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Pier, hiding in plain sight


souls33k3r

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2 hours ago, spillage said:

Can you not use a bicycle chain/lock to wrap around the mount and attach to the pier. I guess I am making the assumption that nobody is going to arrive at your property armed with the correct spanner to remove the mount (security bolts could be used).

I live in a rural village, the 120 weighs 23 Kgs and another 30kgs for the CW Bar and weights, if they are strong enough to lift it then they are welcome to it, I work from home so it is never left unattended.

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I have left my EQ6 on the pier and covered, for almost three years now without a problem ( touching wood ), even though thieving scum have been around and removed the reg plates from my wife's car twice in as many months. The measures I have taken to secure the mount and pier would necessitate a lot of noise to remove them, and my bedroom overlooks the site. I also have a window open all year round, so I cannot do much more. I would like to put a housing round it, but my wife , though she says "oh just go ahead with it ", is not keen and you can see by the size of the scope how big the footprint would have to be, so she will not like it, and it probably won't happen. I probably will compromise and put a circular trellis around it and grow Passion Flower all over it, which should give me some privacy in a short space of time. 

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Just now, wimvb said:

Late to the party,  but you obviously need a dome obsy and make it look like a giant mushroom.

Not going to happen mate :D my wife is going to kill me for spending the kids inheritance money in such a way :D

I should consider myself lucky for being able to keep 2 scopes ?

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Thank you all for all the valuable input. Given me a lot of ideas and lots to think about.

I'm not sure yet whether i will be leaving my mount setup (without the scope) all the time or maybe set it up a day or two before hand and then leave it out if there are clear nights predicted in success and this got me thinking about dedicated telescope covers.

So for the above situation, the questions that i have are:

1) Do i really have to invest in a more expensive Telegizmo 365 or one of these Astro Jackets (https://ensoptical.co.uk/index.php?_route_=telescope-covers/tempest-med-cover) covers or can i do with either something like https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telegizmos-telescope-covers/telegizmos-scope-cover-for-925-scts.html or https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/geoptik-high-quality-telescope-cover-medium.html or even a cheap waterproof / breathable cover from B&Q?

2) All what i need is cover the mount head, so i think i can stick to the smallest available size?

Thanks

 

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Ahmed, I use a Telegizmo 365 and one of the ENS waterproof breathable covers, having been let down with a Telegizmo 365 before I didn't want to risk £10K+ of equipment sitting under a cover that is not taped.

I find it absolutely incredible that telegizmo promote their products without them being heat taped at the seams, I've been involved over many years with the design of waterproof equipment and nobody in their right mind would consider something waterproof without taped seams, I use one because of the material they use and then cover it with the ENS which looks better in the garden and does have taped seams.

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Couldn't agree more John.

Yeah i've read that you mentioned how you've not had a good experience with the Telegizmos 365 cover and the poor design but since i'm only putting the mount head out, can i get away with one of those cheaper version covers that i've listed in the above post or maybe even cheaper than that some breathable waterproof covers from B&Q sort? it only needs to cover the mount head and that too for a few days at one stretch at best.

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I used 'Cygnus Astro Covers'  http://neilross758.wixsite.com/cygnus-astro-covers/breathable-covers

The site seems to be a low-volume producer of covers and the feedback during the order process was a bit non-existent, but I'm very pleased with the heavyweight cover I received. Far better than the garden chair cover I was considering...

Ady

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4 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

I used 'Cygnus Astro Covers'  http://neilross758.wixsite.com/cygnus-astro-covers/breathable-covers

The site seems to be a low-volume producer of covers and the feedback during the order process was a bit non-existent, but I'm very pleased with the heavyweight cover I received. Far better than the garden chair cover I was considering...

Ady

That's most certainly not a bad price if i'm being honest but good are they under sun?

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1 hour ago, souls33k3r said:

That's most certainly not a bad price if i'm being honest but good are they under sun?

A good question, but I've only had it a couple of months so time will tell.

I'll probably end up putting another cheap garden cover over it during the height of summer...

