Skyliner 200 Dobs cover?

[Sweetpea]

Hi all, I purchased the Skyliner 200 dobs as a surprise for my husbands birthday- may 1st and it wont be unpacked untill may 1st!! 

Thinking ahead, will I need to get a cover for it ? We live in UK in the countryside not far from Manchester/Jodrell Bank so you can imagine the weather here! Unpredictable!

We will probably store it in an Outbuilding which is brick built and stays pretty dry and is like a small garage)

Any suggestions for a cover and if its ok to store in outbuilding. Its bigger than I thought and theres not much space indoors.

thanks ?

[Jimtheslim]

What a great present! I am sure he'll love it. As I type this I am waiting for my new 250 dob to be delivered. If I end up storing it in the garage I will likely get some kind of cover, I am sure something like a patio furniture cover from Aldi will do the job of keeping dust and any residual damp at bay. There are full weatherproof covers available for about £40 from astronomy shops but these would be a bit over-kill if you're not keeping it outside. 

[Putaendo Patrick]

An outbuilding is often the best place to store a telescope. For best results telescopes need to cool down to the outside temperature before use, so a cool dry shed is ideal. After use however, you will want to ensure that any condensation dries off reasonably quickly. A dust cover for longer-tern storage would be useful though.

[Sweetpea]

Thanks, I'll get a cover.

[laudropb]

I store mine in an unheated garage. I have a cover and also use a couple of bags of desiccant to protect against condensation.

[Jimtheslim]

A proper cover will obviously be a bit more special, I just like buying things and using them for a completely different purpose! For example Aldi have a large BBQ cover on their special buy at the moment and I think that's what I will go for if I end up needing one

[brantuk]

This is what I use - but you can get them from local garden centers for half the price (or less) where they're sold as garden furniture covers:

http://www.green-witch.com/green-witch-scope-cover-1642-p.asp

Hth

[rob0971]

http://neilross758.wix.com/cygnus-astro-covers

He will make custom covers or he has off the shelf options. They are waterproof & breathable. I had one made for my 12" DOB to my spec. I also use one on my mount which is permanently outside with no problems.

[Sweetpea]

Hi all,

Thanks for the 'cover ' advice , I'll get one! It's a small price to pay to protect the beast!