443
Loc: shake, rattle, & roll, CA
|
|
Steve-
Yup, once the gear arrives & the weather blows thru, you're gonna LOVE that scope. An 8" Newt, with good EPs like that... you can do a lot of damage...
We await yer "firstlite"!
 mike b
--------------------
Just for giggles- Next time when the money comes out the ATM, scream "I Won!, I Won!"
* * 15" F4.55 Starsplitter Dob * *
 Pacheco State Park
 Fremont Peak
|
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
Vin and Mike, thanks. Yeah, I can't wait for my "firstlite" either.
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
|
cam1936
sage
Reged: 08/01/08
Posts: 240
Loc: Alberta, Canada
|
|
Hey your lucky I ordered my first scope through orion and got an email from them a few days later saying my credit card was denied. I was wondering what the heck happened cause the limit is far higher than my order so I looked into it and my bank hadn't updated my new address to my credit card so I got that fixed and phone them and told them the new address and got another email saying it was denied AGAIN! So I phoned them back (just got off the phone with them) and it turned out the guy wrote down the billing address as "station M" instead of "station main" so I finally got it fixed (I hope!) and it should ship tommrow.
--------------------
C8-SGT
Nikon 10x50 Action Ex
Canon 350D
Manfrotto tripod
Various EPs and accesories
|
desertrefugee
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 515
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Hope you like looking at the Moon, Jupiter, bright clusters or double stars. By this weekend the sky will be FULL of MOON.
No matter. First light is first light. Enjoy what the heavens have to offer - what ever the season, whatever the moon cycle.
--------------------
"Look now upon the River of Heaven, Sky-Road of the Immortals, White with the star-frost of a billion years".
-Darrell
Reflectors (114, 150, 254mm), Refractors (60, 76.2, 80, 120), MCT (125), too many Binoculars
Cave Creek/Carefree, AZ
|
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
If I can see the sky at all, it'll be an astronomy miracle.
I ordered the scope late yesterday afternoon and didn't choose any sort of expedited shipping, so I've really been telling myself that it wouldn't be here until Monday. Earlier today I noticed that the vendor had tracking numbers on their website, but FedEx.com hadn't received the packages yet, so that made me even more skeptical. But as of about an hour ago, FedEx says they have the packages and get this, they say that they should deliver them tomorrow. Wow! I may have a scope by this weekend (or Thu even) after all.
I hope I can sleep between now and then. Maybe I should take Friday off, hahah. No, crud, stuff that has to get done at work.
I think I need to start reading and re-reading all of the collimation threads/info that I can find.
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
Edited by smasraum (08/13/08 08:07 PM)
|
davidb59
member
Reged: 07/11/07
Posts: 82
Loc: Hopkinsville, Ky.
|
|
The waiting is maddening isn't it? I got my base when expected, but the OTA didn't show. I called the shipper and they said there was a mix up and the tube would be sent via "3 Day Air" (this was on a Tuesday afternoon).
Well, my OTA was actually sent late Wednesday afternoon to the "shipping facility". I assumed delivery 3 days later would be late Saturday afternoon.
But...Fedex 3 Day Air does not deliver on weekends unless the shipper pays for "weekend delivery" (which they had not). And... Fedex Air is off on Mondays.
So... my OTA sat a facility until Tuesday morning before being shipped. Thus, my OTA arrived late Friday afternoon (a week and a half later on a work night).
Either way; You are going to LOVE that scope. My best advice now (from a beginner)is to get collimation down pat, a Telrad, and some star charts. By the way... let us know how you first light with that Dob and those great EP's goes.
--------------------
60mm Walmart special
114mm Celestron FirstScope
10" Zhumell Dob
|
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
Quote:
The waiting is maddening isn't it? I got my base when expected, but the OTA didn't show. I called the shipper and they said there was a mix up and the tube would be sent via "3 Day Air" (this was on a Tuesday afternoon).
Well, my OTA was actually sent late Wednesday afternoon to the "shipping facility". I assumed delivery 3 days later would be late Saturday afternoon.
But...Fedex 3 Day Air does not deliver on weekends unless the shipper pays for "weekend delivery" (which they had not). And... Fedex Air is off on Mondays.
So... my OTA sat a facility until Tuesday morning before being shipped. Thus, my OTA arrived late Friday afternoon (a week and a half later on a work night).
Ouch, yeah, I'm going to consider myself lucky, especially after that story. Fed Ex has revised their delivery date to tomorrow which is fine.
Quote:
Either way; You are going to LOVE that scope. My best advice now (from a beginner)is to get collimation down pat, a Telrad, and some star charts. By the way... let us know how you first light with that Dob and those great EP's goes.
I've got the Astronomy Hacks book which covers collimation both with a site tube, barlowed laser, and then finally the fine tuning using an out of focus star. I've read that section twice now, and will go through it again. According to a book, a scope with cheap Chinese glass with perfect collimation versus a high end scope with perfect glass but a slightly off collimation, the scope with the cheap glass and perfect collimation will produce better images. My plan is to master collimation process.
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
|
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
Quote:
Hope you like looking at the Moon, Jupiter, bright clusters or double stars. By this weekend the sky will be FULL of MOON.
Assuming I find a hole in the clouds, yes, I love looking at that stuff!!
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
|
SanDiegoPaul
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/22/05
Posts: 598
Loc: San Diego
|
|
Spend this week of waiting, with a local astro club & get to know the folks. Find out where they set up that's dark and be prepared to go out there with 'em when the equipt arrives.
--------------------
Meade 10" Lx200-R with Moonlight SCT Focuser
Mitty Evolution Wedge
AT-80 Guide Scope
SBIG ST402ME CCD Imager
Canon Digital Rebel DSLR
Meade DSI-c CCD for Guiding
Please visit my gallery!
http://www.pbase.com/sandiegopaul/
|
smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
|
|
Woo Hoo, my Eye Pieces and Powermate have been delivered. Hopefully, I'll get a few minutes or clearish sky tonight to check them out on my refractor.
--------------------
Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
|
Octavarium
member
Reged: 08/02/08
Posts: 62
Loc: East Haven, CT
|
|
Those scopes look great for the money, enjoy
--------------------
Meade ETX-125PE
Series 4000 plossol eyepiece/filter set
|
fireman
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/27/07
Posts: 511
Loc: Houston, Texas
|
|
Congrats! Too bad our weather this weekend will be bad! Did you join a club yet? Lots of good ones in our area. HAS will be having a star party that is open to all club members in the area on Sept 27th. The attached link will show (direct) you to the differant clubs in our area!
http://spacsun.rice.edu/~has/
--------------------
Rick H
Obsession 12.5" #1543
Argo Navis DSC
ServoCAT Jr.
31mm,22mm,5mm,Ethos 13mm,Ethos 8mm
Astro-Tech 80EDT
Astro-Tech Voyager altazimuth mount
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 