Physopto

Six ! 😀🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

Cheeky so and so! But I don't expect any thing else 🤣 Well begrudgingly, that makes 5 🖐️ Derek

4 of us then 👍👍👍👍

No number set. We will just have to see how it goes. If the site field has to be closed, then the hard standing is available. But ultimate decision is Lesley's. I am just hoping it all turns out well for us all. As I said earlier we can't get there until the 23rd as the van is occupied until then. Lesley may be amenable to tents at edge of hard standing I don't know at present. As long as cars are not driven onto the field if it is sodden. Usually there are not great numbers at the February event, we will just have to suck it and see. I will get updates from Lesley as soon as it becomes reasonable to do so. I hope that those wishing to attend get in touch with Lesley at the earliest, so that at least some numbers are available to us to plan ahead. Then I will post the results for everyone to see. I will be there anyway as long as I am able to. Spent the last week in bed as can't walk at present. Slow improvement so again suck it and see. Derek

Be good to see you and Christina.🤔 Don't forget the cakes 🤣 Derek

Yes I can see what you are saying. I had Lead Acid for several years until the shear weight and short lifetime put me off. Whatever LeadAcid batteries quote as capacity can be halved in real use. On top of that they do not like being discharged and loose their charge holding capabilities very quickly. I paid a heck of a lot for my LiFePo4 40Ah batteries. But it was worth it in the end. I am always amazed by the amount people will spend on a scope or mount, but then cut corners on the other just as important items needed. If you want to image on battery power, do not scimp on the other essentials. I take it that you want a battery for either safety or off site reasons. If not you can go down the power supply and RCD route. Whatever you decide best of luck. It is an expensive hobby and it sounds as though you are only at the start, it gets more expensive as the more you are hooked. 😀 Derek

I have never had a dome, it is a wish for when moved. But the most I manage to image in due to scope being wind blown is about 7/8 mph. After that I do see blurring in my images. But I would guess with a dome you may get up to 20 ish mph capability. It will depend upon seeing conditions. I.e. Moisture and particle content of the atmosphere. It would be interesting to hear from others who image using a dome.

It is only about 7Ah. So 12 volts at 2 amps, not really a viable life before it need recharging (3.5 hours). Not sure you are quite correct in your mounts needs. As you quote 2 amps, but surely that is only whilst slewing, the tracking I would assume is around 0.5 amps ? But for £150 it seems very expensive. Don't me wrong I have two LiFePo4 batteries and they are excellent. If you buy an underrated battery and are disappointed with its performance it will cost you more in the long run. I would go for a higher rated amperage capacity if you can afford it. Derek

I would suppose it would depend upon the dome manufacturers quality. If the wind is that bad then you will not be imaging anyway! Derek

Just an afterthought. I think there is a possibility of a vibrational movement in an image if a door to the observatory is shut hard or slammed as in by wind. This can be transferred to the scope and camera. But in general just be careful. You can always fill the pier if metal with sand and lead shot, if you do notice a problem. Derek

Try uninstalling your web browser completely. Reboot and reinstall but without any virus or firewall protection. Be careful obviously download the installation software before dissabling any protection. Reinstall whilst disconnected from the web. Then try going to the Pixinsight website and see what happens before restarting the virus/firewall. Derek

If you are not mixing the concrete make sure they actually put in enough fibres. Problem with the fibres and premix is they don't like doing it. The fibre mix clings to there machinery causing a headache to clean out. So some "suppliers" will either refuse, or if they do it, will basically put in short of the minimum, just so it looks like there are fibres in the mix. It is a job for self mix and pour really. The base I did took me two days to mix and pour. I also forgot to mention I used a waterproofing additive as well, called Sika 1. It is not cheap at around £50 for the 4/5 litres but very effective. If you use it be careful as I believe now they do a cheaper one but not as good. Derek

