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[patrickm]

Well lookie here what came in the mail yesterday? Thanks to their Astronomy Day sale...

www.southernstars.com/products/skyfi/index.html

A wifi wireless telescope controller that will take direction from my iPhone or iPad! Runs off AA batteries so won't run down the PowerTank. Hopefully it will take rechargeable batteries. My 4" scope wouldn't run on them, bit since this isn't driving the scope, it should be fine.

Bill was talking about this at the end of the night Tuesday. I guess he has this, or the wired version.

I am so excited for my first warm weather all nighter with the 9.25 I can barely stand it...whenever that finally happens. Looking like June for me...

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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

This is very cool.

I'm anxious to see it in action myself.

Give us a run down when you get a clear sky and put it through it paces.

[patrickm]

May 19, 2011 20:48:07 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

This is very cool.

I'm anxious to see it in action myself.

Give us a run down when you get a clear sky and put it through it paces.

Clear sky? WTF is that! Skilling said today April was cloudiest on record. How could it not be when it was cloudy every single day. This dreary Hound of the Baskervilles crap is for the birds hounds.

Guess we'll try it out in August...
{p walks off muttering}

[-=CROMAN=-]

Amy Freeze's summer forecast is very gloomy. She basically said be prepared for a wet, cloudy and dreary summer. I have been looking forward to seeing Orion again at night so I guess I'll try again this fall.

[patrickm]

:-(

[atomant]

Hey Pat,

Pretty nice!
SkyFi has been very convenient to use.
During our Dunes trip last year, I didn't have to lug around laptop to control my Tak mount.
Startup is very quick on iPhone versus waiting eons on the Windows laptop. If only iPad 2 had a higher res screen.

SkySafari app also helps me study the sky.
I get to pick objects in a particular area I want to study on the starmap versus haphazard button scrolling on keypad.

Now I just need to reconfig my SkyFi to control your CGEM.

[patrickm]

May 20, 2011 18:20:41 GMT -6 atomant said:

Hey Pat,

Pretty nice!
SkyFi has been very convenient to use.
During our Dunes trip last year, I didn't have to lug around laptop to control my Tak mount.
Startup is very quick on iPhone versus waiting eons on the Windows laptop. If only iPad 2 had a higher res screen.

SkySafari app also helps me study the sky.
I get to pick objects in a particular area I want to study on the starmap versus haphazard button scrolling on keypad.

Agreed on screen!

I was already using iPhone to choose targets. Now I guess it will actually make the scope behave as well. Can't wait to try it out when the fog lifts in September!

Now I just need to reconfig my SkyFi to control your CGEM.

Fear not. It will be so buttoned down so that even the NSA won't be able to crack it. 1028k hexadecimal PGP with a double private one-time cypher key...
or something.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Skyfi is uncomfortably similar to "Skynet".

Hmmm.

[atomant]

I think Robb also has the SkyFi box.

Hmmm... we could have Steve's iPad control all three of our scope/ mounts.

[patrickm]

If we put them close enough, perhaps a synchronized Dance of the Telescopes!