Tis me
hi all my name is Darren and i'm a biker; no i don't bite or scare old ladies/young children (well i try not too ). Other than having a lifelong passion for astronomy i also share another hobby with a few other BAS members i.e Amateur Radio, of which i've known Ross for 28 years or so.

The other passion of mine is my quirky little car; it's a Reliant Kitten (4-wheeled version of the Robin) and i've owned it since i purchased it from Stondon Motor Museum with only 17,000 original miles on it (now on 21K) a few years ago. It gets loads of attention/questions and people stopping to take photo's of it and constant stares of bewilderment at traffic lights (most seem confused as to why it has 4 wheels instead of 3). I can just about get my 10" Meade LX200 in it

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members that have given me such a nice warm welcome at the 2 meetings i've attended so far. I would also like to thank Brian (sorry i don't remember your last name) for the "wedge" that he kindly gave me to allow me to use my telescope in Polar-mode; i now look forward to doing longer than 30 second exposures

Darren.

Hi Darren,
My mum had one of those cars - yellow it was. Seem to remember it rattled a lot but didn't rust.

Don't get your hopes up too much for getting longer than 30 second exposures. With your focal length (2500mm) then 30 seconds is pushing your luck and I would guess most will be trailed but you might get some ok. Astrophotography is much easier with focal lengths around 500mm.
Cheers,
David

Hi David,
many thanks for the reply and also thanks for the heads up r.e. focal length + exposure times; i'm now a wiser chappie...the scope was a recent birthday present and quite a shock. It's been some years since i was last "hands on" and therefore i need to do a bit more research on certain aspects of the hobby that have (for me) progressed quite substantially. I love diving in at the deep end and seldom give in...try, try and try harder is a fav motto of mine ....if/when i fail at something then i can at least say i had fun trying. The club is an avenue to go down for help/advice/feedback/criticism (all welcome; i have broad shoulders lol) etc. etc. and for me to reciprocate the same where possible.

The car (Garfield...cos he's an Orange & Black kitten/cat) hasn't got any rattles just yet as he was meticulously looked after by the 1st owner (i'm the 2nd "drivable" owner) before he retired form driving and donated the car to the museum; although i must say every trip is an "adventure" and far from boring (think modern car).

Darren.