Edward Erbeck wrote:

Jerry wrote (well after a snip):


Here's another little favorite site of mine - part of what I do
with my life. You are all invited anytime you are in the area.
http://www.cedar-astronomers.org

We are nearing completion on the Eastern Iowa Observatory
& Learning Center. I'm a general fix-it-all and spectroscopy
junkie.


Known about you folks for quite awhile. I used to be in the Business
of selling Equipment and Parts for Amateur Astronomy.
How's the Classical Cass. Coming?

Crazy Ed

Hi Ed. The old 12" classical cassegrain? It's history. Replaced
by a UI 16" classical C16 (1963 vintage), the very scope I used
as a student at UI. The scope had been in storage many years
then suddenly was offered to CAA and I about fainted. Two of
us in CAA used that scope at UI. Im the mechanic that keeps it
humming and collimated. In fact I and another member are redoing the 16ft dome
around it this very week. New rollers, drive system,
etc.

We also have a 24" Boller Chivens which will go in one of our
new domes at the EIOLC. Pardon my glibness but I call the
new facility the EI-EI-O! Old MacDonald's Farm. Kind of funny.
In our other new dome at the EIOLC will be our 16" Meade lx200
in a fully robotic mode with ST9 camera. Im helping a little with that project.
The 16" lx200 is currently in our rolloff along with
our old 6" Jeagers f15 refractor which still works well. I cleaned
and reset the objective for less CA several years ago.

Keep in touch. We would love to have you drop in.. all schedules
are on our website.

Last but not least, several guys have expressed interest in setting
up a WX station at the EIOLC and I rather think and hope that
will happen. A radio station of some kind also.

Best regards and clear skies -

Jerry