Austin Roberts Observatories

[zakkhogan]

I recently bought a 'fixer upper' observatory which turns out to be an Austin Roberts observatory 

i have found very little on the Internet regarding it, other than these to likes :

1: http://www.europa.com/~telscope/tsenglnd20C.txt

2: http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbarchive/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1700589/Main/1697424

The first linke states the following information:

Austin Roberts & Co. Birkenhead, Cheshire. Started 1967 by a group of ATMs.
Reflectors, 115 mm and larger. (Hermes, 1973)

where as the second is from a fellow owner.

does anyone have any info on austin roberts or have this obsy as i would love to know more about it, i intend to restore it the best i can.

i would also like to know of any modification i should.could make

many thnanks

Craig

[Cleetus Van Damme]

I'm afraid I know very little about them. But I do know Austin Roberts Observatories had regular ads in the journal of the BAA back in the 1970's. As a matter of interest where did you get it?

Cleetus

[zakkhogan]

Hi Cleetus, I bought it from a guy in Northampton, he didnt really know anything about it. He bought  it from its original owner and never reassembled it.

   

[Cleetus Van Damme]

Looks in good nic when you consider its age. Funnily enough mine is the same colour. I'm now in the process of taking it apart and cleaning the wheels, tracks and whatnot. then paining it with MSP before putting it back together again. Always preferred the colour green for observatories - white looks horrible and sticks out like a sore whassiname!!

[bob1957]

 Hi Craig,

 

As Cleetus mentioned Austin Roberts advertised in the BAA Journal in the 70's. If I've got it right, I've attached an image of their advert from the October 1976 journal.

 

Cheers, Bob

[zakkhogan]

Thanks Bob, thats fantastic, i shall print it and keep it, Thank you.

Cleetus is your obsy an Austin Robert too? either way are there any modifications that you would recommend?  

I am considering  installing a extractor fan (like one you would have in the bathroom) into the door to create air flow in the obsy.

The obsy itself is going to be installed on top of a steal mezzanine floor, about 8ft - 9ft in the air, above a flat roof shed

Thanks Again

Craig 

[Cleetus Van Damme]

Craig,

No, mine is a Pulsar. Consider anchoring it down in some way just in case. The fibreglass domes do get quite warm in summer (probably why white is so popular) and if the forecast is very hot/sunny then I just open the shutter about a foot or so before leaving for work. Cloudy days, even in summer, I don't bother. Also I have my telescope covered with a Telegizmos 365 cover which keeps the heat out. I used to hang a low wattage bulb during winter, to ease codensation, but I stopped that a few years ago as I considered it unnecessary when I got the cover. Some sort of shelf going all the way around is a good idea as you never have enough space in domes. Mine has a tripod inside so space is even tighter - I would definitely consider a pier if I was going to stay in this house for longer than I intend to. Apart from that, its just regular cleaning of wheels, tracks/rails as they tend to get clogged up with all sorts of stuff and operation suffers as a result. Having an electric cable run up there is a must as I got fed up recharging batteries. I got two Palstars (Palstar PS 04) to convert AC into 13v DC, one for telescope and the other for dew duties. These can be had these days for less than £30 each - cheaper than batteries and you never run out of juice!!

 

[Mike B S]

Craig,

I know its been 2 years since you posted your request for info.

Judging by your photo, your's is an 8ft dome on a 3ft wall - am I right? It looks like someone has butchered the wall to put a door in. I have an AR dome - 8ft diameter with 3ft walls in grey - which I bought 3rd hand in about 1990. It came with the original invoice and "instructions" - ordered in March 1975 and delivered, to Gillingham in Kent, in May 1975. I also have a copy of their catalogue from 1982 which lists your (and my) dome costing £1580.00. I can send copies of the "instructions" and catalogue if you wish.

My dome has been up at its present location for nearly 20 years - and is still in perfect working order. The only problem is the North Atlantic sea air - the bolts that hold it all together are severly corroded and the rain gets blown inside at the bottom of the walls. I should have put sealant down on the concrete base before I put the walls down instead of trying to pump the sealant in afterwards.

Mike

[Mike B S]

Craig,

Attached are the Austin Roberts Catalogue and "Instructions" and a photo of my 41 year old AR observatory (grubby - hasn't been cleaned for at least 15 years).

Mike

Austin Roberts Observatory Erection Instructions - 1975.pdf

Austin Roberts Catalogue circa 1982.pdf

[zakkhogan]

Mike, thank you so much for this information, I really appreciate it, I would love to ask you a few questions about the shutter as mine gets stuck quite frequently. 

 

And thank you so much for the instructions, will have a read through the tonight.

 

Thanks again

 

Craig

[Mike B S]

Craig,

My shutters very occasionaly stick. If it happens then all I do is trickle neat Fairy Liquid down the grooves - a couple of rollovers of the shutters and all is well. It may well be that the "slit

tracks" are distorted somewhere along their length - pulled out of their hemispherical shape when bolting it all together? There is a certain amount of give with the fibreglass - as long as

their are no cracks along the "slit tracks" length then they should be OK.

Mike