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Dob Storage


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I’ve order a new 10” dob, which hopefully might be here this week, just in time for the change in weather 😳 So dob users, tell me how you store yours and treat it. No doubt I’ll leave mine in the garage, wondering whether it might be an idea to get a case for the tube for when transporting it around? Do you cover yours over with a sheet/cover? And what about when it’s acclimatising outside? I do try to look after kit so worth knowing some basics.

As a side topic, when out in the field viewing, have you all observing chairs? I’ve been faffing around with diy options this last week and started to think I need a more comfortable solution.

 

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I have kept large dobs in a well ventilated shed or garage. Just check the mirror daily for condensation. Smaller dobs in a spare room.

Edited by mert
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34 minutes ago, mert said:

I have kept large dobs in a well ventilated shed or garage. Just check the mirror daily for condensation. Smaller dobs in a spare room.

Is condensation a common issue in a garage? Maybe in a case then could negate that? Presume only possible in the colder months?

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I don’t like keeping dobs out in a garage or shed for long periods as dampness is the thing that gets to mirrors after a while. For a very big dob you may have no choice but for a 10” keep it inside most of the time if you can. I keep my 10” dob in the corner of the conservatory. Doesn’t take up much room. 🙂

B35996D0-6BF6-4351-A941-5B9FB360F291.jpeg

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On cold nights, you’ll suffer with condensation taking straight into the house though presumably. Was thinking the garage might be a more gradual warm up. Camera lenses definitely condensate quickly, I leave them in the bag to acclimatise slowly, but a big heavy dob is a different proposition.

Edited by Stardaze
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I`ve stored my 10" dob in the observatory for many years now. The observatory is quite a well ventilated steel construction. I keep it in a padded scope bag such as one of these here and I put the base next to it, then finally I  cover both parts with a shaped tarpaulin such as an outdoor furniture cover. So far I haven't had any problems with moisture affecting the mirrors as far as I can tell. If the scope is damp after using it I will leave the cover unzipped until the scope has dried off. This will usually be by the next day. The scope case has been a good investment and especially useful when I take the scope camping to a dark site etc. 

Edited by Phil Fargaze
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I've always kept my Dobs (10" and 12'') in the garage in all weathers, without any problems

I cover the top and bottom of the scopes with large elasticated shower caps available from ebay. This protects the mirrors from any spiders etc crawling in

I then cover with a fabric dust cover

 

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My 12 inch F/5.3 is stored in a corner of the dining room which is about 3 metres from where it is used, on the patio. I prefer to observe standing up and had the base of my dob "made to measure" so that I could do that.

 

12dobwaiting.JPG

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I store my Dobs in the back of coat closets on my first floor.  One has end caps and the other one collapses into a box (truss style).  No mirror coating degradation in 20+ years this way.  Everything in my shed gets a coating of mildew due to the high humidity of summers in Texas (swamp level dew points).  The garage simply doesn't have the spare space for a telescope with two cars, water softener, water heater, and power tool storage.  The main house A/C keeps the humidity at bay during our cooling season from mid-March to mid-November.

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I built a very simple box to store my collapsable 12 inch Dob in.

As you can see it is outside on the patio but has a large "ceiling" above which is the roof overhang. This keeps all the weather off but keeps the scope at or very near ambient air temperature.

I use a simple wooden ramp to wheel it out and into position on the adjacent front lawn.

20200426_160151.thumb.jpg.a62e81dc676197d89f2cab182efa7ee4.jpg

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54 minutes ago, Geoff Barnes said:

I built a very simple box to store my collapsable 12 inch Dob in.

As you can see it is outside on the patio but has a large "ceiling" above which is the roof overhang. This keeps all the weather off but keeps the scope at or very near ambient air temperature.

I use a simple wooden ramp to wheel it out and into position on the adjacent front lawn.

20200426_160151.thumb.jpg.a62e81dc676197d89f2cab182efa7ee4.jpg

Love the extent people go to, to enjoy their interests. I did consider the 10" version of that scope for the storage benefits. How well does the tracking system work on the bigger dob?

13 hours ago, johninderby said:

Nope. Close the doors to the house and open a window and the conservatory is at outside temp.at night so no condesation. Close the window when finished.

Bit gutted that our planned building works are on hold at the minute (like everything) as I'll have the perfect spot just inside the patio afterwards.

12 hours ago, Phil Fargaze said:

I`ve stored my 10" dob in the observatory for many years now. The observatory is quite a well ventilated steel construction. I keep it in a padded scope bag such as one of these here and I put the base next to it, then finally I  cover both parts with a shaped tarpaulin such as an outdoor furniture cover. So far I haven't had any problems with moisture affecting the mirrors as far as I can tell. If the scope is damp after using it I will leave the cover unzipped until the scope has dried off. This will usually be by the next day. The scope case has been a good investment and especially useful when I take the scope camping to a dark site etc. 

Demands a picture 🙂 Back to what I said above, sounds interesting a steel construction.

Thanks for the link to those, was looking at the geoptik case which is twice the price.

9 hours ago, tony4563 said:

I've always kept my Dobs (10" and 12'') in the garage in all weathers, without any problems

I cover the top and bottom of the scopes with large elasticated shower caps available from ebay. This protects the mirrors from any spiders etc crawling in

I then cover with a fabric dust cover

 

Is the bottom cap needed? Was looking at the astrozap cap but just for the top.

Edited by Stardaze
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9 hours ago, johninderby said:

The first floor means different things in the US and the UK 🤔

10FF6DBC-9363-4D41-94FF-A2299FCE0E77.jpeg

Ground floor is synonymous with first floor in the US.  You'll often see elevators buttons marked G-2-3-4-... instead of 1-2-3-4-... here in the states to make it clearer.  That must get confusing to Americans trying to get back to ground floor in an office building to see the buttons marked G-1-2-3-4-...  Which button to I press, G or 1, to get back to street level?  You'll also typically see a next to whatever button gets you to street level to reassure users.  I wonder if UK elevators do the same.

Question is, what do y'all call the level in the ground?  We call it a basement.  Perhaps you call it the underground floor in keeping with the ground floor nomenclature or perhaps lower level as in an office building?

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25 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Question is, what do y'all call the level in the ground?  We call it a basement.  Perhaps you call it the underground floor in keeping with the ground floor nomenclature or perhaps lower level as in an office building?

In a lift (elevator) it's usually called Lower Ground or LG.

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