how do you....

[c3po]

transport your 'scope?

I recently got a Celestron 130EQ and the views from my back garden are limited by a group of trees to the s/w, the orange/yellow glow from RAF Brize Norton to the south and a huge stonking street lamp about 20 yards away to my west!

So, i was thinking of transporting my scope out a bit on the hunt for some dark (not to mention cloud-free) skies - but how do i stop it getting knocked about? I've seen their are transportation cases for certain scopes, but have not yet seen one for mine.

does anybody here have a DIY solution they use successfully? last thing i want to do is knock the mirrors out of alignment and have to spend ages collimating it again!

[Tinker1947]

Most people seem to stick the OTA on the back seat and other bits in the boot, if your not to fussed about what type of vehicle you drive buy a suitable van..

[DazC]

I had the same problem, couldn't find a case big enough.

I already had a huge bag from my festival days so now i take the scope off the mount, the mount off the tripod and slide it all carefully into the bag (85 litre) with a pillow between the scope and tripod.

Works for me.

D.C

[tharil]

Hi C3PO I know what you mean with Brize Norton. I live on Shilton Park which is pretty much underneath the lights!

If you find a nice Dark place local maybe we could meet up as I would love to see the sky someplace else. I am new to the hobby so dont expect an expert

[c3po]

hi all,

thanks for the suggestions... i have a large carry-all somewhere and a load of high-density foam lying around from my other hobby (i know, heresy!) and never thought to combine the two into a suitable transport case for the scope!

[Bigeye]

Maplins do some quality cheap boxes.

[DazC]

High-density foam will do the trick fine.

Clear skies.

D.C

[sanmatt]

Hi C3PO I know what you mean with Brize Norton. I live on Shilton Park which is pretty much underneath the lights!

If you find a nice Dark place local maybe we could meet up as I would love to see the sky someplace else. I am new to the hobby so dont expect an expert

I'm in Witney, and if we have a good night this week then we're off to Chimney Meadows for a looky. Shouldnt be too far for you guys.

| Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust |

Welcome to join us.

[tharil]

That is actually pretty close to me in reality so more than up for coming along. Just been sent away with work for tomorrow night and wont be home very early on Friday but please let me know if anything is happening over the weekend. Drop me a PM as ill get an email letting me know as I wont get much chance to browse here for the next couple of days.