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Hi from South Suffolk, UK

Dave_S

By Dave_S,
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Dave_S

Dave_S

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I have just returned to astro imaging, after a break of 8 years, but on a much smaller scale this time around.

 

Back in the day, I had a purpose built observatory,with attached warm room, and used a variety of telescopes over the years, Meade SCTs (up to 12")  and William Optics Refactors (up to 110m). Camera wise, it was always Starlight Xpress.

 

Now, its just a permanent pier in the garden, HEQ5 Pro mount, Altair 115 APO, Altair 60mm Guide Scope, Hypercam 294c (Main), and GPCAM 130 (Guide).

 

My warm room is the now the 'Summer House' (lol).

 

I'm currently in the process of installing  a Mini PC at the telescope to be able to control everything wirelessly, as opposed to running cables.

 

Once I am up and running, I hope to be able to post some images.

 

You can see some of my astro images from 'back in the day', on my photography website at:

 

https://davesimaging.wixsite.com/mysite

 

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Carastro

Carastro

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Welcome to BYA.  When I first saw your post I was a bit confused as there is another Dave S on here. 

I think you have to both put up an Avtar to differentiate yourselves.  Not sure if the other Dave S has done so.

 

Carole 

 

  

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DaveS

DaveS

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9 hours ago, Carastro said:

Welcome to BYA.  When I first saw your post I was a bit confused as there is another Dave S on here. 

I think you have both put up an Avtar to differentiate yourselves.  Not sure if the other Dave S has done so.

 

Carole 

 

  

This DaveS has an old Rosette as his avatar, the same as on another forum.

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Dave_S

Dave_S

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23 hours ago, Carastro said:

Welcome to BYA.  When I first saw your post I was a bit confused as there is another Dave S on here. 

I think you have to both put up an Avtar to differentiate yourselves.  Not sure if the other Dave S has done so.

 

Carole 

 

  

Hi Carole.

 

I said the same to Tony (Mighty Monoped) a couple of days ago, but its  been a few years since we met at Bentley village hall in Suffolk. I ran the Progressive Astro Imaging Group (PAIG) for several years, along with my mate Roger. In 2014, the dreaded Cancer (Bowel) struck, followed by major surgery. That's when I left the hobby, and we moved house. Eight years on, and I'm still here (thanks to our NHS), fit, well, and enjoying life. Roger left the hobby around the same time, and we are both very much into Photography.

 

Recently, I decided to get back into astro imaging, prompted by the fact that the street lights now go off at 23.30, in the village where my wife and I now live.

 

Apart from Roger, I lost touch with the old group that attended our meetings. I know that Dennis was in hospital with heart problems, and 'Wobbly Bob' died this year.

 

BTW, Dave S is of course Dave S, and I registered as Dave_S. As you suggest, I have now added an Avatar image, which is an old Horsehead and Flame from back in the day.

 

 

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Carastro

Carastro

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14 hours ago, Dave_S said:

Hi Carole.

 

I said the same to Tony (Mighty Monoped) a couple of days ago, but its  been a few years since we met at Bentley village hall in Suffolk. I ran the Progressive Astro Imaging Group (PAIG) for several years, along with my mate Roger. In 2014, the dreaded Cancer (Bowel) struck, followed by major surgery. That's when I left the hobby, and we moved house. Eight years on, and I'm still here (thanks to our NHS), fit, well, and enjoying life. Roger left the hobby around the same time, and we are both very much into Photography.

 

Recently, I decided to get back into astro imaging, prompted by the fact that the street lights now go off at 23.30, in the village where my wife and I now live.

 

Apart from Roger, I lost touch with the old group that attended our meetings. I know that Dennis was in hospital with heart problems, and 'Wobbly Bob' died this year.

 

BTW, Dave S is of course Dave S, and I registered as Dave_S. As you suggest, I have now added an Avatar image, which is an old Horsehead and Flame from back in the day.

 

 

Ah Dave, I know you, I met you, Tony (Mighty Monoped), Roger and Wobby Bob and Dennis (and others)  in Suffolk (I came with Dave Smith).  

All falling into place now.  Glad to hear you came through the big C and are back into imaging again.  I have a feeling you sold your observatory to someone I know (or did that fall through)? 

Really sorry to hear about Wobbly Bob, I have met him at Kelling a few times since then.

 

I am still around and haven't stopped imaging, been using a Mono camera since 2012 and I think I was still using a DSLR when I last had contact with you, so it's a long time ago.

