Greymouser

Hi, might be able to help a little. Firstly I would say attach the dew shield straight away, I had this scope and had the same troubles with the secondary dewing up. The dew gun mentioned above would imo, be a 12v hair dryer, even a 240 volt one if you are feeling brave, ( or dim... ) I would be careful about pointing it up too, just imagine that million to one chance of a bird pooing down the tube! . Do not wipe eye pieces, keeping them in a pocket helps, between use. You can even get small dew straps to prevent dew on eyepieces. You can even do this for the secondary, if you are practical. I always allow eyepieces to cool. though doubt it helps. Hair dryer and/or a warm pocket, as it dews up, does. Our breath sometimes inadvertently, causes dew on the eyepiece. Stopping breathing is not really an option.

I cannot argue with you, but it should come with a wallet health warning too...

A bit more mundane this time, but still very useful. A bag for my Jackery battery. And here with the excellent battery in. ( I do think a little extra padding on the bottom though... )

I was looking for an item, ( Starsense Explorer bits and bobs, ) Saw it cheaper elsewhere, but would rather use FLO, so asked for a price check and no fuss, just done! Thank you Grant and the team. Why shop anywhere else? ( Unless I suppose they don't have the item! )

This came today, courtesy of FLO. ( Thanks guys. ) Finally prompted by a post from @Second Time Around, I think it was him anyway, talked sense. Of course not for the scope or tripod, but for the Starsense Explorer parts. On offer at the moment, ( the 80mm one. ) so a no brainer for me and my Skytee 2. Should be easy to adapt with a short vixen bar, not sure I would like it on a Synta shoe, ( the parts, not the telescope! ) though might give that a go too. It just seems like it would be over balanced, especially on a small scope. The scope and tripod look half decent to be honest, will have to give them a go before the grandchild gets an introduction into looking at the moon and planets. Though long term the tripod/mount needs replacing. Should be half decent at F11. Super light too so should be fine for an almost five year old. ( Not too young is it? )

Just heard this on BBC sounds, from BBC Radio 4, very interesting woman, inspiring even. Not sure if she has been mentioned before... https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wyzg Here is the link to some citizen science, from Italy I believe. Hope someone finds it interesting and can contribute, I certainly intend to look into doing so. https://www.reinforceeu.eu/ An example of one project:

You could always ask @Ags, who seems to have a very good idea how to do it. If not, you could always just write a guide for here on the forum.

Yes, truly awesome and even inspiring. Have you thought of writing a book or guide about how you achieve what you do? I would buy it.

Where one goes, others will follow. Time to bring plans forward methinks...

Got to agree with @JOC here, it would seem to me the neighbours insurance should be liable, assuming they have any. Too many do not now a days, even ours ( contents, ) has been allowed to lapse due to my stupidity. It also makes me rethink my plans for a permanent setup, think about building a Tardis instead.

Come on now, you know the rules, where is the tin of beans for scale? ( please... )

Never used this company before and feel a little concerned about getting something via them, but goodness knows when FLO will get the item in. ( Much prefer to get it from them... ) I have emailed them about extra costs and they seem to say that there will be none, but they will not take VAT from the price, which has me worried that I will have to pay VAT here in the UK, if it is already being paid in Germany, even though they say there will be no extra taxes. Here is the line from the e mail, which to stupid me, seems less than perfectly clear. Anyone have any experience with shopping with them and any hidden charges? Any advice much appreciated.

Back to the OP, there is this review from You Tube fronted by a six year old Australian: Quite a good review, informative. Could I suggest as an alternative, the Celestron Starsense Explorer DX 6". https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-6.html Doesn't have the annoying decal on the side!

That was well written, thank you. 👍

This is perhaps the key. I for one, just love getting parcels, especially if it is something that is long anticipated. Oh and the bonus is: Its a telescope!

