Alexander Observatories

[midnight_sky_watcher]

My shed was finally installed Friday. A long wait, but worth it. Now the fitting out fun starts.

Hi There, I too am waiting on a 16x10 from alexanders observatories, can I ask you when you ordered it?

Grant....

Cornwall....

[dwc]

Grant, PM sent.

[Pinpoint]

Grant, also sent PM.

[Astrobug]

Grant, also sent PM.

The last info he gave me was early January this year.

Since then nothing ... (by mail or by phone)

[Astrobug]

Anybody hear from Nick lately?

[Weve]

Hello,

I also ordered an observatory from Nick in September 2012, I was in contact with him until beginning Januari 2013 when I got the news that he has been out for a while due to an accident.

I'm now trying to contact Nick again since 4 weeks. I tried contacting him by phone and mail but do not get any reply.

Does anybody has been in contact with Nick lately?

Thanks,

Wesley

[Astrobug]

Hello all;,

Doesanyone know if Nick did any installation this summer?

Thanks

Astro

[Weve]

Hi,

I've been in contact with Nick at the begining of the summer, he had been suffering from illness. He was going to try and install my observatory before the end of this summer. I have been trying to contact him again the past week but without succes.

If anyone knows if Nick has started installing observatories again, please let me know. Much appreciated.

Regards,

Wesley

[Weve]

Hello,

I suppose nobody has received any information from Nick the past months?

Regards,

Wesley

[Astrobug]

Seems he is out of business.

The website is not working anymore.

[ollypenrice]

Well, there's clearly a market out there. I'm surprised, though, that folks don't just make their own. It would certainly be quicker! There's nothing much to making a shed with a rolling roof. I'm abosutely NOT a DIY person and have only simple tools, but since I have no real option other than to build my own, out here in darkest Provence, that's what I do.

I'm not sufficiently competent at design to draw up a detailed drawing first so I do a basic one and then solve issues as they arrive. I've made four and helped with a fifth and they all work fine. One is breeze block with steel roof, three are timber clad steel and this one is all timber. They vary in size from little sentry boxes to four metres by three.

You can tailor your shed to its location, build just what you want, and it is so easy! The DIY Astronomer board has all sorts of projects to pore over and ideas from proper DIY people rather than numpties like me...

Olly

[Ford Prefect]

Hi astro bug and weve, if you don't fancy making your own I notice that Ian king now sell ROR observatories

http://www.iankingimaging.com/show_products.php?category=184

Cheers Jon

[r3i]

Ian King look like they'll be filling that void and probably the way to go if self build is out of the question.  

I'll re-iterate Olly's comments that building your own isn't too demanding and you get a tremendous amount of satisfaction out of the process. 

However folks' personal circumstances are all different and the DIY approach may simply be not feasible, so for those for whom this is the case, then let's hope Ian King can make a success out of their venture.

[Macavity]

Unfortunate - 'Cos Nick's product, whatever the other issues (MIne was a LONG wait too!) is / was superb. 

To withstand Welsh Weather at 600' requires a certain je ne sais quoi. Ollie is being a tad modest too?

Decrepit, but somewhat skilled (Unafraid to experiment!) it's still taken a LONG time to get my observatory

"just right"? It would have taken a lot LONGER, had I not had that confidence in the pre-built structure.

There must be real opportunities - Particularly among the redundant skilled etc. Perhaps in a week where

"old people" were found "cleverer than youngsters"? (A slight simplification!) But kudos to us, anyway?

[ollypenrice]

Anyone involved in trying to set up small enterprises or help others to do so should certainly look into this. It's quite a niche.

On the design front I'm always a bit mystified by the way so many roll off rooves only roll off the roof itself and not the upper sides. Are UK horizons really not worth having?

Olly

[Macavity]

On the design front I'm always a bit mystified by the way so many roll off rooves only roll off the roof itself and not the upper sides. Are UK horizons really not worth having?

Good question! (To my understanding). The first thing you notice is a pre-build is that the walls are... rather HIGH?

(Taller than *some* of us anyway! lol) From then, a "war of attrition", adding pillar inches according to boldness?

Nick did offer FLAPS... "Asymmetric Designs". Another good reason to think about such things beforehand!

The question of "horizons" emerged in recent astro-soc meeting's casual discussion. Trees? Security Lights?

But I still have a 30 deg wide SE "flap-gap", down to 5 deg. Time it right, for the Messiers / (UK) Caldwells?

[ollypenrice]

My three rolling roof sheds all roll off the upper sides and have drop down flaps for the end. It isn't difficult. We have one with a really cute lever which raises and lowers the flap as the roof advances or retracts...  Makes my chuckle every time! Ridiculously simple.

Olly

[Clockwork_Orange]

" You can tailor your shed to its location, build just what you want, and it is so easy! The DIY Astronomer board has all sorts of projects to pore over and ideas from proper DIY people rather than numpties like me..."

