Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 After getting clearance from the CFO, I'm deliberating which roll off observatory to buy. It will be an off the shelf purchase so I would like feedback from the members here please on why did you choose the roll off observatory of your choice, in particular the Ian King and Home Observatory products. I'm looking at an 8' x 8' - no warm room - as it comes out of the box really. Thanks for your input guys, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 And just found Home Farm Observatories > http://homefarmobservatories.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldeliftman Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Wow that's going to be a big box the postman will have trouble getting that delivered ( sorry could help that ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldeliftman Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 That home farm one looks well made whats the price on that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker1947 Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Having a 8' X 8' Obby is about the right size, you will need a run off for the roof so another 8' or so off to one side, this space would make a warm room, while its a lot cheaper not to have one there really nice in the winter help keep EP's and other kit out of the moist air and gives you a place to layout maps ect in the dry, if you don't want to spend the extra cash and just take the single room try to plan for the warm room in a year or so you will want one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlight 1 Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 +1 for Tinker ,if you push a little more 9x9 do help when come useing big scope . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomus Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 I went with Home Observatory UK. I would recommend them. The product is top class and I couldn't be happier with it. If you do a search for them here, you should find my build thread and pictures. If you can't find it let me know and I will provide a link. (I'm on my iPad and am not sure how to cut and paste links.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 2 hours ago, baldeliftman said: That home farm one looks well made whats the price on that Looks like it coming in at just over 4K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 2 hours ago, Tinker1947 said: Having a 8' X 8' Obby is about the right size, you will need a run off for the roof so another 8' or so off to one side, this space would make a warm room, while its a lot cheaper not to have one there really nice in the winter help keep EP's and other kit out of the moist air and gives you a place to layout maps ect in the dry, if you don't want to spend the extra cash and just take the single room try to plan for the warm room in a year or so you will want one.... I agree with the warm room, but that will be an eventual upgrade - don't want to push things too far ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 1 hour ago, gnomus said: I went with Home Observatory UK. I would recommend them. The product is top class and I couldn't be happier with it. If you do a search for them here, you should find my build thread and pictures. If you can't find it let me know and I will provide a link. (I'm on my iPad and am not sure how to cut and paste links.) Hi gnomus thanks for the reply. Yes please link your obs build here if you don't mind. how is your observatory and is it worth the extra over the Ian King offering? They look really well made. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomus Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 The link is: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/245177-home-observatory-uk/#comment-2664547 The HO-UK is exceptionally well made. You will need to decide for yourself whether it is worth more than the one offered by Ian King. I am happy I went with HO-UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Hi Steve, Thanks for the link, indeed some more thought required before I decide. They certainly do appear well built and are worthy of consideration, whether that extra build quality equates to another £1300 is the stumbling block. My gut instinct says it is, as the old saying goes - buy once, cry once and I certainly don't plan on doing this again! Thanks for your input, it is gratefully accepted. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollypenrice Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 If your final choice of supplier offers 'rolling roof and upper sides' as a design option then I would go for that, since I'm always struck by the cropping of lower elevation views by sheds on which only the roof rolls. I've always built my own but the roof and upper sides roll on all of them. Warm room? Do it if you can. Honestly. The roof and sides can roll over it. Olly Under construction, small. PC/accessory pods are a good idea if space precludes warm room... Roll over a warm room... I'm sure that all the makers will listen to ideas. It's in their interest to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomus Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 I don't want to sound like too much of a cheerleader, but HO-UK do offer rollng sides. I also agree about the warm room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Thanks for the info guys, email sent to HO-UK, awaiting response. Looking at the rolling sides it really does open up the views as well, great idea and this is obviously where the difference in cost between HO-UK observatories and other manufacturers goes. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb24 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 You can also consider Ian King and the observatories he offers through HiTec. I had mine made by them and am very happy with it. No issues in 1.5yrs; below a link to my thread on it. Since I am imaging from my backyard I did not opt for a warm room - everything is controlled from the inside when imaging or I am at the scope when doing visual. I went instead for two piers to accommodate all my instruments. Good luck! Roberto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil27 Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Morning Roberto, That is one sweet set up you have, bravo and 2 permanent mounts - thats just plain greedy - Its great to have some positive feedback from IKI and Hitec astro, they do offer a very compelling argument based on price alone. I'm just wondering though are they able to clad the interior walls with ply and what electrics do they offer. Do they wire in any double sockets and place a bulk head interior light for example? Just curious, but for the price they appear very competitive, I know several other members on here have gone this route and appear very happy. Thanks for sharing Roberto, and once again a very nice set up. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb24 Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Hi Neil David Jackson from HiTec wired my observatory up. I provided a concrete pad and the two piers. At the time of my installation he was working with his brother and between the two of them, they bolted the piers to the concrete foundations, built up the observatory and left me with the electrics ready for my to wire up my other equipment. I don't think the electrics are a standard service but since I had chosen their roll off motor and electronics the observatory needed to be ready for that to work. I provided all electric materials (sockets, wires, etc) except for the motors, rails and observatory control hardware. My setup can now be fully controlled remotely. I don't even have a PC in it. I have a Raspberry Pi for the weather and as a USB hub for the observatory electronics. I can open/close, image, etc from anywhere with an Internet connection. HiTec's weather ASCOM application is also very reliable. The interior walls are covered with a breathable membrane and otherwise are framed (you can see some pictures in my thread). I keep a dehumidifier inside which switches on automatically from 6AM to 9AM every morning. No humidity problems since. Feel free to PM if you have other questions. Good luck! Roberto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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