Focuser for Askar 130PHQ Refractor Generic equipment discussions · Jerry Gerber · ... · 48 · 947 · 25

Tony Gondola:
That part of the world can be extremely dusty, I used to live there. The worst season is the spring, March and April. At that time of year the winds can really kick up and dust storms are not uncommon. I'm not really sure how you can mitigate that without extensive mods that would assure that dust can't reach optical elements or moving parts. At least when the scope isn't in operation.

These signs are all over interstate 10 on your way to the observatory.

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

OK, so what are the downsides of HCRO?  Every site has its downsides.   

As so long as the dust doesn't prevent me from getting the quality images I am going for I don't care.  No one else at DSPR is having an issue with their focusers, but they all replaced them with Moonlight, Esatto, Optec or Starlight focusers, which is what I am about to do.  

I was planning on putting a scope at SRO, which is only a 5 hour drive from where I live in California, but when I did the research and found out how extreme the fire danger is there I decided I'll take my chances with dust rather than fire.  A few years ago SRO was deeply covered in ash due to the fires near Lake Tahoe.   And due to climate change, it's going to get much worse.   If our scopes don't melt due to heat, then dust, ash or fire will get to them.   No perfect place, particularly with the climate getting hotter and hotter.  What's happening now in Southern California is just the beginning of what's coming...

Oh dear another climate change conspiracy theorist… Blah, Blah, Blah….

Oh dear, another delusional person drowning in misinformation,  fossil fuel propaganda and oligarchy lies... Blah, Blah, Blah....

😂😂😂 No, just a realist.. that can make my own mind up based on scientific facts..

Here are some some realistic scientific facts you might want to consider:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=is+climate+change+due+to+fossil+fuels%3F

Wow, you have to use AI to form your opinion…really…and of course everything on the internet is 100% true isn’t it….😂😂😂
let’s just agree to disagree.
have a nice evening…👍🏻

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

OK, so what are the downsides of HCRO?  Every site has its downsides.   

As so long as the dust doesn't prevent me from getting the quality images I am going for I don't care.  No one else at DSPR is having an issue with their focusers, but they all replaced them with Moonlight, Esatto, Optec or Starlight focusers, which is what I am about to do.  

I was planning on putting a scope at SRO, which is only a 5 hour drive from where I live in California, but when I did the research and found out how extreme the fire danger is there I decided I'll take my chances with dust rather than fire.  A few years ago SRO was deeply covered in ash due to the fires near Lake Tahoe.   And due to climate change, it's going to get much worse.   If our scopes don't melt due to heat, then dust, ash or fire will get to them.   No perfect place, particularly with the climate getting hotter and hotter.  What's happening now in Southern California is just the beginning of what's coming...

Oh dear another climate change conspiracy theorist… Blah, Blah, Blah….

Oh dear, another delusional person drowning in misinformation,  fossil fuel propaganda and oligarchy lies... Blah, Blah, Blah....

😂😂😂 No, just a realist.. that can make my own mind up based on scientific facts..

Here are some some realistic scientific facts you might want to consider:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=is+climate+change+due+to+fossil+fuels%3F

Wow, you have to use AI to form your opinion…really…and of course everything on the internet is 100% true isn’t it….😂😂😂
let’s just agree to disagree.
have a nice evening…👍🏻

 Did you not bother to read what NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the UN and numerous other real human beings and credible institutions have to say?   Willful ignorance doesn't make facts disappear.  When you lose an argument isn't the best thing to do is to learn more about the subject rather than just pretend you won the argument?  I don't agree to disagree that the earth is a sphere that the solar system is real or that climate change isn't caused primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.   Is changing your mind in order to let a little bit of truth in so difficult?

I did not think I won any argument, as I did not even realise it was an argument, but more just two people disagreeing on an subject, which I did not think was wrong to disagree with someone, guess I was wrong on that too.

i have read numerous papers on the subject and watched hundreds of hours too, but one thing I have learned is that people with the opposite view, will not be swayed, and that absolutely fine, we all are entitled to out opinions, aren’t we..? based on the information we have taken in.

We need debate on all subjects, it’s what moves us forward, and I will continue to read up on the subject as my mind is open, but at the moment I am of the persuasion that global warming is being blown well and truly out of proportion, it does exist agreed, but it’s no where near as bad as people say, that is my stance, ATM, it may well change in time, who knows, as I am still learning as we all are.
But I am allowed my opinion and you yours…
as I said, have a nice day

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

AstroShed:

Jerry Gerber:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

OK, so what are the downsides of HCRO?  Every site has its downsides.   

As so long as the dust doesn't prevent me from getting the quality images I am going for I don't care.  No one else at DSPR is having an issue with their focusers, but they all replaced them with Moonlight, Esatto, Optec or Starlight focusers, which is what I am about to do.  

