Weird feeling leaving your gear out

[Marvin Jenkins]

I have been doing Astro for three years and started dabbling with AP wide field about a year ago. An upgrade to a 150pds means I am now imaging 60 sec subs of DSOs.

Mainly due to work commitments I have a two hour window (never clear on a new moon on a Friday or Saturday night) I have to keep my imaging sessions short. As the nights get shorter the rig goes out later and for the first time it is banging away at the Leo Triplet all on its own as I type this.

Feels really weird just leaving a grands and half’s worth of kit in the garden! I am supposed to sleep on the sofa now for an hour but I am in a cold sweat about the rig. I know people leave there gear out all night for long sessions but it sure feels odd.

The other thing is I can’t image past two hours or I have no battery for darks and bias frames. Anyone else worry about there set up?
 

Marvin

 

[Chefgage]

Yes it does feel weird, i dont like leaving mine even for 5 minutes. I image from the driveway but we used to have a good tall gate that you could not see through so it was a lot more secure. So at the minute i sit in the garage with the door up with my rig a few feet a way.

[Ouroboros]

Not in the back garden no. It’s fenced with a locked gate. I might be perhaps in a garden that was both visible and accessible from a road or pavement. 

[Marvin Jenkins]

Ok feel much better. I live a kilometre away from any other person but it is the irrational feeling that is bugging me. Bit like your first night out people worry about animals and wildlife, which in Africa is valid, but not here.

M

[ShrewView]

Yes I don't think I'd leave mine unattended long. my garden is pretty secure but still doesn't feel quite right leaving it out. I tend to pop in and out of house and sit in dining room with French doors, so can see it all when I'm having a cuppa or checking this forum or stellarium for inspiration on what to look for next.

only the hedgehogs to worry about from a wildlife point of view so not too bad on that front.

[JeremyS]

29 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

I have been doing Astro for three years and started dabbling with AP wide field about a year ago. An upgrade to a 150pds means I am now imaging 60 sec subs of DSOs.

Mainly due to work commitments I have a two hour window (never clear on a new moon on a Friday or Saturday night) I have to keep my imaging sessions short. As the nights get shorter the rig goes out later and for the first time it is banging away at the Leo Triplet all on its own as I type this.

Feels really weird just leaving a grands and half’s worth of kit in the garden! I am supposed to sleep on the sofa now for an hour but I am in a cold sweat about the rig. I know people leave there gear out all night for long sessions but it sure feels odd.

The other thing is I can’t image past two hours or I have no battery for darks and bias frames. Anyone else worry about there set up?
 

Marvin

 

What’s your address Marvin?

🤣

[rickwayne]

Well, the good news is that a lot of astro gear would be pretty hard to fence effectively. But it LOOKS expensive.

[Spaced Out]

I’m lucky to live on the edge of a fairly quiet village with no big towns nearby. I often leave my gear for an hour or two in our back garden. Having said that the garden is well fenced with a double locked gate and the shed where I run stuff from is locked and alarmed when I’m not in there, so I have thought about security. I feel quite secure in this location but why take any chances !

[Tommohawk]

My main worry is rain... even if the forecast says no chance, I cant sleep for worrying about it! I've imaged overnight in Spain when theres really zero chance of rain and still get panicky.

Re calibration frames, darks and bias you can do anytime, so long as you temperature match the darks.  Flats are a bit more of a problem - if you can leave the camera attached to the scope you can do flats later too though. TBH with the DSLR I used at pack away and then remount the camera to do flats, keeping focus position the same - for vignetting the alignment doesnt have to be perfect, and hopefully not too many dust bunnies with DSLR.

[discardedastro]

I've left my gear outside for over a year now. Telegizmos 365 cover does for the rain. It's insured against theft by an insurer recommended by I think the BAA, but the insurers wouldn't cover it for weather damage outside of an observatory! Cost me about £9 a month, which given the value is worth it in my eyes.

Still feel twitchy every time there's wind or heavy rains - but so far it's been absolutely fine through some major storms. Having the kit out full time is a godsend for setup and tweaking - it's all cabled up permanently except for power, so I have to run a 30m extension lead out and plug in a 12V supply. I'm hoping to get even that permanently sealed up outside soon.

[Whistlin Bob]

I've got a roll off roof shed obsy in a fenced in back garden and have often left my kit running overnight if the chance of rain is that low. I rarely sleep well though...

It was just as well last Sunday: I'd left the rig running on M101 and woke up at 2 in the morning feeling anxious about it. After arguing with myself for some time I went and checked it and found that the PC had hung and left the scope to go clattering the filter wheel into the obsy wall instead of parking itself. Apparently no harm done (I've been imaging with it all week since) but I don't think I'll leave it running again- at least not with the 200p where this can happen.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Whistlin Bob
Autocarrot

[Skipper Billy]

Depends where you live! Here in the Highlands you can have a reign of terror with a balloon on a stick. The local bobby knows us all and we all know him. Occasionally a team head this way from the big cities but its pretty rare. 

My rig runs unattended and I have a rain alarm that wakes me up if it rains.

https://www.davidbanksastro.com/equipment