 

Been looking around Suffolk for campsites to bring my local group to, but several won't take groups of more than 2 pitches, and some of us have given up tents and want PODs otherwise we could go to Haw Wood Farm.

 

Carole  

 

 

 

 

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Dave_S

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3 hours ago, Carastro said:

Ah Dave, I know you, I met you, Tony (Mighty Monoped), Roger and Wobby Bob and Dennis (and others)  in Suffolk (I came with Dave Smith).  

All falling into place now.  Glad to hear you came through the big C and are back into imaging again.  I have a feeling you sold your observatory to someone I know (or did that fall through)? 

Really sorry to hear about Wobbly Bob, I have met him at Kelling a few times since then.

 

I am still around and haven't stopped imaging, been using a Mono camera since 2012 and I think I was still using a DSLR when I last had contact with you, so it's a long time ago.

 

Been looking around Suffolk for campsites to bring my local group to, but several won't take groups of more than 2 pitches, and some of us have given up tents and want PODs otherwise we could go to Haw Wood Farm.

 

Carole  

 

 

 

 

As far as I know my observatory is still standing at the old house in Bentley. I left it behind when we moved.

 

The only reason we moved from our village home of 30 years, and its dark skies (no street lighting) was that after the Cancer episode, I didn't know what the future was.  Living in a village without any facilities (shop etc), and a wife that doesn't drive, if I didn't make it, she would have been somewhat stranded. So we moved house, still in a village but a much larger one, with a small co-op supermarket, and Doctors surgery etc. But, with street lighting, albeit these now go off at 23.30.

 

If I had have known that I would still be here eight years on, we would not have moved, I would still have been able to enjoy the dark skies, and my observatory. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

Its a 'small scale' astro operation now, compared to that back in the day, now with an OSC camera, no filter wheel etc, and just one main telescope.

 

After 12 years of using Starlight Xpress CCD cameras, I now find that CMOS is the defacto standard, with things like gain, and offset (black level) to get right. This would be much easier if the developers of astro control software were consistent the numbers they use. Some expressed as low multiplication factor, and others using x10 or x100, to display what is basically the same setting level.

 

Is Dave Smith still around, and into astro?.

 

Dave

 

 

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Carastro

Carastro

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I only E Mailed Dave Smith in the last couple of days. 
 

Astro wise he was doing something a bit diverse like measuring for  exoplanets or something non imaging. Can’t remember exactly what it was. 
but he has also been laid off for a while with eyesight problems but after surgery l believe he is on the mend now. 
 

carole 

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Dave_S

Dave_S

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42 minutes ago, Harry Page said:

Hi Dave

Good to see that you here and you seem to be well and enjoying life 👍

 

Hope Dennis has managed to find his way as well

 

So keep well and Imaging

 

Regards

 

Harry Page

Hi Harry (PixInsight) Page 🙂. Nice to hear from you again, its been a while, and a lot of water has passed under the bridge in that time.

 

Being over eight years out of the hobby, I lost touch with the astro imaging community, so its nice to catch up with some of you again.

 

Having looked around some of the forums, I haven't seen any sign of Dennis.

 

Regards

 

Dave

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Dave_S

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Almost ready to go Harry, nearly everthing in place now. Having sold everything when I left the hobby, I had forgotten just  how much gear I needed. Just as well, as I might have had second thoughts about returning.

 

My main interest is photography, and astro secondary.

 

I've been retired for 19 years now, so no work to get in the way.

 

Hopefully, I'll have something to post soon.

 

Still have PixInsight, and have download all the updates. Last used in 2014.

 

Take care

 

Dave

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Carastro

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Still have PixInsight, and have download all the updates. Last used in 2014.

Ah yes, I recall you were the first person i saw Demonstrate that.  I didn't have a clue what was going on, and decided there and then it was not for me.  Seen 2 further demonstrations since and still did not like it so am still using Photoshop.

 

Yes not seen Dennis around since PAIG but then with all these Alias names, we could have been talking to him all along and not knowing ha ha.  

 

Carole 

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Dave_S

Dave_S

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16 hours ago, Carastro said:

Ah yes, I recall you were the first person i saw Demonstrate that.  I didn't have a clue what was going on, and decided there and then it was not for me.  Seen 2 further demonstrations since and still did not like it so am still using Photoshop

Its not the most intuitive item of software Carole, but it is a very effective one, and looking around the astro forums, it seems to have become very popular.

 

I don't know if its is still the case, but way back, Harry produced a series of very informative tutorials.

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