Jessops TA800-80 Review

Oh alright, so looking up at the nights sky is not really a outdoors 'adventure', but it certainly is easy to get lost in your own imagination taking on astronomy for the first time. I've been interested in space since I was a kid and always enjoy reading about astronomy on the internet and in books but alas I never took the plunge and actually brought myself a telescope. 

The TA800-80 Reflector

I had been looking at some higher priced telescopes all last year with go-to functions like the cheaper Cassegrain models but I really didn't want to end up spending serious dough on a hobby which might only last me a few weeks at best. Fortunately my significant other was at a loss of what to buy me for Christmas so seeing that Jessops had some simple reflector telescopes on half price I asked for one of these cheaper models to see if its something I might want to spent a small fortune on at a later date.

Before I start I should probably say that I live in the middle of nowhere and except Stansted airport two miles away there are no street lights so I'm not guaranteeing that my experiences will match your own. That been said, it is light enough to pack into the car and travel somewhere out the way.

First impressions out of the box are that it is quite well made and robust. The metal construction on the telescope itself seems solid and the tripod is also well made. Included with the scope are three viewing lenses along with a Barlow which times whatever lens you are using my three. The three lenses are 20mm, 12.5mm and a 6mm. Working out the lenses is easy but essentially all you have to really realise is that the larger the number the wider the picture is going to be, and the brighter the picture (because there is more light being collected.)

Putting the scope together is very quick and easy, the only thing that may take a little trial and error is setting up the spotting scope but with up/down and left/right adjustment wheels built into the spot-scope itself its pretty self explanatory. Easiest way I found to set up the spotting scope is to simply use the moon as a reference. 

Late on Christmas day I was lucky enough to have a completely clear sky and an almost full moon to gaze at with Jupiter a thumbs width in the sky away from the moon. In fact I found Jupiter completely by accident and was so thrilled when I saw Jupiter's moons sprawled around the distant planet. Finding objects with this telescope is not too difficult but you have to have some patience. Best bet is to use the 20mm lens to find your object and then go down to the 12.5mm. The 6mm doesn't zoom in much farther and is difficult to view through owing to the small viewing hole and subsequently you are forever re-adjusting (in the farthest zoom you are lucky to have maybe fifteen seconds of viewing before the movement of the planet means having to re-adjust.) The Barlow multiplier lens is OK, but remember you are multiplying an image being reflected off of a mirror and therefore it is not going to be any clearer than the smaller image.

Views of Jupiter through the 12.5mm lens multiplied through the Barlow show the planets stripes (just) and the moons appear as tiny stars surrounding the gas giant. Owing to the heaven's current orbits I've only been able to view Jupiter and the moon thus far but I'm looking forward to my future discoveries. 

The moon however looks beautiful especially when some of it is in darkness and you can see the ridges of the craters still bathed in sunlight. I know most people use moon filters and I'm surprised this doesn't come with one. I'm sure you could get one to fit this telescope as the 1.5" fitting seems to be pretty universal but in all honesty just using a pair of sunglasses would probably get around this.

 As a representation of what you might expect to see through this telescope here are some images (not my own) which tally up pretty well with what I've experienced so far.

What you might expect to see through the 20mm lens.

What you might expect to see through the 12.5mm. (Just.)

Taken from my Canon 400D through the viewing lens.

I now can't wait to find the other planets in the sky with this thing. For fifty quid it really is a great little device for getting to grips with astronomy and making sure it is something which you will enjoy for a longer period of time.

So in conclusion:

Cons: 

•  Stability can be a bit of a nuisance and a lot of the time by the time you've got it in view, focused and its stopped wobbling its time to re-adjust again. 
• Its only enough to get you interested! Its brilliant for me as I feel like a kid again using this but once I've exhausted the local planets I do feel that maybe this will have passed its usefulness. I would be tempted to say this would make a good 'toy' but I know as a child I'd have been disappointed with the detail you can pick up on anything other than the moon. As an adult you obviously have more realistic expectations about the devices abilities.

Pros: 

• Cheap (at least when on offer) introduction to astronomy.
• Easy to set up, simple point and focus, no hassle.
• Light and small enough to transport if need be.

As a side note, if you are wondering whether to get one I think you'd be best looking on Ebay for a second hand one as these no doubt will only serve folk for a short time before they progress onto something a little more manly or get bored. 

