My Equipment

My Original Setup (2005) the day I got it. That OTA was 32lbs!

• Mount: Meade LXD-75 with Meade Autostar 497 hand controller
• OTA: Meade 10 inch Schmidt Newtonian
• Meade LPI (Lunar Planetary Imager) – first series
• Meade DSI (Deep Sky Imager) – first series
• Software
  • Telescope Control: Meade Autostar Suite
  • Guiding: None – nothing like PHD existed yet
  • Image Capture: Meade Envisage
  • Image “Stacking” and Processing: Meade Envisage & Paint Shop Pro

Current Setup (2020)

I’ve finally entered the correct decade with my astrophotography rig.

• Mount: Meade LX85
• OTA: Meade Series 6000 80mm Triplet APO Refractor
• Field Flattener: Meade Series 6000 0.8x Reducer/Flattener
• Guide Scope: ZWO 60mm guidescope
• Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MC
• Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI071MC-Pro
• Filters:
  • Optolong L-Pro
  • Hutech IDAS NB1
  • Astromania 12nm H-alpha, 2in
• Software
  • Telescope Control: Astrophotography Tool, using a new Meade universal ASCOM driver
  • Guiding: PHD2
  • Plate Solving and Object Targeting: PointCraft embedded in Astrophotography Tool
  • Image Capture: Astrophotography Tool
  • Image stacking: Deep Sky Stacker
  • Image processing: Photoshop CC

Clear Skies, Bleary Eyes – KA