Computer Control
You have a big Dob telescope with lots of aperture. You have an Argo Navis and maybe a ServoCAT. You are set up and ready to observe, but you didn’t have time to prepare an observing plan. Or, you have an observing plan, but you didn’t have time to get your sky charts printed, or study where the objects are on your Sky Atlas. Or, you have a big stack of charts and books next to your scope and its hard to juggle them all. Or, you have a plan, but the guys around you are tracking down some new comets and they are not loaded into your Argo Navis. Does any of that that sound familiar? Maybe some other variation of it?
You can circumvent those problems and solve them once and for all, if you use a planetarium program with your telescope. To do that, of course, you are going to need a computer; i.e., a laptop, a netbook, tablet, or smartphone.
There are several excellent planetarium programs available to run on your computer. The planetarium has almost unlimited objects from which to choose. Many have comets available to download real time. The only limitations are the limiting magnitude of the night sky and your telescope’s aperture. If you had a plan and had loaded it on to AstroPlanner or Sky Tools, you could observe from the plan and control your telescope with it, too.
You really owe it to yourself to try observing with a computer. Even if you don’t owe it to yourself, you ought to try it. It is like the step you took when you moved from starhopping to DSCs!
As is so often the case, the Netbook Stalk arose out of requests from customers who, this time, had acquired Netbooks and wanted something with which it could be affixed to their telescopes. This Markless Stalk is modeled after the Markless DSC Stalk II.
The Netbook Stalk II is lightweight and comes with a black poly mounting block and Moonlite clamp and typically would be mounted a few inches to the left of and lower than an installed DSC Stalk II. However, its aluminum tube is longer in order to permit its Netbook shelf to be above the DSC Stalk shelf. In use, the Netbook shelf might be angled to the left while the DSC Stalk shelf might be angled to the right. The Netbook shelf is sized for netbooks, and reinforced for additional strength to be able to hold a Netbook PC safely. Industrial strength Velcro is the attachment method for the Netbook.
A single 4-conductor telecom cable connects the ServoCAT PC Port (serial port) to the Netbook (actually to the base connector of the Netbook Stalk II ). Since Netbooks (like nearly all modern laptops) do not have serial ports, a Keyspan USB to serial port adapter is needed. However, if you get a Bluetooth equipped Netbook, you could try using an AIRcable or other Bluetooth generating device at your ServoCAT for a Bluetooth connection. This would not be required, but is possible.
An inherent advantage of a Netbook Stalk II and mounted Netbook PC is that by being attached to the telescope, a planetarium program and telescope control reside continuously at the observing position. If you haven’t yet experienced telescope control by PC, planetarium, and ServoCAT, you are in for a real treat. (Digital Setting Circles and encoders are needed to provide object offset data.)
However, telescope drive motors are not mandatory for Netbook and planetarium program use. You can connect your Digital Setting Circles to your Netbook, operate your scope in "Push-To" mode, and watch the cross hairs on the planetarium screen move as you move your telescope. You can use other astronomy software in "Push-To" mode, also.
The Netbook Stalk II is suited for almost any size Dobsonian telescope. It especially opens up telescope control by PC on the telescope for small to medium size big Dobs, which cannot handle the size and weight of a regular laptop and Markless PC Podium.
Netbook Stalk II contents (it does not include a Netbook!):
Prices:
Actual shipping cost may be higher, depending upon location. Netbook Stalk products require two separate shipping boxes, one for the tube and one for the shelf and other components.
North Carolina residents and North Carolina shipping addresses: please add 7.25% for NC sales tax.
Please contact me to order this product. cs(at)marklessastronomics dot com Available exclusively at Markless Astronomics.
People who purchase this product might also want to consider obtaining the following items:
Charles Starks, Charlotte, NC
The Tablet Stalk II™
Introducing the Tablet Stalk II for tablet computers. A picture is worth a thousand words, so have at it. Here's three thousand words worth!
Tablet Stalk II features (does not include a tablet computer!):
Prices:
Actual shipping cost may be higher, depending upon location. Tablet Stalk products require two separate shipping boxes, one for the tube and one for the shelf and other components.
North Carolina residents and North Carolina shipping addresses: please add 7.25% for NC sales tax.
Please contact me to order this product. cs(at)marklessastronomics dot com Available exclusively at Markless Astronomics.
Astrocrumb Filter Slides - a "MUST HAVE" accessory for your Big Dob. Roger builds 'em RIGHT!
Copyright 2003-2015, by Charles Starks, Charlotte, NC, All Rights Reserved
Last Updated: 13:47 PM 03/26/2015