On Mar 25, 2023, at 8:53 AM, Richard via groups.io <rmille64@...> wrote:

?

Hi all,

When I purchased my UC18 i ordered it without the ServoCAT or powered ground board and enjoyed visual observing. The Argo Navis helped me find all those fun objects. ?Describing my views to my friends and family was not very satisfying.

Then I purchased a Mallincam DS287m camera. ?I pointed the telescope to the west of M42 and set the camera to take a 100 ms exposure once every 6 seconds as the very large/ very bright nebula drifted through my field of view. ?Then using free software ( MS ICE) i stitched 30 images to create a mosaic that blew me away!

No tracking required (for bright objects).

I so enjoyed sharing the experience i sent the mosaic to be printed on glass by one of those internet fab companies.

I came down with a serious case of UPGRADE FEVER.

Add ServoCAT and the powered ground board to my UC18.

Wow! ?I was now fully hooked on EAA but the upgrade fever got worse!

I added an Eagle4S to my telescope so I could remotely and wirelessly observe on my big screen TV while the telescope remained outside on my deck.

A 55 amp hour battery powers the telescope for about 11 hours before recharging. ?A single wire is placed between the deck boards “well under foot” to connect the battery/ voltage regulator to the powered ground board.

But the upgrade fever did not subside! ?I really like to filter. ?I bought a cool filter to pass OIII and Ha. ?Wow M1 really popped! ?I needed more filters! ?LRGB set of filters colorized my life! ?M27 is awesome!

A Filter Strip gets added. ?How cool, if only I had a remote way to change filters….I added a stepper motor and a threaded rod with a bit if Visual Basic software to slide the filter slide to the desired filter—works great! ?

But…changing filters means i need to refocus. ?If only I could remotely focus….I purchased a remotely controlled motorized focus. ?

wow, now I can slew, change filters and focus from my recliner with the rig sitting out on the deck!

The upgrade fever persists! ?What if i could place my telescope at a remote mountain top and I could live near my family?

Can i avoid having to be present to do a 2 star alignment for the Argo Navis? ?Rumors are flying over the speculation to be able to control the telescope prior to the 2 star alignment next year-with the next upgrade!

Please be careful / responsible with the upgrade fever!

Richard

On Mar 25, 2023, at 9:05 AM, Roger Greenwood <roger@...> wrote:

?

Fantastic journey!

While they did not take exactly the same path,

our experiences are shared by many in this

group. I bought my 18 inch classic in 2001 and haven't really stopped the upgrades…

Thank you so much for sharing this! And love

that motorized FilterSlide!! ;-)

-Roger

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On Mar 25, 2023, at 8:53 AM, Richard via groups.io <rmille64@...> wrote:

?

Hi all,

When I purchased my UC18 i ordered it without the ServoCAT or powered ground board and enjoyed visual observing. The Argo Navis helped me find all those fun objects. ?Describing my views to my friends and family was not very satisfying.

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Then I purchased a Mallincam DS287m camera. ?I pointed the telescope to the west of M42 and set the camera to take a 100 ms exposure once every 6 seconds as the very large/ very bright nebula drifted through my field of view. ?Then using free software ( MS ICE) i stitched 30 images to create a mosaic that blew me away!

No tracking required (for bright objects).

I so enjoyed sharing the experience i sent the mosaic to be printed on glass by one of those internet fab companies.

I came down with a serious case of UPGRADE FEVER.

Add ServoCAT and the powered ground board to my UC18.

Wow! ?I was now fully hooked on EAA but the upgrade fever got worse!

I added an Eagle4S to my telescope so I could remotely and wirelessly observe on my big screen TV while the telescope remained outside on my deck.

A 55 amp hour battery powers the telescope for about 11 hours before recharging. ?A single wire is placed between the deck boards “well under foot” to connect the battery/ voltage regulator to the powered ground board.

But the upgrade fever did not subside! ?I really like to filter. ?I bought a cool filter to pass OIII and Ha. ?Wow M1 really popped! ?I needed more filters! ?LRGB set of filters colorized my life! ?M27 is awesome!

A Filter Strip gets added. ?How cool, if only I had a remote way to change filters….I added a stepper motor and a threaded rod with a bit if Visual Basic software to slide the filter slide to the desired filter—works great! ?

But…changing filters means i need to refocus. ?If only I could remotely focus….I purchased a remotely controlled motorized focus. ?

wow, now I can slew, change filters and focus from my recliner with the rig sitting out on the deck!

The upgrade fever persists! ?What if i could place my telescope at a remote mountain top and I could live near my family?

Can i avoid having to be present to do a 2 star alignment for the Argo Navis? ?Rumors are flying over the speculation to be able to control the telescope prior to the 2 star alignment next year-with the next upgrade!

Please be careful / responsible with the upgrade fever!

Richard