Things to bring with you for going to dark site?

[LukeSkywatcher]

Apart from essential survival gear like mobile phone, coffee and jaffa cakes (although not my first choice), i really think a small dog whose bark is worse than its bite. A small "yappy" dog who is protective of its owner puts the fear of God into grown men (and women). Nothing fancy like a pitbull or similar (because that may be illegal also in your country). Just something like a Yorkshire Terrier or a Jack Russell.

Anyone meaning you harm will not get within 6ft of you. I'm being quite serious.

[cosmological]

Hand and foot warmers if you suffer badly from the cold like me.

[jetstream]

I always bring my NATO approved Jackall,for when I get stuck or slide off the road.

[bingevader]

No need for that, just watch

and you'll be fine.

Cheers

[arrayschism]

A buff to keep your neck warm, and pull over your head if it gets really cold

[jetstream]

No need for that, just watch

and you'll be fine.

Cheers

Your right!I'm gonna bring some MP & play it on my trucks DVD player the next time I'm using my jack,I'm sure my buddies will love the recommendation as we are lifting & pushing the 4x4 back on the road !After using a lousy jackall for years,this one is a necessity & as safe as they can be.A hatchet is always here to to hit the latch on the jack,& my chainsaw to cut some trees down to put under the wheels to get goin'.Come to think of it maybe I'll try observing from an "ashphalt" location & compare the views-maybe the trade off is a better way to go,seems more people like this-safety first !Aside from the above mentioned items I always leave a note with my intended location,bring flashlights,communication means,bug spray,star map,observing chair,snack etc.One thing is for sure,dark skies work,wherevever they can be found.

[MarkbPlym]

'I like listening to a bit of music whilst observing... a bit of Carmina Burrana O Fortuna goes down a treat whilst pondering the wonders of the universe! ' No, how about a bit of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' or 'Set the controls for the heart of the sun' plus a few more I can think of!

[laser_jock99]

Check & double check your equipment. I once drove 120 miles to Wales with no memory card in my imaging camera.......

[MrFinster]

have you fitted red film to it yet?!!

Nah, it melts before the kettle boils and ruins my toast.

[scarp15]

No need to buy weapons. A Barry Manilow CD is all you need.... not to play while observing, but if you think there's an intruder lurking nearby just blast it out of the car stereo and they'll run a mile. I've heard it works with most wild animals too, including bears.

Demis Roussos or perhaps the Birdie Song (now that Iv mentioned that, you will all be humming it ) ought to have the desired effect to.

Consider a camping table

[CC_Japan]

'I like listening to a bit of music whilst observing... a bit of Carmina Burrana O Fortuna goes down a treat whilst pondering the wonders of the universe! ' No, how about a bit of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' or 'Set the controls for the heart of the sun' plus a few more I can think of!

And it's certainly going to scare off wild animals nearby .

[YKSE]

I made another trip to the dark site this Friday 13th! Since it'll be the only clear night for the coming week according to the weather forecast. Arrived just before sunset, setup the scope, made alignment, then waited for about an hour before it got dark. I noticed first that the car became very foggy, then the OTA was like just been showerred! looking through the eyepiece, the stars were actually fainter than in naked eyes! Just hurry up to tear down the whole setup and drove back home.

Checking the weather forecast again at home, the humidity had been 100% this day, another lessen learned. So here's my summary of about trip to dark site:

Prerequisite:

                   Clear sky.

                   Low humidity: under 85%, preferrably under 70%

Things to bring with:

                   Scope(s)

                   Mount(s)

                   Power supply

                   EPs

                   Binos

[YKSE]

Some keybord hassle made a halv-done post, here's the other half:

Things to bring with:

                   Todo-list

                   Star-Atlas

                   Observing seat

                   Something to eat and Coffe

                   Red-light torch

                   Bright torch(to look up things after wards)

                   Warm clothes and gloves

                   Cell phone

                   Insect repellant

                   Compass (for alighment, I guessed some 30-degree wrong first time)

                   A small spade (to even the ground somewhat)

Check and re-check before you leave home.

[jetstream]

I made another trip to the dark site this Friday 13th! Since it'll be the only clear night for the coming week according to the weather forecast. Arrived just before sunset, setup the scope, made alignment, then waited for about an hour before it got dark. I noticed first that the car became very foggy, then the OTA was like just been showerred! looking through the eyepiece, the stars were actually fainter than in naked eyes! Just hurry up to tear down the whole setup and drove back home.

Checking the weather forecast again at home, the humidity had been 100% this day, another lessen learned. So here's my summary of about trip to dark site:

Prerequisite:

                   Clear sky.

                   Low humidity: under 85%, preferrably under 70%

Things to bring with:

                   Scope(s)

                   Mount(s)

                   Power supply

                   EPs

                   Binos

Hello Yong,maybe dew shield(if you don't have one) would be a good addition.I have used a hair dryer on my refractor to rid dew,also my truck has a "cabin" air filter,so I've taken the scope in the truck and let the fan air gently clear the dew.My stuff was soaked last week from dew,but still managed a good dark sight session.I know the c8 is much more susceptible to dew than my 90mm,but you will figure it out.

[YKSE]

Hello Gerry, I have a usual dew-shield, and it was on. I think I do need a good fan dryer for these situations.

In my first travel, I forgot to bring the dew-shield, but it must be very low humidity, after over 5 hour in the field, there were absolutely no sign of dew.

[jetstream]

Being my first year with a telescope and dealing with dew,it sure does present challenges-100% humidity last week.I have been setting up in "bowl" shaped depressions for even darker views,but I'm playing around a bit in higher locations,as the moisture(fog) doesn't settle there as bad,last time out I could see my breath & it was above freezing-I checked with flashlight.Well Yong, I here of guys with electric dew control systems,maybe this is the way to go.Dew won't be an issue here much longer.....

[L8-Nite]

Some things to keep warm.