I was planning on putting a scope at SRO, which is only a 5 hour drive from where I live in California, but when I did the research and found out how extreme the fire danger is there I decided I'll take my chances with dust rather than fire.  A few years ago SRO was deeply covered in ash due to the fires near Lake Tahoe.   And due to climate change, it's going to get much worse.   If our scopes don't melt due to heat, then dust, ash or fire will get to them.   No perfect place, particularly with the climate getting hotter and hotter.  What's happening now in Southern California is just the beginning of what's coming...

Oh dear another climate change conspiracy theorist… Blah, Blah, Blah….

Oh dear, another delusional person drowning in misinformation,  fossil fuel propaganda and oligarchy lies... Blah, Blah, Blah....

😂😂😂 No, just a realist.. that can make my own mind up based on scientific facts..

Here are some some realistic scientific facts you might want to consider:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=is+climate+change+due+to+fossil+fuels%3F

Wow, you have to use AI to form your opinion…really…and of course everything on the internet is 100% true isn’t it….😂😂😂
let’s just agree to disagree.
have a nice evening…👍🏻

 Did you not bother to read what NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the UN and numerous other real human beings and credible institutions have to say?   Willful ignorance doesn't make facts disappear.  When you lose an argument isn't the best thing to do is to learn more about the subject rather than just pretend you won the argument?  I don't agree to disagree that the earth is a sphere that the solar system is real or that climate change isn't caused primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.   Is changing your mind in order to let a little bit of truth in so difficult?

I did not think I won any argument, as I did not even realise it was an argument, but more just two people disagreeing on an subject, which I did not think was wrong to disagree with someone, guess I was wrong on that too.

i have read numerous papers on the subject and watched hundreds of hours too, but one thing I have learned is that people with the opposite view, will not be swayed, and that absolutely fine, we all are entitled to out opinions, aren’t we..? based on the information we have taken in.

We need debate on all subjects, it’s what moves us forward, and I will continue to read up on the subject as my mind is open, but at the moment I am of the persuasion that global warming is being blown well and truly out of proportion, it does exist agreed, but it’s no where near as bad as people say, that is my stance, ATM, it may well change in time, who knows, as I am still learning as we all are.
But I am allowed my opinion and you yours…
as I said, have a nice day

I'm glad to hear you're open to changing your mind, that's a good sign.  I suggest reading NASA's comprehensive studies of climate change, what's causing it and why.   The people that are trying to sow doubt about what fossil fuels are doing to our climate are operating from unenlightened self-interest, the profit motive is at play here, not science.  

I'm not trying to prove you wrong, I am trying to inspire you to examine more deeply the people's motives who are telling you that climate change is overblown, or that "the earth's climate has always been changing" (true, but in cycles that fluctuate over 10s of thousands of years, not 150 years as is the case since we started burning coal).

It's really important that citizens are armed with facts, not just opinions.   Oil company scientists have known for many decades that emitting the amount of greenhouse gases that we are doing will raise the temperature of the earth.  Oil companies don't want you to understand that, so they sow doubt.   What motivations do you think NASA has when they clearly state that fossil fuel burning is the primary driver of climate change?

Here is just one of the many papers I have read, and I have red hundreds like this from people who have no association with oil or gas companies or anything to do with the burning of fossil fuels, it puts the issue into perspective when you see how much of any climate change is actually caused by humans burning any fossil fuels, I really believe that it exists, in some form,  but is progressing much much much slower than certain people will have you believe
https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/666002/21b43e1b155051227ef2981acd52c254/19-16-292-C-Corbyn-data.pdf

It's always the same story with every facet of science. If you want to shape your world view, you will find the small fraction of contrarian scientists to support your world view, and ignore the vast majority of data, evidence and opinion held by the other 95% of the scientific community. I see it in medicine too and it is no different in climate science. Its just unfortunate to see this kind of rhetoric take hold even in folks on this kind of website. I would just ignore climate change denialists and just focus on finding your focuser Jerry. 

As to remote sites, DSP in Animas is my second remote site. The good thing about Animas is it is rarely if ever humid, so dust should be easy to blow off if needed, and will not affect your views. My last site the dust and humidity combined made some serious damage on the optics and I had to recoat my primary mirror after only a few months based on Takahashi recommendations. The internet at DSP has been fantastic for me. Just like jerry I use google drive and I have all my subs by the morning. The buildings are good with enough walling to help against wind. The only thing I am not sure about are the Seeing conditions. So far the HFRs and FWHM that I am getting are a bit higher than what I am used to getting in my backyard, but my backyard is on coastal Texas and we get some incredible seeing conditions for long stretches of the year. But it is impossible to judge from just a few weeks. Seeing is extremely seasonal. Will see how it goes after one year. That being said I have been able to extract some really nice details on my small galaxies with my small 5 inch TOA-130. Some of those details after deconvolution / BlurXterminator are as good as anything I could find on Astrobin. So seeing can't be that bad. At the end of the day that is all that matters to me, the end result. 