I know the usual thing/thinking is to isolate the mount from the observatory base, but is it really necessary ? At star parties I image with the mount on grass or on hard standing. People walk all around at various times and I have never had a problem with any vibrations affecting images. At home I have built a solid concrete base without any isolation between the mount pier base and the observatory base. It is an unfinished project as we are trying to sell up and move house. I have tried imaging on the tripod base on top of the concrete and not seen any problems in the images. It may be different if you are using a long focal length scope. We do have a very solid sub base around our house so any lorry passing can be felt and heard. But no visual problems seem to occur. I am including a photo of my observatory base. It was a Koi pond and is about 5 feet deep. It was filled with chinmey breast/rubble from our house renovations. Then a base of 8" concrete with fibre and steel reinforcement poured on top. The outside wall is the original pond wall with a cut out for the door. Under the wall is a 15" deep by 24" ring of the same concrete mix with reinforcement as in the base. In the centre is buried a 5 foot deep by 2.5 foot upturned water barrel filled with the same reinforced concrete mix and a plastic water pipe for electrics just under the surface. So in all a very substantial/heavy base. It was what I did at the time knowing I suffered from no vibrational problems. It is your choice what you do but be aware it could be hell to fix if you make an error and costly. Using reinforced concrete properly mixed and of the correct proportions in the mix, you can expect no cracks so I would forget that worry. Derek

Great to hear you are booking up for the Spring Star Camp Hadyn. I cannot get there for the start as the van is booked until the 23rd but there for that night onwards. So at least we will get to chat. Hope you and Christina had a nice Christmas and New Year. At present laid up in bed. Done my back in somehow! Can't walk at present and really bored stiff. Anyhow hope the weather plays ball and we get many other happy astronomers there as well. Derek

Excellent, well so far that's three of us. 🔭🔭🔭

Hi Adrian, Yes Mike is a bit under the weather at present. But he should be him self shortly with any luck. Maybe been over doing the work in his house ?? He does not like stopping Weather is bad all over from what I have read. We will just have to suck it and see what happens. I hope regular attendees are not put off from booking up at the spring star camp, because as you will appreciate things can change quite quickly and the site dries out fast. Hoping for a good turn out. Derek

Hello everyone, I have pleasure in announcing the dates for the Autumn 2020 Star Camp below. The Galloway Autumn Star Camp 2020 will be held from Wednesday 14th to the Sunday 18th (inclusive) October. Some new data for those interested! Moon Phases for October 2020. See here the moon phases, like the full moon, new moon for october 2020 in Kirkinner, Newton Stewart DG8 9AW, UK. Full Moon October 2020 Moon phase details for Thursday, October 1, 2020 • Moon Phase: Full Moon - 22:06:55 ↓ • Illumination: 100% • Moon Age: 14.64 days • Moon Angle: 0.49 • Moon Distance: 404,141.484 km • Moonset: 06:28:30 • Moonrise: 19:22:37 • Sun Angle: 0.53 • Sun Distance: 149,712,822.583 km • Sunrise: 07:19:58 • Golden Hour Ends: 08:08:03 • Sunset: 18:57:57 • Golden Hour Starts: 18:09:51 • Length of day: 11h 37m 59ss The New Moon is on the Friday 16th October. We are hoping to once again have the Pie and Peas Night date to suite the attendees, site owners and prevailing weather, but probably Saturday as on prevoius camps. Please arrange attendance early with Lesley so as not to be disappointed. Those wishing to attend early or stay longer can do so by the usual arrangements with Lesley or Ralph at http://www.drumroamin.co.uk/ I can't promise do everything as Mike did, but be assured I will answer any queries ASAP and when I become aware of questions. Best regard to all, Derek

Hi everyone. I have the pleasure of announcing the dates for the Spring (February) Galloway Star Camp. The Star Camp will be held at Drumroamin Camp Site in February between the Friday 21st and Wednesday the 26th. Weather dependant !!! Please Note These February dates are dependant upon the site being DRY enough!!! At present it is very wet and if it does not dry out unfortunately the Star Camp will be cancelled !!! Too much damage can and has be caused to the field by vehicle traffic when wet. The camp owner will make the final decision on this. These dates make a change from the usual Wednesday to the Sunday as in previous years. It is necessary due to circumstances beyond our control. These dates still contain a weekend so hopefully most can attend if at work during the week days. (The New Moon is on Sunday the 23rd February.) Mike has now given up his roll in organising the camp after 10 years at the helm. At present he is not too well with a bad chest infection, so I am certain we all wish him well. I will organise this camp and next October camp as well. Dates for the October Star Camp will be posted shortly. I forgot, please contact Lesley or Ralph at www.drumroamin.co.uk to book a pitch as ususal. My best wishes to everyone and for the New Year, hope you all had a great Christmas. Derek

