From: "Dwight K. Elvey" 
To: atm{at}shore.net
Reply-To: "Dwight K. Elvey" 


Hi
 About the only thing I can think of that is useful
is to set the time and location. It is mostly just more gimmick. I have
both a watch and a GPS that I use for other things. Many cell phones come
with GPS's now days. Multiple antenna's can be used to determine pointing
but you don't need to know the location to 1 cm, you just need to know the
differential locations. To determine locations to the 3 cm level, most
commercial units run for 24 hours. Pointing at a couple of stars only takes
a few seconds. Having encoders and such is simpler than dealing with a gps
signal.
Dwight

>From: "McHatten, Shawn" 
>
>Hey Mel
>       I don't understand. If there is no advantage to GPS then what is all
the
hype around Meade and Celestron. Or is it just hype? How do they use this
technology and for what? I thought it was used to synchronize to the
heavens. No
polar alignment either, is there? I gotta go back and read the article they
had on the GPS units in S&K :).
>       I had thought of the idea of putting the chips on the end and base of
the OTA though. A 2 meter ota with a GPS accuracy of 1 cm should give you
pointing accuracy of better than .3 degrees. If my trig is right. But I
think only the expensive units give you that kind of accuracy. Survey
grade.
>
>Thanks
>Shawn
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Mel Bartels [mailto:mbartels{at}efn.org]
>Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2003 3:50 PM
>To: atm{at}shore.net
>Subject: Re: ATM Home made GPS units
>
>
>>>> I was just thinking about how Mel might incorporate them
into his drive
>systems.
>
>The GPS chip is but a few dollars and simple to interface to.  However, I
>have yet to see the benefit of having it on a scope.  The scope's precise
>latitude/longitude accurate to a few feet or a meter doesn't really matter
>because you are going to synchronize the scope to the sky anyhow.  If anyone
>wishes to enlighten me, please do so!
>
>More interesting is the idea of multiple GPS chips situated on the ends of a
>long beam attached in parallel to the tube assembly.  It might be possible
>to obtain rudimentary orientation information.
>
>Mel Bartels
>
>
>
>

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