LukeSkywatcher

3 minutes ago, laudropb said:

The box came with the set. You could try Spacerocks. It’s run by David Bryant. He is very good to deal with.

FLO buy from David. I buy from FLO, so essentially I am buying from David. I'll give the spacerocks site a try.

Thanks.

When I travel, I find the nearest pub and drink till I'm seeing doubles.

2 hours ago, laudropb said:

Thought I would add to my meteorite collection which stood at 1 meteorite and 1 tektite. Study set from Spacerocks arrived today

Nice collection in a nice storage box (was the box included?). I have all of those (bought separately), and a few more. It's a slippery slope when you buy your 1st meteorite.

I've been searching for a display box like that. I can't find one anywhere.

I tell a lie. I don't have a Sericho.

*I just ordered a Sericho*

Not strictly astro, but yesterday the post lady deleivered a brand new phone (Samsung 5G A42).  It has 4 camera lens on it. Could make for a nice astro cam.

It is an upgrade (so no cost), after 2 yrs. Mobile data, calls, texts etc are unlimited. 128 Gig internal storage. 40 euro a month, my old  phone Samsung A50 was a limited plan. 

I tried a 40mm Celestron E Lux (once), and quickly sold it on. It was like looking through a Smarties tube. I have a 32mm Celestron Plossel which came in an EP kit. I absolutely adore it. It's so emmersive. It's my workhorse for scanning the sky. 

I'm sure I used the 40mm in my Skywatcher Heritage 130P. They didn't get along.

On 01/05/2021 at 09:35, Astro Noodles said:

It seems that up here at 54deg north, I am about to loose astro darkness and it won't be back until mid August.

What do you 'Northerners' do during the summer, especially astrophotographers when it is no longer dark enough ? Do you spend more time on SGL/dream of new kit/just go to bed early ?

I wait for late September. I'm 52 north (near Dublin,Ireland).

The 4SE is a good starting point. It's low investment if he decides astronomy isn't his thing. Probably better is the Skywatcher Heritage 130P.

Those images make me want to turn to the dark side.

28 minutes ago, Chaz2b said:

Ordered the Bino Bandit yesterday, arrived today! Hurrah for FLO for the quick despatch and Royal Mail for not hanging about either!

Also a finder bracket from PROC…12 days, quicker than some of the stuff I’ve bought from Blighty!

chaz

You seem a bit confused. When we were told to wear face masks, I think they meant something else. Good bit of kit. I bought one a few weeks ago.

On 24/05/2021 at 20:20, johninderby said:

Hmmmmm. 😁😁😁

Are they fork handles?.

On 25/05/2021 at 12:41, Alien 13 said:

Love it, I might even add a small rug...

Alan

Lorna won't let me buy one. I've wanted one for yrs. It might mess with my vertigo.

On 23/05/2021 at 10:31, Jonk said:

I like it!

That's one giant footprint for mankind.

Seeing the Moon for the first time was very disappointing. I'd forgotten to take the lens cap off. 

In these days of drones, I think its a better option to send these type of vehicles to Moon,Mars etc. They can relocate quicker than rovers.

Interesting. Never heard of it. Does look like a comet.

This is the Celestron tank in question. It even has an AM/FM radio and a siren. It's 14Ah.

Well it turns out that I'm an idiot. When I tested my pack the other night, I just flicked the on/off button on top. Then it occurred to me that that button is for the 2 torches on the front. Hidden away on the side is the actual on/off buttons along with a charging button and indicator lights when charging.

24hr later, I now have a fully functioning 7Ah (could be 14Ah) battery pack.

38 minutes ago, Stu said:

Yes, don’t go sticking mains wires into the mount!! 😱😱😱

The Quark draws 1.5A, so a decent phone charger will supply that via the USB cable.

This one looks suitable for the 8SE:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/lynx-astro-12v-dc-5amp-low-noise-mains-power-supply.html

I wasn't planning on sticking mains into the mount. That would blow the electronics. 

Unfortunately this item doesn't ship to Ireland. It gives me a starting point to search for in Ireland. I'm amazed FLO can't ship a simple 12v dc to Ireland. 

Maybe I don't need a new one, as I have a couple of 12 volt cables kicking around that came with scope. It's only the battery pack that's dead. The cables are fine.

35 minutes ago, rl said:

Yes, it's fine but common sense applies..

I power all my gear off the mains when doing photography at home. Everything is powered through one extension lead which has a safety Residual Current Detector (RCD) plug. This will trip automatically if the current in the live is not the same as the current in the neutral because current is leaking out to ground (potentially through you!).

You want all the exposed metalwork either grounded or double insulated. Commercial stuff that comes with 2-pin mains connections should already be double insulated. 

I can't see how even a big setup will take more than a couple of amps at 240v (500 watts) unless you're using a hairdryer for dew prevention. 

The 15ft extension lead I have does have an automatic circuit breaker.

2 minutes ago, Stu said:

You will obviously need the correct transformer to convert from mains to the input voltage of the mount. Do you have this?

The Quark can be powered from a USB cable from a 5V supply.

I was thinking that I'd need some kind transformer/converter to convert the power going into the mount from mains. I have no idea what I need. 

8 minutes ago, scotty38 said:

I run all my gear off a single plug, mount, cooled camera, laptop, EAF and not a problem at all. I’ve not added it up but at full load I still don’t think it would exceed 13A and certainly not constantly.

Thanks. So the mains are whatever volt,amp etc and I believe the scope and even Quark run on 12 volt?. I'm not likely to fry the electronics in either?. 

I'm rubbish with technical stuff. 

Hi all. I'm wondering if if it's OK to run a 8Se, and or a Quark Chromosphere off house mains via an extension cord (not at the same time). My newish (hardly used) 7Ah tank is dead as a Dodo and I don't want to buy a new one if possible because they are not cheap. I also don't really want to start using leisure battery because might be too heavy for me.

TIA.

On 30/04/2021 at 10:36, Astro Noodles said:

😂

Lorna buys herself flowers (for HER business) and I end up paying. Think I got the short end of the stick. I don't see any come back. 

On 02/05/2021 at 12:48, JeremyS said:

You been at the pub since yesterday???
 

🤣

Instead of a lockdown, it was a lockin.

Not that Armstrong,Aldrin or Collins sought fame. They were all just doing their jobs. Collins was an unsung hero of the mission. 

Collins, named after a true Irish patriot.

R.I.P