Some examples of my TOA-130 from DSP remote vs other results from Astrobin:

Hickson 44 with TOA-130 from DSP:



An example from a CDK24 from SRO:


NGC 891 with my TOA from DSP:


An example from a EdgeHD11 on Pixelskies:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

What is the monthly hosting cost at HCRO? They don't seem to advertise that on their website. DSP is very upfront about the costs.

Ashraf AbuSara:
It's always the same story with every facet of science. If you want to shape your world view, you will find the small fraction of contrarian scientists to support your world view, and ignore the vast majority of data, evidence and opinion held by the other 95% of the scientific community. I see it in medicine too and it is no different in climate science. Its just unfortunate to see this kind of rhetoric take hold even in folks on this kind of website. I would just ignore climate change denialists and just focus on finding your focuser Jerry. 

As to remote sites, DSP in Animas is my second remote site. The good thing about Animas is it is rarely if ever humid, so dust should be easy to blow off if needed, and will not affect your views. My last site the dust and humidity combined made some serious damage on the optics and I had to recoat my primary mirror after only a few months based on Takahashi recommendations. The internet at DSP has been fantastic for me. Just like jerry I use google drive and I have all my subs by the morning. The buildings are good with enough walling to help against wind. The only thing I am not sure about are the Seeing conditions. So far the HFRs and FWHM that I am getting are a bit higher than what I am used to getting in my backyard, but my backyard is on coastal Texas and we get some incredible seeing conditions for long stretches of the year. But it is impossible to judge from just a few weeks. Seeing is extremely seasonal. Will see how it goes after one year. That being said I have been able to extract some really nice details on my small galaxies with my small 5 inch TOA-130. Some of those details after deconvolution / BlurXterminator are as good as anything I could find on Astrobin. So seeing can't be that bad. At the end of the day that is all that matters to me, the end result. 

Some examples of my TOA-130 from DSP remote vs other results from Astrobin:

Hickson 44 with TOA-130 from DSP:



An example from a CDK24 from SRO:


NGC 891 with my TOA from DSP:


An example from a EdgeHD11 on Pixelskies:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

What is the monthly hosting cost at HCRO? They don't seem to advertise that on their website. DSP is very upfront about the costs.

Those are really fine image Ashraf!   I too have found the seeing quite varied.   Last night for example it was excellent, the entire night.  But even when the monsoon season is over, seeing can be somewhat erratic, even from hour to hour and sometimes even in smaller time periods.   I've been at DSPR since early July, 2024 so we'll see how it goes from now till July.

Dark Matters Astrophotography:

Ashraf AbuSara:
It's always the same story with every facet of science. If you want to shape your world view, you will find the small fraction of contrarian scientists to support your world view, and ignore the vast majority of data, evidence and opinion held by the other 95% of the scientific community. I see it in medicine too and it is no different in climate science. Its just unfortunate to see this kind of rhetoric take hold even in folks on this kind of website. I would just ignore climate change denialists and just focus on finding your focuser Jerry. 

As to remote sites, DSP in Animas is my second remote site. The good thing about Animas is it is rarely if ever humid, so dust should be easy to blow off if needed, and will not affect your views. My last site the dust and humidity combined made some serious damage on the optics and I had to recoat my primary mirror after only a few months based on Takahashi recommendations. The internet at DSP has been fantastic for me. Just like jerry I use google drive and I have all my subs by the morning. The buildings are good with enough walling to help against wind. The only thing I am not sure about are the Seeing conditions. So far the HFRs and FWHM that I am getting are a bit higher than what I am used to getting in my backyard, but my backyard is on coastal Texas and we get some incredible seeing conditions for long stretches of the year. But it is impossible to judge from just a few weeks. Seeing is extremely seasonal. Will see how it goes after one year. That being said I have been able to extract some really nice details on my small galaxies with my small 5 inch TOA-130. Some of those details after deconvolution / BlurXterminator are as good as anything I could find on Astrobin. So seeing can't be that bad. At the end of the day that is all that matters to me, the end result. 

Some examples of my TOA-130 from DSP remote vs other results from Astrobin:

Hickson 44 with TOA-130 from DSP:



An example from a CDK24 from SRO:


NGC 891 with my TOA from DSP:


An example from a EdgeHD11 on Pixelskies:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

What is the monthly hosting cost at HCRO? They don't seem to advertise that on their website. DSP is very upfront about the costs.

The pricing varies based on how long you want the rate locked in. A quick email or call to Greg can get you the full picture.

Thanks! I will check with them. I really would have preferred if they advertise the pricing on their website. Even if they have multiple plans some basic idea would be helpful. Some prices can be a non-starter and it would help save time for everyone.

