fifeskies

Those "hoops" fit onto the tube then you need finder rings (perhaps along with a bar)

the rings or bar will screw onto the hoops

You may need a weight on the other side of the tube from the finder to keep the balance right

Finder rings that adjust can help align both finder and main scope, and also make the exact "hoop" positioning less critical if there are nor predrilled holes for them.

So many threads look the same and are very close in size (maybe only having a pitch difference on the thread as mentioned above.)

There are a lot of cheap Chinese adapters available that are at the very least good to check which is which. I use a permanent marker to label them (or for smaller ones tag them in a jiffy bag.)

Just be very gentle as you try them out as fine threads are so easily ruined , and a quick wipe of them first with a soft cloth is always a good idea.

Check them for visible damage too.

Once I find out what thread needs adapted to another I may then order up a better quality adapter if it is an important part of my imaging train.

Having test items takes out the guesswork.

Same applies to screw sizes , with the old metric vs imperial chestnut often appearing

I have a box full of various adapters so I can try to match up any thread.

I would try to avoid the big cigarette lighter plugs if you can , they are not as good as turret connectors.

There are many suitable supplies around , you wont have to look too far to get one if its just for the mount.

Anything that can deliver 5 amps will do but I suggest going slightly larger so you can add a dew heater or camera at a later stage.

The smaller ones with just thin cable out to a DC plug are generally not as good as they struggle to deliver full voltage through such thin cables when the mount slews with both RA and DEC motors at the same time.

(The high current when motors kick in makes the voltage dip at the mount end which  can upset tracking)

You can also power from a large leisure battery and avoid the need for mains (except to charge the battery now and then) , handy if you need to use away from home.

Is it just the mount or are you powering eg dew straps , cameras etc 

Initially I used the Maplin supply 

but then upgraded to the big brother Yaesu , but it powers everything , dew heaters , mount , cameras and LED lighting in my observatory.

They come up for sale 2nd hand now and then , I bought mine 2nd hand.

Skywatcher mounts tend to run better on a 13.8 supply

The Heritage 150 will give you the best views, a lot of people have used this as a first scope.

It is very easy to set up and use, and a 10yo can get to the eyepiece very easily

You are very likely to only be initially going for the big wow targets like the Moon , Pleiades , Perseus double cluster , Orion nebula and whatever planets are around in particular Jupiter and its moons. (even though it is low in the sky this year).

These are easy to find with a Heritage using the finder you get with it, so lack of goto is not such a big deal.

At 10yo by the time you have done the round of the big bright easy to find objects you are probably getting near the end of attention span anyway.

There are plenty free smartphone apps to let you know what is worth a look in the sky.

With a bit of practise letting the app set you in the right place I am sure you could track these down with the finder then enjoy the view in the 150.

So there is room to expand what you look at.

Only issue about all this , is the fact that telescopes are having major supply problems due to COVID disrupting both manufacture and supply, you may struggle to find one in stock.

I was referring to the post by Spaced Out where he said   

"I bought a starsharp mask recently to replace an old starsharp mask that I accidentally broke"

his post was immediately above mine so I thought it was clear enough that I was adding to his observations about the old and new StarSharp types

sorry for any confusion   (have edited my original post to clarify I am referring to the StarSharp type only)

I have not used one of the WO clear plastic Bahtinov masks

EDIT  :   re Spaced Out  "I bought a starsharp mask recently to replace an old starsharp mask that I accidentally broke"

I have 1 of the new style masks , I find them very durable

(just as well since slewing scope and forgetting to remove the mask has seen it bounce on the floor 🙄 )

I believe the new ones are made from waterproofed MDF  (ie wood fibre not polluting plastic), and I would say just as robust or even more so.

I do have an older style one as well for my 80mm, cant say I see a lot of difference between the 2.

Happy to help any time.

I got my Altair Pier second hand and it reduced the amount of  concrete work , also easier to return it to a shed , not that I plan to anytime soon.

Yes I used a pier and set the height so that my scope can peek over the side walls (all but the last 5 degrees or so of horizon anyway)

Altair Astro pier sits on a concrete block base with cemented in screwed rod for fixing the pier down.

The side walls help guiding by keeping a lot of the wind away , not really an issue with my refractors but for my big Newt it helps a lot.

With the Newt I do need a small step to use eyepiece at high elevation but I got a nice lightweight plastic one.

A pier for my NEQ6pro gives me a lot more space and I no longer trip over the tripod legs in the dark.

I got this message before

Turned out I had accidently included a single jpeg along with my CR2 "raw" files for stacking, easy to miss one when there are a big set of lights.

All 3 of my current scopes were bought 2nd hand ,    (the bigger 2 on here).

All 3 have proved to be excellent and allowed me to get a higher quality instrument that I could have afforded to buy new.

Buying from long time members is a fairly safe bet , though of course you want to inspect at purchase point.

I have only bought smaller gear by post/courier, for a big item like a scope you probably want to look it over first , but not easy under the current COVID issue.

