Lucky to be in.

Astrobufff · 26th October 2009, 11:44

It has been a pleasant surprise to be granted membership to this prestigious and knowledgeable forum after being denied for almost a year partly accounted to my lack of persistently trying.

I am a practising Dental Surgeon in Mumbai with a passion for cars and motorcycles.

My hobbies are a long list with interest in them peaking and waning periodically according to the availability of free time.

As an excited, aspiring, amateur astronomer trying to find the exotic in the sky and struggling badly to find anything significant from my window, I found my telescope being increasingly trained from the stars in the sky to the "stars in the neighbourhood."

This was till I chanced upon a simple way of finding what I wanted by way of a simple freeware on the net. The hobby waned but the nickname stuck. Thus was "Astrobufff" born.

My other significant hobby is in the field of GPS. I owned a Garmin GPS handheld way before compatible mapping was available. This renderred it absolutely mandatory for me to learn how to compile floating maps on my own. What started as a hobby, morphed into a free service that I render to those in need. Anyone in need of a self compiled, floating, non-routing map for specific unmapped areas can freely approach me with their data and they shall be obliged gratis.

Cars driven :
Premier Padmini S1
Wagon R Type 1

Plenty of Two wheelers have been owned owing to the practicality and ease of finding a parking in the heart of Mumbai. I fear that if the current traffic patterns sustain for a few years, it shall be be virtually impossible to drive in the city on working days.

My greetings to this knowledgeable fraternity for the New Year.

Astrobufff.

Sam Kapasi · 26th October 2009, 12:03

After reading your introduction I think we're lucky you're in!

Welcome aboard and I hope you have a great time here. Lots of GPS enthusiasts here, don't forget to search for the threads before you create your own!

Sam

tsk1979 · 27th October 2009, 00:26

Welcome!
Good to see another astro and GPS buff here.
BTW do you use stellarium? Do you also do astrophotography?

livyodream · 29th October 2009, 16:31

Hey good to see some who has similar interest. BTW, which telescope you are using. Are you into astro photograghy too?

Rehaan · 29th October 2009, 17:02

Interesting intro! Welcome aboard.

We have threads on :
- Telescopes
- GPS (tons of threads)
- Dentists/docs providing advice
- etc

Do look for them.

Have a great time here!
cya
R

Astrobufff · 2nd November 2009, 20:47

No I am not into Stellarium yet but I shall definately try since the Season is just unfolding.

I am into a beginner's 70mm diameter 700mm focal length refractor (Skyview 2) telescope from Starscope which is cheap, serviceable and fairly usable. I hope to someday head into a Smith Cassegrain or a Maksutov which there are loads of Tejraj's website. I am turning bifocal currently and that has thrown a spanner into my telescope plans.

Astrophotography is expensive, tedious and time consuming and demands that you be out in the remote areas at just the time when your wife and kid want you home. Yes, I am 42, married for 17 years and have a 14 year old who demands a lot of the time I could spend stargazing. Lets see if there are any telescopes that I can attach to my Fixed lens camera. I know you get a few for your bayonet mounts.

I am a bit into photography but my equipment is limited by the money it can generate (recover), indirectly in my case. I had owned an Olympus C2100UZ (now dead) and now own a Lumix FZ 50. Both have their strengths and limitations. But both give me a good, fast, long lens with an acceptable CCD that performed well in good light but a little weakly in poor light. Each camera I guess has its own niggles and we have to work our way around them.

Thanks for the welcome and I hope I dont let you great guys on this forum down.

26th October 2009, 11:44	#1
Astrobufff Newbie Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10 Thanked: 3 Times	Lucky to be in. It has been a pleasant surprise to be granted membership to this prestigious and knowledgeable forum after being denied for almost a year partly accounted to my lack of persistently trying. I am a practising Dental Surgeon in Mumbai with a passion for cars and motorcycles. My hobbies are a long list with interest in them peaking and waning periodically according to the availability of free time. As an excited, aspiring, amateur astronomer trying to find the exotic in the sky and struggling badly to find anything significant from my window, I found my telescope being increasingly trained from the stars in the sky to the "stars in the neighbourhood." This was till I chanced upon a simple way of finding what I wanted by way of a simple freeware on the net. The hobby waned but the nickname stuck. Thus was "Astrobufff" born. My other significant hobby is in the field of GPS. I owned a Garmin GPS handheld way before compatible mapping was available. This renderred it absolutely mandatory for me to learn how to compile floating maps on my own. What started as a hobby, morphed into a free service that I render to those in need. Anyone in need of a self compiled, floating, non-routing map for specific unmapped areas can freely approach me with their data and they shall be obliged gratis. Cars driven : Premier Padmini S1 Wagon R Type 1 Plenty of Two wheelers have been owned owing to the practicality and ease of finding a parking in the heart of Mumbai. I fear that if the current traffic patterns sustain for a few years, it shall be be virtually impossible to drive in the city on working days. My greetings to this knowledgeable fraternity for the New Year. Astrobufff.
	() Thanks

26th October 2009, 12:03	#2
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,997 Thanked: 2,378 Times View My Garage	After reading your introduction I think we're lucky you're in! Welcome aboard and I hope you have a great time here. Lots of GPS enthusiasts here, don't forget to search for the threads before you create your own! Sam
	() Thanks

27th October 2009, 00:26	#3
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,825 Times View My Garage	Welcome! Good to see another astro and GPS buff here. BTW do you use stellarium? Do you also do astrophotography?
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 16:31	#4
livyodream BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: blr-manipal Posts: 557 Thanked: 151 Times	Hey good to see some who has similar interest. BTW, which telescope you are using. Are you into astro photograghy too?
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 17:02	#5
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,042 Thanked: 34,073 Times	Interesting intro! Welcome aboard. We have threads on : - Telescopes - GPS (tons of threads) - Dentists/docs providing advice - etc Do look for them. Have a great time here! cya R
	() Thanks

2nd November 2009, 20:47	#6
Astrobufff Newbie Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10 Thanked: 3 Times	No I am not into Stellarium yet but I shall definately try since the Season is just unfolding. I am into a beginner's 70mm diameter 700mm focal length refractor (Skyview 2) telescope from Starscope which is cheap, serviceable and fairly usable. I hope to someday head into a Smith Cassegrain or a Maksutov which there are loads of Tejraj's website. I am turning bifocal currently and that has thrown a spanner into my telescope plans. Astrophotography is expensive, tedious and time consuming and demands that you be out in the remote areas at just the time when your wife and kid want you home. Yes, I am 42, married for 17 years and have a 14 year old who demands a lot of the time I could spend stargazing. Lets see if there are any telescopes that I can attach to my Fixed lens camera. I know you get a few for your bayonet mounts. I am a bit into photography but my equipment is limited by the money it can generate (recover), indirectly in my case. I had owned an Olympus C2100UZ (now dead) and now own a Lumix FZ 50. Both have their strengths and limitations. But both give me a good, fast, long lens with an acceptable CCD that performed well in good light but a little weakly in poor light. Each camera I guess has its own niggles and we have to work our way around them. Thanks for the welcome and I hope I dont let you great guys on this forum down.
	() Thanks