Filippo (and others doing EAA with a dob), Good morning. Now that I've retired I'm considering what I want to do with my time... I am an amateur radio operator - and use to have a world class station with very large antennas (probably roughly equivalent to a 40" telescope if in astronomy - see QRZ.com entering K9RX ) and I'm working with the new owner of my old property, who is also a ham, to remote in to that station... and then of course there is astronomy. I still have an Obsession 12.5" which I used over the years for development work. It has a great mirror with a Strehl of I believe 0.99. So I've been considering what to do with it.?
I have been looking with great interest in the improvements and developments in Smart Telescopes - primarily the Vespera. They have a Model II and soon a PRO model with better features. I'm thinking mostly for doing public outreach - here in our community (55+ community). It is light polluted but I think with filters etc it can be done, at least based on what I'm seeing online.?
But that got me thinking about maybe just equipping my Obsession. Maybe a ZWO 585MC or something similar - something with low read noise, an ASIAIR PLUS, and an electric focuser. This wouldn't add too much weight and could be readily counterbalanced... and would be a somewhat minimal setup allowing me to keep it stored in the garage and pull it out to an empty lot next to my house.?
Questions:
1) I don't know, however, if the ASIAIR can control the AG port on the ServoCAT. Has anyone tried this and if so issues/success/failure??
2) If not ASIAIR then any other system currently in use (not beta) that could do this? Nina or Stellarmate??
3) then there would, longer term, be the issue of which camera to select...?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If needed - if there's a protocol for controlling the speed of the scope, possibly Bill (new owner) and I can work out adding that protocol... not presuming he would make that decision or have the time but maybe a possibility. Again assuming there is an ASCOM (or its replacement - not sure what that is, just know there is one) protocol to do this. I know I did add the ability to control the telescope through the PC USB port from a planetarium program (SkySafari has this - with a handpad on the screen). If I recall there is a slow speed movement... probably too fast for guiding but a small change might be doable to have a serial AG command set.?
Gary Myers
StellarCAT
