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Meade
Jun 17, 2017 8:53:30 GMT
Post by davy on Jun 17, 2017 8:53:30 GMT
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Meade
Jun 17, 2017 14:22:38 GMT
Post by Dragon Man on Jun 17, 2017 14:22:38 GMT
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Meade
Jun 19, 2017 5:26:32 GMT
Post by howie1 on Jun 19, 2017 5:26:32 GMT
Ken ... see what www priceusa.com.au .... can do for you. Think it would be cheaper than the thieving Aussie baskets!!
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Meade
Jun 19, 2017 7:48:26 GMT
Post by Dragon Man on Jun 19, 2017 7:48:26 GMT
Thanks Rick, I'll have a gander mate
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Meade
Jun 19, 2017 8:11:36 GMT
Post by Dragon Man on Jun 19, 2017 8:11:36 GMT
Wow, with the dollar conversion, plus freight, the cheapest I found is $306 (economy post 21 days) That is from B&H in New York. Was slightly more through PriceUSA Another item i'll give a miss
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Meade
Jun 19, 2017 14:33:58 GMT
Post by Rick in NWArk on Jun 19, 2017 14:33:58 GMT
The Celestron Evolution telescopes have this capability. The scope itself creates a wifi network that you can connect to with a tablet and use the software control.
I found it to be pretty poor when I first got my scope. I have not used it since. Looks like Meade caught up to that - is it better?
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Meade
Jun 19, 2017 14:54:51 GMT
Post by Dragon Man on Jun 19, 2017 14:54:51 GMT
The Celestron Evolution telescopes have this capability. The scope itself creates a wifi network that you can connect to with a tablet and use the software control. I found it to be pretty poor when I first got my scope. I have not used it since. Looks like Meade caught up to that - is it better? I don't know Rick. I know nothing about either of them. I've always been using my Synscan Hand Controller that came with the mount.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Meade
Jun 19, 2017 22:52:45 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2017 22:52:45 GMT
I use the orion starseek wifi v1 on both the meade and celestron and it works very well on skysafari and starseek apps on the ipad. It also controls the HEQ5 but the eq mounts are still a learning process for me .This enables me to control the scopes in the skyshed pod from the warm bungalow about 10 metres away. Main problem is when I need to centre a DSO and re-align the scope the RA/ Dec or alt/ az buttons are not as sensitive as the same buttons on the hand controller. This is not a major problem . Ken ,your setup with the hand controller in your warm computer room is pretty good. To me, there is no great advantage in having wifi when your wired system is good. Next time I am over your way we should give the starseek a go .I have the synscan connection. Bintel sells the Starseek v2 for $329. I control the cameras via teamviewer on the laptop. Problem with teamviewer is that the quality of the bungalow laptop screen image of the pod laptop is not as good . This is not a major problem either. Beats freezing to death. Paul
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Meade
Jun 20, 2017 7:43:03 GMT
via mobile
Post by ChrisV on Jun 20, 2017 7:43:03 GMT
Geezer that's a rip. On the celestron i could hack a cheap ebay rs232 converter ($10) into the handcontroller and connect via bluetooth or usb.
Might look into how the communication ports work on those mounts. There must be another way ...
Any meade/skywatcher mount owners up for an experiment ? Anything could happen !!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Meade
Jun 20, 2017 11:15:23 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2017 11:15:23 GMT
Chris What do you suggest? Paul
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Meade
Jun 20, 2017 13:55:01 GMT
via mobile
Post by ChrisV on Jun 20, 2017 13:55:01 GMT
Don't know yet. Have to look at how the interface to these scopes works. It took a while for me to sort out celestron.