(or agree a return policy with the seller for remote purchase)

I modified my roofline to have a low angle pent roof over the warm room and a flat roof over the scope room side (by raising the scope roof slightly)

Only possible if you can raise the roof and still satisfy everyone with an interest in the design.... 🙄

Used lightweight rubber slates on the slope.

Made it easy to manage the roll off track and fit a seal.

(I modified an existing block built outhouse , but principle works the same for a wooden shed)

You mention a wall "down the middle".

I would make the scope side the bigger side , make it square and use what is left for your warm room.

Ie 6 x 6 for your astronomy gear and 6 x 4 for the warm room. The rail carrying the roof can extend on a bracket over the short side as the roof will need space to roll away fully , but 2/3 will sit above the warm room so should carry the weight easily.

You never know, if you buy a bigger scope one day you might need the turning circle of a 6 x 6 space.      (  HA HA HA ........IF  !!!! )

My ROR section rolls off on rails above my warm room at the side so is similar to your plan.

Below are some photos showing how I dealt with the seal at the join and how I used latching pins to secure the roof as it closed , hope they help.

I used Brundle track , as have many others , its very good , my roof runs with finger pressure.

20 minutes ago, Lockie said:

lithium iron phosphate battery

A quality 50Ah lithium ion phosphate battery is around £240 , and that's at a SPECIAL PRICE DISCOUNT

List price of one is nearer £450

https://www.batterymasters.co.uk/lithium-phosphate-batteries/li50-12-12v-50ah-lithium-iron-phosphate-lifepo4-high-capacity-deep-cycle-battery-charger-included.html

a 36Ah is about £180

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultramax-LI36-12-LiFePO4-Phosphate-Performance/dp/B084BQQ8LM/ref=sr_1_47?dchild=1&keywords=lithium+ion+phosphate&qid=1605456872&quartzVehicle=88-1161&replacementKeywords=lithium+phosphate&sr=8-47

Also check any solar panel controller is suitable for lithium ion phosphate if you plan to charge it from a solar panel

Most people use deep discharge lead acid

Your small original solar panel will be fine for a bit of occasional LED light in the observatory as this will be a much smaller demand.

1 minute ago, Lockie said:

I could forget the solar altogether and just get a battery I can just about carry into the house to charge every now and again.

That way you are doing your bit for renewable , and still gaining convenience.

Doesn't need to be a huge size if you take it back in after each session.

2 minutes ago, Lockie said:

battery with a large Ah capacity

Yes , its best to go big from the start.

With 2 batteries on 12 v they need parallel connection which is not ideal unless there is an A/B switch (like in some motorhomes) so adding a 2nd later is not as easy as it seems.

At a 3 amp draw a 24AH battery will last 8 hours

However that's not the full story , it will start off at 13.8v fully charged and the voltage will drop as it empties , at some point below full discharge it will fall below 12v.

This can cause issues on some mounts when they need to slew , the power LED can end up flashing with the sudden high current demand.

(which causes the voltage to dip further)

Should not be such an issue just tracking however.

10 minutes ago, jambouk said:

 

I'd look to get mains into the observatory myself.

James

 

I agree with James

Unless your observatory is really remote , the cost of getting mains installed will start to be comparable to a big stand alone system.

And no-one can bother an underground cable , a big solar panel is easy to flog if nicked.

On a more practical note

https://cpc.farnell.com/yuasa/npc3812/battery-deep-discharge-cyclic/dp/BT00583?st=deep discharge battery

and

https://cpc.farnell.com/yuasa/npc24-12/battery-deep-discharge-cyclic/dp/BT03978?st=deep discharge battery

This should do     😜

The last thing you want is for your system to shut down in the middle of the one clear night you get decent imaging conditions.

Get a decent power monitor you can use to check the battery , something on a push button so its not on wasting power all the time, though perhaps the charge controller will have a good monitor built in.

2 minutes ago, Lockie said:

It's expensive but maybe this 160W kit will cover everything:

https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/184-160W-12V-solar-charging-kit-with-20A-controller-and-5m-cable.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_EfRNwzo2XtST5KvS4-2UklVyxKt7msFH_fcEBEEjqzbwKu7P_i9DkaAgGoEALw_wcB

That looks more like it  🤔

When you consider the size of panel that you see attached to eg stand alone speed warning signs , they are around this size for something that is only on now and then.

If you run a warming blanket continuously you will struggle to keep a battery charged , but it can be set to only kick in if its gets cold or use a timer so its only on a short while each day

you can get both 12 v timer and 12v temp switch that simply fit inline with the cable

Yes if it is 5 amps continuous then a hefty panel is needed.

But your mount will average out well below its peak current when it is slewing,

Tracking I have not measured mine but I think its under an amp.

You need to balance cost of a big panel against convenience , if you are running battery down a bit mid winter the odd top up in the house from a charger will refresh it for another good while of use getting its trickle charge, so a smaller panel is not that inconvenient.

Also batteries do leak charge over time (self discharge) , even if not being used they will lose charge slowly over time, but its not a lot compared to weekly use for astronomy.