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Equipment Fever?

kerrylewis

By kerrylewis
in The Astro Lounge

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Andy_E

Andy_E

Posted
Posted

Andy,

I kind of know what you mean however I used some of my old stock eyepieces 2 nights ago that I gave away and I can honestly say I am glad I upgraded :smiley:  That does not mean to say all stock eyepieces are poor quality.

Certainly agree... I've found myself in the 'once you go green and black you never go back' club (well, almost). I just think it's a shame people feel the desperate need to upgrade straight away without getting a feel for the equipment they already have. Threads tend to gear more towards 'I need' some new EPs as opposed to 'I want'. I of course am immune and all my purchases are purely down to need :grin: (if only that were true!).

Must say, I've often thought about buying a cheapo set of stock EPs to see how they compare to what I have now.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

Posted
Posted

I only really need a dedicated solar scope like a Lunt 30/40 or a PST and I'm done. Other than changing up my filters to Astronomik and making a couple of truss systems and a new observing chair and I'm done after I change the focusers to better units and improve my finders and consider changing a couple of eyepieces for different options and flock two of my scopes.

Yeah, this does not affect me at all.

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Pig

Pig

Posted
Posted

I only really need a dedicated solar scope like a Lunt 30/40 or a PST and I'm done. Other than changing up my filters to Astronomik and making a couple of truss systems and a new observing chair and I'm done after I change the focusers to better units and improve my finders and consider changing a couple of eyepieces for different options and flock two of my scopes.

Yeah, this does not affect me at all.

Yes I can see why you feel your almost done :smiley:

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jnb

jnb

Posted
Posted

Surely the cure is to simply aspire to equipment so far beyond your budget that you never get any further than window shopping. Now I must get back to designing the observatory for that CDK 700 I'll never afford.

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KeironKK

KeironKK

Posted
Posted

Hi, my name is Keiron and I ............. OOOOO! that's looks a nice bit of kit. Where's my credit card gone?  

Seriously though, if I can ever be that, I know exactly what kerrylewis means in the OP. You get bored, nothing on TV, your DVD's are burnt from being played so much, Facebook is getting annoying with all those silly animal meme's and people posting stupid stuff, so you start to look at sites like FLO. Then you start to wonder how that particular piece of kit will fit in with what you have already and before you know it, there is a knock at the door and there is a delivery driver with a lovely brown box under his arm saying, "Can you sign here please?" 

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Joseki

Joseki

Posted
Posted

It's like a madness. - I see something on ebay and I can hardly stop myself buying it (TAL1 at BIN of £30 +p&p this week - narrowly avoided) even though I can't really afford it and don't need it (or more importantly avoid the anger of my better half).  It would be nice if there was a support group where more sensible (and self disciplined) astronomers explain why such and such really isn't necessary.  I guess I just like buying stuff and telescope stuff is so shiny...

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Joves

Joves

Posted
Posted

I, for one, have never had this problem. I mean, sure, I did buy an Ethos EP a few weeks ago and now find myself owning the whole lot of them (minus the 4.7mm), but it just makes sense to own the lot, don't you think?! One gets so lonely by itself (and now that one is the 4.7mm sitting all by itself in the shop without its brothers)... It'd take a cold, cruel heart to completely ignore it! And then, what about its cousins (the Delos clan) on the next shelf down? They'll probably be wondering why the Ethos kids got chosen to play and they are left in that cold, dark shop... Unwanted and unloved. It just breaks my heart to consider!

I think my signature probably shows a small sign of my willpower...

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stevepeverall

stevepeverall

Posted
Posted

I, for one, have never had this problem. I mean, sure, I did buy an Ethos EP a few weeks ago and now find myself owning the whole lot of them (minus the 4.7mm), but it just makes sense to own the lot, don't you think?! One gets so lonely by itself (and now that one is the 4.7mm sitting all by itself in the shop without its brothers)... It'd take a cold, cruel heart to completely ignore it! And then, what about its cousins (the Delos clan) on the next shelf down? They'll probably be wondering why the Ethos kids got chosen to play and they are left in that cold, dark shop... Unwanted and unloved. It just breaks my heart to consider!

I think my signature probably shows a small sign of my willpower...

Joves. Try the cheaper way of satisfyinig your Televue craving.

post-26362-0-83292100-1384529906_thumb.j

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Caldwell14

Caldwell14

Posted
Posted

It's like a madness. - I see something on ebay and I can hardly stop myself buying it (TAL1 at BIN of £30 +p&p this week - narrowly avoided) even though I can't really afford it and don't need it (or more importantly avoid the anger of my better half).  It would be nice if there was a support group where more sensible (and self disciplined) astronomers explain why such and such really isn't necessary.  I guess I just like buying stuff and telescope stuff is so shiny...

I think this post just about sums it up, I used to think fly fishing was bad until I returned to this game half a dozen years ago, Thank god I don't play golf  :eek:

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r3i

r3i

Posted
Posted

I have the same problem. There are more $ now tied up in my EP's than in my scopes!

The usual perception is that imaging is the expensive side to the hobby, but if you get hooked on building up a collection of TeleVue eyepieces, I can imagine that could quickly surpass the cost of a CCD + guiding gear.

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Qualia

Qualia

Posted
Posted

I'm not immune to 'equipment fever' but do try to keep a check on my actions. Obviously, if one has the wage to spend, and isn't compromising their family, or growing debt etc, then it's a different ball game but for myself I try to keep to a few general rules.

  • If I want something, I will save for it whether I have the money in the bank or not. That way, I avoid impulse buying and have plenty of time to build up my expectations. It often occurs that a few months down the line, I no longer desire that something, or now realise a better plan of action.
  • I avoid using credit cards and putting myself in debt. A credit card does not mean free money. You have to pay back what you spend and you will be charged interest on any outstanding balance. For numerous normative reasons, I feel we ought to adapt ourselves to the mental and emotional effort required to get to the point where we can buy something debt-free, rather than the aggravation of dealing with debt and financial stress. A little put by each month and you're a freer woman or man than the other at the whip and call of financial institutions.
  • I try to work with my gear before 'upgrading' on it. I figure each session of astronomy is an arbitrary €1.50 on everything I use. If my EP costs €300, for example, I will need about 200 astro sessions with that given EP (regardless of the time used with it) before I even contemplate an upgrade.
  • Finally, once the money is saved I will try to sit out and wait to see if that something crops up secondhand. I may have to wait a month or two before it does. Other times nothing appears and I will have to buy new.

These are just some ideas, but they may help.

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