Where do you keep your gear ?

[Louis D]

8 hours ago, Piero said:

Her mother was a bit shocked by the size

She probably thinks you're compensating for something else, but she'll never say it.

[johninderby]

That’s nothing. Now this is compensating. 😁😁😁

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by johninderby

[Telescope40]

7 minutes ago, johninderby said:

That’s nothing. Now this is compensating. 😁😁😁

 

Was it dark when he set off up the ladder. ?? 

[scarp15]

13 hours ago, Piero said:

I agree! 😀

More seriously, the shroud is on to minimise dust going to the mirrors. Taking the telescope outside takes a couple of minutes, as I don't need to assemble it. Once outside, I leave the fan on for 30m-1h, sometimes also while observing. 

Taking the Tak outside is also a quick process.

My lovely girlfriend has never complained about the telescopes in the living room. She actually said that they look beautiful there. Her mother was a bit shocked by the size, but I assured her that I won't store larger telescopes in the living room. 🙂

Can quite relate to that storage arrangement Piero. I have both dobsonian's, Berlebach tripod bunched together in a corner of our back room. To minimise dust, they are each draped in a polythene cover, the dobs a couple of old complementary airport ski bags. That is good that your girlfriend is OK with this and even expressing positive comments. I am also quite fortunate in that my wife will tolerate, but certainly no positive comments. However occasionally I do cross the line, discreetly bring in one of my bicycles, that is definitely not tolerated and is promptly back in the shed.

[mikeDnight]

On 24/01/2020 at 07:58, bish said:

I used to keep my scopes in the conservatory for a nice quick set up. My wife wanted to clear the space so they are now in another room which we dont really use. Further to carry and a bit more cooling down. I do want to put something up the top of the garden (when up clear it up). Already got power up there if needed.

Just take your wife to one side, and calmly and politely tell her that if a room ends in "-servatory", its for telescopes.  Then stand clear! 

Edited February 7, 2020 by mikeDnight

[Barry-W-Fenner]

6 hours ago, Telescope40 said:

Was it dark when he set off up the ladder. ?? 

How on earth do you operate a dob of this size, do you have to keep getting down to turn it and adjust the altitude?

does it also just use a 1.25 or 2" eye piece? If so does this eye piece not burn a hole through your skull from all the collected light?

I assume that a normal 1.25 eye piece would do this size justice and provide astonishing views

 

Baz

 

[Piero]

7 hours ago, scarp15 said:

Can quite relate to that storage arrangement Piero. I have both dobsonian's, Berlebach tripod bunched together in a corner of our back room. To minimise dust, they are each draped in a polythene cover, the dobs a couple of old complementary airport ski bags. That is good that your girlfriend is OK with this and even expressing positive comments. I am also quite fortunate in that my wife will tolerate, but certainly no positive comments. However occasionally I do cross the line, discreetly bring in one of my bicycles, that is definitely not tolerated and is promptly back in the shed.

Thank you!

i think it is important to be sensible and accept some compromise. If partners have their own space and hobbies, then we can have ours, respectfully, without causing arguments. 

in my case the living room is rather large so keeping the telescopes there is not an issue. Actually the opposite, as they make it feel less empty. The other side of the living room has almost only things of hers. 

[bish]

12 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Just take your wife to one side, and calmly and politely tell her that if a room ends in "-servatory", its for telescopes.  Then stand clear! 

If I give her your phone number would you mind explaining that to her?😁

Edited January 25, 2020 by bish

[bish]

18 hours ago, Telescope40 said:

Was it dark when he set off up the ladder. ?? 

I would love one of those but would probably be too scared to use it!

[johninderby]

5 minutes ago, bish said:

I would love one of those but would probably be too scared to use it!

I wouldn’t like to use a probably unstable stepladder. What he needs is a cherry picker for comfortable observing. 😁

[bish]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

I wouldn’t like to use a probably unstable stepladder. What he needs is a cherry picker for comfortable observing. 😁

Great idea.  That will be my set up if my lottery numbers come up.

[scarp15]

6 hours ago, Piero said:

Thank you!

i think it is important to be sensible and accept some compromise. If partners have their own space and hobbies, then we can have ours, respectfully, without causing arguments. 

in my case the living room is rather large so keeping the telescopes there is not an issue. Actually the opposite, as they make it feel less empty. The other side of the living room has almost only things of hers. 