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Meade
Jun 20, 2017 18:56:49 GMT
via mobile
Post by davy on Jun 20, 2017 18:56:49 GMT
Ho guy's Couple of years ago I was using eqtooth,, a Bluetooth device that connected into my Skywatcher eq3 pro,, remove handset from mount and plug it in it's place.. Worked great but I forgot how to use it after I reset my laptop and just use hitecastro usb cable toy heq5
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Meade
Jun 20, 2017 19:05:00 GMT
via mobile
Post by davy on Jun 20, 2017 19:05:00 GMT
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Meade
Jun 20, 2017 23:32:22 GMT
Post by howie1 on Jun 20, 2017 23:32:22 GMT
I still have my Orion star seek (think it was called) wifi dongle which connected to their app on the iPad. Worked great for about 6 months past the warranty period! LOL. I then just bought a long USB cable and do it all manually. No Biggie ... carrying a laptop out to run the camera anyway so I just run stellarium on it. Look up a nice target then read its NGC or IC or whatever on the screen and tap it into the HC and away she goes. Never fails! ... unlike the stoopid uber expensive Orion wifi module. Which, BTW, is a rebadged skysafari manufactured bit of kit, which is then rebadged Orion. Looking on the forums apparently the Meade one is exactly the same ... software and dongle rebadged under licence from the SkySafari mob. As is Celestrons too I believe. Not having an OBS, carrying the wifi dongle and cable to connect to the HEQ5, and carrying spare batteries as it ran out on more than one occaision out in-field, plus the step 1. turn on this first, then that as step 2, then connect using this string, then do that and having it connect for half an hour before it lost it all ... plus the iPad chewing through batteries cos its on wifi full time so having to have a small 12v battery pack and the iPad charger connected to a resistor circuit to bring the 12VDC down to 7.5 which the charger used .... and then having the iPad OS update screw up other apps so I didnt update the next time only then to have skysafari tell me it was out of date and could no longer be updated cos the IOS was out of date ... and then when I finally gave up and updated the IOS it told me the iPad was too old for that version so I would have to buy another iPad .... what a freaking hassle it was!! ps Having said that I do still take the old iPad out with me as the old skysafari plus a couple of other Moon n stuff apps are still very useful to lookup stuff to go view and to read info about the objects distance, what its made of etc. But by being off wifi, the battery lasts a whole nights viewing when looking up stuff on the thing. And I took the sim card out so it doesnt bother me about updating this or that or connecting in this of that fashion and telling me the connection has been lost!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Meade
Jun 21, 2017 8:51:49 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 8:51:49 GMT
Gidday Howie The orion starseek just aint that bad. I dont want cables crossing from the pod to the bungalow and the starseek works a treat. Had it for a couple of years. But that was my point to Ken, I think he is better off with his wired hand controller in the next room . It all depends on your setup. That bluetooth adapter claims a range of 100 m. I would like to see that Paul
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Meade
Jun 21, 2017 9:48:30 GMT
Post by Dragon Man on Jun 21, 2017 9:48:30 GMT
Gidday Howie The orion starseek just aint that bad. I dont want cables crossing from the pod to the bungalow and the starseek works a treat. Had it for a couple of years. But that was my point to Ken, I think he is better off with his wired hand controller in the next room . It all depends on your setup. That bluetooth adapter claims a range of 100 m. I would like to see that Paul Yep, you are right Paul. My hand Controller ain't broke, so why fix it It works.
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robrj
Member
Posts: 248
home town/country: Escondido, CA
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Meade
Jun 21, 2017 21:00:23 GMT
Post by robrj on Jun 21, 2017 21:00:23 GMT
That's an insane markup! Straight currency conversion would be around $225AUD plus shipping (are they charging $80 to ship it on a slow boat!?). I can get Priority International Shipping to Australia for that price (8-10 days).
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Meade
Jun 22, 2017 3:44:18 GMT
Post by howie1 on Jun 22, 2017 3:44:18 GMT
It's worse than you have worked out Rob ... !!! Optcorp and BHphoto video and other retailers in the USA sells them for the same as the Meade online "shop". So the USA retailer has obviously bought from Meade at wholesale prices because after all they are a business who buys stuff off the suppliers at wholesale prices. So lets say OPT etc gets them for $US100 each and then whacks their $US70 on top of that so they can sell at $US170 and make a profit to pay labour, shop space etc. So our Aussie retailer is also buying off the supplier at wholesale prices ... ie paying $US100 to Meade for the same kit, and also buying lets say 10 of them and shipping at snail mail rates (cos he has no urgency for it to get here) so the shipping cost on each of the 10 he orders is probably only $US10 per unit or less. Converted to Aussie $, that $US110 which including shipping per unit works out with exchange rates to be about $A146 per unit! So the Aussie retailers profit when he sells at $A359 is just an absolute simple case of daylight robbery.
Every single retailer in our country does exactly the same though ... my own personal experience and of my friends are car parts, furniture, scopes, electronics all cost less to buy and ship at superfast delivery rates from US and even UK retailers (not the wholesalers), than it does to buy off a local business. And unfortunately every international business which starts up out here screws us just as badly cos they know how the local retailers work it out ... ie just lookup the retail price OS and double it plus another 10% on top of that. IKEA springs to mind where many items here are twice OS prices. Most car parts are 210% of OS retail prices. The list is just about endless! Sigh.
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robrj
Member
Posts: 248
home town/country: Escondido, CA
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Meade
Jun 22, 2017 14:13:56 GMT
Post by robrj on Jun 22, 2017 14:13:56 GMT
I seem to remember car prices being pretty high as well. I own a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 double cab which I bought new in '07 for $30K. At the time, the Aussie version was the Toyota Hilux. I believe it was based on a similar engine but was a bit smaller overall but had a huge markup over the US price. I want to say it was like $45K US and the AUD was closer to parity with the US. Many Tacoma owners here were interested in it because it came with a diesel engine (only US manufacturers sell diesel trucks here).
Maybe you guys should start a telescope business!
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Meade
Jun 23, 2017 7:20:14 GMT
via mobile
howie1 likes this
Post by ChrisV on Jun 23, 2017 7:20:14 GMT
You mean - "make Australia great again" ?
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