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Astro-Geek

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Everything posted by Astro-Geek

  1. Yes, I'll certainly be checking T&Cs much more carefully on my home insurance policies from now on. It's a shame that all of the companies I've used over the past few years adopt this customer loyalty "penalty" scheme, by hiking the premiums up after the initial first year. As with my car insurance, I use GoCompare every renewal time now, and can usually save 50% on the "automatic" renewal premium, and often with exactly the same insurance company, when they offer to "match" the quote they themselves gave through GoCompare. It's such a negative sales technique. If they didn't hike the renewal premium, I'd stay with them and let it automatically renew, saving them call centre admin costs and the percentage fee they presumably have to pay GoCompare.
  2. I think it must have changed Geoff. I've attached two screen dumps of pages from the latest 2020-21 policy document. There's a further twist to the exact wording that I failed to mention, "theft" from outbuildings is limited to £3000 maximum (total, not single article), although it appears maybe fire is covered up to the full cover amount.
  3. I've quoted that section of your post Geoff as it's the crucial point that concerned me with my insurance. Saga's cap for items in outbuildings is not just £3000 maximum for a single article, but £3000 maximum total for the entire contents of all outbuildings, (and I believe xsub's reply was in the same vein for other contents insurers.) None of my astro equipment is worth more than £3000 individually (even as "new for old"), but the entire contents is worth many times that, (not forgetting that with the possibility of fire resulting in a total loss, even less "nickable" items would be lost.)
  4. My inquiries are leading me to the same unfortunate conclusions xSub. ☹️ My current contents insurer (Saga) appear to include £3000 contents cover in my outbuildings under my standard contents (£75,000) cover. Plan B (for the moment at least), is to not leave any eyepieces or camera gear in the obsy. At least they're light and easy to carry in and out within fitted cases, (but allowing cool-down time before and condensation airing after use). A good idea about societies negotiating bulk rates. My BCU (canoeing) membership actually includes free 3rd party insurance. I can appreciate that Glover & Howes include all risks, including accident and away from home use, but I just wanted to cover fire and theft, whilst in my garden obsy, and they didn't appear to have any options for that restriction.
  5. I've never had occasion to request any additions to my contents insurance during their policy running period. Many times I've changed cars during car insurance policy periods and just had to pay an admin fee of approx £10, which I thought would be similar with contents policy changes.
  6. But they wanted over £200..... ? (I think it was actually £220, but I was so surprised that I didn't write it down) I have a £15,000 boat, which is covered comprehensively for £140 a year, moored away from my house and capable of 30 knots, which seems a much greater risk than my little POD firmly anchored just outside the back door ! 😀
  7. I tried that Louis, but my current contents insurer (Saga) have just answered my query that policy changes can't be made after the term has started, and the cancellation fee is £35.... ☹️ Although my sum insured is £75,000, there's a limit of £3,000 in outbuildings contents. As regards security, The Pod is indeed made of HDPE plastic, but is very firmly bolted together with inaccessible fixings and the heavyweight high density double skinned polythene is much tougher than wood, with minimal joins, so would be quite a bit more difficult to break into than the average planked wooden roll-off shed, which could probably be pried open quietly at the joints. I would guess that the easiest standard forcible entry point would be the door, but even that is very thick and stiff HDPE, with a full length concealed stainless steel piano hinge. I've backed up the two point locking T handle with an ABUS "unpickable" disk padlock and class 9 hasp. ( Trying to achieve a balance between max security without making it look like it has Fort Knox contents 🤓)
  8. I apologise if I've put this in the wrong section, I couldn't make up my mind which was the most appropriate ! I've searched this forum and the web on the subject of insurance but the info seems very limited. I would like to insure my Skyshed POD and its contents on a separate policy to my house contents because I'm disheartened by home insurance company's loyalty "penalty" policy whereby existing customer's premiums are hiked up each year, forcing me to switch to a different company every time I renew. I'd like to be free to shop around each year for my main contents policy, but stick with a specific insure for my astro gear. I don't need "away from home" cover, just on my premises, in my (reasonably) securely locked POD. (high security Abus disk padlock and hasp etc) It is adjacent to a wooden fence and shed, so fire is a consideration as well, as it could result in a total loss of everything. I tried an online quote from Glover and Howe, but they wanted over £200 pa, which seems excessive, since my main house's £75,000 contents cover is £75. I was also surprised that my postcode and location were not asked at all, which surely would greatly affect the risk factor. (I live in a country area with a very low risk postcode). So, are there any other specialist Astro specific insurers other than Glover and Howe ?
