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Shawn350
member
Reged: 05/10/07
Posts: 79
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I really want to get into Video Astronomy as I am putting together an outreach setup.
I am looking at a VMC200L with SXW as my scope setup
would that be a good combo with the stellacam or Mallin
and which of those are better?
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Shawn Hendrix
Vixen SXW
Vixen VMC200L
Santa Clarita, CA
Mt. Pinos, CA
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rolandlinda3
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 1630
Loc: Crozet VA 22932
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Can I suggest going to the yahoo groups...there is one for MallinCAM and one for StellaCAM...ask your question to each group to get the "best foot forward" on each system. There are mild to rabid supporters of both systems, but they are comparable in many respects.
There is one obvious exception in regard to color. While debate is ongoing regarding its value, if you like to see color live on objects, then you seriously want to look at the MallinCAM Hyper Color. We do a LOT of outreach; color is a very real help for studying objects or viewing them for the first time. We study and sketch objects, so astrovideo and seeing a color output is important to us.
If you are trying to drive the cameras with a computer or work via a laptop, there are also some differences, but you will have to ask those who do this sort of thing about the details.
For reviewing results of what people get, there are numerous setups and results of these cameras on this forum but also on sites belonging to Jack Huerkamp (US distributor for MallinCAMs) @ www.WaningMoonII.com or you can go to the Adirondack site (or search ASTROVID and StellaCAM...don't know the address but have found it when I need it) for the STELLACAM series. Part of the fun is looking around, so I recommend doing it. Jack can be reached on the phone and is very helpful. His site is also helpful.
Welcome to the world of astrovideo. It's fun and well worth the investment.
If you have questions for me, you can send me a PM. I regularly use the MallinCAM (hyper color and the pro dob versions) on a refractor (102mm), a C8, and a 12.5 Dob--all, of course, with driven mounts or platforms.
Roland
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Astrojunk
member
Reged: 11/02/06
Posts: 82
Loc: Australia
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I find that Colour is really important for Outreach, so Mallin cam is an easy winner, However;
I also find that the eyeball is an even bigger winner, especially with kids. Lets face it, most of them spend all of the day watching TV anyway...
After seeing great images on the screen, most people ask when they can look at something!!! I don't bother taking a camera out on outreach anymore 
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Astrojunk
20" f5 Alt Az Newtonian
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GrassyPond
sage
Reged: 02/06/07
Posts: 256
Loc: South Georgia
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Color!
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Turtle Creek Observatory
Joe
12" LX200R
MallinCam Hyper Plus Color
10' HomeDome Automated with LesveDome
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rolandlinda3
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 1630
Loc: Crozet VA 22932
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Since we do outreach a lot, like another poster, we start with eyes...teach about what they do and how they do it...then go to binoculars and small scopes. But we use the camera as the demonstration tool, because you can display the results in front of a group while simultaneously talking to the children and interactively dealing with their observations of the monitor output. If you plan to do this and your groups are more than a few people at once, then seriously consider the use of a projector. They have come down in price, they are very portable, they almost always have a s-video or rca input or both--both suitable to receive the camera outputs. Further, the MallinCAMs have 2 active outputs. We typically run the output BNC to a B&W high resolution security monitor then run the S-video output direct to a projector...displaying the target for observation and discussion with the group we are with. Using this, you can also teach the children (or adults) to record what they are seeing via a simple sketch...to get immedediate feedback about what they are seeing or not seeing. In any case, the video camera on your scope is the essential starting block. From there, you can see from my discussion that the sky is the limit. Roland
Edited by rolandlinda3 (08/16/08 09:52 PM)
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skyguy88
member
Reged: 11/13/06
Posts: 62
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Hi Roland,
Well put. It's hard to imagine a better teaching tool.
How large an image have you been able to project effictively? I haven't gotten around to projecting live images yet.
Bill McDonald
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rolandlinda3
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 1630
Loc: Crozet VA 22932
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Generally, the smaller the projection the better.
The projectors I have seen have a minimum distance that one can reasonably focus. Mine is about 8-10 feet. This gives me a long dimension on the scene of about 3 feet. I have tried a large projection in a large room of the Orion Nebula but the pixelation is much more obvious and detail is lost...results that are similar and analagous to attempting to observe with too much magnification. There may be projectors that will project to a smaller image (24 inches) and permit screen to projector distance to be closer...and demand less power. I would think this would be ideal but I have not seen one. LCD monitor screens, of course, have this size but they are simply not as robust and portable in widely varying conditions.
I am hopeful that increasing production of inexpensive and modest sized HD TVs with RCA or s-Video input (with speaker connectors but no embedded speakers) will drive prices down (it is already happening). Then, for a group...having a couple of these will be inexpensive, relatively low power, and do nearly as well as a projected image from a projector. These will have TV-oriented ease of use that seems to be better than using LCD computer monitors, which I also use. Until then, the projector is very nice to use.
If large size and portability is needed, the projector still wins in my book.
Like any engineering issue, the answers are not black and white. Trade-offs have to be examined and influence the decision.
Roland
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shlomiesdad
newbie
Reged: 07/28/08
Posts: 1
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WOW talk about a relevant thread. I love the idea for the projector. Does anyone know if I could run a projector from a battery as I have no outlets in my desert site? I think also that there is no substitute for eyepiece viewing and am afraid that viewing on a screen will be compared with pictures from Hubble seen on TV.
Thanks for all of this great info
Ethan Schwartz
http://whatsup.eilatnature.com
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rolandlinda3
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/24/06
Posts: 1630
Loc: Crozet VA 22932
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Sorry I did not see this earlier...someone else may have the answer but fundamentally you have to check you batter/inverter limits with the average power or start up power that the projector requires. My projector uses 300W/4A, which is too much for my batter/inverter combo. There are portable projectors that use less, but you will have to research it. We face no-power situations in our outreach with astro video. In those cases, I usually do not consider a projector. There are, however, some low-power energy saving LCD screens that can easily run off a battery/inverter combination.
In our experience for no-power situations we usually run a B&W security monitor (high resolution units draw about 20-30 watts maximum) and the MallinCAM camera (they draw less than 500 milliamps) from the same battery. A second unit (relatively small) runs the telescope.
Since this thread started about a telescope question...I want to mention that it is wise to check power useage at high speed movement conditions to some scopes. Some of them are pretty heavy and can really draw power when the operator demands that they move fast and multiple times; check before you set up your combination running on one battery. If the battery has marginal capacity, make sure it is completely charged. MallinCAMs (I am sure others are comparable) like steady minimum power and can get upset if the battery conditions start going south. However, the scope will feel the effects first when you start high-speed changes to get to targets.
If you start getting power issues, I recommend not using these "fancy" astro batteries....just get a good powerful car battery and work from that. They are designed for heavy repeated use. Beyond this...gotta ask someone else with more expertise.
Roland
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