Alan White

Well used the dob on the pad, but dangerously close to pier and also falling off pad!

Only one person with a scope fitted with digital setting circles? I thought we had a raft of them on here........ Nexus, Nexus DSC, Argo Navis etc.

Yes it was one rated for deep discharge Golf Trolleys. It is sealed shut, so access to the electrolyte will ruin the battery opening it sadly. I think it may be junk now, sadly, hate writing things off.

Your wish is my command oh master says Jarvos Genie. Mars rises at decent hour but stays stationary behind the two power poles! or that's how it would go for me with my luck at times. Nice scope Jarvo congratulations.

You can say that again Don!..... oh here you go, save you the trouble 😉

Oh and based on this run of luck, give the Lottery a miss this week 😉

I feel your pain. It was obvious you would weaken and buy it at the initial posting. How your luck has gone with the lens feels all too familiar to me on other projects in the past. Good luck with however you decide to take this project.

Indeed a great pity Jeremy, and one I did not foresee as I got so task and refractor focused, sadly a case of not seeing the woods for the trees. (Now that is my favourite saying as well as 'It's what it is') I didn't realise that the Petard saying was from Hamlet, or even Shakespeare, but then I was not a good literature scholar.

So is CO correct? I suppose that is my underlying implied question.

Ben Nevis, when is it out of cloud?

The Hairdryer draws more than 10A, so its a big drain,it has a 15A fuse. The run time is sometimes 1 minute sometimes up to 2 minutes, several times in a night. The battery is used or was about 1 per month, the battery conditioner was put on it after us and 1 per month to maintain condition. It has literally died during lockdown as no dark site visits.

Indeed I could, but this is my Dark Sky set up, need a very long extension leed.

Folks with DSC fitted to your Dobson, please can you share your set ups and pictures of them here. I have an OOUK that is staying with me and I am looking at the Astro Devices set ups. But who has what and can you show an image. Gives folks another show your kit thread as well.

The 22 Ah lead acid I keep for my demisting hairdryer duties at the dark site, has sadly turned up its toes. It fully charges, but rapidly discharges to 30% so not much use really. Sad as only 2 years old. So what alternatives for a portable supply do I have, like I say occasional high load use only. Runs the 12 Volt Hairdryer for demisting duty.

I just realised looking at CO that Astro Darkness returns on the 19th July. Woo Hoo, proper real darkness is coming very soon, well in the UK and South anyways. Well not for me with all the local lights, but away from home I will.

Firstly I do like cake and eating it twice as often sounds very good indeed Jeremy 🍰 🧁 🍰 mmmmm. But, The issue sadly is the pier has prime spot, anywhere else is even more a compromise because of the extensive light intrusion and tree height. Sadly hung by my own best spot for the pier, is the expression hung by your own petard? The spot was finely honed over a few years and it truly was and is X marks the spot. I can extend the area fence, but it will the catch trees and other obstructions.

Very nice indeed and modest is good as is simple. That should work well for you, enjoy using it.

No compost required here thanks 🤣 As myself and the Mrs do honest, we have already chatted and I am here to tell the tale. Jury is out on just a plain pierless pad or pad extension.... watch this space.

Obviously Billericay is on The Dark Side.

As an update and to add caution to those setting up fixed observing locations. I have now lived with the pad for a year and the pier for a couple of months and felt an update on how it's going should be posted. The pad with fixed pier has been a boon psychologically and got me observing more, But it has also shown a flaw in my plan. Being a fixed pier: You cannot dodge the trees in your way as I did with a tripod You cannot move to get a look at planets etc. The Dobson will not now fit on the pad area without light intrusion! And I have kept the Dobson for use at home as well as away as its great on DSO. So more challenges produced by my changes than I expected, I clearly did not think it all through. I at the time was focused on a fixed pier and new mount (no new mount for now) and got task focused from a bigger picture. The Dobson was slated to go, this was to finance the mount, but its too big a cost in loss of 10" aperture and ease of use to do this. At present the options are: Do nothing put up, shut up...... but not the best of ideas. Remove the Pier after all this work and use a Tripod...... Mrs W will kill me! Suggest an extension to the observing pad....... Mrs W will kill me! Grow a big pair and suggest the above changes. I think the fourth is the one to go for, so wish me luck. If no more posts pop up from me on SGL, I may be under the Patio!! 😉 Any thoughts folks?

Now that's Astronomy at it's best and so often the way. I encourage the basic dob for lightness and ease of use, no power, (great bang for the buck as they say).

I bet a 200 mm manual dob would get more use Philip, less weight to shift around.

It is great to have a Comet producing so much interest and observing, many in my Astro Club have shaken out of bed or had a very late night to see it so far. It must be interesting enough, I got Mrs W to drive out with me last night to have a look and it was her wanting to stop and look longer in the end.

I have Laurel as a light blocking hedge, but also a fence alongside. Portuguese Laurel to be correct.