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That's definitely a time saver. I may have to try that.

Thank you for watching!

The two knobs are used to get it precisely lined up initially. From that point on, you only need to use one to track the object.

@AstronomyGarage sorry for not being clear, not the two for the initial alignment. What is the purpose of the fine adjustment flex rod at the very top of the mount? It's not a worm drive, and seems to have limited range of movement, driven by push pin on one side that's counteracted by adjustable tension spring on the opposite side. What is the purpose of this adjuster? Thank you.

Sorry, I noticed that peoples comments are a lot older than a few weeks...is this a repost of an older video?

When I made the setting circle for my big 12 inch Dobsonian, the diameter was wider than 24 inches. Staples was able to print out the circle full size, but they could not laminate it due to the 24 inch limitation. I had to take it to a poster company that had a large lamination machine. They did it for like $10 which I thought was super cheap. NOTE: Bring a ruler when you pick up the print from Staples. On a few occasions, they have auto-scaled it down to something less than the full size print... and had to do it over again.

@@AstronomyGarage thank you for your quick response… I really appreciate it! I will take it to a print shop and see what happens… I really do like the idea of placing the protractor print on the base of my dobsonian… I think it would come in handy for quicker locations… again, Thank Tou!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I will try to do more. One thing is for sure - I will use a newer computer and microphone.

@@AstronomyGarage ​​⁠I had the same experience listening to myself on a podcast. I am now very happy with the Samson Q2U USB microphone. It has a cardiod pattern so is less sensitive to background sounds.

Enjoy the heck out of that telescope. They are high quality.

Well, there can only be one John Dobson. :) Dobson helped individual build their telescopes from scratch, all the way from grinding their mirror to final collimation. Jack had a different task. He had to come up with a robust design that performed well, was mass-producible, and could be sold at a profit.

@@AstronomyGarage Yes! not an easy job.

Hello and welcome to the channel! Lots of videos to choose from.

I'm glad it was helpful. Clear skies!

That is very possible. They may have had to sign a non-disparagement contract to get severance, but... I've not heard of anybody getting any severance.

Thanks! It was fun.

Thank you for watching.

In order to use Astrohopper, your phone needs to be laid flat against the telescope tube. Choose whichever method you like to attach it.

@@AstronomyGarage I worked on a lot of accessories for Orion, particularly mount adapters, parallelogram mounts etc. They asked me back at some point to do some consulting but I was already busy at another unrelated company.

Thanks for filling in the details. I will remove my upper response.

Thank YOU for watching. And congrats on owning an Orion XT8, possibly the ideal telescope (I have an XT8 and an XT8i). Clear skies!

I'm glad you find the channel useful. No company will sponsor my channel, so I don't even bother, lol. It's just fun to do.

You can email me at JJDreese at yahoo dot com (of course, replace the words with the proper symbols).

That's a very good question. There's two reasons why I used the original. I don't think the scratch was consequential enough to cause any visual problems. Second, the new mirror was actually thinner which would've meant the location measurements would not have properly transferred to the new mirror. As for where/how to put the silicone on, I think you may be onto something. Every secondary holder I've ever repaired was solid, so this one sortof caught me by surprise and I went with my "old set-in ways". However, next time I will apply the silicone to the secondary holder (especially if it has those crevices).

That didn't occur to me. The thinner mirror would shift alignment, so no sense adding a variable to the already solved equation.

Thank you for the kind words, but I assure you it was all Jack Kellythorne. He was super easy and interesting to talk with. I have a whole set of various videos planned - just need to find the spare time. :)

Indeed. They hired very good engineers back when they had Jack Kellythorne.

Thanks. My part was a little rough around the edges (I had to edit out my own long uncomfortable pauses, lol). Jack is a natural at being interviewed. He was great.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you. Jack had moved on years before the new Orion ownership, so I didn't bring that issue up. I focused this interview on his design experiences. He's a really interesting guy to talk to.

An "entity" was created for the receivership of all their property. They have no employees nor budget, so it looks like nobody is going to get any of their stuff back unfortunately.

That would be amazing!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Jack was very interesting to talk to. As for the Moon, I think what he meant was that it's super easy to find in the night sky. :)

@@AstronomyGarage , Sure. I was joking about the flat-Earth people. I will be a smart-a$$ until the day I die, and maybe for a few days after that. ;-)

I agree - they did a great job. I have two of the XT's right now (one is an Intelliscope).

I'm not sure I quite understand. Which hinges? The ones that connect the top of the tripod of the ones that connect the eyepiece tray? Which telescope model? I have a couple of equatorial mount videos where I do some mild refurbishing of the mid height hinges.

@@AstronomyGarageI talking about the hinges to the tray.

It is a Jason model 313 Discover

Yah, he was a fascinating guy to chat with.

It seems that a mix of lapses in marketing and finances may have created the perfect downward spiral that took Meade and Coronado with it.

Thank you for the kind words. I have lots of videos planned... just need to find the spare time. :)

Haha, yes, I like the diffraction spikes too.

I had the impression that Orion was simply a rebrand of existing Chinese products, but the full story is much more interesting.

Agreed. I have a RACI on all of my large size Dobsonians. In fact, a RACI is required to follow the international space station (while recording video of it).

Thanks! He was really fun to talk with. I would've loved to interview John Dobson himself too, but alas there will never be another character such as him.

Thanks! I thought it might be a fun different kind of video.

Agreed - it was fun to hear about the non-technical limitations (box size, etc.) that go into making a shippable product.

Thank you for the kind words! I hope it was helpful.

The size of the Moon in your camera is a function of the eyepiece that you're using - that's where the magnification takes place. It it is too small, please use an eyepiece with a smaller number written on the outside.

This particular telescope company is still in business, so you can buy directly from them: www.astrosystems.biz/