I have visited here a few times now, but have not yet managed to catch a show.

 

 

To help ensure you capture everything, please visit our Facebook page V.A.L then like the page and request notifications.  When each broadcaster goes live they can share this information to our Facebook page and you will then be notified.  You can also register with the forum here and request notififcations for Live Broadcasts.

 

How often do channels broadcast?

 

This is rather difficult to answer really, but we should point out that                             all broadcasters are amateur astronomers and this is their hobby.  Most would be on 24-7 if they could, but are restricted by many factors, most commonly weather as well as time.  Sometimes they have the time but not the weather or worse, they have the weather but not the time!  They may also have the weather and the time but are having technical issues with part of their vast setup…                                       Welcome to amateur video astronomy.

 

It is also worth noting that Video Astronomy Live is a brand new site and will need some time to build momentum.  In time, as more and more broadcasters take part, the chances of catching a show will naturally increase.

 

How do I know when a channel is live?

 

If a channel is live you will see this on the channels page.  When offline, each channel tv on the channel page will show their splash image.  When live, you will no longer see the splash page, but whatever channel is broadcasting.  If so, simply click on the tv and it will take you to that particular channel where you can enjoy the show and participate in the chat!

 

The chat box login is requesting access to my contacts.

 

If you login with Facebook, Yahoo or others Chatwing will request this information.  We have not experienced any issues with this thus far, but you can also login as a guest if you are concerned.  You will not be asked for anything as a guest and can choose a name and avatar.

 

I cannot see all the names of those chatting in the chat box.

 

This will depend on which browser each visitor is using.  Those using Google Chrome will see each other and the same if several are using IE.  However, you can still all chat you just won’t see each other in the list unless you all use the same browser.  This is something we are looking into.

 

Sometimes, when I visit a channel page the chat box is not there.

 

This does happen from time to time and especially when changing channels frequently.  However, this is very simple to resolve – right click the page you are on and re-load.

 

I am interested in trying out video astronomy, where can I buy a camera?

 

As a good all round starter Cam we would highly reccomend the GPCAM from Altair. However, there are many good suppliers of video astronomy cameras and the following few would be a good place to start your search:

 

 

 

 

I am interested in learning more about video astronomy.

 

We will soon be adding a new section all about video astronomy but for now we would highly reccomend a visit to Steve Massey's Astronomy Pages!

 

       Steve Massey's Video Astronomy Pages