How important is an isolated pier?

[pete_l]

6 hours ago, badgerchap said:

I think sticking my EQ6 tripod on a few slabs will probably do the job.

Sounds sensible.
Given that it is quick, cheap and easy to test if this is sufficient there is nothing to lose by giving it a try. If it works, then great! You have saved yourself a lot of unnecessary work.  If not, you are no worse off (apart from the cost of a few paving slabs).

[badgerchap]

8 hours ago, JamesF said:

I'd prefer something that wouldn't move if it were bumped and I'd not lay the slabs on bare earth, but other than that I think it may well work just fine.

James

Yes, when I say I'll not pour concrete at all, I may bend that a little to mean "no more than necessary to lay a few slabs properly"!

The risk of bumping is certainly a concern, but if it only happens now and again I think I can live with it.

 

[badgerchap]

1 hour ago, pete_l said:

Sounds sensible.
Given that it is quick, cheap and easy to test if this is sufficient there is nothing to lose by giving it a try. If it works, then great! You have saved yourself a lot of unnecessary work.  If not, you are no worse off (apart from the cost of a few paving slabs).

Got the slabs from a neighbour, so even they're no cost to sacrifice!

[AdeKing]

10 hours ago, badgerchap said:

I’ve a small extension of this question.

I live in the middle of nowhere with no road other than our drive (serving 10 houses) within about a third of a mile. Even this road is dead as a doornail past about 8 p.m., like, completely dead. I want a remote obsy in my garden, about ten metres from the house. I’m thinking that really, I don’t need to pour concrete AT ALL. In fact, apart from a sporadic need to redo the polar alignment, I think sticking my EQ6 tripod on a few slabs will probably do the job.

Now, anyone up for telling me how wrong I am?

EDIT: i should also mention I intend imaging at a pretty stumpy FL: 600mm at F4

My plan is similar, I'm visual only and have a Vixen GP semi-permanent set up on a Skywatcher Portable Pillar mount.

As my wife won't tolerate slabs in the middle of the lawn, my plan is to fill three terracotta plant pots with concrete and drill the drain holes out to 16mm diameter to take the height adjustment bolts of the pier.

I'm then going to sink the upturned pots in the lawn with the holes in the lawn having some compacted Type 1 at the bottom and a bit of concrete to hold the pots in place.

This should give me a solid base and be easy enough to re-locate the pillar after mowing the lawn and should just require a minor tweak to PA and realignment after moving the pillar to mow the lawn.