  9. I checked FLO and you're quite right, they list an EOS to M48 adapter specifically for skywatcher reducers. I've just ordered one and also an M48 to M42 adapter to enable me to use my ASI294 as well. I already have a set of m42 T extensions tubes, so I'll see how close I can get to the 55mm spacing. Thanks for your help. 👍
  10. Thanks Mike. I'd found out that the back focus of the EOS body is 44mm, so I can see your logic in the 11mm t-ring making it 55mm. I just hadn't found any specific reference to the skywatcher 100ed reducer's back focus distance. Are all/most eos to m48 T adapters 11mm thick ? When I use my ASI294 (non-pro uncooled) camera, that has a back focus of 6.5mm, so I assume I then need 48.5mm of additional spacing. It has a male m42 T mount thread on its face, so I'll have to put an "up" converter to m48 T on first, then make up the rest with a 24-35mm variable m48 T extension and then an appropriate short extension piece from an M48 T four piece extension set. (I believe) ?
  11. I have a Skywatcher 100ED .85 focal reducer and I'd like to make sure I get the camera at the right distance behind it. I'm fitting it to my Celestron C100ED refractor, which I believe is identical optically to the Skywatcher 100ED. The reducer has the 2 inch nosepiece adapter, so it fits nicely to the scope itself. I'm confused about the camera distance though. The camera back connection is M48 male, so 2 inch m48 spacers will fit ok. I can't find any details regarding the optimum CCD distance though. The manufacturer's instruction sheet is very limited, it just shows a series of photos showing it screwed straight on the the back of the scope's focuser via the unusual 56mm thread, (which is no problem, with the 2 inch tube adapter, which just drops into a standard 2 inch focuser eyepiece holder. On the camera side, it simply says: "please use SYNTA tailor-made camera adapter rings to ensure the largest aperture and the optimum imaging focus. Connect your single lens reflex camera to the "SYNTA" tailor-made adapter ring" There's no indication of the required optimum distance, and also I would like to use it with CMOS ZWO cameras as well as EOS SLRs. I'm thinking of buying a set of m48 extension rings and an M48 female to m42 T mount male adapter. I found an old thread on here that mentions the First Light Optics - Skywatcher DSLR-M48 Ring Adapter but still no mention of distance.
  12. As an alternative to the concise answers given already to this question, I'm thinking about maybe why it has been asked. When someone tries to use an equatorial mount for the first time it can seem an unwieldy beast compared to the more logical alt az mounts. When properly aligned to the North polar axis, the act of then slewing the scope round to view objects to the South results in the telescope going through apparently strange acrobatics (to newcomers), so they could be tempted to swing the whole mount round so that at least it still resembles an alt az mount, with the telescope on top and well clear of the tripod legs. Once the principles of Polar alignment are understood, we understand the need to keep that RA axis constant and get used to things like "Meridian Flip" 🤓
  13. Yes, absolutely true, "proper" flight cases in suitable sizes (long and narrow) for telescopes are more expensive than the scopes, and often quite heavy too. As has been said on here, their sturdy construction of plywood covered in aluminium with bound corners and edges are built to withstand rough treatment and stacking. The attractive looking flight cases for far less money (eg from Amazon), are rubbish by comparison. Constructed usually from hardboard covered in a plastic imitation aluminium look surface they look very similar, but are very fragile indeed. Ok in smaller sizes for lightweight equipment like cameras, when used carefully, but the larger/longer sizes bulge and twist from just the weight of a large heavy scope. The handles and clasps look the part, but on closer inspection are very thin metal or even chromed plastic. FijiDave's suggestion of the plastic Christmas tree box is a great find for telescope storage, I'm buying a couple for myself ! When I searched around I bought a nice padded bag for my 120 Evostar refractor from Amazon, which was being sold as a 47 inch long "padded tripod bag" for £20. It holds it quite nicely when carried around or stored in a cupboard, but would be unsuitable if entrusted to carriers or airlines. https://www.amazon.co.uk/HWAMART-Tripod-padded-1680D-Shoulder/dp/B0744J8GDH Another alternative is to buy a secondhand genuine flight case from Fleabay. They can be had for around £50, although long narrow ones are rarer. I bought a used case for my Celestron C8 SCT for £40, that was originally made for a professional plate camera. It was very strongly made from aluminium covered 8mm plywood, (and probably cost ridiculous money), and was easy to adapt for my C8 with foam "chocks" and a foam rubber lining.
