Beginner Question: After a viewing session ....?

[bangkokbrian47]

When you've finished a viewing session how do you store your ota and mount?

Do you just keep the ota on the mount with all counter weights attached but parked in the home position or is it best to remove the ota and weights. Is is detrimental to either the mount or the ota to leave them attached?

With the current weather conditions over in Thailand (it's the rainy season) it could be a couple of months before we get any clear skies and the chance to do some more viewing.

What should I do?

Brian

[PeterCPC]

You don't say what the equipment is but it would not harm to leave it all together in case you get a clear night and want to get out again. It depends which is most convenient for you really and how easy it is to move about. Think of permanent observatories - they are left ready all the time.

Peter

[CodnorPaul]

Balanced and dry it will be fine - only caveat to that is if you have a Celeston SE or Skywatcher single fork arm mount you have to be careful how you store the OTA so as to not put pressure on the gears

[NGC 1502]

Hi Brian.

Do you normally carry the tube and mount together as one unit ?   May be possible with light equipment. Shouldn't harm anything to keep it all assembled and ready to go.

But presuming you don't leave your kit outdoors, you could detach the tube and store indoors, the mount with weights attached could go in a shed / conservatory if you have one.

Regards, Ed.

[Jim Steele]

I keep my ota indoors but I always leave the end caps off overnight to let dew escape.

[bruno]

Hi Brian, it is cloudy & rainy season here too on the North side of Manchester (Shaw) i usally  just take the OTA off & collapse the legs on the mount & take it inside, leave the tube ends off overnight  & then clear everything  away in the morning.

[bangkokbrian47]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I have to remove the ota from the mount after viewing as my AR-152L frac and mount is too much of a beast to move in one, but I wondered whether I needed to re-attach it to the mount when not in use. I was worried that the mount would be completely out of balance with the counter weights still in place and the ota not, thereby putting undue strain on the gears etc.

So, it's quite ok to carry on doing what I'm doing - remove the ota but leave the counters weights attached?

Cheers,

Brian

[NGC 1502]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I have to remove the ota from the mount after viewing as my AR-152L frac and mount is too much of a beast to move in one, but I wondered whether I needed to re-attach it to the mount when not in use. I was worried that the mount would be completely out of balance with the counter weights still in place and the ota not, thereby putting undue strain on the gears etc.

So, it's quite ok to carry on doing what I'm doing - remove the ota but leave the counters weights attached?

Cheers,

Brian

Hi again Brian. Indeed, with the OTA removed and the counterweights still attached, the mount will be very seriously out of balance. One option is to slacken the RA lock, and let the counterweight shaft point to its lowest position.   Less strain on everything.

Regards, Ed.

[bangkokbrian47]

Thanks Ed,

That's what I'll be doing from now on.

Brian

[Gomtuu]

I usually remove my OTA and the weights when not in use. I have a rubber band wound around the counterweight shaft which marks the top position of the weights when putting them back on.

[bangkokbrian47]

Simple ideas are often the best.

Thanks Mark

[JRWASTRO]

When you've finished a viewing session how do you store your ota and mount?

Do you just keep the ota on the mount with all counter weights attached but parked in the home position or is it best to remove the ota and weights. Is is detrimental to either the mount or the ota to leave them attached?

With the current weather conditions over in Thailand (it's the rainy season) it could be a couple of months before we get any clear skies and the chance to do some more viewing.

What should I do?

Brian

Judging by your location I would assume that the humidity will be very high and n the moonsoon season you wiill have a condensing type atmosphere. If that is the case I would store the optics and mount in quite dry conditions indoors. You could store the optics in a box with heaps of silica gel. When you finish using the scope in a warm evening put the scope in a box and let it stabilise outside as bringing it into a cool airconditioned room might cause condensation inside the ota. These high humidity conditions exist on the north Queensland coast where the electronics in airconditioners and TV's last on average of 2 years if you are lucky.

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

[bangkokbrian47]

Hi Jeremy,

Yes, you are quite right. At this time of year there is quite high humidity. However, I'm keeping the scope indoors in a non-airconditioned room where the indoor conditions mimic those outdoor.

I do keep the ota in it's original packing box with plenty of silica gel packs included. Hopefully this will minimise any condensation issues.

But, thanks very much for your advice and concerns.

Brian