DavidOfBanff Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I was wondering if people habitually leave their dobsonians outside, under a tarp. My garden is perfectly secure, and it would mean setting up would be a matter of a minute only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjamjoejoe Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Yep, many people keep them in garages and sheds etc... One guy recently posted a picture of what was basically a bolt on wardrobe on the outside of his house. So long as you keep it relatively shielded from the elements it should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidOfBanff Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 I was thinking of plopping a flagstone in the middle of the lawn and just leaving it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjamjoejoe Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Might be a little exposed there, gotta deal with wildlife, damp, sun during the day and frost at night etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobH Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 One guy recently posted a picture of what was basically a bolt on wardrobe on the outside of his house. You mean this.......Built by my wife's fair hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbooder Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 This is the classic for housing a small set up.Welcome - My Roll-Off Telescope Shed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Daz Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I'm liking RobH's and sbooders outside setups, very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beyond_Vision Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 You mean this.......Built by my wife's fair hand My old scope looks like it is being well looked after then Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidOfBanff Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Yes I'll need to give this some more thought. Thanks for those links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobH Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 My old scope looks like it is being well looked after then Rob It is indeed Kevin.....the mirrors are off for a recoat shortly too...not sure whether to go for Orion optics with the hilux coating, or Galvanoptics, who are cheaper but take a lot longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyborg421 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Hi All,During the summer i am sure it will be fine but what about winter storage? Is it safe in that shed with frosts etc?ThanksSimon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathalferris Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 The biggest problem that I see would be creepy-crawlie access to the scope. Keeping things outside will mean that everything from slugs and snails looking for a warm damp spot to survive, through spiders spinning webs to catch the little flies that might get trapped under a cover, could be setting up shop around all those lovely shiny mirrors.I'd suggest a good mirror cover (and one for the secondary) and to be prepared for the odd scurry of a centipede near a focuser once you move it out and disturb the slumber of the lower forms of animal life.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjamjoejoe Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 be prepared for the odd scurry of a centipede near a focuser once you move it out and disturb the slumber of the lower forms of animal life..*shudder* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidOfBanff Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 And the slugs, don't forget the slugs and snails. And the neighbours tom spraying it.Actually I believe slugs are repelled by a band of copper round the base.Well I've not even decided what dob to go for, so getting ahead of myself anyway, but it's all got to be mulled over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbooder Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Put a ring of glass paper down around the scope house/cover on the ground, the slugs won't cross that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Instead of leaving it outside under a tarp why not get a 4x4 garden shed and keep it in there. My Dob lives in an unheated shed with a shower cap over each end and a dust sheet over the top, when the skies clear I can be up and running in literally a couple of minutes and the scope is always ready cooled. It's been in there for a couple of years now and is still in perfect shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
che guevara Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 You mean this.......Built by my wife's fair hand Look great, how do scope cope with frost etc ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobH Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Look great, how do scope cope with frost etc ?As long as you cover the mirrors when not in use, there isn't a problem....with covered mirrors and a wooden shed, it's very unlikely that frost will be present.When I had a big 14 inch SCT, I'd sometimes get frost on the corrector plate on a cold night, even with the dew heaters running, and there'd be frost all over the mount, but it didn't cause any problems.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
che guevara Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 never though of punting it in a cheap shed, but its worth a look, you learn something everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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