  14. I'd certainly have done something like that if the wifi booster hadn't worked. It seems to be working really well for me now though, I've tested it for a couple of hours now, it connects automatically each time I switch the NUC on, gives me fast Internet access and I can control the scope from the house with any of my windows apps (sharpcap, apt, stellarium etc) with no noticeable delay. Fingers crossed...... 🤓
  15. To be fair, I think I was pushing my luck to the limit with them, the "transmitting" plug was adjacent to the router on the upstairs ring main, and the "receiving" plug was in the obsy, via a 13 amp socket, a double pole isolating switch, 15 metres of buied armored 20 amp cable, a 13 amp switched fused spur, a dedicated 15 amp mcb in the garage consumer unit, the garage consumer unit's elcb, and a 15 amp mcb in the house consumer unit.
  16. I thought it was bad enough that they appear to be flaky with different rings and spurs, but I never realised that they could be invasive to local Hams ! It's surprising that they are not more controlled, though approval standards do seem to have dropped, even with electrical safety, with all the ebay/direct imports from the Far East.
  17. Success !! 🤓 Before deciding which advice (gratefully received) to follow, I thought I'd try something that was languishing in my spares box. A year or two ago I bought a TpLink Re200 v2 wifi extender to be able to use my notebook in the conservatory. It was a fairly simple and cheap one, and I stopped using it because it had a poor connection to my BT Home Hub 4. Six months ago however, BT finally upgraded my phone line to fibre optic ( "fibre from the pole" ), giving me a 50mb Internet (woo hoo !!) and a Home Hub 5. The wifi output from HH5 seems much higher than from the HH4, and I discovered that the tpLink booster now has a very solid connection to the main wifi hub, with 5ghz and 2.4ghz indicators a nice steady green. I then popped out to the Pod and switched on the NUC and found that it automatically connected instantly, and Broadband speed checker showed me 15mb download speeds, (as compared to the 50mbs in the house). I'll certainly settle for that ! This photo shows the Booster in the kitchen with the Pod in the garden through the conservatory. It's only about 30 feet away, but though a cavity wall. Thanks for all the replies I've had on this, some great suggestions that I would have certainly tried if this hadn't worked. 🍺
  18. I've found all these responses to my OP question very interesting (thanks) 👍, and they've confirmed the hit and miss nature of powerline. How I wish I'd run my armored mains cable in a plastic conduit with a cat5 cable in it ! I've been successfully making my own tailored length ethernet cables for years with a cheapo RJ45 crimper (and a neat little tester), so it would have been easy. c'est la vie....... I'll try some of the suggestions on here, (starting with the easiest 🤓), and then if I get a reliable result I'll resurrect this thread with the result, in case anyone else is struggling with the same problems.
  19. Thanks again, so many informative replies in such a short space of time. I'll work my way through the comments and suggestions. I've tried the idea about disabling the power saving, but unfortunately that was already set to "off".