Jerry Gerber:

Ashraf AbuSara:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:

Ashraf AbuSara:
It's always the same story with every facet of science. If you want to shape your world view, you will find the small fraction of contrarian scientists to support your world view, and ignore the vast majority of data, evidence and opinion held by the other 95% of the scientific community. I see it in medicine too and it is no different in climate science. Its just unfortunate to see this kind of rhetoric take hold even in folks on this kind of website. I would just ignore climate change denialists and just focus on finding your focuser Jerry. 

As to remote sites, DSP in Animas is my second remote site. The good thing about Animas is it is rarely if ever humid, so dust should be easy to blow off if needed, and will not affect your views. My last site the dust and humidity combined made some serious damage on the optics and I had to recoat my primary mirror after only a few months based on Takahashi recommendations. The internet at DSP has been fantastic for me. Just like jerry I use google drive and I have all my subs by the morning. The buildings are good with enough walling to help against wind. The only thing I am not sure about are the Seeing conditions. So far the HFRs and FWHM that I am getting are a bit higher than what I am used to getting in my backyard, but my backyard is on coastal Texas and we get some incredible seeing conditions for long stretches of the year. But it is impossible to judge from just a few weeks. Seeing is extremely seasonal. Will see how it goes after one year. That being said I have been able to extract some really nice details on my small galaxies with my small 5 inch TOA-130. Some of those details after deconvolution / BlurXterminator are as good as anything I could find on Astrobin. So seeing can't be that bad. At the end of the day that is all that matters to me, the end result. 

Some examples of my TOA-130 from DSP remote vs other results from Astrobin:

Hickson 44 with TOA-130 from DSP:



An example from a CDK24 from SRO:


NGC 891 with my TOA from DSP:


An example from a EdgeHD11 on Pixelskies:

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Animas is extremely dusty. It’s like a giant dust bowl with winds and dust storms that occur from time to time that are so impacting there’s signs on I10 about pulling over if the dust storms get too bad. 

i moved to Pie Town NM (HCRO) and it’s much cleaner. My gear was messy as hell and my shroud will likely never recover. We’re actually afraid to remove it due to the amount of dust and stuff embedded in it. Eventually I’ll have to carefully cut it off and install a fresh one.

What is the monthly hosting cost at HCRO? They don't seem to advertise that on their website. DSP is very upfront about the costs.

The pricing varies based on how long you want the rate locked in. A quick email or call to Greg can get you the full picture.

Thanks! I will check with them. I really would have preferred if they advertise the pricing on their website. Even if they have multiple plans some basic idea would be helpful.

For a wide-field refractor I was quoted $600 a month (same as DSPR) or $500 a month if I sign a 10-year contrqct. 
For a 9.25 Edge HD or a Planewave 12.5 I was quoted $800 a month, or $700 a month for a 10-year contract.

Thanks Jerry! They don't seem as outrageous as some of the other sites that don't advertise pricing. Pretty sure DSP will carry your EdgeHD or even PW12.5 for $600 but I could be mistaken. 10 year contract sounds like a massive commitment for the minimal discount they are offering.

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
I am not sure those rates are accurate. It’s never a 10 year contract, just a locked in rate for a period of time. The lease agreements are one year in duration.

Sorry,  I made an error.  Here is the exact quote I received the other day:

For a 65mm wide-field refractor:

1. $500/month on a 1-year contract.
2. $600/month on a 1-year contract with a 10 year rate lock. Meaning if you decide to renew your lease each year, the rate is guaranteed not to increase for 10 years.

For an Edge HD 9.25 or a Planewave 12.5:

1. $800/month on a 1-year contract.
2. $900/month on a 1-year contract with a 10 year rate lock. Meaning if you decide to renew your lease each year, the rate is guaranteed not to increase for 10 years.

I'm happy at DSPR as I am able to image very often and getting good results.  

There's a saying in the arts:  The perfect is the enemy of the good.  I'm about to turn 74 so locking myself into a 10 year contract would be kind of crazy.

I don't know if it's the norm for hosting or not but It's weird that you are being charged according to aperture. I suppose overall OTA size would be what really matters. Aren't the piers evenly spaced?

Tony Gondola:
I don't know if it's the norm for hosting or not but It's weird that you are being charged according to aperture. I suppose overall OTA size would be what really matters. Aren't the piers evenly spaced?

*From what I have seen in different locations smaller rigs are more tightly packed than larger rigs hence the amount of real estate goes with aperture which largely determines the overall bulk. To be fair to same hosts the sizing pricing goes with the free radius required, which would be a more accurate mean of sizing the free area required.

Jerry Gerber:
There's a saying in the arts:  The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Completely agree with this. I learned this the hard way a few times. Thanks for the info. I don't see the benefit to a 10 year price lock. Prices are going to go down in remote hosting, not up. There is so much competition now and things are heating up with aggressive pricing.