Leave the dob outside?

[DavidOfBanff]

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.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

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.

[DavidOfBanff]

I was thinking of plopping a flagstone in the middle of the lawn and just leaving it there.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Might be a little exposed there, gotta deal with wildlife, damp, sun during the day and frost at night etc...

[RobH]

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

[sbooder]

This is the classic for housing a small set up.

Welcome - My Roll-Off Telescope Shed

[Big_Daz]

I'm liking RobH's and sbooders outside setups, very nice.

[Beyond_Vision]

You mean this.......

Built by my wife's fair hand

My old scope looks like it is being well looked after then Rob

[DavidOfBanff]

Yes I'll need to give this some more thought. Thanks for those links.

[RobH]

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.

[cyborg421]

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?

Thanks

Simon

[cathalferris]

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..

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

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*

[DavidOfBanff]

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.

[sbooder]

Put a ring of glass paper down around the scope house/cover on the ground, the slugs won't cross that.

[Chris H]

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.

[che guevara]

You mean this.......

Built by my wife's fair hand

Look great, how do scope cope with frost etc ?

[RobH]

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

[che guevara]

never though of punting it in a cheap shed, but its worth a look, you learn something everyday.