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SGL5 - Aka shiverfest :-)

NickH

By NickH
in SGL 5 The aftermath

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NickH

NickH

Posted
Posted

So...lessons learnt from SGL5

1: Don't turn up to a field in Hereford in April with a tent designed for Glastonbury or Reading Festival...you get cold... very very cold

2: Don't bring an experimental DSO setup that is completely untested and expect all to work (it all did barring one dew band and the DSI-III)

3: Don't drink lots of coffee when the toilet is 800yds walk away..

4: Don't look through a 20" dob, as it will cost you £5K

Friday

Arrived about 6:30, set up at the far end (tent went up in 10 seconds flat, but suffered for it...) whipped out the F15 Skylight and enjoyed some nice views of bugs flying over the nearby houses...then Moon, Venus (wobbly!) and Saturn (nice!)

My mate from work turned up and we did a tour around the whole field, everyone was so so so amazing (steve L, Kev etc etc) so thank you guys so much for your time to show my mate your kit and scopes. The view with the 20" was simply amazing

Fog rolled in around 2-3 am...and I was frozen solid by 4am... :-)

Saturday daytime

312GB of Solar AVi's...mainly with the PST80 , SV50 was loaned out and the Lunt LS60 also delivered some very good views, I will be processing those up soon too...will probably be the best LS60 images ever seen. :-) (lol)

Evening/night viewing

Attempted to get the DSI-III imaging, and it failed. Tried a range of extension tubes on the WO66...NG..

Reverted to plan B, used Emily Baldwins new EOS10D and went wide field for an hour or so until the dew band died..so just enjoyed the night...had a beer, and chatted to people, had more staggering views of comets and globulars through the 20" with a lovely young and drunk couple who turned up... went to bed in my car very happy at around 3am

What was nice for me though was the general vibe and awesome company. Everyone was really nice..I'd ummed and agghed about not even going after recent events, but people can and do change...and people's apologies for untoward things meant a lot...so bridges were built again...and all is well

All in all a great event, made very special by the people of SGL

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lulu57

lulu57

Posted
Posted
So...lessons learnt from SGL5

1: Don't turn up to a field in Hereford in April with a tent designed for Glastonbury or Reading Festival...you get cold... very very cold

Poor, poor, poor Nick. :D

Would it be cruel to mention that the fan heater in our campervan kept me so warm and cosy, I had to stick my foot out of the duvet to cool down...? :D

Astronut Ian nearly froze in his tent on Thursday night, but luckily he has a lovely girlfriend who bought him a hot water bottle in Hereford on Saturday.

Hope you've warmed up by now, Nick! :)

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robbieince

robbieince

Posted
Posted

Wusses!!!!!!!!

At kielder this spring it got down to minus 11.6.

But it does tend to mean the moisture drops out of the air and stops the fog being too much of a problem.

Shame I couldn't come - sounds like an excellent star party with good skies and great people - maybe next time.

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TheThing

TheThing

Posted
Posted

Ground sheet, bedroom ground sheet, foam camping mat, blow up lilo, one half of kingsize duvet under me, sleeping bag, other half of kingsize duvet on top - toastie!

Sorry you suffered with the cold Nick. The temperature did drop quite a bit at night, but at least it doesn't seem to have dampened (frozen?) your enthusiasm!

Great to read your report, thanks for sharing.

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RichieJarvis

RichieJarvis

Posted
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Hehehe - I did spare a thought for Nick in his kiddie tent! He looked cold :D Was snoring too!

Good write up Nick - it was fun... I think the funniest thing was me and Stephen Green getting rained on in my tent when I turned the fan heater on - all the ice on the roof melted!

Playing with teh SV50 was a dream - want one! You talk about wanting a 20" dob Nick - how cruel was it to hand me a scope like that to image the Sun with!!!

All good though... Just makes the want list longer....

Cheers,

Richie

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mdstuart

mdstuart

Posted
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My glastonbury tent was cold too! My boys tent was toasty and warm...I hid some of those hand warmers in my coat but nobody noticed...

Things I have learnt..

Bring children to these parties. My 8 year old now wants a scope...

Even a 130mm scope gives fine views of M81/2.

Pleidies through binoculars can rival any view..

The names of 72 stars!

Mark ( the one who was hidding away at the corner of the site)

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adamsp123

adamsp123

Posted
Posted

I took along an electric heater, but alas only one extension lead, so it was image and freeze or just keep warm and to h*ll with the imaging. I stoically carried on imaging only getting nice and toasty in the early hours, it was hard though on my thin southern blood.

I will have an extra lead a Salisbury and a stand up tent, I am really to old for crawling around in a itsy bitsy tent.

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Tim

Tim

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I said to the Mrs that I was wondering how you kept warm in that little tent Nick! Being able to get warm quickly is one of the best things about the caravan at SPs. And the comfy beds of course. And the fridge and minibar.

Thanks for sharing your solar setup again, made me even more determined to do the PST mod.

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albedo0.39

albedo0.39

Posted
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I simply could not sleep on Friday night - it was just too cold for me by a long long way. Ice on the tent by Midnight (I thought I had imagined it ) but it was even worse by 2:30am.

slept in completely the wrong gear, despite the hat on my head - was just too cold.

However, Kev (beyond vision) came to the rescue and loaned me a fan heater (quite why that didn't occur to me to bring one, is still a mystery) and by 7:00pm on Sturday, this little beauty was warming up the underside of my bed a treat

By 2:30, my inner tent was like a sauna - perfect

Question for all the hardened campers out there. My bed is one of those frame and canvas jobbies that keeps you off the ground. Are they colder / warmer than an airbed ? Is an airbed the warmest thing around ?

Thanks

S

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mat1t

mat1t

Posted
Posted

Having also endured the serious frost of Kielder Starcamp this spring, I found the best tent sleeping survival rig.....double hotwater bottle, one for the feet & one for the bod. Oh & earplugs a definite if u want to sleep & stay alive. ;)

mat

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m.tweedy

m.tweedy

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I

Question for all the hardened campers out there. My bed is one of those frame and canvas jobbies that keeps you off the ground. Are they colder / warmer than an airbed ? Is an airbed the warmest thing around ?

Thanks

S

both are cold. I suggest you invest in either a self inflating camp mat to put under them as they are normally insulated, or do as I do and put some of the silver foil type stuff you normally put behind radiators.

26805.jpg

This reflects the heat back up to you and the cold down where it belongs. It really does work. It was a tip I was told by someone who camped on glaciers (not ones in Iceland) when he was mapping them.

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RikM

RikM

Posted
Posted

Question for all the hardened campers out there. My bed is one of those frame and canvas jobbies that keeps you off the ground. Are they colder / warmer than an airbed ? Is an airbed the warmest thing around ?

Thanks

S

I had an airbed and I froze. I used to walk and camp on Dartmoor in all seasons many moons ago and I used a foiled foam camp mat and never had a problem with the cold. Unfortunately, I have no idea where it is now.

Rik

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