Hard times

I agree that these are hard times, and when it comes to keeping expensive astro equipment or paying the bills, there's really only one option open, always hoping that when the good times roll around again, and they will, be positive:) equipment can be bought again.

Of course it's now a good time if you are fortunate enough to be a top civil servant or bank CEO, no, stop that, let's not go down that road:unsure: . Anyway, if you are lucky enough to have some spare cash then it's the time to buy, a cheaper Ethos, or Obsession or Starfire might be within reach.

Incidently, I wonder if the retellers will consider lowering their prices in an attempt to get some of the scarce cash? I'm sure they are feeling the pinch too.

Finally, is there anyone out there who was considering a large purchase and changed their mind?

Not counting Keith of course.:woohoo:

Matthew C wrote:

Hi all. Ive been thinking recently that what with this credit crunch, whether people are having to make a sacrifice with their beloved hobby in order to have the bare necessities.

I guess if you are in the position of having to sacrifice something just to have the 'bare necessities'
then you have bigger problems to worry about.

Matthew C wrote:

Every day i see more and more people selling their kit

I'll be joining them soon as I'm going to be selling my ETX125 and 'kit' soon.

lunartic wrote:

....................

Finally, is there anyone out there who was considering a large purchase and changed their mind?

Not counting Keith of course.:woohoo:

LMAO! :laugh:

I'll be helping to lift the US economy out of recession all by myself :laugh: Not making any astro purchase for about 6 months anyway. A lot of things can change in that time.

I'll be very very tempted if an 18-20in Obsession goes on the market at firesale recession prices on this side of the pond though.

Don't despair Matthew, Every cloud has a dark lining:silly: but I won't be beaten. Even the boring old moon has some interest lately. I say this because on friday night last, I brought out the Dob and consoled myself. I had a look at some old friends early in the evening before the moon rose. then bowed to the inevitable and turned towards the moon. I tried a combination of eyepieces, barlows and filters for an hour or so. It was worthwhile I agree that there is a drop in traffic on the boards. Hope to get my Telrad soon and remove some of the frustrations of looking for DSO's....here's to frosty nights...if we are lucky: blink:

Declan

Calibos wrote:

I'll be very very tempted if an 18-20in Obsession goes on the market at firesale recession prices on this side of the pond though.

if you think a 16" scope is a pain with your car, you haven't got a hope with a 20", I'm currently thinking of getting a bigger car for the 20", we'll see how it pans out.

With respect to clouds and the increasing numbers over the last few years - the solar wind is recorded at its lowest in 50 years (since records began). This has a direct impact on cloud formation as its now proposed that cosmic rays have a cloud seeding effect, and with the heliosphere weakened more cosmic rays hit the earth. Lets hope the new solar cycle speeds up a little and clearer skies are on the way.

I certainly have not been as active on the boards since the changeover. I simply do not find the new site as conducive to discourse as the old one (no offence to the web team who are doing their best). Lack of notification of posts is a major part of this.