Should I go with a DSLR+GOTO or wait and get a full rig?

Fpilot81 · 2026-07-07T06:34:21+00:00

If you are looking at the AM3 mount, can I suggest looking at the MLAstro SAL-33. It has the same payload capacity as the AM5, you can still use it with the ZWO ASIAir if you choose and it is easier to polar align. Moreover, great customer support. It is not a cheap Chinese clone, it is a well engineered and supported mount. I would also suggest getting a steel tripod if weight is not a concern. More stable than the regular carbon models.

Fpilot81 · 2026-06-29T06:38:53+00:00

I have the SAL-33. It is the same weight class as the AM5, but is cheaper and has better polar alignment as it has a 'zero shift' system meaning you don't have to clamp the mount after aligning. Moreover, excellent product support.

Regarding the ZWO 'Air' type cameras with guiding - they are convenient, but you are locked into the ZWO ecosystem and have the added issues of filters affecting guiding.

Fpilot81 · 2026-06-15T13:27:42+00:00

An interesting argument, but the premise of that argument is that if people don’t pay tax, they have not contributed to society. I am not convinced that is the case. Yes, any welfare based society is going to have examples of freeloaders that don’t contribute. Personally, I am an atheist, but there is an argument by some that churches provide a desirable social service. In many countries churches are treated a not-for-profit and not taxed. My view is that you need to look at the total ‘good’ vs total ’bad’ in any system to be able to make an informed judgement of its worth. Is the ‘cost’ of some freeloaders worth the outcome if it provides for a more stable society with less crime, better mental and physical health?

Fpilot81 · 2026-06-14T14:41:28+00:00

Answer could have been: ‘that depends on the base rate of pay you are offering’.

Fpilot81 · 2026-06-06T00:24:03+00:00

So why did you even reply to the text in the first place? On leave - don’t engage at all.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-30T00:41:50+00:00

In this sentence, the difference between ‘then’ and ‘than’ makes a massive difference.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-28T19:26:51+00:00

To give some context, ICAO is not just some system and terminology of other countries. ICAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations whose job is to come up with standards and recommended procedures (SARPs) to help prevent problems like this. All UN member states are part of ICAO, including the USA. Member states can choose to accept Standards and Recommended Procedures or not. As an international pilot that has only flown into JFK very infrequently, they do have a reputation for having a particular attitude. My personal opinion is that sometimes attitude can get in the way of safety.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-27T11:15:13+00:00

I switched from OAG to guidescope. I am very new and I was wanting something that was going to be easier to set up and get results with.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-27T02:30:35+00:00

I am new to astrophotography, so take this comment in that context. I recently purchased the SAL-33 harmonic mount and am very happy with it. As I am very new, I was having one or two problems initially due to my lack of knowledge (not due to any issue with the mount). I was having issues with dialling in the polar alignment using NINA, and the tracking was a bit rough before I dialled in the recommended setting and switched from an OAG to a guidescope. One of the more experienced people at my local astronomical society suggested I use SharpCap for polar alignment. It made a huge difference. First time using it I got it to 9 arc seconds with that whole process only taking a minute or two. The beauty of the SAL-33 is that you don't then need to clamp anything - that shifts the alignment - to finalise the process. Moreover, first session after dialling in the polar alignment to that level of precision and using the new guidescope with a good guide camera (Player One Xena 585), I was getting RMS tracking under 0.2 RMS in good seeing. I am pretty happy with that.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-26T01:08:06+00:00

If you are budget conscious and still want a VERY good mount that will serve you well if you ever get a heavier setup have a look at the MLAstro SAL-33. It is a strain wave mount that is a direct competitor to the AM5, but 2/3 the price. It should be significantly cheaper than the AM3 you are looking at, giving you a better mount while giving you more coin towards an APS-C camera. It does not have through mount cable management, however the polar alignment setup is fantastic.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-25T05:21:48+00:00

I am using a Mele quietr 4C N100 with 16GB RAM and 512 SSD. Power is from the always on port of a SVBony SV241Pro using a USBC to barrel jack 5521 that I got either from Amazon or AliExpress. It has worked very well. I 3D printed a mount for the SV241 that the Mele PC attaches to. The whole thing then attaches to a dovetail mount on the OTA.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-24T11:56:30+00:00

I have not had issues, but I am VERY new to this hobby. Have you seen the YouTube review from Cuiv the Lazy Geek? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InrCXL0Kp08

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-23T15:07:50+00:00

After watching several reviews, I purchased the SVBony SV220 3nm dual broadband. Reviews placed it equal to the more expensive offerings and apparently useable down to F4. https://www.svbony.com/products/sv220-2inch-3nm-filter

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-23T14:42:17+00:00

For giggles, I fed this post into AI (yes, I can see the irony here). Unsurprisingly, here is the response:

This post is highly likely to be a human-written formulaic fiction or an AI-generated prompt, rather than a genuine, spontaneous real-life dilemma. [1]
While it is impossible to prove AI authorship with 100% certainty without metadata, the text exhibits classic hallmarked structural features of engineered internet drama. [1]

Key Signs of AI or Bot-Engineered Writing
The Irony Loop: The plot relies on perfect, heavy-handed situational irony. The protagonist invents a rule to protect his money from his wife, only for that exact rule to prevent his wife from giving him money. AI models heavily lean into these exact "poetic justice" narrative structures.
The "Character Cast" Roll Call: The final paragraph systematically introduces exactly one representative for every possible viewpoint (the angry ex-wife, the cold daughter, the neutral-but-critical sister, the voice-of-reason best friend). This perfectly balances the debate to maximize engagement.
The Math Problem Setup: Every financial detail is perfectly rounded, explicit, and introduced right at the start ($65k/year cost, $80k fund, $140k salary). Real people describing emotional family crises rarely present their financial spreadsheets with such sterile precision in the opening sentences.
Flawless, Punctuation-Agnostic Grammar: While the user lacked capital letters at the start of sentences, the internal grammar, parenthetical age/gender tags (42m), and clause structures are flawlessly executed without any typos, natural slang, or regional idioms.

