What to buy?

[xelasnave]

I havent complained but the misuss smashed another car, the good news is she got back double what she paid for it..a first in insurance history, but with two thefts of vehicles and 3 crashes in 18 months something had to go right.
Thinking it would be me who would have to find the cash for the new car I have been living on boiled rich and custard to save some cash..Well she got a new car with no help from me..and I have saved enoguh to buy a car (upto 4k) but I cant help think a new mount at 2.5k and a triplet 80mm scope 1.5k would be nice. Knowing that you guys would not think such foolish thoughts I turn to you to guide me away from more equipment..Do I need a car ..not really I am too busy with astronomy to worry about going anywhere.. or should I buy a fridge.. It is sobering to look at a car (say $4000 worth) and what is in it and then imagine an eq6 witha 80mm triplet as being similar value... I sortta feel I may have lost my ability to keep it real.
It was easier when I only had imaginary dollars to spend.
How do I resist the urge not to blow it all on new gear..the marriage is dead already becasue of the 12inch purchased over a fridge so I cant do anymore damage from her view point (only to myself) but what if I was to die in the future (it could happen) will I regret not getting the eq6 and triplet?? What does a smart man do???
alex

[janoskiss]

Smart man makes wife feel real bad about crashing car, evoking a sense of guilt only eased by asking husband to spend any leftover cash on astro gear.

[Shawn]

What to buy,,,Its obvious.

A Humvee military version, you may have to chip in a few bucks tho...Nobody hurt ???,,. Hope not..

..

[[1ponders]]

Lets look at it logically Alex.

If you buy a car how much is fuel going to cost you each time you drive into down. And how more often will you be tempted to drive into town now that you have reliable transport, and probably spend money anyway. And probably feel guilty about what you are doing to your bank balance, and the environment, and not being home when you are needed, and supporting the multinational oil companies that are ripping you off anyway, and don't care about your guilt because they don't have any themselves, so you will feel doubly bad.

Now, how much is it going to cost you to drive your wife's new car into town? And how more often will you be tempted to drive into town, feeling guilty about asking to borrow the car, and probably spend more money, and still damaging the environment and you bank balance, and supporting the multinational oil companies that are ripping you off anyway, and don't care about your guilt because they don't have any themselves, so you will feel doubly bad.


Now, if you buy and EQ6 and an 80mm Apo, you will feel guilty straight away, but you won't be polluting the environment, you won't be paying out on fuel, you will be home where you are needed, and you bank balance won't suffer. So your guilt will be sharp, but short lived and will then be replaced by pure bliss as you survey and image those magnificent skies with exquisite tracking.

Oh but then there is the fridge. Hmmmm....would you settle for an Orion ED80 and an EQ6 :evil: That should leave enough over for a good fridge ;)

[xelasnave]

No injuries in any smash and that is a blessing that is so easy to overlook. I have thru all this looked at the bright side, does not change anything but at least you can be happy with the cards your are playing. I am leaning to a bike and a scope, I have the bike, a 750 virago (Jap Harley attempt and a good one in my opinion) which would be nice to get going but I am 60 next birthday and I feel I have to be more conservative. And I must say I cant help riding a bike like its race day and I doubt if my reactions are like they were when I raced Motocross 40 years ago..I could be wrong but some say age will do that to you.
alex

[xelasnave]

Having learnt to live with no fridge I think it wont happen. Making a cuppa with powdered milk is so easy you dont have to go to the fridge (which is not there) to get milk..The time saved will pay for a triplet for sure. Not having a fridge has improved my diet becasue I eat very little meat these days ..which has seen a big improvenment in my health as I dont digest meat that well.
I feel somehow supported to go scope and mount..well thats the way I see (want to) it.
alex

[mickoking]

Keep the Bike and buy a 'scope, thats my recommendation :thumbsup: ;)

[EzyStyles]

i learnt a lesson on a motorbike. Use to have 2 Honda 250 NSRs. great 2 stroka little rocket. But after plenty of crashes im staying away from bikes. A fridge for nice cold beers :)

[Shawn]

my list
Qt 50 honda
xl 250 foray into trial bikes
CB 250 honda
GSX 650 Suzuki shaft drive
GPZ 750 Kawasaki shaft drive "big mistake"
CB 900 "a classic"
CB 1100 "six cyl classic"
GSX 750 suzuki "good mover"
GSX 1100R " collectors piece wire wheels, smooth bores, ra ra ra"
900 Ninja " scary"
And trip back to nostalga
z 750 Kawasaki.2 stroke.went like the clappers after mods "nearly killed me"
Are you sure Alex. ?.

