Yet another building project

[Gina]

Yes, a dome has to be automated whereas a ROR is optional.

[Bukko]

6 hours ago, DaveS said:

I did very seriously consider a dome, and looked at the Pulsar and Scopedome (At one point I had a design of a Pulsar dome on a "shed"), but decided that the added cost of dome automation made it just too much. There is a Baader clamshell design, but it's of the "If you have to ask how much..." persuasion.

Agree on the automation. I really struggle to understand why it is all so expensive; the one bit that got me with the Scopedome was the price of the pre-made wiring looms. I did think about doing my own, but having bit the bullet and shelled out for them, there is a LOT of interconnections and I was pleased not to have skipped them.

Specialist fitting contractors are also expensive but apart from me taking a lot longer to build and comission, I saved thousands.

And I did look at the Baader clamshell (other clamshell manufacturers are available) and searched hard to find a price without making an official enquiry. There was one posted and it is seriously expensive. But I have no doubt is is really good. If I lived in the artic, or the top of a mountain in Switzerland, it would probably be the one to go for. But I don't.

If you have a decent base already, if/when more funds become available, you can always "upgrade" later. (oh.. ROR owners, please don't hate me for that... I did put it in " " afterall..😉😉

 

Gordon

[Bukko]

4 hours ago, Gina said:

Yes, a dome has to be automated whereas a ROR is optional.

Without the motors, I could open the shutter by hand and rotate the dome with a single finger.. So with a 1m apeture, every 30 minutes or so, I would just need to push the dome round a bit so it would be possible to use this without the automation. But also  I could not disappear in the warmth and work from there...

To be honest, I didn't even consider this option for a single second...

Gordon.

[Gina]

Yes, alright for observing where you're in there anyway and can push the dome round.  I'm an imager so see things from that POV I'm afraid...

[Bukko]

2 minutes ago, Gina said:

Yes, alright for observing where you're in there anyway and can push the dome round.  I'm an imager so see things from that POV I'm afraid...

This is for imaging of course. I do have an 8" Dob and a Frac on a HEQ5 for visual. When I get time, I am gonig to fit some paving slabs into the gravel area for placing a tripod and for the Dob...

Gordon

[Rusted]

5 hours ago, Gina said:

Yes, a dome has to be automated whereas a ROR is optional.

Given a free-moving dome you only need a small hand crank with an attached pulley fixed to the wall in the nearby warm room.
A long piece of harvester twine wrapped around the dome's midriff and twice around the pulley will easily rotate the entire observatory at sidereal.

[Gina]

Sound about right to my Mrs Heath-Robinson ears!  OK so I hear with my eyes or is it see with my ears???  Confused??  You will be!!  I always am!

Edited October 13, 2019 by Gina

[Bukko]

Time for a little update...

My sons came to visit the other week, complete disaster on the weather front. Rain and clouds most days with very short partial breaks in the cloud, tempting us with half a dozen stars before closing in again.

Uncovered a few minor issues, worked most of them, but little movement forward.

Fighting .Net problems with Windows 10 "Professional" but TheSkyX looks really good. Evenything now working through it, except the dome (.Net.. arrrgh!!) driver. Still to resonve.

But good news, Google Earth has updated and captured the domes !!

Oh, happy days...

Gordon.

 

[Marvin Jenkins]

Gutted, can’t see the fencing.😂

[Bukko]

Just now, Marvin Jenkins said:

Gutted, can’t see the fencing.😂

Fencing does look good. I went to one of the local hardware stores and found all the electric fence stuff. Would not take too much effort to include it. Confident it will help to keep the local wildlife away...

With the bad weather, Mrs. Bukko has me cutting back the Laurel hedge down the side of the observatory field. It's around 70m long. With the new Stihl chainsaw, it cuts it so well, but the problem is getting rid of the cuttings. I have done 6 runs to the skips so far and hardly made a dent in it. Probably 20 more trips before I am finished. My reversing with the trailer is getting better too !!

Who says you can't take a Merc offroading??

Gordon.

 

 

[Marvin Jenkins]

That’s what a Merc is for. You got a tow hook, put a plow on the back and help your farmer neighbour.

[fozzybear]

12 minutes ago, Bukko said:

Fencing does look good. I went to one of the local hardware stores and found all the electric fence stuff. Would not take too much effort to include it. Confident it will help to keep the local wildlife away...

With the bad weather, Mrs. Bukko has me cutting back the Laurel hedge down the side of the observatory field. It's around 70m long. With the new Stihl chainsaw, it cuts it so well, but the problem is getting rid of the cuttings. I have done 6 runs to the skips so far and hardly made a dent in it. Probably 20 more trips before I am finished. My reversing with the trailer is getting better too !!

Who says you can't take a Merc offroading??

Gordon.

 

 

You could just pile up the cuttings for Nov 5th and a wopping bonfire saves on the trips to the dechetterie? Could be a bit smokey

Edited October 27, 2019 by fozzybear

[Bukko]

14 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

You could just pile up the cuttings for Nov 5th and a wopping bonfire saves on the trips to the dechetterie? Could be a bit smokey

Crikey !! We would see it from space I think !!

Not sure if the mayor would approve either... Being in the countryside, I need a permit to start a fire.

Gordon.

[fozzybear]

2 minutes ago, Bukko said:

Crikey !! We would see it from space I think !!

Not sure if the mayor would approve either... Being in the countryside, I need a permit to start a fire.

