Dave's Office
Have Detector Will Travel
It's finally stopped raining and I just checked the gage again, the 15ml has now turned into 54ml, I know it's not a lot to you folks up north but it pretty rare down our way.
What are YOU doing right NOW
- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
Help Support Prospecting Australia:
Enjoy it mate.
34ml here, good drop, just shy of 600mm for the year, can’t remember the last time that happened.
user 22230
Gavin of Garfield
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2021
- Messages
- 998
- Reaction score
- 2,683
Looking for some old pictures and came across what nowadays must be classed as a collectors item ? 
Signing the book on top of Ayers Rock 
Ringbarking camp around Roma - Injune Qld, not a Waeco in site was water bags only in those days. I got the job as camp cook, big bucks $11 a day back then 
Having an axe throwing contest, as you did ?
Signing the book on top of Ayers Rock Ringbarking camp around Roma - Injune Qld, not a Waeco in site was water bags only in those days. I got the job as camp cook, big bucks $11 a day back then
Having an axe throwing contest, as you did ?
Last edited:
You would hang the waterbags on the roo bars but somedays they would be almost too hot to drink and needed a shot of unsweetened lime juice to be drinkable....Looking for some old pictures and came across what nowadays must be classed as a collectors item ?
View attachment 5859
Ringbarking camp around Roma - Injune Qld, not a Waeco in site was water bags only in those days. I got the job as camp cook, big bucks $11 a day back then
View attachment 5860
Got the old ZEQ 25 telescope mount out yesterday and went into the workings to tune the clutches and worm gears. Today just amusing myself balancing everything up and playing around with my handiwork that had daunted me over the last few years.
All we need now are some clear night skies to get back into my Astro.
View attachment IMG_1296.MOV
All we need now are some clear night skies to get back into my Astro.
View attachment IMG_1296.MOV
user 22230
Gavin of Garfield
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2021
- Messages
- 998
- Reaction score
- 2,683
We didn't have any of that flash lime juice bloke, was like drinking soup made out of a piece of boiled canvas
Remember one night I made the boys jelly with tinned fruit in it and they reckoned I was the best cook they had ever had. Boss wasn't to happy but, as he reckons it was extravagant use of tucker Being a rebel back in those days the boys got jelly fruit on a regular basis but user 22230
Gavin of Garfield
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2021
- Messages
- 998
- Reaction score
- 2,683
Trick bit of gear, would go well out my place .................... basically zero residual light. Used to help a bloke make mirrors for them 8 and 10 inch. He used to hand grind them then we would go into RMIT in Melbourne and put them in a bell jar and pump a vacuum in then melt a piece of aluminium I think it was ? Was incredible to watch as it literally exploded inside the bell jar giving a perfect finish
Yeah. I like to take this mount together with a shorter SCT telescope tube with us when we go away in the caravan prospecting and can get access to the wonderful dark bejeweled night skies in the goldfields.Trick bit of gear, would go well out my place .................... basically zero residual light. Used to help a bloke make mirrors for them 8 and 10 inch. He used to hand grind them then we would go into RMIT in Melbourne and put them in a bell jar and pump a vacuum in then melt a piece of aluminium I think it was ? Was incredible to watch as it literally exploded inside the bell jar giving a perfect finish
Ground my own mirror (8") when I was a teenager but badly scratched it just before it was ready to be vacuum aluminised and gave up as the scratch was too deep and I would almost have had to start the two month long hand grinding and polishing process all over again. Never finished the project but still have it as a reminder now to finish what I start. Too badly scratched and cracked now to even think about finishing it and besides I have some money to buy stuff now. Boy do I need it when you have to spend money on prospecting and Astro stuff.
user 22230
Gavin of Garfield
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2021
- Messages
- 998
- Reaction score
- 2,683
Good stuff the bloke I assisted used to build the complete units (Not motorised but) and they were pretty good apparently. Is something I should get into as my star gazing at being a rock star are long past these days
ps I have a white car and on a moonless night you can stand a metre from it and not see it, it's a black abyss
ps I have a white car and on a moonless night you can stand a metre from it and not see it, it's a black abyss
user 22230
Gavin of Garfield
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2021
- Messages
- 998
- Reaction score
- 2,683
Mate what would something like you have roughly be worth and best place to shop ........................... xmas is coming and I love new toys
Hi Diginit,Mate what would something like you have roughly be worth and best place to shop ........................... xmas is coming and I love new toys
The major question for people starting out in astronomy is pretty much what sort of astronomy do you want to do. Visual or Astrophotography.
