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I havent been to a SPSP for some years now, but when I did I was a little dissapointed in the facilities (just too many people for the number of toilets and showers available) and I though the entre fee was a bit steep. When I was there there were fireplaces in the camping areas and plenty of wood (very nice on cloudy nights to sit round the camp fire), however I understand there is now no camp fires allowed at all! I dont know why, as they naver caused any problems with observing all the times Ive been there. Ive attended the first 3 SPSP's and a few more later on. The ones Ive been to they had a large generator at the meeting hall (people could charge batteries there during the day I assume, and a few PCs were there running.)
The first few SPSP's ran at the same time as the Texas Star party and they had live ham radio hookups.
Some of the trees in or near the observing areas need to be removed. The year Hale Bopp was at its best, a tree obscured it from several telescopes.
The mindset of people with telescopes at that SPSP was most odd. I stood in a field surrounded by some of the biggest portable telescopes in the Southern hemisphere, one of the brightest comets in decades was sinking in the west, and not a single telescope was on it, they were all feeding their faces on the spit roast in the meeting hall. I couldnt believe it! Finally Andrew Murrel came to the rescue, turning "Hector" on it, revealing fantastic detail of the inner coma. Even on other nights most people with big scopes werent interested in it saying "ive seen it before from my place" gee then I say why bring the telescopes in the first place?
They are just my observations of the SPSP's Ive been to. Ive not been able to go to any other star parties so cant comment on them.
Scott
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