Physopto

I am truly sorry to hear this bit of bad news. Still better safe than sorry! Also glad you have booked for the Spring Star Camp. Hopefully it will be a corker! Derek

Now that's braw !

Hi Ian, That was a great result. Just shows the generosity of all attendees to the Star Camp. So which "Tight A****" only paid £2 🤣 Derek

Hi everyone, Hopefully this will be the last update concerning the "Autumn Premier Scottish Star Party" next week. I have again spoken at some length with the site owner Lesley. The site is a bit wet due to the past weather, but is shut at present to allow the grass recover and to settle down from constant vehicle and foot traffic. Drumroamin will open for us specifically next week barring any last minute Government orders. ( I have to reiterate all the rules to cover our backs, both the site owners, me and yourselves. ) This is not the usual Star Party. We are taking Covid-19 extremely seriously and can only use the camp site field with extreme care. a) Take plenty of face masks and use them at all times when around the camp site especially when closer than say 4/5 metres to others. Change your masks regularly and either wash them out in soap and water and allow to dry to be reused, or use fresh ones. If you dispose of them please do so safely, i.e. in a tied plastic bag in a bin. b) Never come closer than 2 metres to anyone outside your own family members/group at any time, for any reason. c) Take plenty of your own supplies of Hand Sanitiser and use it liberally as and when required. d) Lesley has restricted the washroom / ablution blocks to no more than 3 people at any time. ( So please, for your own safety and that of others please call out when entering to ensure that you keep to this maximum number at any time ). Bear in mind that Water Spray is aerosoled and can travel some considerable distance indoors. ( The ablution blocks will be shut several times each day for deep cleaning, please do not enter during these times !! ) e) The Warm Room is closed and will remain so, so please do not ask for it to be opened, it won't be! f) If you need to talk to the site owner Lesley, do so at the office door and please do not enter unless she asks you to do so. Please remember The Scottish Government has banned gatherings…… This is not a gathering!!! This is a commercial Caravan / Motorhome and Camping Site, and is following The Scottish Governmental Covid -19 Restriction rules and Law ! In an open 5 acre field, we can talk to one another at 3,4,5 metres distance without problems. Remember there are to be no close interactions of any kind, period! When arriving you must, MUST see Lesley, who will then inform you as to where you are allowed to park a motorhome or erect a tent. Spacing is all important! Please do this or you will be moved !! Please abide by Lesley's decisions at all times. Remember as I pointed out before, if we follow the rules, we will be a lot safer than being in any Pub, Restaurant or a chance meeting in the street. Following these guide lines is for you, your families and other Star Party attendees safety, and especially that of our hosts well being. Finally Ta' Daah !!!! Stay safe and enjoy the night skies ! It will be great to see and chat to you all, old friends and new. Derek

Sorry to hear that Adrian. Hope you are well. I am glad you have booked for the Spring event. Derek

I took thousands of tons out to the rigs during the 80's. Used for the drilling. That and Barite and Cement.

I have carried thousands of tons of Bentonite over the years. Bet you paid through the nose as well. 🤣 Derek

Wimp !!

🤔 Macallan Gold would keep any thing away, got ta be the worst expression ever from Macallan! 🤣

Tight so and so! Trust a Scott ta go fer a cheap blend. Single malt, at least, (Macallan Gold)😂

Well with the new Covid-19 restrictions announced today by the Government for the North East, I will have to see how things pan out. I will update everyone closer to the start of the Star Camp, as it is pointless at present. The restrictions may be changed by then. Fingers crossed as Damian says. Stay safe everybody. Derek

I guess you mean, dare I say it,............ 🥃 ALCOHOL 🥃 🤣

Many years ago my Meade hand controller had a similar problem. I bought a product from the USA that repaired it perfectly. It was a conductive rubber paint. I can't remember it's name. Try looking for it on line. If it is a flexible rubber keypad have a look at this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ8CsIp9bp0 Derek

Yes Jim, I am expecting a fair bit of flack from two of our members, And I picked that term carefully 🤣 Derek

