Alan White

The post person also brought a bit of kit that I have no idea how to use, but something to learn with.
I am hoping to have ago at radio detection using Graves Radio on Meteors.
Have to make or buy an aerial, get some software and make this work.....what could go wrong!

Having just got back from Holiday yesterday I have waded through the bills, post and goodies.

Purchased from ENS Japan Made ND13 Moon Filter 1 1/4. Just to see a bit more contrast once in a while.

The TV 32mm needs the eyeguard extender if you do not wear glasses when observing, otherwise you have to hover well above the EP, great eyepiece otherwise.

I had one, but returned it for the above reason a few years ago, replaced with Celestron Omni 32 which was good, but not as good as the TV one, then had the Vixen Plossl.  I wanted a Ultima or similar, but could not find one, were replaced with the Vixen LVW 22mm.

If I bought another 32mm it would be Ultima type.

3 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

Here is my wet Friday solution....

Is that making or drinking it David??

1 hour ago, maw lod qan said:

I enjoy baking, and yes no bread machine. After hearing a story about Russian black bread even had to give that a try once.

Mostly biscuits now, though I'm not sure if you call biscuits biscuits across the pond.

Isn't it amazing what amateur astronomers do on a rainy day.

Biscuits are indeed biscuits, thought they were Cookies your side of the pond.

Sitting watching birds on the Estuary as we pack up to come home from holiday.

The bird watching is the favourite option at present.

That bread baking has made me feel hungry 😋 

Great report Doug

My first ever TeleVue eyepiece was a used 20mm Plossl, it certainly impressed me, I ended buying a whole range of TV Plossl’s, then moved onto Naglers which I like a lot.

The GRS does come with experience and of course correct timing in observing when it is in view, the short Jovian Day of course helps in this.

13 hours ago, parallaxerr said:

Yes, I must exercise more patience. It's just typical that there are normally several on the market but now I'm looking, it's slim pickings!

You wait until you buy one Jon,

Loads will come up for sale the very next day!

Thank you for the answer John, much appreciated.

Very Interesting about the DSC being fragile, equally interesting that the Argo Navis is tougher.

The OOUK vx6 sounds a hit to me, used to love my SW150p f5 for much the same reason,

What wave mirror is your scope?

1 hour ago, Paul M said:

Great, When's launch date?

And do the empties return themselves?

Not in the early versions, but it will improve with practice......

@JG777 Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but....

What are your thoughts on this set up after some use, still a good / better job than a 4” refractor?

1 minute ago, parallaxerr said:

Hi Alan, yes I came across your comments in my searches......and realised you went back to a frac 😂

I did, then another Newtonian and now a refractor, sct and 10” dob.

Out of the lot the dob is easiest to sit at and use even though it is biggest of the lot.

Jon, at one point I had an AZ4 with a 150p that worked well.

However I did feel this was the limit for the mount.

21 minutes ago, George Jones said:

I have used one scope and three eyepieces for the last ten years.

It seems that compared many folks, I am a minimalist! That notwithstanding, my visual observing sessions mean more to me than I can express in words.

That is what my post was about George, glad simple works so well for you - does for me if I am honest.

The reality is I often use 3 eyepieces in any session at most anyways, sometimes just the one.

Sometimes it is all too easy to complicate things and take some of the pure fun away.

On 06/08/2019 at 12:44, Dragon_Astro said:

Trying to decide on a finder....

Telrad...

Rigel Quikfinder....

or Baader SkySurfer 3?

🤔

That is such a personal thing to decide upon,

I have both a Rigel and Telrad, of the two I prefer the Telrad in use,

but find the Rigel small footprint easier to locate on various scopes.

Bit late for the comment,

but it’s all Geek to me! 😂

Sometimes Phillip you don’t realise how well you and a scope work together until it has gone.

I have had two 150p f5 Newtonian, loved them both, observed loads, but sold them on each time for bigger, observed less each time after they have been sold, the ease of set up for the many shorter sessions and the comfort of sitting alongside a Alt Az mounted Newtonian is what made them the Goldilocks scope.

I went and sat on the holiday home patio and between broken thickening cloud saw a couple of Perseids, but cloud soon stopped play, typical Astro evening of late.

@John sometimes just owning the kit is satisfaction in itself.

My dear old Dad used to buy camera kit, take very few pictures, but sit and play with the kit for hours in his favourite armchair, gave him a great deal of satisfaction and me lots of amusement at the time, I know find myself doing the very same thing!

10 hours ago, Carl Reade said:

Basically these satellites orbit constantly transmitting live weather pictures. So the aim is to wait for it to pass overhead, tune to it's frequency, decode the signal using software and produce a picture.

That sounds a fun challenge if you are technical enough.

A question gents, are you trying to get data from the satellites?

All this radio stuff is new to me, well this use is anyway.

Happy retirement Dave, hope it is being enjoyable so far.

15 minutes ago, StarryEyed said:

Forty years ago one telescope one eyepiece built-in zoom Tasco 60mm.

Today one telescope three eyepieces one powermate.

As happy as I have ever been.

That is nice and simple, has it complicated beyond this at anytime?

And please tell what is the scope and 3 eyepieces you have now?

Peter that is quite stunning, 

Folks spend fortunes on imaging a d here you are, nice Newtonian, small simple mount and well quite frankly amazing me with the results, very pleasant indeed.

I have had two 150p f5 scopes and loved them both, very easy Scope to live with, 

I am a visual only Astronomer, but do have a slight hankering to image, I am a hobby terrestrial photographer, so Images do float my boat, but I have been terrified of trying imaging as it looks to be a time and money pit.

Keep on doing what you do my friend, great results.

@John you describe the very thoughts I had before I put this post up.

I thought we would all find answering it difficult, some have found it painfully so.

The thread makes us aware that one scope does not do all, otherwise we would all have that one scope.

However as we all have differing interests and requirements of our equipment, then that field of must enlarge, for some to a very big selection or collection - kit is in itself nice to own and admire and sometimes use.