Greymouser

I have a C5, well the Omni 127 and I have to say that it is the one scope I will never sell. Probably!

Superb little scope an very good on my AZGTi.

I wanted a cheap new, but decent 32mm eyepiece, thought I knew the price from FLO, went to their site ( always first choice, for now, ) only to find it had nearly doubled in price and there was no longer a price match option! When did this happen? I have never used the price match option, anywhere, but was aware it was there on FLO, no more it seems.

It seems I need to shop around again rather than assume things. Ah well, such is life...

Not even sure the 32 mm will work for me, hence the cheaper option.

I was looking for some pick and pluck foam, to sort the flight case for my new little 72mm, but came accross this on Amazon.

Got to admit that the colour is what caught my eye... 

But it could be useful and certainly, on paper at least, a little more versatile I think. I shall see.

46 minutes ago, Gina said:

not been up to doing anything else recently due to ill health.

I too would say, I hope it is only a short term thing Gina. Get well soon.

I wanted a new camera and after hearing this company offered good kit at a decent price, though I would give them a go. I got a Canon 60D and a 50mm STM lens. They came well packed and all semed to be in order, with as new condition, as being suggested.

Except they sent the wrong charger with the camera! I could not charge the battery, so could not test it out, I was not impressed. I tried to contact them, but it took days for them to respond, when they  did it was ahrd work to get them to understand the mistake they had made, but in the end we got there. However it then took almost two weeks for them to send out a replacement charger, which I got yesterday. The problen with that, is that the one they have now sent me is in quite a cruddy state and is not a Canon charger, but a cheap aftermarket copy! It is in no way capable of being labelled " As new ". I am reluctant to use it and have also got another new aftermarket charger and batteries off Amazon, so will finally be able to try out my new camera.

I just hope I have no more problems and that the camera is indeed " as new " and performs well, because I have zero confidence in there after sales and customer service.

I really suggest if anyone is looking to get a DSLR, second hand, that you avoid these people as their customer service and after sales is so poor. I will post in the photography section, regaridng the quality of the camera, as and when.

I would say it is just a shame that FLO do not sell second hand DSLRs!

Good video. Eagerly awaiting part two. what will you be trying it out with, OTA wise? I am curious how it will handle longer refractors...

Thank you for the offer, but I do have some others, got from FLO that just needed drying out. Now done. I was just looking to expand the quantity I had, to give more time between drying out.  As I said, I should have been more patient. Still lesson learned.

2 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

When dry they do noticeably change colour to bright yellow not the green in those pictures

I have no idea. They came that colour in sealed double wrapped bags. They did not change colour at all and some of them are white, some of the particles/spheres yellow. The picture is poor, sorry. I can only go off the ones previously bought from FLO, which though quite dark to start with went much darker, quite quickly. They also were renewed to lighter than the start with a spell in the oven.

I should have been more patient and ordered from a known reliable source. ( FLO! ) The lack of reviews should have been a warning sign.

OK, thanks for that. I think I need to rethink things then, as there is enough doubt to put me off.

As far as I can see, both the used and non used are identical. I haver gone with a refund from Amazon, which, as ever, was painless, as it id just not worth the risk.

It should be safe enough to get some from FLO, because most of what else I might want from them is out of stock anyway!

3 minutes ago, markse68 said:

I think you can and probably did but ones without the colour indicator- they still work just don’t tell you when they’re “full”

These are allegedly colour changing, yet do not, There is no way I want to risk them being rubbish with such expensive gear neading protecting. Woudl you use them? Or would you get rid and buy reliable ones from FLO? ( Even if that means stretching the credit card again, as I buy other stuff as well... )

That is the: TS-Optics Altazimuth Mount with Fine Adjustment and Quick Release  mount. Has anyone used this mount? I am tempted, as the Skywatcher AZ5 is out of stock and this seems to be similar, in fact better on paper, with a 8 KG payload, compared to a 5KG payload on the AZ5. Is it too good to be true? Or is this another decent German bargain?

I needed some more dessicant, to help protect optics, so looked on Amazon, to see what can be found. I found these. A little cheaper than FLO, with next day delivery, which was I thought needed, so I got them from there. I wish I hadn't, wish I had ordered from FlO, but was afraid the temptation to buy other stuff from them would be too great!

