[R-390] $5000.00 390A????

[rbethman]

Nice to hear from you again Walter!

We do have a "local" club.  However, our only "localized" Nation Park is 
still at least an hour or more away.

It becomes a pain to pack everything up in the back of my CRV and drive 
all the twisting turning two-lane roads to get there.  Then you are 
confronted with a large group all competing for som space to set 
everything up.

I've resisted the slippery slope urge of Astrophotography.  It is one 
that as Cecil points out makes a $5K receiver look like small change.  
The newer imaging cameras cost that much alone, and more.

Then you have your power supply, laptop, and all the other pieces and bits.

I've got what are called "Ray's Brackets" installed on my mount.  I can 
slip the 8" OTA off, and slide on a WO 80mm Megrez II in its place and 
observe wide field viewing.  It is a matter of what one feels like 
doing.  The overall mount "can" support the additional telescope 
piggyback, but it really pushes the mount limits.

Bob - N0DGN

On 3/16/2012 10:49 AM, Walter Wilson wrote:
> Fortunately, one astronomy club member owns a nice farm way out in the 
> country, but it's almost an hour away.  My closest site is about 25 
> minutes away in a field on some US Forest Service land, with signs 
> posted which welcome visitors.  A few rangers have stopped to check 
> out what we're doing, but it's a decent site.  I found it when out on 
> a long bike ride one day, when I rode past.