rodrigol

And after a long pause posting here (but I've been posting in the imaging forums) I'm taking most of the advice and... 

The pier is almost done. Some repair is needed for the floor and I hope to finally get the C11Edge out... 

Merry Christmas to all and thanks for the the views and feedback. I've managed to get the SWED80 going it's true i do have to be careful walking around the tripod legs. Do far I've been lucky and will post a lunar stack on the imaging forums and an unguided M42 that marks first light for the obsy on the 24 December! The biggest challenge has been processing the data from an ASI 1600 MC. Getting the right debayer pattern has taken up a lot of time. 

Lots of work has been done. SW ED80MM is in. Electrics are sorted out. Roof is heavy but rolls free. I have sorted out a way to move it for £6. 

So, today, finally, the obsy arrived and we've assembled it.  Panels and bits coming off the lorry...

The roof is coming...Quite a complex task due to the hedges around our house.

Roof in place. Some heavy duty adjustments required to get everything to line-up nicely....

Getting close to the end of the working day. Just need to make sure that everything is as it should and enough support is in place. 

And there is lots more to show/discuss (not everything is perfect but as an amateur astronomer, I know that many things are a good compromise as long as they work.

Now I've got to do as promised to my other half...some real work!

The rollers and kept in-line by the roof itself running in parallel on the track bar you can see in in the second picture. We thought of using V-shaped rollers but these could not be procured. More rollers are being installed to make the effort required to move the roof as small as possible. 

R:)

Hi,

I'm not sure about the pilar as the ground was not cooperating for this. So, I decided for a double floor. The wooden floor with holes for the tripod legs, which will rest on the concrete pad. Walking on the wooden floor should not transmit any vibrations to the tripod. 

Indeed, the shed will be bolted into the concrete base.

Thanks for watching ?

Moved house and after a long pause, I started a new build as the one I had in the old place (https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/285320-first-obsy-build/) would never stand the conditions of where we moved. It's quite windy.

So, here is the status of the new one. I've had lots of help and hopefully on the 17th October, everything will start to come in place.

First the base. I got permission to sacrifice a plant box on a corner of the garden that faces south-west. There are no neighbors and so I have a light-less and unrestricted view from South to South-West and about 60 degrees to the north. The base was laid a couple of weeks ago with a long run of armoured cable going from the house to the end of the garden (about 30 meters).

The obsy is being built and tested in a warehouse. It's a proper ROR this time and emphasis has been placed on making things water tights and solid because of the wind. 

The next few picture show the state of affairs at the beginning of Sept. 

View from the inside. More rollers are coming and hopefully moving the roof is going to be like spreading butter...

Work in progress...

If you are still having issues with the powerline adapter why not invest in one that has a socket built in? 

Wow! Excellent job - started off as metal shed and now you've build a full wooden ROR. Well done!

Awesome! Now I'm getting sentimental...I use to have one of these back in the 80's. But I have an EQ mount with long cables. Fabulous scope!

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I'm quite annoyed to discover my pictures above are being used by the seller without my permission (e.g. http://ebay.eu/1erPvBt).I want to reiterate that apart from owning one of these (second one now, as the March winds tore the first one to bits), I have no relation whatsoever with this company. 

Just to follow on this topic: The bike shed was badly torn during the strong winds we recently had. Over the last 1.5 years it took a greyish appearance. I didn't bother to find out if UV was having a go at it but at the end the wind did it. I ordered a cover replacement and hope to be back in business soon. Also, I bought a fan that I keep running on a timer when it's very humid (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heavy-Duty-Upright-Electric-Heater/dp/B000N2HDZK). This helps fight condensation issues I've been having.

When I found these up in eb*y I thought it was astonishing there was no mention of them in these forums. I just hope the sellers do not overprice them. The fabric/Oxford canvas is good enough (so far) but the color has faded in the summer sun. It works great as a wind shield on cold nights. For less than £190 you can't possibly get something so functional for observing the skies.

Hi, no condensation issues so far. I do leave a gap at the bottom - about 3 inches.

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These is the latest pic of this shelter project. It working well for me and helping a lot avoid further damage to my back :-) the view is restricted to the west but good north, East and South.

It now has a dedicated cement tiles surface and I've installed some rubber foam tiles to help minimise damage to falling eyepieces, etc.

Awesome, stunning! Fantastic work - BIG thanks for sharing!

So it's been raining a lot, it was windy last night and is started raining now. I can report that, at least for me, there has not been an issue with condensation. I was expecting this as I'm not storing anything warm in the shelter and everything is 'at room termperature' but time will tell. As we approach warmer months we shall see if this is an all year round solution. The afternoon was sunny and I did some sun observing. That 1982 group is very interesting! If the weather allows I will try to do some video imaging tomorrow. Shelterwise: so far so good.

ps: Yes. it is big and you need to compromise with your other half!!!

Here are some quick photos (sorry for the poor quality) of the shelter with a picnic table, drum stool, TV monitor and CPC800 so that you guys can get an idea of the size/scale of this thing. I can fit standing up straight and I'm 180cm tall).

Shelter canopy in the fully open position:

Shelter canopy in the half-open position:

The CPC800 covered with a full size telescope cover:

To fix the shelter to the ground I'm using ground screw tent pegs.  I just got them so I've not had time to put all but four:

Thanks for all the advice and comments. As soon as possible I will add more who's with equipment in it and report back on the condensation issue.

Forgot to add: The missus was very alarmed when she saw to cardbox. Once the shed was assembled she actually said she was impressed! I said in the original posting this was for  temporary protection from the elements for a few days and this looks to have passed the acceptability test by my other half   

I think the disassembled shed will fit into a large car roof box so it can travel to your observing site or star party. For the price I paid this is possible the best bargain observatory I've seen.

Finally the weather, especially the wind, have eased up for me to venture to set up the trike shed. I must say I was really worried about putting it together as I was convinced I would have to screw every little bit myself. I took some pictures that show how it came packaged and the setting up but before you go on I want to make it absolutely clear I have no relation whatsoever with the manufacturer or the seller of this shed (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310679302266). 

The shed comes in a fabric bag with two large handles. It is quite heavy (about 27Kg) and does not maneuver well around corners. It comes in a large cardbox box about the same size as as the fabric bag (I think about 180 x 50 x 40cm) in the picture below.

As soon as I started to take the bits out I realized most of the assembling had already been done  !

and the instructions were a doddle:

Below is the whole frame after assembly (about 10 minutes later)

I  start to put up the cover on the frame

Below it how the sched looks after the cover is attached with internal velcro straps to the frame.

This is how the shelter looks when open. It should work like a wind breaker when observing!

About 20 minutes since starting to assemble the shed. This is how it look almost finished. I have not pegged or bolted it to the ground. But I hope this gives you an impression of how large it is. There is room for a large picnic table, stool and importantly, my CPC800 on Adv. Wedge.

Ok. It took the plunge and ordered the big one! Will post pics as son as possible.

Hi ChrisH, thanks for the info. There are various size available, all under £200. The above is the smallest. It could also act as a wind shelter when open for those nights when a breeze feels like a hurricane. Also, if it starts to rain it would be quick and easy to just cover everything up. Hmmm...I'm very tempted....

Do you think tripod based kit will fit in it? It actually cheaper than the cheapest astro tent out there.

I've been looking for a non-permanent shelter for my scope. One that I can leave in for say a couple of nights and spare myself the hassle of dismantling, carrying and the general huffing and puffing. I spotted this and was wondering if anyone would care to comment.

http://www.feelgooduk.net/39-motorbike-motorcycle-cover-bike-home-shelter-garage.html