Here are two pics of two pouchs of the dessicant:

Not much difference in the pouchs is there? Yet the are self indicating, should change colour as the absorb moisture. Not sure why, but to be sure I thought I would test them, just to see how effective the were. One of them has been on the window sill in a very damp bathroom for over 72 hours, the other stayed in its bag. Can you guess which is which? Neither can I and they cannot be trusted, they are rubbish, a little patience would have gone a long way with this...  

Ah well leson learned I guess, buy from a trusted retailer, suppose I should start a return...

5 hours ago, johninderby said:

soon to arrive Bresser 127L frac

I would be interested in your opinion of this please , when it arrives, as I have been tempted several times the last few months to get one, but not pulled the trigger yet.

7 hours ago, Matt61 said:

That's Bristol!

I am certain it is a lovely city, but I am equally certain it would greatly benefit from a very, very long power cut!

Excellent video. Time to subscribe, always assuming I haven't already...

Hi and welcome to the forum. A great photo, that yet depresses me as it appears to highlight the light pollution...

Hi and a warm welcom to SGL, a good choice and remember ask any question and it is sure to get an answer.

Hello and a warm welcome from damp Cheshire. I am now imagining you working at an Iceland warehouse and even living in there! No good, but at least you will not go hungry, as long as you don't mind sucking the food thawed, then nibbling the mush... 

As for guides to the forum, I think they are here, if you look, but forget. Any specific questions will soon be answered. Likes etc. are not important, would be better disregarded, ( as should Facebook, ) but at least they allow you to show you have noted a post, which saves an actual response! ( I guess I can tend to laziness... ) Just give things a try and click on them, see what happens!

Thought I would have a quick little session, with a super light tripod, but only using the ball head thing that came with it.

Again with torch on, but not a lot better pic...

Like the new scope I think, very, very lightweight, but not very stable and the ball head is completely inadequate, so will have to try again with a better mount. Maybe just lose the ball head and try an alternative. I think buying that tripod was a mistake and not a very cheap one at that... ( Three legged thing/ Corey. )

The scope seems to be very sharp and very little/no CA, again a steadier mount will allow better judgement. Ah well, even a very short sesion is better than none at all.

I was a little nervous using these considering recent reviews, which was reinforced after phone calls going unanswered, but the e mail was answered very fast. I ordered the scope on Thursday lunch time, it arrived Friday early afternoon! Can you ask for more? All seems to be in order, just got to test it out when I can avoid the mossies!

I would say highly reccomended.

My second packages arrived and I took a few photo's in the almost darkness:

Double boxed, but could have done with a bit more packing. 

Looking good, despite the poor photo's. Lovely tiny thing too, much more compact than the Skywatcher ED80, wish I had got this in the first place. I also do not really understasnd the report that came with it, other than to think that 0.956 strehl is half decent. (  Even though there are better examples out there, I am happy.  ) I also like the little diagonal that I got in the same package, it goes well. Time to sell the ED80 before the local lockdown kicks in?

I should go out and give it a try out, but in the short time I took to take the photo's, I got bitten about half a dozen times! Are mossies a legit reason/excuse to not observe?

( Course, the glass of wine; glass of Woods rum and a couple of episodes of Battlestar Galactica have nothing to do with it... )

Just got this delivered, the first parcel of the day:

Nothing to do with astro photography at all, not tempted to go there. It's not even astro modified... Just a few local shots... Anyone know of a good guide for beginners like me, other than the one in the photography part of the forum here? It was second hand so no manual included, even though in as new condition. 

23 hours ago, Lockie said:

 so after a quick discussion with Grant at FLO I bought one to review. I will mainly be testing it out in the the little obsy I'm currently building. 

I'm actually hopeful after seeing some further software videos for Explore Star and the PMC8 goto system. If everything goes positively it will be a great alternative to the very well rooted HEQ5, but I guess we'll see

Indeed, on paper it seems like a viable alternative to the HEQ5m cheaper and more available too! I await your review, with anticipation.

On 30/08/2020 at 08:51, Lockie said:

Bump. Anyone with experience? 

I am sure you have already seen, it but there was a review in The Sky at Night magazine. There are also several reviews on You Tube, such as this.

I too have been looking at this, but do wonder if it is too good to be true...