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On the theft side. The villains generally want something they can grab quickly and take.
If something is bolted down, it takes time to remove and they will look for something else.

As a general rule layers of protection, rather than a single big obvious item work best.
This occupies the villains for longer and they don't like it.

I won't post details of security measures I have on my 'shed'. Only general comments.

Leave a couple of heavy bikes with flat tyres chained to a nearby fence. That would occupy them for a few minutes.

Have you considered some of these awful motion triggered far too bright security lights?
Disabled when you use the mount.

Hope something here is useful.

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On ‎27‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 16:38, Jkulin said:

Ahmed, I use a Telegizmo 365 and one of the ENS waterproof breathable covers, having been let down with a Telegizmo 365 before I didn't want to risk £10K+ of equipment sitting under a cover that is not taped.

I find it absolutely incredible that telegizmo promote their products without them being heat taped at the seams, I've been involved over many years with the design of waterproof equipment and nobody in their right mind would consider something waterproof without taped seams, I use one because of the material they use and then cover it with the ENS which looks better in the garden and does have taped seams.

Yes, I agree. I bought one of the cheaper Telegizmo covers and was amazed that the seams were not taped. There are very evident holes along some of stitch lines - a few of them being big enough to let narrow shafts of sunlight through, so I doubt would be water-tight.

Very disappointed and would not recommend them.

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26 minutes ago, Astrokev said:

Yes, I agree. I bought one of the cheaper Telegizmo covers and was amazed that the seams were not taped. There are very evident holes along some of stitch lines - a few of them being big enough to let narrow shafts of sunlight through, so I doubt would be water-tight.

Very disappointed and would not recommend them.

Yep Kev, Steve @FLO was surprised that it leaked when I sent it back, suggesting that mine was the first, but with half a pint of water that I had to empty out of my mounts guts I wasn't best pleased with Telegizmo.

I couldn't trust it without a taped and seamed cover over the top, I ordered the largest one they make so hopefully at £165 it will last unlike its predecessor which Steve replaced for me.

Edited by Jkulin
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10 hours ago, Jkulin said:

Yep Kev, Steve @FLO was surprised that it leaked when I sent it back, suggesting that mine was the first, but with half a pint of water that I had to empty out of my mounts guts I wasn't best pleased with Telegizmo.

I couldn't trust it without a taped and seamed cover over the top, I ordered the largest one they make so hopefully at £165 it will last unlike its predecessor

This is helpful, John. So the range you are happy with is the 365 telegizmo?

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3 hours ago, JeremyS said:

This is helpful, John. So the range you are happy with is the 365 telegizmo?

Hi Jeremy,

I used to design and manufacture waterproof equipment for the angling trade and my father was a tailor and he taught me to sew, so I have a particularly keen eye on working with waterproof materials.

In my opinion, the material used in the Telegizmo 365 is superb, I particularity like the aluminium reflective lining that should help keep things cool, what I really don't like is the fact that they never taped the seams, they have just sewn them together!?.

The material has a superb hydrostatic head and the technical specs appear to be excellent, it maybe that the material will not accept taping, but claiming it to be 100% waterproof can only relate to the material as the seams which to my mind are every bit as important if not more so lets it down.

I purchased originally a smaller one in July last year Like this and by the beginning of September it was leaking like a sieve, fortunately after contacting Telegizmo in the US they suggested my contacting FLO for a replacement, which they happily did.

When I upgraded my mount and because of the weight of my 10" and camera's I decided to invest in the larger Teelgizmo specifically this one so that over multiple nights I could safely leave my kit out without fear of any water penetration, it is a massive cover, however when I looked inside in bright day light I could still see light at the stitch holes, now some manufacturers argue that the thread they use expands in the wet to close up the seams, sadly in my experience that never proves to be the case or indeed safe practice, as you are relying on water in the first place!!!

Testing of this cover in the ice cold Colorado winters and heavy snow is not going to show up how waterproof it is, you need torrential down pours to prove that and the rain we have in the UK does just that.