I too know what you are talking about, it is just way too easy to spend money on this hobby. ( Or any for that matter... ) I have been trying for ages to talk myself out of spending almost £800 on a telescope, which whilst very nice to look at, I don't really need, I have most bases covered already. I mean how can it looks great, be a real motivation to buy a scope? Yet here I am, about to press the virtual button. This even though we are not made of money. Worst still, ( perhaps, ) is that my wife is encouraging me! The urge to splurge indeed! Perhaps it would be better if someone hid the credit card?

I have a Classical Cassegrain 6", but do not get on with it to be honest. I also have a C5, which I have used alongside the CC6 and the C5 won. I am aware that I may well have a very good example of C5 though. For me, the size and weight of the CC6 very much work against it. I have the TS version, which they claim weighs in at 5.4 KG, which puts it in the size range of a 8" SCT. I can manage both the C5 and 72 EDF and suspect they would be lighter/easier to manage, combined than the CC6. ( The new mount from Skywatcher comes to mind here. ) I had trouble when getting my C5, in finding it as an OTA alone, so got it with CG4 mount, which only added £20 to the price of the OTA. Have you considered that? Not a CG4, but the C6 is still bundled with some mounts. The Starsense Explorer springs straight to mind: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-6.html I have considered this myself, with all the hype surrounding the Starsense app. Not too bad for £699 and I bet the mount could very easily be sold on too. There are other bundles too, if you look around and don't mind the hassle of selling the mount on. If not and you want just the 6" SCT, Have you considered a Meade? However just the LX65 OTA comes in dearer than the Starsense option. : https://www.meadeuk.com/Meade-LX65-6-inch-ACF-OTA-only.html Such an option is very much on my radar.

I did have a Starfield 102, intending to use it as a grab and go on my AZGTi. I felt it was a no go, not just because it came in at over 5KG, with the bits, but the length of the tube was to much to my mind. It is a great scope, without a doubt, but not what I wanted so I returned it. ( Thank you FLO! ) I do have another 102mm refractor, a F13.2 Bresser, which is only just over 5KG, but way too long for the AZGTi. I use it on a Skytee II and on my AZ-EQ5GT mount. Both handle it easily, as well as heavier scopes, the AZ-EQ5 does altaz too. I am unsure about how good the goto is on it though, but think I just need more practice. ( It's new. ) It is also rather expensive, when compared to the AZGTi! I too have thought about the new Skywatcher mount and wonder if the extra KG payload would make it adequate, but I am just unwilling to try it. I suspect the ioptron AZ mount pro would handle it easily, but again is expensive. Not really sure what else there is that is both lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Which is why I rely on my AZGTi; my C5 and 72EDF. All the grab and go I need. ( For now... )

Very sad to hear, my condolences to friends and family. Though we were all his friends here, I would hope. He was a great asset to the forum, full of useful advice, not least on handles! R.I.P.

That is truly superb. Thank you. Led me to look into the location a bit more. Interesting history. Here's some: https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/east/posts/the-history-of-snettisham I bet there is more out there...

Absolutely! Which is partly why, ( very reluctantly, ) some gear will have to be put up for sale at a very reasonable price... Edit: Better it goes too cheaply, than the alternative!

As do I. I suspect is is all a rather sad story, makes me contemplate my mortality. Also makes me look at my collection of odds and sods, wondering what will happen to them in the future, when I have no more use for them... Life is way to short, which is why my new year resolution, is to take every moment and squeeze as much out of it as I can!

Another good advert for your location, are you sure you don't work for the tourist board? Seriously though, I do like the wooden tripod, very tempting to buy one. Which is it? ( I know the make, obviously! )

That is unbelievable, without the video evidence! I will never complain about the couple of dozen I get in warmer, damp weather. Out of curiosity, is there a danger of disease from the little buggers?

Very interesting I must say. The only negative is the awful saddle clamps, as @ScouseSpaceCadet says, I just cannot abide damage to the vixen rail. I wonder if upgrades are available, or if the AZGTi one will fit...