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all of whom seem to have security lights on ...... I might buy me an air rifle !
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your rifle would lead to more security lights around Bristol, I suppose?
Ah, so good to understand your way in gear development and finally combating LP . Thank you.
I made the typical mistake:
decision was made for HEQ5Pro and initial wide field without telescope until wallet recovery. Good plan, aye.
But then, a 2nd hand EQ5 Goto with 8" F5 newt pops up for half the HEQ5 $$ and I jumped onto that.
Steep learning curve followed. Heaps of fun and some piggyback wide fields.
Going prime focal shortly before the wet season kicked in in Auckland revealed the mount's weakness: it simply can't cope with 9kg and tracking is horrible: ~8seconds at the most. 3 seconds when aiming at the zenith. ... but I loved loved loved the process and results, none the less! I guess, I'm really hooked.
Taking mount apart to look for reasons ... being a semi-professional idiot when it comes to tools and stuff.. leads to splintering a 2cmx2mm piece off the RA head. It still works, though, and the rip won't get worse. I even got it to track less bumpy by removing paint chips or something. yay!
But now I'm stuck with the EQ5 and can't sell it on, anymore.
So right now, I have to get a lighter scope and am in the process of selling on the 8" and new focuser.
[Seriously thinking of a 6" F4 from Teleskop-express.de - seems to be lightweight enough with ~6kg all together and not too small an aperture, either. A likely DIY project, though, from what I've read on the web. Bring it on!
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Typical mistake, aye. Lesson learned - and so much more.
No time wasted, though, as it has been raining constantly for 2 months and still is. One wonders where the sun is doing all the evaporation that comes pouring down, all the time. Certainly not in these parts of the world.
Clear skies