If you want a program to use on your computer there are a few around but I find that Celestia is a brilliant one as it not only shows the solar system in its current state but also allows you to travel to distant stars and investigate what they are like. 
You can get a free download here:

http://download.cnet.com/Celestia/3000-2054_4-10064567.html

Or for a really helpful program to give you some bearings try Stellarium which you can download here: 

http://sourceforge.net/projects/stellarium/

Failing that, if you have a smartphone look up Google Sky. Its a free app which shows you what you are seeing in the night sky. Problem can be that it doesn't really understand exactly where you are pointing it but if you work off of landmarks in the sky that you know you shouldn't have any issue.

Sevylor Canyon Review

So for many months I had considered buying myself a cheap Sevylor inflatable to prat around on and I finally went balls-deep and got a Canyon from 'Go Outdoors' as it was going for the same price as the Tahiti (which at least looks like a less quality product.) The Canyon however has had many bad reviews in the past owing to poor manufacturing with many customers reporting that the seams leaked and let in quite a substantial amount of water into the craft. This is however in contrast with a lot of comments made saying that many people have had no problems whatsoever. Regardless, I can't help but feel that this was the reason for this particular model going for practically half price, but I decided I'd take a gamble and if not I'd take it back if it really wasn't any good and get the cheaper (and long-lasting) Tahiti.

(Image taken from www.tridentuk.com)

As someone who hasn't been on a kayak since a primary school trip, I would hasten to add that I'm probably not the best person to be conducting a review, but if like me you are a complete noob then you may benefit from hearing from my experiences (and better still learn from them.)


After buying the boat and getting the accessories I was rather keen to try it out on the water so off I went to test it at the lake in Hatfield Forest. 

The first thing I would say about the canyon as you take it out of the boot and carry it a fair distance for the first time is that it is actually rather heavy considering it is more or less a pool toy with a nylon cover. 

Next thing to consider is the pressure valve which you get free with the boat. I've seen other Sevylor models that feature a really clever inbuilt gauge with a simple Min-Max window, but the one supplied with the Canyon is like an old school clock gauge. Simply put, I couldn't work out how to get it to read the pressure properly so I did the best I could at guesstimating the right kind of pressure. Not the best start, oh but it gets worse and hilarity ensued!

With it pumped up I lowered myself into the craft smiling like a loon and got those paddles into the water. The first thing you notice with the standard Sevylor paddles is that they are very short and this ends up problematic (particularily in December when the waters cold and you are wearing a pair of desert-combat trousers) because your legs and lap get soaking wet. I had read this in other reviews from different inflatables from Sevylor but I thought those people who were complaining were just a load of whinging tarts. Guess I'm now one of them. 

I did notice that it does sway with each stroke of the paddle quite a lot, whether this was because I was sitting far back against the back of the boat I'm unsure, but my journey unfortunately never afforded me much time to play about with different seating positions. I would assume that with a bit of weight in the front (perhaps a few backpacks or something) it would track and hold its heading a little better.

So, ignoring my legs getting a little wet I pressed on with the maiden voyage, pushing out into the middle of the lake where it all suddenly became a little...choppy.With a momentary lapse in concentration to fiddle with my digital camera to try and get some video footage for this review I suddenly realised that the wind was substantial enough to push me way back into some reeds from whence I could never hope to escape. I became aware that my paddles were now being used as barge poles against very shallow water and I was trying to prevent a puncture from the remnants of dead trees around me. To make matters worse I also had a National Trust person shouting at me from the other side of the lake to stop. (To be fair I didn't actually think it would have been a big deal as they allow rowing boats on the lake during the summer.)

Realising that there was no hope of returning to the spot where I started I had to face the fact that I was going to have to get wet feet and pull the boat in to land from across the reeds. This meant getting wet and freezing cold feet but I could deal with that. 

Next issue was deflating in a rush trying desperately to get all the air out so that I could pack up and leg it before these park ranger could show their faces. I obviously did something very wrong because for the life of me I could not get the last bits of air out of the chambers and certainly could not fit it back inside the now minute looking bag which it comes in. Someone really needs to invent a compression sack for these things.

