Alan White

Now that makes your pier look small Mike, which I know is not the case. A very solid piece of traditional engineering. Will the Tak ride here from time to time or is that now the GRab and Go scope? I was looking forward to the images, as I knew you had purchased said mount. Looks great, I presume you will drive in RA in the next step.

I think Astronomy as a hobby is very much alive and kicking judging by my club meetings, be it visual, imaging or both, Many imagers also observe, while the imaging is going on judging by the various posts. Let's face it the imagers probably keep the astro retailers more alive and kicking than the observers, but thats a good thing. 20 years time, I expect it will still be a very mixed bag and folks will happily be looking, observing and imaging as now.

He did not look like he did on Saturday at the Practical Astro Show, but he did keep his trousers on 😉

Who would have thought it, @Stu a fully paid up member of the Dob Mob! 😉 Looks a really nice scope, the secondary holder is an interesting design. I hope your newer skies are a mjor bonus with that size aperture.

The imagers will be outside visual observing why the automated kit runs in 5 years if not now 😉 Some of those scopes were very nice indeed, the two 150mm ones you mentaion @F15Rules are the very same ones I drooled over too. Sorry about the dribble on the floor 🤣

Your posting on a UK forum Mike, we truly understand about weather being a challenge. I truly sympathise over the delay that it brings, mind you time to ponder the steps ahead.

Mike, only if you are going at least 6 Foot down 🤣

The show was really good and even better all being free, which frankly is amazing these days. It was great to catch up with Team Rowan and talk mounts as well as seeing the motorised AZ100 and New AZ75 elecricals in action too. Lots of great kit for sale, some wonderful scopes to lust after and just see lots of kit in the flesh. I attended the talk by SolarScope about Etalons that was interesting, glad that I did. The highlight though was meeting Steve @Saganite and Dave @F15Rules and having a good chat, pleasure to meet you in the flesh chaps. I did get introduced to @Peter Drew by Ed @NGC 1502 with whom I drive up and attended the show. Sad that I missed other SGLers especially @paulastro, next time I hope Thanks to the show organisers and sponsors, it was worth the wait between the first and this the second one, please keep them going. No pictures from me, I was to excited looking at kit and chatting, my two favourite things.

I have churned eyepieces for many years looking for the ones that work as a small set, sadly with changing scopes and tastes the collection has grown and shrunk at times, but never done. I often regret selling items though, sometimes buy another and then realise why I sold the other one on. The most likely of my collection to go is the Pentax XW 5mm, it is not often used and I have others at this length. I might even do the same with the 7mm XW as well. I went back to DeLites for easier ballance with the Refractors, and this may be the path I take, undercuts and all.

I will be attending, life willing, looking forward to it.

Nice try and images Paul, indeed a shame about AR2965. The unpredictability of it all is part of the fun though. Seeing was varying poor and clouded over at 11.30 today.

Thanks for the share @Stu, I did not manage any scope time yesterday, other distractions apply at the minute, so very much astro by SGL for a few days. Amazed you got to see the Sun yesterday anyway.

Don't worry Mike, it was actually a much needed gentle nudge, so in fact Thank You 👍 Glad you did read it, I did the same myself and reminded myself how much has changed. As to your project being small, nope, it will not remain so. Also remember any project is, small chunks stitched together that always grow.

Well time for an update, set thinking by @Mike Q and his open observing area thread. Life has a funny way of repeating itself, last year as about to go for Pier 2, the Camper went wrong just before our Camper Holiday and wiped available fund, Van got fixed and we had a great Holiday, but no Pier. But in 2022 after the storms raged, the house needs reroofing this year rather than in about 5 years time. I am now working on improvements to the project all the same, so started by returning the ‘Khazi’ to its original form and improving it as well. So shelves in better, varnished etc, power supply in for dew heaters etc. and floor painted, just to finish it, now for some minor tweaks, but now have places to put eyepieces etc safely when in use out of the damp. Happy so far with this and cost at under £25 so far, which is good. Future plan, I still think a taller pier is the answer under a cover, should have left it as it was before, bad call perhaps or needed learning, perhaps both. As much as I want to the sliding roof is off the table as the roofing on the house was not expected for a few years yet, but the recent storms accelerated things. So here we go the ‘Khazi’ in its finest form 😁 Please note the Red lighting is at full brightness, not normally run like this, it’s at Small Glow Worm in use! Pier 2 will happen, I think a ready and waiting mount is what I need to get out observing when the weather presents itself, so it’s still my plan, just need to fund the thing, which keeps being challenged.

I also grabbed a short Lunar session with the ED103 and binoviewer and can report all went well. Got to use my 20mm Plossl’s as well, with good 3d view. The mount is very smooth and controlled in movement, without feeling a need for slow motion or tracking. No picture taken, sorry. Have to fit life around Hospital visiting at present.

This Hobby is like many others, in that it is what you make it. I Astro Hobbied on my own for years, I then joined a club a few years back and it is far more sociable and enjoyable. My club meets weekly so lots of chats and very few folks don’t talk to one another at meetings. I do enjoy my lone observing at home with Norah the Bat and the Owls, Foxes and Badgers keeping me company. Niche Hobby? Quite likely but I don’t care as it is my Hobby and I gain great pleasure from it.

Well lucky me, I have a clear sky and gaps in my diary today 😃 So what else to do but set up dual Ha and WL Solar on the AZ75, first time with the revised mount. All works very smoothly as before and easily ballanced with the two scopes. The mount is as I suspected now very, very nice indeed, the minor wrinkles have been ironed smooth. Clearly needs a few night time run outs as well, perhaps the sky Gods will oblige. Having a ball, Sol is obligingly active as well and keeping my mind off current situations in the world as well as my own world, lots going on out of our control at present. That observing area always looks nice in the sunshine.

Good luck with that one, been nice knowing you..... I recently made the mistake of refering to the washing machine as 'your washing machine', not the best of moves on my part.

Paul, thanks for the share, I was clouded yesterday and still am today as well. Do the PST's give a full disk view of Sol? Never looked through one, so just don't know.

Of course you need one, but a Bobcat is a fun thing to use as well. Enjoy the boys toy, I know I did when we moved tonnes of topsoil about some years ago.

@Mike Q nice to see a start, digging is good for the inner you.

Fedele, yes it was designed and always was for use with Encoders, indeed all test units have them fitted. In fact we said that at day 1 when showing the pre-production units and some images show the Nexus fitted on @Stu thread and on my own with the Nexus DSC fitted. In my first post in this thread I said: 'The mount will be available with or without encoders fitted, the version I am testing has them fitted, and I will use them with my own Nexus DSC unit that I already own and use on my OOUK Dobson, so something that I am familiar with.' The encoders are an option at purchse as with the AZ100 unit. It works very well with these in use or without. The GoTo is for mounts such as the AZ100 with slow motions built in, this is how the motors fit. The two mounts are different, as are all other manufacturers unit as well.

The push to with the 75 is equally helpful, as a travel mount, depends on how your travelling. Sorry I am not inputting much at the minute but have a family member in hospital at present and a bit distracted.

Good luck with your build Mike, please post here on the buidl for others to see your solution. Your scope type will define the wall or fence height, my fence is a bit too tall for my Dobson mounted scope, but absolutely perfect for the Refractor on an alt az mount and tripod seated. But it does now block the many lights from next door.

Here is a link to my area and the various changes; I hope it is of some help.