Aaarrggh no - from 2 to 0! Disaster :(

[Brent]

On Saturday we go away for a week to a very dark site in Scotland - been 5 times before but this is the first time with a scope.

I've got the scope packed up and ready to go and was planning to use my wife's work laptop for imaging (a bit naughty but I'm careful!) as my daughter's netbook went on the blink last week.

Well, yesterday she got a request to take her laptop in for the yearly PAT electrical test and they managed to put way too many volts through and killed it! Perfect timing - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So it looks like I will be doing visual only when I was hoping for a couple of nights dedicated to imaging. And to top it off, the weather's not looking too great!

At least I got a lovely first view of the Perseus double cluster last night, and had a play with my new bahtinov mask (a lovely bit of kit, cheers FLO!)

[angusb1]

Leaving my laptop at home the other day by mistake led to a thoroughly enjoyable night of hassle-free visual observing. Quite glad I forgot it actually.

[Kbramley]

Sometimes leaving the shackles of technology behind and going back to standard visual observing is a pleasantly rewarding, reminds many of us of the reason we got into this hobby in the first place

[Brent]

Yes, I had a lovely 3 hours last night with the lack of technology and I must say I gained far more knowledge about the portion of sky I was looking in than I would have done looking at a laptop screen (a complimentary dob might be the order of the day in the future).

I spent almost 2 hours hopping from various directions trying to find M76 - pretty sure I was in the right place but couldn't see a thing. Too much LP I suppose, and it's a very faint nebula anyway!

I think I will make much better use of the dark site next week without bothering with imaging. (Now praying to the weather God)

[LukeSkywatcher]

Nice to see you all being seduced by the non-darkside.

[661-pete]

Oh dear! Hard luck about the laptop! I've got the PAT testers who frequent my workplace right at arm's length where they belong. Strict instructions 'visually inspect only'. That's quite in order within the regulations (contrary to popular belief, there's no 'law' about PAT testing at any workplace: it's simply a diktat of a company's insurers.)

Anyway, have a good 'visual' trip! And hope the clouds give you a break: looks good down in the South at present.

[hemihaggis]

if i remeber right it is banchory you are heading for , hope you get clear skies.

[Brent]

Oh dear! Hard luck about the laptop! I've got the PAT testers who frequent my workplace right at arm's length where they belong. Strict instructions 'visually inspect only'. That's quite in order within the regulations (contrary to popular belief, there's no 'law' about PAT testing at any workplace: it's simply a diktat of a company's insurers.)

Anyway, have a good 'visual' trip! And hope the clouds give you a break: looks good down in the South at present.

Hmmm...interesting! Didn't know that. Cheers.

if i remeber right it is banchory you are heading for , hope you get clear skies.

It's actually just outside Strontian on Ardnamurchan, but funnily enough we were in Banchory in August.

need-less.org.uk shows the skies as 7.79 (I know it's not going to be exact), and having been there a lot before I eventually got a scope, and spending hours outside just using eyeballs, I can't wait now!

[Capricorn]

Shouldn't the PAT test be on the cable not the laptop?

Thought that they put a big spike up the plug and cable to show that there was no flow between the LNE, not across the laptop pcb.

Suggest the company gets a different lot to do their PAT testing.

[cabby]

Hope you get clear skies next week, we are all off to my parents on the Isle of Mull next week for a few days and my boys new scope is coming with us. I can't wait to use it with no light pollution, it's going to be amazing!

[661-pete]

Hmmm...interesting! Didn't know that. Cheers.

Myth: All office equipment must be tested anually

Shouldn't the PAT test be on the cable not the laptop?

Thought that they put a big spike up the plug and cable to show that there was no flow between the LNE, not across the laptop pcb.

Suggest the company gets a different lot to do their PAT testing.

PAT testing should apply to portions of the equipment which carry mains or higher voltage only, or, in the case of appliances which are earthed, should test the earth continuity of exposed conductive surfaces. Nothing else.

Laptops are usually not earthed. Well, mine certainly isn't, the charger has only a 2-wire mains lead. And the only mains-powered part is the charger: the lead between the charger and the laptop itself is low voltage.

Therefore the PAT testers should have stopped at the charger and should certainly have had it unplugged from the computer itself during testing.

I therefore agree with what Capricorn says. Lodge a formal complaint about the conduct of the tests. This should not have happened.

[hemihaggis]

strontian is the place !!!! if the sky is clear i dont think there are many better places .... anywhere !!

[cabby]

hemihaggis strontian is the place !!!! if the sky is clear i dont think there are many better places .... anywhere !!

When we go to my parents we always go to Lochaline to get the ferry to Fishnish. They are on the NW side of Mull at Achleck and it is soooooo dark there!

[damnut]

Hi Brent,

Great location, have been there a few times when staying in Glenfinnan, our annual pilgrimmage is to Strathconon, 17 miles down a single track road. And like Strontian totally dark!

Have a great time & clear skies.