Hi everyone, I know that it has become a tradition of the Autumn Star Camp, BUT !! It is with great regret I have to inform every one that the Pie and Peas Night is cancelled. I have looked at it very carefully and consider it virtually impossible to implement the "Pie and Peas Night" with safety in mind. The logistics of heating, and serving the meals without anyone coming into close contact whilst keeping the food hot and safe to consume is nigh on impossible. This is the main reason why the Pie and Peas Night is cancelled, to eliminate any chance of close contact! The other part : I cannot guarantee who has touched the pies and how Covid-19 secure their preparations were/are. Also how safely they are transported, (if the boxes are damaged or contaminated during transportation). I do not want be responsible in any way shape or form, for any chance of the spread of Covid-19. We will be in a large open field and I want it to stay that way well and I mean well separated from one another. The pitches are in adherence to Government directions for a Camp Site and are well over 5 metres apart so a good rule to measure every thing by. I am sure you will all understand, that we must maintain a safe Covid-19 secure distance from one another. This is not a sudden decision. I have been trying to come up with a safe method and failed miserably. We just need to try to think of all contingencies and either fix them, or cancel the Camp, that is something I am striving not to do. Stay Safe, Derek

A good few years ago I sold a Meade 12" LX200. I had marked it with a UV pen early on. When I went to sell it I tried to remove the marker data. But it was very difficult and would have damaged the paint surface. So it went to the new owner as was. If it was ever stolen and recovered I guess the marks would be still visible and it could be traced and returned. I may still have the buyers details somewhere. Derek

Expansion box !

Jim is right!!!! We need to act fast and nip this act of vandalism in the bud. Has as anybody seen either of these two suspected fellons? Wanted in relation to the illegal siting of a Giant Hearing Device on the Drumroamin Camp Site !! Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, Easily spotted as I believe they have some sort of large possibly and possibly noisy Nobel thingy ! If see in the area, please report it to Mrs L. Shell Drumroamin Camp Site 🤣

Was it you who convinced Lesley to install the latest distance listening device on the field then?

About 40 years ago I used to make quite a bit real ale, Stout was a favourite. Then one day I decided to see what would happen if I increased the sugar, errr a fair bit. Suffice to say when tried it nearly killed me. I ended up pouring it on the back garden and it killed the weeds. So good outcome in the end.

Hi everyone, I was not intending to post any information as yet, but some concerns have been expressed privately and on Facebook about the continuation of the Star Camp. Hence this important update. This is an important update message to all attending the Autumn 2020 Galloway Star Camp. Due to New Laws regarding the Covid restrictions, as the organiser I have to bear in mind that there is personal fine of up to £10,000 if we do not stick rigidly to the law. Hence the revised rules to be announced. Please read everything carefully. If you are NOT prepared to follow the rules and guidelines please cancel your bookings with the Camp Site owner NOW, there are plenty of people awaiting cancellations! We do not really know what will happen during this next month before the Galloway Star Camp is due to begin. When I know more details or things become a bit clearer I may have to post some revised rules to cover newer Covid-19 restrictions. The Scottish Government has said it intends to look again at the situation on the 1st of October and announce any changes around the 5th October. If I wait until then to post this it may well be far too late for attendees to either agree or change things. I can see that there can/may be any one of three possible outcomes that may be implemented on the 5th October 1) The law is changed to a more Draconian regime. i.e. possible result, complete cancellation of the Autumn 2020 Star Camp. This may escalate to affect the 2021 Spring Star Camp! 2) The present rules may stay the same as is, where we may continue with the inclusion of extra safety measures being implemented here. 3) A general relaxation of the rules back to the previous state where some greater degree of mixing outdoors/indoors is allowed. My guesses are: 1) Quite possible in present circumstances. 2) Most likely hopefully without any further additions. 3) Very unlikely in my estimation. I have taken over the reins at a very difficult time due to the Covid-19 outbreak and it is causing me some considerable worry and problems. Neither I, nor Lesley the camp site owner, can afford to break the law in any way. Lesley and her family’s livelihood/family finances depends upon more than our needs or wants. For Lesley, as a commercial Caravan/ Camper Van/Camp Site owner, we are a tiny proportion of her income for the year. But I do know we are a valued asset to her business. Many of us have become very friendly with Lesley and Ralph with good cause. We are very lucky to have such a welcoming person allowing us to hold a Star Camp without any general public access to the site during that period. We cannot afford to jeopardise this trust in any way!! Therefore, we must abide by, and here I urge everyone to act above and beyond the Law, in all respects in relation to the present restrictions. By that I mean in accordance with and respect any present Laws with regard to any of the 4 Nations of the UK. If the need arises I will post any changes to rules as and when. I have now spent many hours now in consultation with Lesley the Camp Site owner and we are and have agreed on all aspects concerning the upcoming Star Camp. I don’t want to teach granny to suck eggs, but I have to cover myself and the site owner legally. So here goes. a) Take plenty of face masks and use them at all times when around the camp site especially when closer than say 4/5 metres to others. Change them regularly and wash them out in soap and water and allow to dry to be reused. If you dispose of them please do so safely, i.e. in a tied plastic bag in a bin. (Here in my home town I am seeing dozens of wantonly discarded face masks in the streets.) b) Never come closer than 2 metres to anyone outside your own family members/group at any time, for any reason. c) Take plenty of your own supplies of Hand Sanitizer and use it liberally as and when required. d) I believe Lesley has restricted the washroom/ablution blocks to no more than 3 people at any time. (So please, for your own safety and that of others please call out when entering to ensure that you keep to this maximum number at any time). Bear in mind that Water Spray is aerosoled and can travel some considerable distance indoors. Following these guide lines is for you, your families and other Star Party attendees safety, and especially that of our hosts well being. e) The Warm Room is closed and will remain so, so please do not ask for it to be opened, it won't be! f) If you need to talk to the site owner Lesley, do so at the office door and please do not enter unless she asks you to do so. (Just a short while ago a customer entered the office without a mask and walked right up to Lesley not even considering either parties safety !). The Scottish Government has banned gatherings…… This is not a gathering!!! This is not the usual Star Party. We are taking Covid-19 extremely seriously and can only use the camp site field with extreme care. Remember there are to be no close interactions of any kind, period! We are in an open field and we can talk to one another at 3,4,5 metres distance without any problems. Even me as deaf as I am, OK, OK, I may have to ask people to repeat things 😊 It has to be remembered that any Star Party is better than NONE at all. Also, at most Scottish Star Parties at the Drumroamin Camp Site, we tend to be separated and each of us is busy on/in our own little world. So in reality not much difference there when actually thought about. The main differences are, we just cannot get together as a group in the Warm Room and have a good old natter and whiskey. The field is 5 acres in area, a considerable size and therefore we will be well spread out in the open air. When arriving you must, MUST see Lesley, who will then inform you as to where you are allowed to park a motorhome or erect a tent. Spacing is all important! You must do this or you will be moved. You must abide by Lesley's decisions at all times. It will be a lot safer for us than any Pub, Restaurant, or even any chance meeting in the street. We will be prepared and so by using common sense we will be safe. If we ignore the rules it very possibly will be the last if not the end of any future chances of the Premier Scottish Star Party continuing. I realize that this is LONG WINDED and completely alien to me, I apologise. I can only say it is for our protection and the future of our beloved Star Camps. I would dearly like to see us all celebrate the 20th Galloway Star Camp in the future. I wish everyone a great Star Camp and hope we may continue in the future. Derek

