Cloudy Nights Admin Team

[Kitch101]

I can understand your frustration and anger at their manner of running the show. I see their administrators and moderators openly pushing certain brands of scopes in various threads yet I have had threads deleted, locked and amended merely for mentioning the word ISTAR. I have taken them to task over PMs they have sent to me and each time their reaction has been the same ' we the moderators have discussed this and feel it is product pushing' The very next day David Pavlich was posting comments saying exactly the same thing about a brand that Astronomics do sell. When I questioned that i was told to 'take it up with David'.

I find their admin and moderators are more or less puppets of whoever owns Astronomics.

Without the competition from companies like Istar, I feel that these guys would all have to accept the quality control that GSO, LP et al find sufficient. They sell scopes to unsuspecting buyers with scratches, fingerprints,dust and dirt on objectives and feel it is ok to do so.

No need to apologise ..... and yes we all know those 2 or 3 on CN who have opinions about everything, in fact with the amount of time they spend making tens of thousands of posts, I doubt they ever actually look through their scope. I call them " Astronomers by Proxy "

[rgm]

Mike, it is too bad about your situation. As you stated, it all comes down to business and Istar is not part of the Astronomics business plan. On the bright side, there are a few Istar threads that have survived and are doing well.

[woaussie]

Looking at CN right now in the refractor section there is an ISTAR 150mm F/10 Achromat thread started 08/17/13 and is still alive?? Something is wrong.

[bn1777]

Well that is so sad for them but as said its the way the refractor forum has become , a place where a few have all the wisdom and the rest of us have our posts edited every time we try and speak out ( Ive had many amended/deleted over the last year) about the merits of Istar and other refractors out there trying to make a go of it .
I personally like pushing the few know-it all's there and have been warned more than once to cut it out ,,, but they and their rightous talk goes on un-abated time and time again , you know who I mean .
I have not posted there for a while because of this and Its their loss as I know I am not alone on this ,, fools ! .
All the best Mike and I might wade it there with all guns blazing later on today just to stir the pot a bit .
Brian.

[Kitch101]

I quizzed their Admin recently about the thread on Astro Physics scopes that went on and on, I asked if it was product pushing, apparently not.
It really is such a shame that their attitudes are controlled along the 'Astronomics' line. Surely they can see that having a company like Istar around who can supply high quality refractors and more importantly objectives in cell, is a big bonus to the hobby in general.

They carry on about D&G etc but try ordering one, see how long it takes to get a lens.

It is a sign of the times, in the 70s and 80s when I was involved in this obsession, we would have loved to have someone like Istar around to produce these lenses. The younger people in the hobby have no understanding of how well off they are today. Most of the scopes in use today would have cost your first-born as well as a kidney and your left arm to own.

The unfortunate thing is that there are many reasonable, prudent and incredibly knowledgeable people on CN but they have decided wisely to enjoy the hobby rather than spend all their time posting nonsense like some of those with 10,000 posts (of mostly drivel)

There is one person who professes to have owned almost every scope anyone cares to mention, as well as every eyepiece and mount. I take his views with a grain of salt these days.

[jpb30]

It is really pitiful!!!!

I don't understand this politics of CN

[Mike]

Hello All, While I am still upset about my permanent banishment at CN, many of my past comments were written in haste and anger. I do tend to write with emotion in the heat of the moment. I should let things settle for a few days before posting. Most of the moderators in the refractor forum have something against Istar. What? I don't know. But calling them "blundering idiots" was very unprofessional. While I think strong prejudice is there most of them are knowledgeable and experienced amateur astronomers. I don't want to be known for my bitter outbursts. There are too many angry people in the world as it is. So, for the CNers I have offended I sincerely apologize. From this point on I will try to keep a "handle" on my emotions. For the most part CN is a valuable asset to the astronomical community. I'm sure maintaining that forum is a considerable expense to Astronomics. Keeping it up and running for all these years is a sign of sacrifice and generosity.

Mike Harden