We live in a terrace Town House, the rooms are quite large with high ceilings, almost swallows up the VX14. It can as you say become determined perhaps by your available interior or external space. Also it is true, my wife's stuff is sort of integrated around, our front room has become more her domain in organisational terms. She grew up in a family home where her dad was a keen bee keeper and canal angler. His stuff would end up in the terrace house they then had, became part of the furnishings as you say. 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by scarp15

[Piero]

44 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

We live in a terrace Town House, the rooms are quite large with high ceilings, almost swallows up the VX14. It can as you say become determined perhaps by your available interior or external space. Also it is true, my wife's stuff is sort of integrated around, our front room has become more her domain in organisational terms. She grew up in a family home where her dad was a keen bee keeper and canal angler. His stuff would end up in the terrace house they then had, became part of the furnishings as you say. 

 

Looks good! 

Are the plastic covers open at the bottom? 

 

P.S. I also keep the small ladder and ramps in the living room, although these are stored in a corner and barely visible (as they are covered by the dob!).

[mikeDnight]

2 hours ago, bish said:

If I give her your phone number would you mind explaining that to her?😁

If she's a sucker for an exotic Lancashire accent, it could work?? As long as she doesn't find my address I'm brave/daft enough to give it a go. 

[johninderby]

27 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

If she's a sucker for an exotic Lancashire accent, it could work?? As long as she doesn't find my address I'm brave/daft enough to give it a go. 

Just remember to dress for the occasion. 😁

[scarp15]

4 hours ago, Piero said:

 

Looks good! 

Are the plastic covers open at the bottom? 

 

P.S. I also keep the small ladder and ramps in the living room, although these are stored in a corner and barely visible (as they are covered by the dob!).

Yes the covers are roomy and open at the bottom so good air circulation. That is a good plan for the using the alcove for storing the stepladders Piero, my astro chair folds up compact and is stored within an alcove, though alongside a chest of draws upstairs. 

[scarp15]

3 hours ago, johninderby said:

Just remember to dress for the occasion. 😁

Lancashire, so Mike would probably more likely be sporting this outfit.

 

 

 

[johninderby]

Or something a bit more up to date? 🤔

[DaveHKent]

I used to keep mine in an alcove between a cupboard and a bookcase, with some bungees attached to the wall to stop it falling. When we redecorated and got a larger bookcase, I made a sturdy 18mm ply cupboard and put it in the garage. There is no dampness in there, not much dust or bugs but the cupboard keeps them out anyway. It keeps the tube within a few degrees of outside temperature, which hopefully cuts out some of the air currents of it cooling when I take it out.

I did try a few coats of primer to make it smooth and then paint it with a metallic black paint intended for use on metal, thinking it would give a bit of a sparkly effect. There was still too much grain showing through so it ended up looking a bit rubbish. Functional though.

[JOC]

The OTA and mount together behind the door in our locked PVC porch (like a mini conservatory), the paraphernalia (EP's, finderscopes, power cables in boxes in the lounge stacked inconspicuously next to the computer - and that is what takes the time - the OTA and mount is quite doable to chuck outside quickly.  The rest of the kit requires that I shift the computer chair, dismantle the neat stack raid it for what I want, walk it all out through the house, go back for what I've forgotten, set it all up with the scope, go back again for the power supply, then go back again for what I've forgotten, repeat several times, then at the end of the night put it all away again and fit all the EP's back into their 'cases' and find all their plastic covers etc. to go with them.  I do have a shed that I'm waiting to put up for the telescope, but I can't decide in the garden where to put it as my favourite location for the telescope has no room for the shed and I have the bug bear of loads of trees around the garden.  One day I'll get the shed up and then maybe I can keep everything out in the garden!

[Louis D]

2 hours ago, JOC said:

I do have a shed that I'm waiting to put up for the telescope, but I can't decide in the garden where to put it as my favourite location for the telescope has no room for the shed and I have the bug bear of loads of trees around the garden.

Well, you could build your observatory on top of a tower like several amateur astronomers have done:

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Louis D

[JOC]

Those are great buildings.

[des anderson]

I`m lucky enough to have a ROR observatory,which my wife paid for when I retired,some 8 years ago its got heating in it. I get a few spiders and webs but in the "spider season" as long as you keep on top of them it`s no problem. The only thing that I don`t keep in there are my sky atlas`s. Des

[Lordspace]

Years ago before i sold everything I kept everything in my she'd, never had any issues with the scopes. 

No spiders or anything tried to move in. 

The scopes were always stored front end down to stop dust falling on the mirrors. 

[Chaz2b]

I live in a first floor flat, on my own, so the scopes live with me and no one to argue with, I’m sure the scopes approve.

 

chaz2b