A word of warning

[MickOwens]

When out with your scope and all set up for a Friday night's viewing pleasure, don't forget to check that your 12v power cord isnt tangling around the mount as you are moving from the moon to Jupiter...it has a tendancy to snap if you are not paying attention..I have just learned this one the hard way and i am now back indoors, my viewing session cut very short. Not happy..

[mental4astro]

:doh::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh:

:sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeyes ::sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeyes:

:tasdevil::tasdevil::tasdevil::tasd evil::tasdevil:

Don't leave your finder back at home either, 100km away!

[jjjnettie]

Oh no.
You must be so cranky with yourself.
After nearly strangling my little Cube I'm overcautious about all leads now.

[MickOwens]

I'm sure there will many other stuff ups in future too but its quite frustrating...i've been looking forward to tonight all week! :sadeyes:

Still at least i could walk inside and watch tv...good work on leaving that finder 100kms behind..i bet that was fun.

[mill]

Just have some tape and a knife with you and reconnect the wires together and nothing is lost (but then again i am an electrician :P ).

[MickOwens]

I wont risk that, i'll just buy a new supply and hope never to do it again...stupid beginners mistake....

[jjjnettie]

:lol: As you gain more experience in this hobby, the mistakes get bigger and more expensive. ;)

[MickOwens]

Great, the wife is laughing at me now, lets see her laugh when I make the more expensive mistakes!

(hope shes not reading this....)

[mithrandir]

This is why I terminate all the cables under the mount and put a groundsheet over the 240V lead for the computer and 12V 20A lead to the power supply I leave on the verandah. That leaves the power leads for the peltiers as the only nuisance. They could do with being 500mm longer. It means I have to hang the joiners off the tripod spreader.

[acropolite]

The LX90 has cord wrap and doesn't tangle the powercord if enabled. I also have a 2 piece cord which simply pulls apart if strained. :whistle:

[jjjnettie]

:lol: I have a similar setup Phil.
Put too much strain on me and I fall apart too.:rofl:

[MickOwens]

I think i'll be on the lookout for a 2 piece cord then...sounds like a good idea. I'll be paying more attention to the cords from now on thats for sure.

[sheeny]

I don't thin a GEM poses the same risk to the power cable, but I have become very attuned to the nasty creaking noises cables make as they get jammed and stretched between RA and Dec drive motor housings:eyepop:. Hate that sound!


Well, I've managed to pack the scope and everything into the truck and drive 1/2 an hour out to my dark sky site only to find I didn't pack the tripod!:doh:

Sometimes there is just no hope...:P:lol::whistle:

Al.

[Barrykgerdes]

Our recent problems.

Went to Crago for a nights viewing. Left the lens adaptor for the LX200 at home. About the only thing that I did not have a duplicate of.

Went to Crago to test my new wedge. Left the retainer nut at home. Same problem the come in handy spares box did not have a 1/2" NC nut but just about every other size.

Went to Crago with the new Power supply (12v battery) for the ETX 125. Dropped the plug while setting up. The accuracy of the drop was only as Murphy can do the minus sleeve fell directly on the Plus terminal. The cable disappeared in a cloud of flame and smoke. Ah well the internal batteries lasted the night.

Went to Wiruna for the Star party to set up in my caravan parked there previously. Forgot the key and nearly had to sleep in the car. You all remember what the weather was like.

These are only the recent mishaps. In twenty years I have had my share.

By the way I have got around the LX200 classic cable wrap. I made a new cable 2 metres long. I need to be careful I don't trip over it.

Oh I nearly forgot. Took the LX200 to Abotsleigh last week for the schools night. Set up and felt the secondary mirror. It was loose I tightened it. I now had two Jupiters and a few too many moons and the stars looked like arrowheads. This time I was a bit luckier I had some allen keys in the car. Half an hour later I just about had the primary stage of collimation done and the images were viewable. Then the clouds trolled over! Ah well the girls were generous I now have a nice bottle of red to alleviate the troubles.

Baz :shrug::(:screwy::whistle::D

[dpastern]

Oh don't tell me that...I'm in real trouble then :P

Dave

[GrahamL]

random stupid acts often repeat themselves I find one way or another:D,, maybe hope for them staying not to serious :)

[Lumen Miner]

You should post that in my "DoH!!!" moments thread.

[mental4astro]

I did make a make-shift finder that night. Amazing what can be done with two paddle pop sticks, a pocket knife & a bit of tape. Rough as & took some getting used to.

One thing I've noticed, you don't forget what you left behind last time, so you leave something else in fretting! :doh::doh:

[mozzie]

i was at spsp 2 years ago great viewing and my mate got real excited and while walking around the scope in a mad rush stood on the 12v power cable and snapped the connection clean of the cable and the other half was still in the pin on the side of the telescope:doh::doh::doh:talk about trouble
mozzie

[bmitchell82]

EQ6pro's have a nice little "Anti cord wrap" system the only pain is that you can be only a bees !@#$! away from a target and the mount spins right around to get at it from another angle.!

I have come to the stage where i set everything up Under the tripod itself when out and about in the woods im about to make up a alloy tray to sit the lappy on but apart from that its really nice to have it all under there, i don't step on or trip over anything anymore!

Plus all my USB cables that go up to the top of the newt have all got 1m extensions but the split cables make for a good break point. As of yet i have not had any breakage mishaps though i have had my fair share of killer nights that you do nothing!