Next thing I know, the park ranger turns up to tell me that having your own boats on the lake was prohibited and that it is a danger to wildlife. Well, as much as I love wildlife the simple fact is that that reason is bullshit.
 Throughout the summer they have rowing boats (which you pay an external company to use) on the lake and they allow fishing throughout the year which is a big risk to many animals if any fishermen leave their fishing line or lead shots laying around. When I asked about the rowing boats I was told they were 'licenced', which means that they only allow it if the National Trust can make a buck out of it.  Not like I have been a paying member of the National Trust for years or anything. Not that I'm bitter or anything. In any case after refusing to give my name to the guy I was left alone to carry on my grueling half-mile walk back to the car.

Its really difficult to walk in sodden skateboarding trainers on slippery mud whilst dragging a heavy inflatable boat. Yes as bad as it sounds, I dragged that boat back a long way across grass, mud and even woodland floor and miraculously there is no puncture. If nothing else I'm really impressed with the durability of these boats, I was really expecting to have to do a repair after dragging it across twigs and thorns (cringing the whole way) but having got home with it and pumped it back up it has seemed to have survived well.

So, final conclusion.

Cons

• Shit paddles, stay away from the crappy official Sevylor ones and try and source some longer ones from somewhere.
• Shit in any wind. There is a reason all those Sevylor product's photos are taken in pristine lagoons. Unless you are two up and have the stamina to fight the wind all day then wait for a lazy summers day. I just consider myself lucky that I didn't try this out in the sea first of all like I was going to originally! In all fairness I should have foreseen the limitations and realised the wind was too much for an inflatable.
• Despite being an inflatable it's actually quite heavy. Not extremely heavy but I did have the intention of packing this into a Bergan to take this on the train with the rest of my gear on top but sadly this doesn't look very realistic.
• Sadly the pressure gauge on this model lets it down from the other products which feature the simple and easy to read internal windows which are held on the bladders. If you are thinking of buying one of these then I would look at getting a pump which has a pressure gauge inbuilt into it, it will save you a lot of hassle in the long run. I would say that the deflation on these is a bastard but this is more than likely my fault for trying to rush around.

Pros

• Despite the wind it did seem very stable, at one point I was leaning right over to pull myself into land and I was quite surprised it didn't tip.
• Durable exterior nylon which is like kevlar armor. Surviving being pulled over twigs and thorns in a small woodland has really surprised me.

• Even with the added price of the paddles and pump I still think its good value for money. I won't make the same mistakes I've made and I intend to get out on the water in some nice gentle rivers and canals once the weather warms up. I suspect I will get my moneys worth out of this, and besides, this is simply a stepping stone towards buying a proper canoe in the future. In short, this is good to 'wet' your appetite.

 

 
 

Binxie's Blog!

Hello, I'm Binxie and this is my blog providing a written account of my adventures. You may have already gathered this by the title of this little blog but to be honest I'm unaware of what is socially acceptable to put as a introductory post on a vanity site.

My real name is Jason, I'm in my mid-twenties and for the past god-knows how long I've done what many others my age fall into the trap of doing. Failing to actually live. I've been working full-time since I left school and in my spare time much of it has been spent literally wasting my youth in front of a computer screen (obviously, I understand the irony that I've had to do just that to write this.)

Well 2012 has been such an abysmal year for me in terms of actually getting out there and enjoying the great outdoors that I've made a pact with myself. This next year will be much, much different or else I'll end up just doing myself in with a 'Call of Duty' marathon with no food, water or any toilet breaks. I've played so much Battlefield 3 that I have waking nightmares of someone spawn camping the foot of my bed. With the obscene amount of hours I've put into playing computer games I could have learned some real skills which sadly I' am really lacking. 

I've always had an interest in bushcraft, camping and nature in general and its been mostly down to not knowing anyone else who really enjoys these things that's held me back in the past, but lone-wolf is fine so long as I'm out of the house.

So why the blog? The blog is simply a motivation to get me out there and do things and to post my stories back on here so I can keep a diary whilst sharing with whoever else may be interested. I have kept blogs in the past but they have mostly been political in nature but to be honest, I've given up with politics. If I do end up going on a political rant then I apologise in advance. Other bits I might comment on are historical sites I end up in and general home-keeping or self-sufficiency ideas.

  I hope my articles can provide help to someone like me and if it convinces another soul to get active and make the most of their time then all the better. 

Any comments throughout the blog will be gratefully received so long as its constructive and doesn't abuse me personally for no particular reason. 

To the road ahead!