[xelasnave]

I have had more crashes on bikes than I can recall, admittedly all on a race track so the consequences are not serious like on the road, never broke anything, never been in a race where someone was killed... so I dont think bikes are dangerous... which is not the case but I guess thats why I think that way. I have avoided it because the last thing I want is to look like an old fool chasing a kids dream but the price of fuel makes one think about cheaper transport.
Like your photo Eric its nice to see the man behind the magic.
alex

[xelasnave]

The only road bike I have ridden on the road is a 350 cc yamaha and it was very good. Had it to 175klms per hour and no problem on the dirt it handled like a motocrosser even with road tires it would slide like a flat tracker, a very good bike I thought, but my Son stopped me riding it after I pulled a wheel stand in front of him one day doing about 110klms thru Spencer ..he said I would kill myself.he really got angry with me and I could see he maybe had a point so I gave it up to him. It was funny cause usually its the Dad going off to the Son about the riding thing but I must say the power to weight ratio of a bike does make it an exciting toy er transport.
alex

[glenc]

If you want to save fuel and pay less fuel tax try this web site.

http://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/

The most economical are:
Toyota Prius
Fiat Punto 16 valve 90HP
Honda Civic Hybrid
Citroen C4 9HY
smart Cabrio fortwo
Peugeot XS HDI 307
Volkswagen Polo 3/5 Door
Volkswagen New Beetle TDI
Mitsubishi RG Colt LS
Honda Jazz Gli

But then there is depreciation.

[mickoking]

I rode a beautifull Honda VF1000F until some boof head rear ended me 7 years ago. But Petrol prices gave me the excuse and motivation to hop back onto 2 wheels. I have owned my present bike, a Hyosung GT250, since last December :thumbsup:

[acropolite]

A smart man wouldn't have been married in the first place :lol2: (apologies ladies...) Alex, cars are cheap at the moment, with more people buying new cars and cars lasting longer you can get a reliable car for under $2K. Fridges can be bought for under $100 second hand so why not buy a second hand one. That leaves $2K for astro goodies. Buy an ED80 in lieu of the triplet and sell the LXD55 mount, that way you'll have almost enough for an EQ6.:thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Alex,

if I had $4000 to spend on Astro gear, this would be VERY tempting at the price from Andrews:


C9.25-SGT 9.25" Go-To XLT
235mm x 2350mm
$3699.00 AUD

* Includes Starbright XLT ultra-high transmission coatings
* 6 x 30 finderscope
* 25mm E-LUX eyepiece
* 1.25" star diagonal
* CG-5 Go-To equatorial mount with 50mm steel tripod legs
* "The Sky - Level 1" CD-ROM

*Items supplied in C9.25-SGT XLT telescope package
C9.25-SGT XLT package includes;
9.25" aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain OTA with Starbright XLT coatings, 6 x 30 finderscope, 25mm E-Lux eyepiece (94x mag.), 1.25" star diagonal, 1.25" visual back (C11 SCT has 2" visual back), "The Sky - Level 1" CD ROM, Heavy duty CG-5, German equatorial mount with dual-axis slew motors and a computerised hand controller which has a 40,000+ object database, car battery adaptor, rugged adjustable height 50mm dia. steel leg tripod with centre brace and accessory tray, plus two 5kg. counterweights.

Sorry, can't help with an idea about a car, fridge or any other items.

