Hi All,
Now don't persecute me just yet! Please hear me out first.
But, I have been thinking of throwing all my gear up for sale.
I am thinking of doing this in favour of hiring remote telescopes (i.e. iTelescope.net).
I know you are all probably going to say that tinkering, DIY and using your own equipment is all part of the joy and reward. I totally agree!
But, I am tired of trawling gear in and out every night when I want to observe or image. I am never going to be able to afford the biggest and best imaging platform and equipment either. I don't have much room in my house either, and the place always seems to be cluttered with astro gear. I just don't seem to be getting the time to do this anymore either.
In addition, it is getting harder and harder to image and observe in suburbia. I have large supermarkets and shopping centres moving into the area all the time. With Aldi soon to start up (who apparently don't care much for preserving the night sky or electricity) and then Costco are also looking to move into the area.
Am I just getting old and grumpy? Deep down I don't know if I really want to, I do love my gear!
Thoughts? Pro's and Con's? Worthwhile?
Regards
Gavin