If you would be happy with visual use, a 8" Dobsonian mounted reflector telescope would be good value. But they are bulky and tend to be a dead end as far as astrophotography is concerned although some basic imaging of bright objects like the moon and planets would be possible. An 8" manually controlled dobsonian would cost around $800 and one with a motorised goto wifi mount would be about $2000. (Goto means that once a telescope is aligned properly it can be instructed by wifi or a hand controller to "go to" any known object in the sky to view even if you can't see it with the naked eye).
If it is astrophotography that interests you would need an equatorial mount like the one in my video which is an iOptron ZEQ25 which can handle a telescope and equipment payload of about 11Kgs. They are sold generally as a mount, tripod and counterweight only without the telescope as most imagers prefer to choose their own. A reasonable, even cheap DSLR would be fine starting out in astrophotography and they can be attached to a telescope with cheaply bought adaptor rings that replace the camera's detachable lens.
Equatorial mounts require very exact setting up and alignment but that is the only way quality deep Sky images can be obtained. Once they are aligned they can also easily be used for Visual use. The modern updated equivalent of my mount is the iOptron CEM 26 and costs around $2000 and you would also need to outlay a further $400 for a polar aligning camera like an iPolar or Polemaster to achieve the exact alignment required.
Another popular mount in that weight handling class is the Skywatcher HEQ5 which also retails in the $2000 range.
There are telescope shops in most states Bintel, Testar and Andrews Communications in NSW, Ozscopes and Sidereal trading in Vic, Astro Anarchy and Sirius optics in Queensland and Bino Central in Western Australia. I have bought from most and they usually offer reasonable shipping rates. They all have their prices and packages on line to view.
Like quality detectors but probably even more so, quality optics are quality optics so don't be afraid to buy second hand either. I keep my eye on Facebook marketplace, Gumtree and the Australian amateur astronomy forum "Ice In Space" classifieds for good equipment bargains.
The overall rule is for Visual to go big on Aperture and for astrophotography go big on Quality.
Diginit you are welcome to PM anytime and if you would like we could arrange to have a chat as there is quite a lot involved and many mistakes to be avoided (personal experience) just like with someone starting out in detecting.
user 22230
Gavin of Garfield
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2021
- Messages
- 998
- Reaction score
- 2,683
Hawkear thanks heaps for all the info and will do . Will have a think about what I want for as always I go in thinking I'll give this a go and next I know I'm knee deep into it Once again much appreciate the info
Once again much appreciate the info I remember how important the cook was in a bush camp. We had one who would even make pizza and cake. Every now and then he would go on a bender and be pissed for days, and we would all pitch in and cook (you can't afford to lose a cook like that).We didn't have any of that flash lime juice bloke, was like drinking soup made out of a piece of boiled canvas
the shearers cook went on a bender and was offside for about a week goldie ,we were going to string him up but we were sick of our own cooking by then, about the only thing that saved his hide
but we were sick of our own cooking by then, about the only thing that saved his hideThat is why we covered our cook's back with management...the shearers cook went on a bender and was offside for about a week goldie ,we were going to string him up
Celebrating with an Aldi cask red, as just got the news that our sale contract for Daisy Hill is now unconditional as purchaser has got finance and building inspection has proved OK and will settle in mid January.
Will be a bit sad still to leave but then better to be in control of a decision rather than wait until one is forced on you.
Will be a bit sad still to leave but then better to be in control of a decision rather than wait until one is forced on you.
Sitting having a coffee looking at the ocean after last nights light show and storm at Pt Hughes.
Hope you have your fishing rod with you Pa, that water looks very tempting. Mackka
Similar threads
