john32712

Robert, Apologies, I never told you thanks for posting the PA check procedure! John

I find it in incredible, unbelievable, and very sad all at the same time. You sell a technical piece of equipment and you pose to be surprised that your core of users wants concise and updated documentation? No, just keep updating software and hardware and have your documentation severely outdated... That makes good sense! While I am happy with my mount and it operates well, this absolutely ridiculous attitude makes me want to sell it. There are so many good choices out there, and these companies will jump through hoops to please a customer. Can you tell me one mount manufacturer who has this attitude and provides its users with such outdated documentation?

Lukas, Thanks for the response back. We are on the same page here... I agree with Mark on the last two questions. They will not answer that truthfully or accurately and we already have years of direct experience, don't bother asking. The main concern should be; will they not interfere with this independent process, and worst case tolerate it. As someone pointed out, this is their forum, time to move these discussions off-site. Ian: Your written disclaimer should do the trick! You guys have done an amazing job! I looked at the page for the first time last night and was thoroughly impressed with the layout. Thank you! John Nemcik

Lukas, Please don't misunderstand my response. I am certainly on the side of the users, as it affects me also. Trying to figure this out solo has been very tough and I would not want anyone to have to go through what we all went through. I know several ASA users here in the states who have given up on ASA mounts due to the many issues discussed previously. I believe it is admirable what you guys are trying to accomplish here. To the point, something needs to be done! It is better to stop complaining and do something about it. Although I am not an international lawyer, in the States, permission from the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) would be required. There is no problem with opinions, but defining usage documentation would be. Again to clarify, I am not saying to stop the process, just saying to make sure you have an official statement from ASA.... Once you know where they stand, you can take a position. Finally, I concur on your statement, nice to have free labor on something that should of been accomplished years ago... Lukas, send me your personal email: Mine is john32712@yahoo.com

What you have accomplished here is an early release of the documentation they (ASA) have been working on. Technically they own all the rights to their printed literature and the ASA name. Without permission, you cannot use the name. Think of it as creating a website which details specifics about Volkswagen. If the site contains information deemed erroneous or inaccurate, the creators of the info are liable. Allowing you to do this will be ASA relinquishing certain corporation rights. It will be very interesting to see how ASA handles this. ASA has neglected this documentation for many years now, stopping you will make them look even worse than they already do, since you are now providing a strong solution to the problem... Kudos on creating a very interesting situation!

Hey Everyone! Read through all of the posts. Certainly an excellent idea and greatly overdue, since our documentation is very outdated and poorly written. Kudos to Max Mirot for bringing this up, as it is a very sore subject for most of us. This is a huge undertaking and we will definitely need a project manager and an editor. Imagine 3 submissions of a certain procedure all approaching different aspects. Are all three correct? Are two inaccurate descriptions? Who decides which is right? Regarding the original documentation, do you guys feel it is set up logically? Personally I don't! I believe a new approach is in order....We also need to take into account the different mounts and setups (portable vs fixed) I think it is a good idea that we approach ASA with the understanding we can wait no longer and the series of broken promises can no longer be excused! Will ASA help or attempt to block the effort?

Never mind Luis, I see the data it is posted!

Best M13 I have ever seen!!! Can you provide us with your equipment and object acquisition data? Thanks, John

Spectacular Mark!

Hi Robert, Is it possible for you to detail this procedure? That is, using Sequence to check PA? Thanks, John

Thanks Mark! Without any updated documentation, I hate to just assume. So I really appreciate your response. Great stuff! My setup with the DDM85 is fixed, so I would be curious to see what others will say. Most importantly, what should my goals be for PA, MLPT, and/or superfit. Best, John Nemcik

Hey Guys, I am hoping that someone will know the answers to my questions. I have read through the manuals and cannot find any answers. So here goes... I now use MLPT on each and every run that I perform. I consistently get 15 -20 min subs with perfect stars each and every time. But there is a couple of things that I am not sure of. 1. When my MLPT run has completed, it is automatically sent to Autoslew. I notice by increasing the "CalcFourier" value I can get better numbers (sometimes, not always). Do I just hit the "Send to Autoslew" button? Can someone describe this process? 2. Does everyone use MLPT or are some of you using Superfit and not using MLPT? 3. I would be curious to know some of your routines... Thank you, John Nemcik

DDM 85Xl w/absolute encoders, using Win 10, and 5.2.1.9. No problems detected....

Sweet Luke!!!

Lukas and Bernard, I have heard you guys talking about "Superfit". 2 Questions... 1. I have never used it. I just do a MLPT run and that's it. Tried to find it (superfit), but do not know where to begin? Do you guys like it? 2. If you think it is something we need to know, can someone please post some of the steps needed to get it going? Thanks, John Nemcik

Bernard, Yes it does simplify things, but if you compare specs, they are tighter. I would assume since the feedback mechanism (absolute encoders) are more accurate in positioning description this should be the overall effect. John

Hi Nigel, I would suggest contacting ASA with an email and requesting a price. I did a weird deal with them, since I was also having some mount issues. Basically I swapped mounts. John

Bernard! That was hillarious! Unfortunately we all suffer because of ASA's approach.

Photon, I recently upgraded my mount (DDM 85XL) with absolute encoders. I really love my mount, it works so well it is unbelievable. I turn it on, slew to a star, synch, and I am rolling... 15 to 20 minute subs unguided and I know it can do even better. But I gotta tell you, just like many stated above. The documentation is shit. It's not months behind, its years behind! We have been promised so many times over the past years that we would finally get updated and concise documentation and it never happens. The communication and updates are horrific. I do like the owners and staff of ASA, but there is no excuse for this. Buying an ASA mount is like dating a hot looking women, you put up with her BS because the sex is good. She may not have any brains in her head, but she has a hell of a body....lol

Thank you Lukas and Bernard! Happy New Year to you both... John Nemcik

Recently completed work in which the goal was to reveal core detail of M8 that has not been seen. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160105.html

What a lovely night it was! I think I am going to mount a big stone on the wall off my observatory so I can pound my head on it around 3 am....lol I had to stop and think this through to get any resolution. I promised myself I was not going to bitch about a lack of documentation, since after complaining for three years, it has got me nowhere. At least Dr. Keller is starting to put some stuff out there. I recently sent my mount in to ASA (my old mount without A. Encoders) and paid to upgrade. Basically I got a new mount back (with no updated information) with the absolute encoders installed and some minor mount changes. So now I am setting it up. Rather than give you the minutia, I'll give you the summary: 1. Autoslew still shows "all" the buttons, but several now do nothing when hit, including "Homefind". 2. My first slews were so far off, it was unbelievable. I have the GPS option installed and I had 10 satellites. So what was the problem? For some reason Autoslew did not take the GPS info and had some bizarre coordinates, Probably somewhere in Austria and I live in Florida. Once I corrected this issue my slews were close. Remember, I physically have changed my mount so I still need to do a Polar Alignment. 3. Once I resynced in the Sky, all my slews had the target star close to center on my camera. Bernard was fairly accurate with his statement above. More to follow... Thanks guys! John Nemcik

Hi Guys, Anyone out there with A DDM85 and the new absolute encoders. I am trying to set my new mount up and running into some issues. There is no literature on setup procedure with the new encoders, so I imagine it will be trial and error... Thanks, John Nemcik