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Monday 24th 40F, overcast with thin high cloud. The Sun is just visible as a paler "splodge" on the cloud. No sunshine forecast until Friday.
AWR and CduC were both confused on waking up. AWR had gained four days and lost its time by nearly 12 hours!
I reset the time (RTC) and now have LST within + one hour. I would have to set an incorrect time to achieve a better LST. AWR still thinks I am on summer time! I have reset Dec Direction too. To avoid frequent nose down slews to the sun. Crackers! CduC now seems to have corrected its Westward observatory siting. Weird, because it showed East in Setup > Observatory but West when I Connected Telescope. Grr?
I had to open up my turned tailpiece, in the lathe, to allow the new, 2" to 2" Baader Click-lock 37mm extension to fit. Which was odd because five other 2" OD extensions fitted easily! I have shortened the screws to allow the new fitting to sink to the maximum into the tailpiece.The image [above right] shows the bare Click-lock adapter with the filters fitted on the nose. These are lost inside the tailpiece and should protect the etalon and camera. Without the sun's clear, H-a image, I still can't confirm I have reached sharp inward focus. So must wait before shortening the main tube.
My new, 90° elbow, Mini Display port to HDMI cable has arrived. The old, straight mini DP plug stuck right out into the "corridor" beside the desk. The new cable is shown in the image [left.] That's one more problem now solved.The image also shows the bare clearance of the 7" FT focuser over my closed laptop on the desk during a slew past the Meridian. I need to add some weight at the focuser end to be able to push it higher in the rings! At the moment, I have to dash round and remove the Lacerta 2" Herschel Wedge before a collision takes place! This amateur telescope making and astronomy hobby is a nerve racking business. There's excitement every minute!
Wow! The telescopes actually returned to Home (park) after Syncing on the blurry sun. 13.15pm Time for lunch! Over lunch the sky has darkened dramatically. Even the pale splodge is gone now.
I used a Prussic loop and 3x3 pulleys to drag the 7" tube up through the rings. It would not move with hand power alone. Better balanced now.
Connected the dew heater straps and wrapped them around the objective cells. With the Hitecastro 4 port controller set to "ten past" they measured 57F & 58F respectively, relative to 42F ambient in the open dome. Presumably these temperature are high enough to raise the cells and (more importantly) their lenses above the dew point when warmed right through. Though I have no desire to leave the heaters warming overnight.
I am expecting the aluminium coated, closed cell foam, camping mattress roll tomorrow. I shall make dewshields with this material. Promising reduced thermal radiation to the cold night sky overnight. While simultaneously enclosing the heater bands for greater efficiency when warming. At least, that's the theory.
I used a Prussic loop and 3x3 pulleys to drag the 7" tube up through the rings. It would not move with hand power alone. Better balanced now.
Connected the dew heater straps and wrapped them around the objective cells. With the Hitecastro 4 port controller set to "ten past" they measured 57F & 58F respectively, relative to 42F ambient in the open dome. Presumably these temperature are high enough to raise the cells and (more importantly) their lenses above the dew point when warmed right through. Though I have no desire to leave the heaters warming overnight.
I am expecting the aluminium coated, closed cell foam, camping mattress roll tomorrow. I shall make dewshields with this material. Promising reduced thermal radiation to the cold night sky overnight. While simultaneously enclosing the heater bands for greater efficiency when warming. At least, that's the theory.
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