My way to resolve the issue was to buy a large water proof and taped cover from ENS such as This one the material is breathable and more importantly is waterproof, so with the combination of the two covers I hope that I have done my utmost to safely protect my equipment.

Sorry for the long winded reply, and just to clarify, FLO collected and replaced the originally cover very speedily, I just feel that the cover is not 100% waterproof as the manufacturers claim.

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2 hours ago, Jkulin said:

I used to design and manufacture waterproof equipment for the angling trade and my father was a tailor and he taught me to sew, so I have a particularly keen eye on working with waterproof materials.

Again, this is really helpful John. I now realise how come you know so much about the matter.! I wasn't aware of those Astro Jackets from ENS. They sound just the ticket.

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3 minutes ago, FLO said:

Hi John, you’ve tagged me into the conversation. Can I help? 

Steve 

Hi Steve, Sorry was just showing that you were helpful in getting things sorted for me even though you were surprised that the telegizmo leaked..

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On 31/03/2019 at 21:50, Jkulin said:

Hi Steve, Sorry was just showing that you were helpful in getting things sorted for me even though you were surprised that the telegizmo leaked..

I remain surprised  :)

Your Telegizmos cover is still the only one returned to us for leaking. 

I just found your email to us in which you quoted Bob @ Telegizmos advice to you regarding your 365 series cover: 

"... the seams are sealed without tape. The first step is the inner solar liner is "pulled" into the seams during the sewing process. The second step is the type of thread we use...it's a UV treated nylon that chemically reacts to a sealing chemical that expands the thread to fill any voids left that the solar liner penetration misses. Actually very effective. But oddly, not opaque...as in light can be seen through it. The track record of the 365 Series over the 12+ years they have been produce backs up the success for this process. But...as with all manufactured products...a failure can occur. Your description sounds like the seam(s) has stretched and thus opened."

HTH, 

Steve 

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I know what you are saying Steve but Telegizmo have no excuse for not taping their seams, every single outdoor product clothing or camping company worth their salt should tape them, I've heard so many claims over the years about threads expanding etc. and special waxes and sealants, you can't seal perfectly something that doesn't weld or chemical seal as an overlay of the seam.

When a needle enters material this thick it gets hot, very hot, I have had a needle go right through the nail, and bone and come out the other side and there was no blood, lot of pain and swearing and jumping around on one foot but no blood.

When heat it applied to plastic materials it shrinks away and makes a bigger hole thus relying on the thread that is smaller than the hole to expand and seal, in my professional past experience it doesn't, it needs to be taped.

If there was a magical thread that could chemically bond then why don't all the outdoor clothing manufacturers do that, I suggest that you go into any reputable outdoor clothing company and see if you can find any waterproof garments that aren't taped.

I have over £10K's of equipment sitting out on my pier and I certainly am not going to take another risk with just the telegizmo, thus the reason why I use two covers.

This i no reflection on any company that sells Telegizmo, it is just a matter of fact, seams need to be welded or taped.

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On 01/04/2019 at 00:15, Jkulin said:

This i no reflection on any company that sells Telegizmo, it is just a matter of fact, seams need to be welded or taped.

I disagree. Taped seams are more commonplace because they are cheaper to manufacture. Not because they are better. A taped seam's waterproofing characteristics last only as long as it takes for the glue to fail whereas properly designed and engineered waterproof stitching will last the lifetime of the product. (My colleague, James, has been protecting his outdoor pier/mount with the same Telegizmos 365 series cover for over six years. My colleague, Grant, is using the one you returned to us last year). 

Fortunately there is room in the marketplace for both methods and if someday we choose to stock a budget range of telescope covers then they would likely have taped seams  :)

Steve 

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As previously a manufacturer of high quality extreme condition waterproof items Steve I have to say lets agree to disagree, my knowledge was gained from working within the industry and taped seams were definitely not cheaper as they were far more labour intensive.

Grant maybe using my old cover, but it does not explain the 1/2 pint of water that I had to empty out of my mount whilst in use.

I'll leave it at that as we have two totally different opinions.

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