Gordon.

Gordon,

Where I live in November no problem for fires just not in summertime local marie as you state gives permission 

l'arrêté préfectoral

[Marvin Jenkins]

You know you take it to the dechetterie and they take it somewhere else and burn it on a bonfire, cut out the middle man. Less carbon footprint too.😁 saves driving that AMG all over France

[Bukko]

51 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

Gordon,

Where I live in November no problem for fires just not in summertime local marie as you state gives permission 

l'arrêté préfectoral

I think this area is around the middle of November before they issue permits. There are still some corn fields to harvest and I suppose nothing will be allowed until they crop the last one. As it is for animal feed, they leave it until the stalks have basically died off.

I almost got a permit earlier in the year, but the cutoff was the next day and I was not ready to burn the cuttings. That lot was OK, I got a neighbour to help me get rid of it. But this lot is way too much. Also a lot to burn and the best place is only around 15m from the domes...

We make a run to the dechetterie in town, then go to the shops, so it is not really a big deal....

Gordon.

[Bukko]

42 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

You know you take it to the dechetterie and they take it somewhere else and burn it on a bonfire, cut out the middle man. Less carbon footprint too.😁 saves driving that AMG all over France

I assumed they would chip it and turn it into compost or something.

It will be a horrendous bonfire. Probably need to do it over a few days...

Gordon.

[Rusted]

The rule around here is no fire nearer than 30 meters from any structure, hedge or field.
Double that for windy weather and only in the depths of winter.
Contractors trim the field hedges in autumn and bung them through a big, noisy shredder.
It makes wood chippings for covering gardens, firing power stations and protecting pop concert fields.
Any local tool hire companies who might have a shedder? You could hold your own pop concert.

[Bukko]

3 hours ago, Rusted said:

The rule around here is no fire nearer than 30 meters from any structure, hedge or field.
Double that for windy weather and only in the depths of winter.
Contractors trim the field hedges in autumn and bung them through a big, noisy shredder.
It makes wood chippings for covering gardens, firing power stations and protecting pop concert fields.
Any local tool hire companies who might have a shedder? You could hold your own pop concert.

We are still thinking abut the idea of buring the stuff, maybe we will have a go and see how it goes. In the meantime, each trip to town doubles up with a trip to dump another trailer load.

There are hire companies, about 30 minutes away, where I could hire a big chipper. Some of the branches are up to 15cm thick, so we would need to separate them. But I really do not have much use for the chippings and as the Laurel is posionous, I think I would rather just get it off site and let someone else worry about it.

Pop concert ??? I would empty the grounds in 30 seconds if I started to sing... haha.

Gordon.

[Bukko]

OK. Promise this will be the last off-topic posting.

The weather is so bad, I have made no progress on first light. It's either clouds and rain, or I am committed to be somewhere else. All my own fault, of course, building the obby was sure to attract lots of bad weather.

Anyway, I spoke to the mayor and she granted me a buring permit (not for the obby, but the cuttings from a 73m long laurel hedge. The permit is pretty strict for setting fire to fields, but a bonfire is fine. In fact, so long as we burn less than 5m3 at a time, we don't actually need a permit ! We plan to take as much of the wood as we can to be "recycled" and only burn the small branches. Seems like a fair compromise.

So the permit of Monday 4th to Friday 8th November and the forecast is for rain the whole week.

Looks like the astronomy curse doesn't simply apply to buying new stuff...

Gordon.

 

[Rusted]

It sounds as if the "Powers that Be" are determined to minimise your CO2 footprint. 

[Bukko]

So. Another couple of updates...

The weather here continues to prevent progress and first light still eludes me.

This morning before sunrise (Friday 13th) I was woken up really early with high wind and heavy rain.

When I got out to see what had happened, tow of the big trees were down. They looked in good condition before the wind got them, so I guess it's difficult to work out the condition. So glad I got a decent petrol chainsaw as they will take some cutting up and disposal.

Anyway, obligatory pictures.

 

[Bukko]

More damage from the wind included my clubhouse holding the pc's and my house 4G internet connection.

Luckily, the domes were undamaged, but I have more unexpected work to get one with.

The wind caught under the roof and lifted it straight off and flipped it over. It weighs the best part of 300kg and when lifted, tore out the screws holding the bits together, shearing others around the door frame. Its been built for almost exactly a year and has coped well with high winds and rain all year. This one must have been serious.

My neighbour is a farmer and he is getting one of his buddies round in a few days, when the wind stops to lift it all back, He has one of those big all terrain telescopic forklifts, so hopefully there will not be much damage and it goess back on OK.

Again, a couple of pix.

Gordon.

 

[JamesF]

Blimey!  I know that happened to Gina's observatory roof years back.  Not fun at all :(

If you're not aware, according to my brother (who used to be a civil engineer and designed buildings amongst other things) part of the problem may be that in high winds the roof acts like an aerofoil and tears itself off because of the amount of lift generated.  I'm not sure of the solution in this case, but it may help to fix metal straps between the roof and walls at regular intervals and extending down the walls several feet.  Perhaps the supplier may be able to offer some suggestions too.

James

[Gina]

Goodness me - that looks to be some serious damage!  Hope it's not as bad as it looks.  That upside-down apex roof lying on the fence reminds me of when my observatory roof blew off in a storm and landed on the boundary fence.  Damage wasn't too bad.  The fence suffered more than the roof.  Your damage looks a lot worse.