CONCRETE BASE - ADVICE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED

It appears that every Astronomer, Sheal, appears to think that if they get a new Telescope that it's mandatory, and Sod's Law, that they will get at least a month of cloudy skies...........so I'm sure that going by scale I'll probably get a year of cloud

 

Just an update. My original tripod and GOTO Mount [a CGE5] finally ground to a halt and although it can be used manually the motor etc has broken down. So I've just bought a new tripod and mount for the Telescope. Taking into account that I'll be acquiring a 12inch Telescope shortly, which is not exactly light, I splashed out and got a Skywatcher NEQ6 Pro Synscan and the GPS unit that will tell the mount where it is no matter where I go with it.....which will make setting up a lot easier.
So I've spent the day reading, rereading, and rereading again, the Manuals that have come with it..........and have come to the conclusion I need to read it again, and again!!! I've also downloaded some very good instructional videos that show how to put the tripod and mount together and then calibrate it and set it up, plus a whole tips that will make things a lot easier. I really appreciate these knowledgeable people sharing their knowledge and making things much easier for the likes of myself So back to the mental grindstone again.

 

Well, it certainly knocks my old mount and tripod into the "Stone Age", Sheal, and drags me out of it too!! It's designed to take the heavier, bigger Telescopes and has a great reputation among amateur astronomers. The trouble is that although it's made by a top manufacturer it has it's faults that they could have easily rectified, but for the sake of economics they have not and not done themselves any favours.
Firstly they have only supplied a second rate power connection for a DC [Battery] supply and nothing for mains supply. So you have to buy a AC to DC supply kit for around £28 from a third party manufacturer. Secondly, two vital bolts for the setting of the latitude on the mount, for where you are, and two bolts for adjusting the azimuth are made of inferior steel and will cause major problems as they will bend in use after a time. So anyone buying the kit immediately buys the upgraded tougher bolts from another third party manufacturer for £55.50p

 

I've talked to the manufacturers, who only make it on a firm order [and a large deposit] but I can't do anything yet as the Gardener in me is making me wait until the Shrubs and plants that are where the circular concrete base will go have gone dormant and I can dig them up and move them to another border.
I'm still looking for three quotes from local, reliable, builders, for putting in a trench for the laying of a mains power supply, and the concrete base. I don't want a builder who accepts the job and then adds you to the list of other jobs he's doing and visits you for a day, then disappears to do another job, and reappears to do another bit. I can do all the electrical stuff for the automated roof, tracker, lighting and power sockets myself and then a qualified electrician, [a friend of mine] will inspect the work and pass it. So there loads of stuff to plan for the fittings and then a bit of advice to be listened to from other people who have trodden the path before me.

 

One interesting thing happened when buying this "All Singing, All Dancing, tripod and GOTO GPS Mount for the Telescope was that due to my having got rid of my Credit Card years ago [one of the best things I have ever done] I used my Debit card. I contacted the supplier to ensure that all the items were in stock and then, because it's "easier" went onto their Site on the Net and went through the procedures. So I put in my name, address, card number, all the security details, passwords etc, and then clicked on "BUY" that pushed me onto PAYPAL where I went through the same procedures again, that pushed me onto the HALIFAX [where my Bank Account is] and I went through it all again without, seemingly, a problem. Then when I clicked on AUTHORISE they immediately declined my card payment!!! So I'm immediately thinking "Who's hacked into my account and stolen my money!!". Just as I'm thinking that the phone rang and it's the automated security system from Halifax asking if I've just tried to move a reasonable amount of money from my account. I then have to go through a set of security questions, pressing buttons in answer to each question. Then it asks me to check with the Supplier to see if the transaction had gone through, [It hadn't], and if not to try again. Which I did having to go through all the procedures of the Supplier, PAYPAL, and the Halifax Then I had to check with the Supplier to make sure that he'd got the payment, which it had.

 

That sounds extremely frustrating! I'm the opposite of you , as I use a credit card and never use a debit card. If I have a large transaction to make I phone the card company first and tell them. I have a direct number straight to a person . It takes less than a minute and then I can make the purchase. The added advantage is that the credit card company give me 1.5% cashback

Re your builder: I'm pretty sure you would do so, but make sure you get a full written spec and contract and get a copy of the builder's up to date Public Liability insurance certificate. I've had to handle too many problem cases when people haven't done so.

 

You're spot on, Shiney. It's one of the things I will go through with whatever Builder I end up with. I will also make sure, as I said earlier, that the job has a deadline to finish on so that I can be sure I'm not one of many jobs he's flitting around on.

 

There are other makes of mounts and tripods that are comparable to the NEQ6 Pro Synscan, Sheal, but there are differences that made me think the NEQ6 was most versatile. I wanted a GPS function but the only other alternative with that had it integrated into the mount.
I don't like things that are combined, say, like a Music Centre with radio, CD player, tape recorder etc all in it, or a TV with a recorder in it, because if one of the functions goes wrong you have to send the whole thing for repair instead on just the single thing that's gone wrong.
So apart from other things that makes the NEQ6 more useful and versatile to me, it has a separate dedicated GPS unit that just plugs into the mount. So if that goes kaput I can either replace or repair it. Also there are some really good mods you can make to it and there are updates and upgrades to the software of the mount that makes it able to do things that other mounts can't.
As I said, it's made for bigger, heavier, telescopes the next stage being ones used in the professional world. That was one of the reasons I got it as in the near future I'm getting a 12 inch aperture telescope which is a bit of a beast in size and weight, although once the Observatory is in the Garden that's where it will be set up permanently.

 

Since I got the "all singing, all dancing" mount for my telescope I seem to be buying a lot of bits and bobs to "improve" things and make it easier to adjust and calibrate settings such as a set of stronger bolts for setting the longitude and latitude, a dc to ac regulated power unit, a good power surge protection unit, a set of spade end size M3 grub screws, a set of M4 Round head grub screws, and now a DB9 female connector to USB so that I can update the software on the hand control to the latest firmware........why don't manufacturers just do it right in the first place!!!

 

So true, Sheal, but it's just so exasperating!!!! Hopefully I've got every thing now.........I did say "hopefully"