Stardaze

I'm taking the 'belt and braces' approach and will order a strap for EP's too. It's the kind of thing that will really annoy me when, the law of sod dictates that that the most perfect of evenings is spoilt, so I'll get myself as equipped as can be.

I've ordered a system through Dew Control in the end. Tim is extremely helpful and has added an additional extra lead for adding a remote battery pack later on, so great service. The RACI strap won't be in for a week or two but I've gone for their specific Telrad heater, a large strap for the OTA, a 4 way controller and mains pack. Thanks to @Littleguy80 for recommending Dew Control. Might not bother with an EP strap as most seem to say they're not so effective.

My collection seems to be expanding and I'm just in the process of selling something to pay for the last of the core EP's. After that I will need to rehash the case but probably need to replace the foam and do it properly this time. Someone had a link to replacement foam I recall, anyone have it handy?

It’s good to know as I might do the same for the higher powers. Which frac have you out of interest?

Thanks again Neil and sorry for hi jacking your thread re. gear. Just totalled what I need, and thinking I’ll just use a mains power unit for home use, the Telrad heater and 2 straps saves me about £100. I’ll get a portable power pack another time. Don’t you have anything around the OTA? I’ll prob add an EP strap for what they are and therefore need the 4 way controller.

Ah great, thanks. Are you just using a single band somewhere close to the secondary? Any around RACI or dew hood? Still not sure how mad to go with it (single large band for a 10" dob, Telrad and RACI with power supply and controller)

That's great Neil, good you managed to get out again. I'm still to do it myself and it now seems like weeks here of clouds with no end in sight.. What dew heaters do you use for your dob? I'm purchasing the 10mm Delos at the end of the month but the dew kit is next on the list.

I like the camera bag idea. I have plenty kicking around and is going to be the logical progression when my collection grows out of it's small 'starter' case. I see you have some nice Olly film cameras too 😀 An APM 30 UFF is on the list for next year... need to sort my short set out first.

Thanks John, that's how I read it. The Powermate provides both EP sizes from the look of it. Still, it could still give me an option for 8mm and 5mm?

Does the 2” ES version utilise a 2” and 1.25” EP holder? Have been toying with trying one with an APM 13 and Delos 10. Whilst the APM can have the 2” barrel removed, I never do.

Nicely done John 😀

I bet that’s perfect. Something around 600mm sounds ideal 👍

Nice report Mark. Helpful, I've earmarked a couple of those to have a go at when next out 😀

Thanks John. I guess I can see where this is going to end up sometime in the future... my dob could have a long ball and short ball companion. A mak for the planets and an 80ED for this kind of thing?

That's really helpful, thanks. I can see that in my atlas, so shall make a note for next time.

I love The Veil. It didn't pop as much last night in the APM 20 XWA which I put down to the extra brightness of the 24 that I replaced it with. I'd like the APM 30 UFF, which should really suit the veil a bit more. I will say that I love the two APM XWA's that I have now (13 & 20) The 20 was certainly more immersive than the ES 24 (82) that it replaced, really did feel like I was climbing in at times. Super value for money, and a nice size without being too heavy for my dob. Just need to add a 10mm Delos next month and I'll be pretty happy with my core EP's. At the moment Cygnus is right overhead, above my house, so it's perfectly placed for me. Hoping that now there's some true darkness coming back, I'll be able to study it some more - cloudless nights pending.

Thanks gents. I guess it is rather large. The widest FOV I have is 1.58 so I'll need to try and determine the edges and do a little more reading around them. I'll try around the Gulf of Mexico bit then John - thanks for the pointer. Probably won't add the UHC until the back-end of the year, still have an EP and the dew kit to buy before that.

I've been getting to know this constellation this last couple of months between long spells of cloudy evenings but there's lots of nebulae that I still remains elusive. Most notable is the North American Neb that is still hiding from my gaze. Armed with just an O-III filter at the moment, I'm adept at finding The Veil and the dumbbell pops with the O-III, but the Pelican, NA neb, Crescent and all of the nebula around Sadr is proving a tough nut to crack. Are some of these better suited to a certain filter or do I need to study longer?

Super Barry. I did a similar set last night but didn’t find it dark enough till about 11.30 and retired at 1pm. Spent a bit of time on the Dumbell with my O-III filter, and like you, find it a little underwhelming. Surprisingly large though. The Morpheus sounds great. I was supposedly trying out my new APM 20 but most of the targets you mention were better at higher mags. I still haven’t looked at the blinking planetary either so must add that to my list. Struggling with the North American neb too, can’t seem to see much around there other than a band of tight stars? Have you found it?M Oh, and my new EP was just awesome when I did utilise it!

Great effort indeed! Not sure I have the stamina for it!

The beauty of it for me, is that there’s a lifetime of new wonders to find and explore. It’s the learning aspect that motivates me. I think at first I was a little overwhelmed, but slow persistence, certainly is helping it fall into place. The best aspect in this age, is no doubt the ability to tap into all of the experience here. It’s a rarity these days to find knowledgeable people that genuinely will point you happily in the right direction.

Must've gone now. Ah well, not sure whether to go for the cheap 160 or the 325 is still heavily discounted at £26?

Seems to be £26.84? Or the 160 version for £17.99?

Sounds like a great night of viewing! Looking forward to M31 in my dob too for the first time. It's still covered by next doors tree at the moment. I realised that the clouds were dispersing far too late last night. I had a long day of driving planned, with an early start, only to get the cancellation through late, so no time to get the dob out to cool. I do have a new EP being delivered later though, so hopefully Thurs night is as currently forecast for a first use.

Super effort - well done!