  20. Thanks for the very rapid reply. My Devolo powerline set up certainly "sucks" reliability-wise. 🙂, but it has run really well when it did connect. I'll try Dave's suggestion of switching off the power saving, and see if that has any effect on the non connection after a day or two. Failing that, I guess I'll have to go the wifi bridge route, though I'm trying to avoid the extra cabling that will entail, as the obsy is at the back of the house, and the fibre optic router is at the front upstairs.
  21. Thanks for the very rapid reply Dave. No consumer unit on the obsy, just a 20amp DP isolating switch where it enters, because it's fed from the garage consumer unit, which already has a 15amp mcb and elcb main switch from the house spur. ...and Yes, the Devolo's are still in the default power saving mode, so that may be a very good point, I'll try disabling power saving and see if it's more reliable. ( As I mentioned, I have had it working quite well, 10 mBits file transfer and remote control from the house via windows remote desktop, which is what has been confusing me, the fact that it has actually worked.)
  22. I've read quite a few threads on here about this subject, but I'd like to ask about member's experiences with different manufacturer's devices. I'm trying to connect my Windows NUC in my Skyshed Pod observatory to my house network's PCs and the Internet. (To enable internet access, file transfer, and remote control of the telescopes from the house.) It all works really well when the observatory kit is tested in the house with a direct LAN cable connection to my home network. I'm having problems when it's installed in the Observatory and I try to connect via Devolo Powerline plugs. I have had it working, but it mostly doesn't connect when tried after a day or so. I know I should have simply run an ethernet cable in the power conduit to the observatory, but I didn't, and I'm too old and decrepit now to dig another trench ! There's a lot of controversy over powerline transmission on different ring circuits and extension leads, but some people have reported no problems over differing circuits, as long as everything is on the same phase, (as in normal single phase domestic house wiring ). My fibre optic broadband router is on the first floor of the house. and the Devolo main powerline plug is connected to that via a short LAN lead. The observatory is about 25 metres from the house via an armored 20 amp cable which is connected to the garage consumer unit, which in turn is connected to a separate 15 amp MCB on the main house consumer unit via a dedicated 2.5 T&E spur. If there is a significant problem with separate rings and consumer units, the I'm certainly "pushing it" with my arrangement. I was wondering though if different manufacturer's powerline units are more or less susceptible to different rings mains ? I chose Devolo because they seemed to have a good reputation, being a bit more upmarket than the cheaper units.
  23. Thanks Vlaiv, I can see your point about the CG moving anyway, cameras and big eyepieces all having an effect. Surprisingly, I hadn't thought of using counterweights in the base for the vertical plane balance, even though I'm well used to them on the OTA for horizontal balance. 👍
  24. I'm trying to fully understand the theory in the design of EQ platforms for Dobsonian telescopes. 🤔 I understand the need to restrict the arc to an hour or so, to avoid the Dob falling off the platform (sideways) and/or straining the original alt/az bearings. I also understand the principle of the two rotating radii on the polar access to tilt it to the latitude (52 degrees for me), whilst keeping a horizontal base. I've attached a diagram I've cobbled together from existing diagrams on the web to explain my thoughts so far. I'm now trying to rationalise the importance of the centre of mass of the OTA and its alt/az base being at the exact same height as the polar axis, (sorry about my gobbledegook description, but hopefully my diagram shows more clearly what I'm trying to explain). Finally, my question - when one buys a ready made "off the peg" eq platform, (eg Geoptiks), how can they allow for the varying heights of centre of mass of the various Dobs that may be placed upon them ?
  25. Thanks for the usage feedback xSub. I'd be a bit nervous of placing wanted adverts on here or AstroBS. It seems rare for specialist astro bits and pieces to turn up within reasonable driving distance (up here in Norfolk anyway), so one has to usually rely on postal delivery. I've bought many excellent items via Stargazers forum and I've been fortunate to have only had dealings with very honest and conscientious fellow astro enthusiasts . On AstroBS they specifically warn advertisers to only transact "face to face" when placing wanted ads. ☹️
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