 

Olly

 

Olly if your a numpty, then lord help the rest of us. got to say that Olly is bang on here its only as hard as you choose to make it.

 

Regards

 

John

[Macavity]

If the business is no more... a few minor comments, that might help other owners / builders.

Yes, mine does have a FLAP - Fortuitously (more luck than...) at the lowest horizon end.

If you don't live in the balmy "Midi" , the main issue will be the rain and local wind gales...

To make things a LOT easier, consider an outward opening door from the outset? I finally cured water ingress, with an exotic-looking, domestic (under) door seal. Differential pressure(?) will suck any rain through any gap! If you can stop air flow, you stand a sporting chance with water. 

At both ends. Nick e.g. had an "interesting" flexible-plastic-membrane seal at the remote end. I quickly learned, at the end of a night observing, I was not overly enthusiastic about threading the aforesaid trickily through a narrow gap. My solution: Thick (4mm?) Rubber Strip - 3" width... GLUE a batten along one edge. But DO consider increased ROOF overlap!

Aside: Any "Astro DIY" will attract neighbourly interest. Be aware of your own limitations... and SKILLS! Be circumspect of "experts" offering advice. My own home bears many scars of neighbour (amateur!) "property developer" activities. I still vaguely worry about "the electrics", the water once leaked like a sieve... the GAS? Sadly a nearby family was "slightly reduced in number" by a DIY-induced gas explosion. Sorry for <rant> but. 

[Zakalwe]

Well, there's clearly a market out there. I'm surprised, though, that folks don't just make their own. It would certainly be quicker! There's nothing much to making a shed with a rolling roof. I'm abosutely NOT a DIY person and have only simple tools, but since I have no real option other than to build my own, out here in darkest Provence, that's what I do.

I'm not sufficiently competent at design to draw up a detailed drawing first so I do a basic one and then solve issues as they arrive. I've made four and helped with a fifth and they all work fine. One is breeze block with steel roof, three are timber clad steel and this one is all timber. They vary in size from little sentry boxes to four metres by three.

To be fair though Olly, you live in a very different climate to most in the UK. A shed with a roof like yours would last about 2 days in windy Scotland!

It's not that difficult to build a shed if you have any DIY skills. having said that, I ended up buying one for the ease. But not everyone has the skills/tools/inclination. It seems that there is a market out there for them.

[ollypenrice]

To be fair though Olly, you live in a very different climate to most in the UK. A shed with a roof like yours would last about 2 days in windy Scotland!

This is incorrect. I live at 3000 feet in the Dept of the High Alps. We generally don't get the Mistrale, but when we do we do! It blows like a hurricane and we sometimes have tremendous Alpine thunderstorms. While we get lots of clear sunny weather ours is a climate of extremes, with a temperature range of -20 to +40C. In its finished form the roof is, of course, panelled in and has a captive closure system, very simple but able to take what has, so far, been thrown at it. I'd say that a wild day here wasn't all that different from a wild day in the Highlands.

I think the key thing is that roll offs have to be captive, at least when closed. My sentry box 'full roll-offs' have a tongue on the chassis which engages under a loop set into the concrete on the ground.

Olly

[Zakalwe]

Fair comment Olly...I assumed (incorrectly) that the sides of the roof were left open. I am corrected.

I decided to buy an Ian King RORO even though I had already purchased a shed to modify. I certainly have he skills to build one, but I don't have the time (or the inclination, TBH). I preferred to spend a (fair) bit more and pay for someone else having done all the workings out.

[Astrobug]

http://www.homeobservatoryuk.com/ is also an option.

People have been let down by Nick who should not have been.

[ollypenrice]

Fair comment Olly...I assumed (incorrectly) that the sides of the roof were left open. I am corrected.

I decided to buy an Ian King RORO even though I had already purchased a shed to modify. I certainly have he skills to build one, but I don't have the time (or the inclination, TBH). I preferred to spend a (fair) bit more and pay for someone else having done all the workings out.

Ah, we have good weather, but not that good, alas! I wondered if you'd thought that.

It's good to see Ian King step in here with his products.

Olly

[Zakalwe]

I got one of the early Ian King RORO, and am very happy with it. The roof glides beautifully and the construction is solid. There's a bit of fettling* required here and there, but so far I am delighted with it.  No monies were taken from my card until it was ready to ship, and David Jackson (of Hitech) delivered it to me on a Sunday (3 weeks after I ordered it).

I am in contact with someone else that has bought one. He bought his after the price increased by £266. The framing wood seems to be smaller than on mine so they might be tweaking the materials slightly.

I'm sure that it could be built from scratch for far cheaper** (though the rollers and tracks can be pricey), but I was happy to pay for a complete design.

*technical term

**It absolutely could be as a self-builder wouldn't have the costs and overheads.