Section 1 of the ATM List FAQ
Basics, Info, and Rules

Document Table of Contents

	Master Table of Contents
	Section 1: Basics, Info, and Rules (You are here) Please read this entire section of the FAQ.      1.0 Introduction      1.1 ATM Mailing List Resources      1.2 List Rules      1.3 Subscribing / Unsubscribing
	Section 2 Telescope making
	Section 3 Mirror making
	Section 4 Supplies and vendors
	Section 5 References, information, clubs
	Section 6 Glossary of a few ATM terms
	Section 7 Pronunciation of "famous" names and terms
	Section 8 Updates, list maintenance, and miscellaneous stuff (copyrights, liability statement)

 

1.0: Introduction

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The ATM mailing list is a gathering of amateur telescope makers made possible through the email system. Members of the list generally engage in one or more aspects of telescope and accessory making. For example, you will find people who grind their own mirrors, build telescopes using purchased or "home-made" optics, build drives or correctors, build CCD cameras, and more.

The ATM mailing list allows these individuals to exchange ideas, seek or provide help with problems, and to further the hobby of telescope making. You do not need to be an expert to join in. In fact, most of the list members are "lurkers" who read a lot and post little so that they can learn and gain encouragement to tackle their dream projects. The members of the ATM list are generally very helpful and very friendly. In fact, we feel this is the friendliest gathering of individuals on the 'Net.

The ATM mailing list is available in "normal" and digest form. See section 1.3 for information on joining the list.

This FAQ will help to answer some of the more common questions beginners have about making their own telescopes. It also describes the ATM Mailing list, the list's rules, and resources available for telescope makers. This FAQ by no means intends to provide you instructions on how to build your telescope or optics. For that, there are many good books (see section 4).

1.1: ATM Mailing list resources

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Resource		Description and link
Subscribing/Unsubscribing		To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the ATM Mailing list, see section 1.3.
Archives		Archives of messages sent to the ATM list (in a searchable, Web-based format) are stored at http://astro.umsystem.edu/atm/.
Digests on the Web		Text file versions of the previous month's ATM digests (each a compilation of a day's worth of emails to the ATM list) are available at http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~mbartels/atm-digest/.
List Owner		Mel Bartels (mbartels@efn.org) is the list administrator. Problems with the list only should be directed to him.
Archives Administrator		Andy Steere (andy@www.system.missouri.edu) is the administrator of the ATM List Archives. Problems with the archives only should be directed to him.
FAQ Locations		The ATM List FAQ can be found in HTML format at http://www.jacksonville.net/~dcass. This document is mirrored in the United Kingdom by Stephen Tonkin at http://www.aegis1.demon.co.uk/faq/atm-faq.htm. The FAQ is also mirrored on the ATMSite at http://www.atmsite.org
FAQ Administrator		Dan Cassaro (dcass@attbi.com) is the FAQ maintainer. Problems or corrections to the FAQ only should be directed to him.
Sending a message to the list		The ATM list is a member's only group: only members can post messages to the list. If you are a member, you can post messages to the list by sending mail to atm@shore.net. Non-members, please join first.
The ATM Association		The ATMA is a world-wide assocation of telescope makers. Benefits of membership include a subscription to the ATM Journal. Visit their web site at: http://www.atmjournal.com/.

1.2: ATM List Rules

 

	Keep postings on-topic - you are expected to keep your postings within the range of expected topics. Follow these guidelines: It is proper netiquette to monitor a list for several days or even a week or two to see what goes on, what the customs are, the level of discussion, etc. Please do that before making your first post to the list. Acceptable topics include: mirror making, telescope and mount making, accessory construction (drives, eyepieces, and so forth), camera and CCD making, locating suppliers, optics testing, and so forth. Unacceptable topics include: observing, observation reports, selling or soliciting, commercial telescopes or systems (unless you're talking about modifying, adding to, etc.), and so forth. Here's a note from the list owner specifying some topics that are and are not acceptable. Please use your best judgement.
	Keep quoted text to a minimum - when responding to other member's messages, do not repeat their entire message as part of your note. Quote only relevant sections of their message. Delete all other text of their message. (Some members pay on a per-byte basis. When you quote the entire previous note, you increase participation costs for these members.)
	Make subject headers accurate - please make your subject headers concise and accurate. If the thread of conversation shifts, please adjust the subject line accordingly.
	Keep your signature brief - Signatures (those lines at the end of your email message telling us who you are) should be no more than 3 or 4 lines long. Any more than that is inconsiderate and annoying. One list member's signature block is over 20 lines long! Come on, do you really think we need to know your department's mission statement on the ATM list?!
	Consideration - always be considerate of the other members on the list. Remember, you are speaking to real people here, not computers. Also, this is a very international list. Avoid bias, racial or ethnic slurs, country-oriented jokes, and so forth.
	Profanity - Generally, the use of profanity is not acceptable on this list.
	Spamming - Spamming, postings of advertisements, and so forth are not tolerated on this list.
	Message contents - Please post only text (ASCII) messages to the list. Do not post MIME or HTML encoded messages or include graphics, either as attachments or UUENCODED text, in your messages to the list. For more information, read the document on MIME/HTML/UUENCODING. If you want graphics with your messages, please put your graphics on a web page and mail the URL to the list. You can mail graphics to the Archives Administrator for inclusion in the Archives.

The ATM list represents one of the friendliest gathering of individuals on the 'Net. No one has yet been asked to leave the list for poor conduct. Please help maintain the friendly, helpful nature of the group.

1.3 Subscribing and unsubscribing