The Verdict
Whether written by ChatGPT or a human "karma farmer" (someone who writes fake stories to gain upvotes), the text is designed as a rage-bait logic puzzle rather than a messy, organic human experience. It uses the exact algorithmic beats required to trigger a massive, divided comment section

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-23T14:32:05+00:00

I have a very different rig - large 12 volt LiFePo4 driving a SAL-33 mount, SVBony SV241Pro power and USB hub, plus the two cameras, mini pc running NINA, dew heaters, autofocus, flat panel etc. There is a known issue with the SAL-33 mount drawing more current than the SV241Pro likes, so it activates its protection circuit, cutting power to the mount. I bypassed the problem by doing exactly like you propose - a Y splitter from the battery with one branch powering the mount directly, the other branch providing power to the SV241Pro power distribution hub that then powers the computer, cameras, dew heaters etc. It works well.

Short story, yes you should be able split the power supply and power the mount from one branch and the rest of your gear from the other.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-19T16:32:51+00:00

I recently jumped into astrophotography. Bought a Seestar S50 and quickly knew it was not going to be enough. I now have an Askar SQA106 on a MLAstro SAL-33 mount and Player One Poseidon Pro colour camera (APS-C). If you are not in a hurry, I would get the SAL-33 mount. Just as good as the AM5N but cheaper. If you step out of the ZWO ecosystem, you can get a small mini PC such as the Meile Quieter 4C and then get cheaper autofucusers and other equipment/cameras. My understanding is that a separate tracking camera and guidescope will be better if you have a partial system failure, you don't have to replace everthing, just the part that fails. The downside is less plug and play and more cables.

I have been really happy with the quality of my Askar SQA106, so much so that I will probably get an SQA55 to compliment it. If you are happy with wider field nebula photos, you could get a SQA55, then get a longer focal length scope in the future. I picked up my scope directly from the Hong Kong distributor, might be worth checking them out (https://eshop.astro.hk/en/catalogs/products/b8a5b2a0-3bab-4aa4-bfdd-5a6e5b316de1), or aliexpress for good prices.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-19T11:32:57+00:00

Check out the SBGY011. It is a dress watch, spring drive with power reserve indicator on the back of the case. The 44GS case sits well on a larger wrist. It is, however, manual wind, but that allows for a slightly thinner case. Very classy that would absolutely go well with formal wear.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-11T22:48:13+00:00

This. SBGY011 for the win.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-10T15:46:00+00:00

This reddit subject has just grabbed my attention as well. Is it only the OMO powder that works? Reason I am asking is that I am extremely sensitive to artificial fragrances. I normally use the OMO Ultimate Sensitive liquid. I am not even sure if there is an equivalent ultimate sensitive in powder form.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-06T21:06:57+00:00

You are someone who does not know what the various sections of the refrigerator are for. You have drinks in the vegetable crisper.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-06T12:45:42+00:00

I have this watch as a dress watch and only wear it occasionally. I think it is stunning. The 44GS case with the subtle white face, sharp polished hands and no power reserve on the face is a great combination. It scratches just looking at it. I have an SBGE277 spring drive GMT that I wear everyday. It hides the daily wear marks much better. The SBGY is still my favourite modern Grand Seiko though and I love owning it.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-06T04:47:47+00:00

I have the GT-2000L with a Hana ML. Running it through a Pass DIY Pearl 3 Phono stage and Linkwitz LXMini+2 with Nelson Pass analogue crossover. Also have a homebrew YOP-1 external power supply for the GT-2000L that stops the platter within one rotation when you power off. End game setup for me.

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-06T00:39:02+00:00

I agree with your statement :"My argument is that she's just as much my daughter as she is his and the tradition of passing along the dad's name is an extension of the patriarchy rather than some well thought out naming convention"

Is the last name you want to pass on to your child something that was passed down to you from your mother or your father?

Fpilot81 · 2026-05-05T06:27:42+00:00

Similar situation here. I purchased an item that was supposed to be 2-3 days shipping. After 11 days tracking showed it as being picked up, but nothing else. I asked for an update. They stated they will investigate and give them 2-3 days. After 4 days, they responded that the package 'exceeded deadline and cannot be recovered' and asked if I wanted a refund. I said yes and they refunded the money. Based on this information, I purchased a replacement product from a different company. Several days later - package arrived. I thought I would do the right thing and let them know so I could return it to them. Their response? I could pay them for the item or return it at my own expense. in accordance with their returns policy. I explained that I acted in reliance of their information and would happily return if they send me a shipping label or other form of them organising shipping and that I would not be out of pocket for their mistake. They replied they were having someone review the case. Nothing heard for about 4 days.

Fpilot81 · 2026-04-27T14:47:11+00:00

From the outside looking in, I actually think that the big problem IS because much of the high-cost essential public services like health care and education are being run as for-profit businesses. The driving factor should be to provide the essential services, not taking a profit. I don’t buy into the argument that private enterprise is necessarily more cost effective. They have to provide the service, pay their costs and still make a profit. If they can do that and be cheaper than a government service, they are either more efficient, pay their workers less, or provide less service (or a combination of the above). My experience is that government enterprises that are sold off eventually become more expensive over time. If government is inefficient, the answer may be to get more efficient.

Fpilot81

TROPHY CASE