It is so frustrating that when most on SGL are getting excited about a meteor shower, I can never see any, as the light pollution is so bad here in the North East. Orange skies mostly, or if the local school has its sports ground lit then the sky is a mixture of orange and a bright blue/white cone. extending way up over our heads. Derek

I could never figure out why the NEQ6 that I had, did not have a power protection circuit. When I first bought the mount it failed the very first time it was connected to its own mains power unit. I had it repaired and then it never failed again. But I was always aware that it could happen. The instructions only said that the LED would flash at different rates depending upon what was happening, i.e. low voltage or at the point of dire failure. Poor design really. The newer mounts obviously are slightly different but the Flashing LED, would for me, be a serious warning to be heeded. I use LiFePo4 batteries now but on a different setup. As I said very expensive, but I need the lower weight and greater Ah capacity. If your system works OK on the mains adapter, you could check the voltage and current when the mount is working. That way you can establish a starting point to work from. You can buy at a reasonable cost an in line current and voltage meter. https://www.amazon.co.uk/VIPMOON-Analyzer-Precision-Digital-Battery/dp/B01M05Q1U4. Then you can test everything to see what is happening to the voltage and current whilst you mare running the mount. So when the LED starts flashing you will have a visual indication of the exact voltage and currents being supplied. This may give an indication if the mount is at fault or that the battery unit is failing too early. Derek

Problem with lead acid batteries is in the charging !!! Safety safety safety....... There are far too many accidents whilst charging because either people forget that these batteries emit hydrogen gas once the battery voltage goes over around 12.4 volts. Don't forhet they require the bartery voltage to rise to between 14.4/8 volts on average to be fully charged, it depends upon type of lead acid. It is far safer to use a totally sealed lead acid or a LiFePo4 type battery. There are plenty of discussions here on SGL about costs of the different types and the merits/problems of each type. To give an idea:-- To me it is safety first. Lead acid, heavy, unsafe if not looked after properly, but cheap. Rated Ah is not accurate and gets less as the temperature drops, so poor in cold climates, about half the rated capacity. Sealed lead acid, slightly more costly, but much safer. Rated capacity is same ordinary as lead acid. LiPo4 costly but not as safe as LiFePo4. LiPo4 these are the type that can go on fire, ( water will not put them out but will make the fire much worse, possible explosion). But you will get virtually the full rated capacity in current. LiFePo4 very safe but very costly. You will get almost the full rated capacity in current. ( down to about 5%) Lastly lead acid current capacity will deteriorate with use quickly if not kept on trickle charge at all times. You cannot use a car battery in place of the leisure type as they will fail much sooner. Expect only 3/5 years out of a lead acid on average. LiFePo4 types can be charged up to several thousand times, averaging say between 1200 to 2500 charges depending upon make. Some even more times. Expect hopefully 10 plus years! They do not require to be charged after each use unless almost fully discharged. In the end it come down to available funds, what lifetime you will get in reality and how safe you wish to be. Derek

Thanks for that, just watched it. Derek

It will depend upon what drain current is being taken by the mount, what the battery size is in ampere hours, how long your power lead is to the mount, what cross section area your power leads are and lastly what temperature your battery is operating at. Are you slewing often or just occasionally? Tracking takes much less power than slewing. You may find that in the first instance keeping the battery in a warm enclosure extends the battery life before the mount led starts flashing. A flashing LED does indicate a low voltage, but more to worry about is the mount electronics. A circuit designed to work at say 12 volts and taking 2 amps equates to 24 VA or watts. the same circuit if supplied with 11 volts will take more current to achieve the same power. 24/11= 2.182 amps. So the circuit heats up more. It is not unknown for circuit components to burn out for this very reason. If the LED flashes STOP. If all fails resort to a larger battery to test how things go. But you should check what current the mount is drawing. If larger than the manufacturers specifications get the mount checked out! Derek

Well I suppose that now there will be a market potential for replacement parts manufacture and businesses willing to repair these scopes. There are a lot of them out there. Derek

I stopped buying any of their gear years ago and I would think that many others have done the same! I know of people who sent their telescope gear back to be repaired by Meade, but had waited for many months without any word as to how long the repair would take. Then found out that Meade were awaiting broken scopes to strip out the spare parts for the repairs. It may be true but I took that as a sign of their imminent demise. Derek