Telescope Reviews: Re: Mallincam+16" F4.5 Lightbridge Dob+BrianReed RTP ?

Like I said above, I am pretty sure I can work something out in terms of aligning the platform with the weight of the scope on top whether that be doing something like I described above or going the manual route and just using a piece of wood under the Platform to make it easier to rotate and maybe using a mini jack to lift the platform/scope in altitude after which I'd lower the platform feet and utilising Daves nethod.

Something else I thought of however. I never was able to get very accurate co-ordinates from my Intelliscope DSC when used in conjunction with the platform. It would be close but thats not good enough with the limited FOV of the Mallincam.

I wonder has anyone else purchased a cheap goto like a NexStar 114 SLT (289 euros)and mounted a GLP to it. If the goto in this scope was accurate enough and if zeroing in the big dob on the GLP was accurate enough then maybe this would be a decent alternative to an innaccurate Platform/DSC method. This would also mean I could hook the Laptop up to the Nexstar handset and initiate Goto's from Planetarium software.

Of course this could all turn out to be moot. As previously mentioned I also have a JMI TNT alt/az manual drive system fitted to the Lightbridge. The Intelliscope works flawlessly with this. The thing about the TNT is it is not computer controlled. One turns dials on the controllers to adjust tracking speed in Alt and Az independently until one has cancelled drift. Obviously this is a straight line vector one has manually set which lasts about 10 minutes before the object drifts out of the FOV as the target makes its curved trajectory across the sky. Obviously Field rotation would come back into play without the platform but the Other ALT/AZ dob guys seem to do well enough without platforms. Obviously it all depends on the manual tracking speed accuracy.

However, maybe the tracking is good enough for a 28 or 56 second integration?? If this turned out to be the case then this would be brilliant. No need to lug around the platform. DSC will work flawlessly. No need to polar align etc. I have a feeling though that no other Mallincam owner has tried their cam on a JMI TNT equipped scope. Looks like I would be the Guinea Pig!

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Keith D.

Knightrider - 16" Meade Lightbridge - See Here
Moonlite CR Focusser with Rigel motofocus and Filterslide (2" Orion Variable Polorizer,UHC & H-Beta, Lumicon OIII)
Stellarvue F80M2 80mm Finder
Dewbuster and DewNot Dew Control
Servocat & SkyCommander
Howie Glatter Holograhic Collimator and Blug
Baader Hyperion 21/32mm,17mm,13mm,8mm,5mm,3.5mm EP

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