He He, wee tipple......................🤣 At least some of us tell the truth.......Not!

Are you hiring a TANKER then..................🤣

Just come across this line of inquiry. I would agree with those that list LiPo type batteries as being much better than Lead Acid. They are longer lasting and much safer if handled correctly. Of the LiPo types LiFePo4 are the safer type. These are slightly heavier but much safer again. Initial cost is always important but if you can afford them over time much cheaper. You will get 95% of the rated charge out of them as opposed to about 50% of the Lead Acid type. LiFePo4 types also don't mind being discharged below 50% whereas Lead Acid are notorious for being damaged by this deep discharge. I have recently come across a company selling 20Ah LiFePo4 batteries for about £120. Sounds a lot of money, but in comparison to the Halford's starter type you listed above much cheaper and a lot longer lasting. https://www.ksenergy.co.uk/store/product/model-ks-20-12v-20ah-lifepo4-lithium-leisure-battery I have just purchased a 120Ah caravan battery from them. It has not arrived as yet, but hopefully no problems with it. You can expect over 2000/5000 recharge cycles for this type of battery compared to Lead Acid's 200 approx recharges. You would also need a Lead Acid of about 35Ah to get the same power output as that of a 20Ah LiFePo4 battery. Lead Acid batteries have a very curved discharge graph of their output characteristics. So you can expect a quick drop from their full voltage of 126/8 volts to that of half charge at about 12.4 volts Whereas LiFePo4 batteries maintain over 12 volts until about 80% discharge. ( It does vary slightly, but not by much) This is very important if you are worried about the voltage at the mount. Derek PS. It is very important never to try to recharge a LiFePo4 or LiPo battery at or below ZERO Degrees C. It will severely damage the battery. But these batteries can be used between -20 deg C and 40 deg C without any problems.

Welcome back. Isn't it nice to get back to something you like and are interested in 😃 Derek