Roy Foreman

I have an EQ6 EQ/AZ which is very similar, and I totally agree with your sentiments. It will track unguided for 60 sec at 2m focal length (8" SCT) with very decent results. Sad you had to part with yours - maybe one day you will own another one ?

Thanks to all who have replied and made me feel welcome !

Ah yes, I hadn't thought of that ! Bet there will be a lot of unwanted astro gear on the second hand market next year Thanks for the welcome

Hi everyone at SGL My name is Roy, I'm a new member, and I joined back in March 2020 but as yet haven't got round to posting anything. This, my first post, has been inspired by something close to the heart of all astronomers - the weather ! Now I know UK weather isn't great at the best of times, and it's taken a bit more of a hit over the last five years or so - at least in the south west. But for the last four months it has been exceptionally dire. At the end of September 2020 I purchased a RASA 11 to add to my collection of optical paraphernalia. Its arrival inspired the heavens to dump record amounts of rain on the UK. Endless cloudy skies followed. There were two clear nights in October coinciding with full moon - no good for deep sky stuff. November offered up another clear night at the time of a 10 day old moon. No good either. The whole of December was totally clouded out (at night) and January has been the same so far. I have been into astronomy for over 40 years and can't remember ever going so long without a celestial fix. The RASA has spent the first four months of its life standing in the corner of the observatory gathering dust, not photons, It's not only telescopes that are smitten. A couple of months ago I got a pair of 20x80's (my first ever astro binos). Now you don't need clear skies to try binoculars, you can test them in daytime. Their arrival heralded three days of thick fog - arrgghh ! I live on the edge of Exmoor which has some of the darkest skies in the country. Now it seems to have some of the cloudiest too. My non astronomical friends just don't seem to appreciate my despair, hence the motivation to post this tale to a community of people who most definitely will ! I wish you all clear skies - with envy, of course ! Roy