I am turning my FJ cruiser into an "astrocruiser". I am into astronomy and plan to use my fj to get me and my astro gear to some very remote, dark viewing areas. I knew those cargo tie-downs would come in handy! Anyone else have specific plans for their fj's? tog
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Re:astrocruiser
Date: 2006/11/13 05:42
By: Runner_Ryan
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Yup. I plan to haul my butt to some very remote areas. There will be recovery gear in the back...I see stars when I'm camping. Seriously...I've seen a lot more cool stars while wheeling, than any other time. Lots of shooting stars. And the best part is it is so quiet at the same time. Really makes you feel small.
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Re:astrocruiser
Date: 2006/11/13 05:51
By: tog
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Runner_Ryan wrote: Yup. I plan to haul my butt to some very remote areas. There will be recovery gear in the back...I see stars when I'm camping. Seriously...I've seen a lot more cool stars while wheeling, than any other time. Lots of shooting stars. And the best part is it is so quiet at the same time. Really makes you feel small. Yes! I love traveling to remote areas. (I am glad for such places). I look forward to getting away from civilization if only for a day. tog
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Re:astrocruiser
Date: 2006/11/14 06:52
By: FJeologist
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ASTRONOMY GEEKS UNITE! Hey tog, I've got an 8" Celestron Classic SCT with a fork mount drive which fits very nicely in the back of my FJ, tripod and all. Believe it or not, it even fits nicely on the roof rack, but don't ask how I got it up there. Anyway, something to note: If you plan to plug a motor drive into the optional AC outlet in the cargo area, you have to have the motor running. It works great, but it's kind of a bummer as it uses a bit of gas during the typical all-night star gazing session, and the noise tends to ruin the mood, even though the FJ's do have a nice throaty exhaust sound. If it's cold, as the best star gazing nights are, the FJ's very capable heater comes in handy. The alternative is to clip an inverter directly to the battery, but the last time I did that, I found that the scope's motor drive cut out or paused from time to time, probably due to the irregular or DC current... not sure. I'm still trying to resolve that minor problem, but either way, FJs definitely make awesome "astrocruisers"!
I wish you dark nights and clear skies!
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Re:astrocruiser
Date: 2006/11/14 17:26
By: Robotchef
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I added some pics to the Off Topic area for you to stare at!
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