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My Own Ob. Underway.

barkis

By barkis
in DIY Astronomer

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barkis

barkis

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My Run Off Roofed Ob. is up, and I have just finished installing the pier.

Made of 1" thick walled 12" diameter High Pressure pipe, it is cemented down to clay level, and encased in a concrete block casement 2 foot deep.

The tube is fitted with a conduit carrying power to a 13 amp outlet on the wall of the tube. Also there is a 1.25" pipe carrying control cables from where my laptop will be, up through the pier and out throught the pier top, ready to attache to the mount The tube has also been filled with concrete and is perfectly level. A 1.25" thick aluminium disc will fit into the tube top and be retained by lateral machine screws through the tube top and into the ally disc. The disc will be drilled and tapped at four points, to carry a futher plate which be a precise leveller, hopefully that is :lol:

i have just bought wheels for the roof, and hope to get the support beams installed next week for carrying the metal runners for the sliding roof.

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Dippus

Dippus

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Ron , that pier looks like the dogs dangly bits. I myself would have gone down the concrete pier route , but with the time constraints and materials available , decided to chuck loads of metal at it. I just hope that wasn't a mistake as resonance could be a problem. Will fill the tube with sand and fingers crossed that may be ok.

Glad you have your roll off roof sorted . I myself have that to still figure out.

Hope the weather stays fine where you are , i'm getting sick of being rained on.

Mark

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barkis

barkis

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Great Scott Ronaldo?

You have been quietly busy. That pier looks the business. What size shed did you use for the observatory?

JV

It's 7 x 6 foot Jv.. Just enough room to accommodate the 12" Meade, myself, and the £ 10 bureau I bought in a second hand shop for the command centre. :lol:

I will post more pictures as I progress. but I tell you what, mixing concrete by hand is purgatory. :nono:

I have never had so many Radox baths in my life.

I still have two large holes to fill with it for the support posts for the roof rails.

To be honest, I love doing this sort of work, but at the age I am now, it is definitely a lot harder.

Ron. :D

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jonifive

jonifive

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mixing concrete by hand is purgatory

Tell me about it......Mrs JV and I mixed 35 tonnes for our extension foundation. The mixer lorry couldn't get anywhere near, so we hired mixer and did it ourselves. She was pregnant and carriying our first in a papoose at the time! You would think she looked like a russian shotputer from that discription!

It took us a week, but it was worth it. (BTW she can also lay bricks!)

JV

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  • 2 weeks later...
barkis

barkis

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Progress has been a little slow. You would think being retired gives a lot of free time. :nono: :nono: Not in my house.

Anyway, a couple of pics to show I have done something sincethe last post.

1720_normal.jpeg

(click to enlarge)

1721_normal.jpeg

(click to enlarge)

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jonifive

jonifive

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Thats a big old wedge Ronaldo!! Looking good, the pier has come out really well.

I would dearly love to build an OBS but room, time and money are against me. So today I have purchased enough Oak to make a denver chair and a wheeled trolley for my scope. This I hope will give me more incentive to get outside with minimum setup time and effort....sort of a porta observatory!!! Because of years of lifting (literally) dead weights, my back needs looking after.

You need to be in and organised before xmas eve Ron, so you can image Mars at its best from the comfort of your own Obs, it will be fantastic.

JV

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barkis

barkis

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Thanks fellahs. I plod on a bit at a time but I'll get there eventually. Well I am coming up 70 in November JV, so there has to be loads of time for you to build your own. You could have the other half of the pier FOC, but it is rather heavy, and transport costs would kill it for you.

Mind you, It's wall thickness is 30mm, and it drills and taps a treat. This one of mine would make a good tank obstacle, it is filled to the brim with concrete. Just need to get the roof wheels on and the track. Cement the support posts in, and Bob's your uncle. Mount the scope and spend a whole lot of time polar aligning. I don't want the guiding system to have to work too hard.

I will post more, as an when.

Ron :D

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centroid

centroid

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[You would think being retired gives a lot of free time. :nono: :nono: Not in my house.

Not in my house either Ron :D

It looks like you are making good progress with the obsy, and with winter not far off, you'll really appreciate it, if you can get in completed in time.

Dave

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barkis

barkis

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I am determined to be at the eyepiece at least by Christmas Dave. We are getting new kitchen gear in shortly, and I have a bit of remedial decorating to do, but I am hoping it won't delay things too much. You know what it is like, you have to at least pretend that domestic matters take precedence over any other business :D

Ron. :lol:

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jonifive

jonifive

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You know what it is like, you have to at least pretend that domestic matters take precedence over any other business

Cough.....splutter!!!! I spilled my whisky when I read that.....Ron you crack me up. :lol:

JV

Thanks for the kind offer on the tubing, but I've no room at the mo for an obs.......but the fish pond is a pain so I could empty that?????NO NO NO....stoppit. :D

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CELESCOPE

CELESCOPE

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Cor blimey Ron , that looks a masterpiece mate , fantastic bit of work there ,, cant beat a perm set up . now i,m thinking are going to join the elite and have awarm room beside it Ron hehehehe . if not maybe in time eh , well you have been inSGL now for a while and have picked up all the tips and little secrets we have , so your first images should mirror that ehehehheheheh .

So get cracking and get that job done lol it only took me 8 months ,terrible eh ,

Best wishes

Rog

in cloud cover and mist!! :D

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barkis

barkis

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Cor blimey Ron , that looks a masterpiece mate , fantastic bit of work there ,, cant beat a perm set up . now i,m thinking are going to join the elite and have awarm room beside it Ron hehehehe . if not maybe in time eh , well you have been inSGL now for a while and have picked up all the tips and little secrets we have , so your first images should mirror that ehehehheheheh .

So get cracking and get that job done lol it only took me 8 months ,terrible eh ,

Best wishes

Rog

in cloud cover and mist!! :lol:

I am afraid the only warm room I will get Rog, is the wife running back and forward with hot cocoa and extra pullovers.

I hope to get started as quickly as possible, but I ain't gonna rush the last mile. I just paid out for Maxim DL CCD/DSLR, And I already have Ron. Wodaski's book. But, all that means nowt Rog. I still will be pestering you guys for some guidance along the way, because there is no substitute for experience, and some of you fellahs have that in abundance.

I have room at the back of the Ob. for a warm room, but I will wait to see how I progress, if it looks good, I may do that next spring. If I am spared that is. My old lady used to say that. She said she never took anything for granted. :D

Ron.

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