[xelasnave]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Fridges in the bush cost heaps because they need to be gas or 12 vlt no grid power,(you need to spend about $1200 to $1500 really) No grid power also makes the computer solution more difficult (although I have news today that there is a 12vlt power pack available so thats good).
I like the idea of the 9.25 inch I have been thinking about that also..the 11 inch actually:D .
I think I may sell all the current gear and start fresh hang the losses in resale life is too short to compromise but if I get the 11 inch I must finish the observatory and to do that I need a Utility or a truck...mmm thats really what I need a truck cause without one (my truck was burnt out) even getting firewood is a big job, and no sand for cement work etc... in time a dome on the tray:P
yes I have some direction now sincerely thanks for the input it really has helped me clear my thoughts.
alex

[ballaratdragons]

Now this has me really confused, Alex :shrug:

At first you ask if you should get a new mount at 2.5k and a triplet 80mm scope 1.5k :thumbsup:

Then you ask if you should really get a fridge or a car :rolleyes:

Then all of a sudden it becomes a Motorbike :doh:

Then it becomes an 11" SCT :scared2:

and you end up thanking us for the help because you decided you really need a truck! :P

ahhhhh Alex, you crack me up!!!!!!!! :lol:
:lol2:

[xelasnave]

It is probably that you are not familar with seeing someone approach a problem with such keen logic with an open mind (open not empty). You see one should never ask such questions unless one has in mind pretty well the answers that will be acceptable... anyhow one thing is for sure I end up at the 11 inch every time, So no fridge, a registered bike, an unregistered truck (only has to be on my place) and 11 inch on eq6 mount and I still like the idea of a triplet (there are shots out there done with these that really are hard to beat).
alex

[jjjnettie]

I agree with Eric. They are not only good for cold beers but also they make ice to put in the Bourbon and Dry.
When I lived up on the Cape, I had a u-beaut kero fridge that worked a treat. Luxury.
You would still have heaps of money left over for Astro Goodies.

[glenc]

One solution for a fridge is to have a small chest freezer and a generator.
Run your generator for a couple of hours a day and freeze some water in the freezer. It will stay cool for the rest of the day. Also charge a car battery with a charger and use that for 12V lighting. We used to do that when I lived in PNG.

[xelasnave]

The Universe will provide all...:eyepop:
I have been offerred (from a neighbour) a caravan fridge and a truck...how good is that..:)
No doubt Andrews will be on the phone later to get me to do a test on the new 11 inch and goto mount:D ... now if the pixies can just get the observatory up all will be perfect.;)
I am the luckiest unlucky guy on the planet:lol:
alex

[ving]

i say just sendthe money to me if you are worried about spending it :P

[xelasnave]

Thank you Ving send me your address written on a $100 note so I can send you the cash.
alex

[ving]

$100 note... havent seen one of those for ages! :eek:

[xelasnave]

OK just use 2 fifties
alex

[rogerg]

Hmm, 4k. Obviously must be spent on astro gear, there's no decision there.

As for what, well it would get a nice SBIG, but not nice enough. I think I'd go with these:

1) Megrez 80mm F/7 ED Triplet APO OTA, Package includes 2 speed Focuser, 2" Extender and Carrying Case $1440AUD

2) Vixen Sphinx SXW mount $2425AUD

Mmmmm. Never can resist good WO gear, and I'm dieing to own a Sphynx just for the fun of it.

OK, now I'm depressed that I don't have any money to buy new astro toys. Thanks.

Roger.

:)

[xelasnave]

MMM I like your gear 12 inch, 80mm and a fantastic mount. I am surprised you put the Vixen mount ahead of the Losmandy, what did I miss? Is that the vixen mount with the "star" book? if so I understand your interest.
alex

[rogerg]

Money money money :)

4K would only get me the Losmandy GM-8 with no telescope, where as the sphinx is an excellent compromise and will get me under the 4k budget :)

I like the sphinx because:
- easy setup
- no fuss
- no external cables
- for small scope no counter weight even required
- all in one goto starbook reducing the need for a laptop nearby

I obviously chose the Losmandy, but I often wish I had the sphinx for use as a easy fun portable mount with a small OTA .. .MMmmm. Of course the Losmandy wins for PE and "technical capabilities" - for astro photography the Losmandy is a winner. But the Sphinx looks so fun!

:)

Roger.

[[1ponders]]

If you are interested in a Losmandy Alex, check out Gerald Sargents one he has in Buy and sell. With all the extras it's a great deal, and you will still have enough for an ED80 ;)