Storing 10" dob and eye pieces

[orions_boot]

Very excited now apparently my equipment is in stock and due to arrive with me in two days. 

My question is on the storage options I have and which is best.  I know the dob needs to cool and I have read about people saying to be careful of moisture forming.  so taking all this in to account:

Option 1 - store in house and take outside each time.  Pro - safe/secure, clean Cons - waiting long cool down

Option 2 - brick out house attached to the house.  The roof is insulated like a house roof and single brick wall construction.  It is dry in there, never seen any damp on anything, but certainly warmer than outside but cooler than the house.   Pro - cooler than inside the house, easier to get outside , as secure as my house.  con -  dust

Option 3 - basic shed.  Pro - as cold as outside. con - not very secure, dusty, no insulation at all.

I don't want to knacker the stuff with moisture etc so would appreciate your advice on the best option to use above.  And should eye pieces be stored the same or always in the house?  My binoculars fog up at the eye piece so not sure how it works with scope eye pieces.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[John]

I do option 1 with my 12 inch dob but option 2 seems attractive if you can keep the dust at bay. It would cut down cooling time although it's not excessive with 10 / 12 inch dobs I find. Maybe 30-40 mins or so from the house ?

Eyepieces are probably best kept in the house. They need to be a little warmer than the outside temp to avoid potential misting issues when your eye gets close to them.

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by John

[johninderby]

Prefer to keep my dob indoors in a dry enviroment. A 10” dob won’t take that long to cool down anyway.

An alternative.is to normally store it indoors and then put it in the shed to cool a while before you would be observing. An added bennifit if it comes on to rain your scope will stay dry in the shed.

I store mine in the corner of the conservatory. 

Edited November 3, 2020 by johninderby

[cloudsweeper]

I use Option 3, but I wouldn't call it a basic shed.  It was bought especially for the Dob.  Mind you, it took a lot of work to make it rainproof - guttering, painting, bitumen paint also.  I secured it with a "bar" and decent padlock, and even put stout bolts on the door hinges.  

Inside, there is very little that would produce dust, but I loosely drape a large plastic bag over the 'scope.

Finally, I operate a fan heater in the shed from time to time to keep it dry and ventilated.  (Not during astro sessions.)

Doug.

[rl]

My big newts have always been stored outside in either a shed or garage. Helps enormously with cooldown and I've never had much in the way of dew issues. A mothball hidden in the tube somewhere keeps the creepie-crawlies out..I've had strange diffraction patterns in the past with spiders webs. The modern mothballs are not the old napthalene..there is no smell but they seem to work. 

[David J H]

If stored outside in a shed or garage, how do you deal with dust & dirt building up on the mirror?

[cloudsweeper]

20 minutes ago, David J H said:

If stored outside in a shed or garage, how do you deal with dust & dirt building up on the mirror?

Top end - big stiff plastic dust cover.  Mirror end - Astrozap elasticated flexible cover to keep insects out.

Of course in use all kinds of bits and general muck get in the tube and especially on the mirror, but the mirror can take a lot of this and still function well.  I've only cleaned my mirror twice!

Doug.

[Nyctimene]

I'd vote for option 2. Having the dob already close to ambient temperature helps a lot. Dust and critters can be kept at bay (something like old fashioned shower caps on both ends come to my mind). A bag of silicagel will ban moisture (that, anyway, isn't often found in brick constructions). Having the scope easy accessible without hassles will increase the number of observations significantly, as you can make use of cloud gaps, unexpected clear skies late in the evening etc.

Eyepieces for me always in the house - the inherent reserves of thermal energy will keep away fogging up too soon. After use, put on the covers and let them warm up (under a piece of cloth) inside the house, then uncover next morning to let the rest of moisture evaporate.

Stephan

[johninderby]

I do have an Asgard high security metal shed with built in ventalation that I can use if I want. Always bone dry inside but having the conservatory with direct access to the patio not needed.

Edited November 3, 2020 by johninderby

[HollyHound]

5 hours ago, johninderby said:

Prefer to keep my dob indoors in a dry enviroment. A 10” dob won’t take that long to cool down anyway.

Just bought one of these 10" Bresser Dobs an hour ago, and I have a similiar location near the back door, where it's not as warm as the rest of the house and should allow me to take it in and out quickly enough.

From room temperature (or very slightly cooler) how long would it take before usable... John mentions 30-40mins for a 12", but is the 10" really going to take that long before usable ?

Thanks

Gary

Edited November 3, 2020 by HollyHound

[johninderby]

Usable afer 20 to 30 minutes, full cooldown in about an hour. 

I shut the house doors to the conservatory and don’t have the heat on  Gets quite close to outside temp so no real cooldown needed. Often just open one of the big windows in the conservatory and observe from inside. The softies approach to observing. 😁😁😁

[johninderby]

9 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

Just bought one of these 10" Bresser Dobs an hour ago, and I have a similiar location near the back door, where it's not as warm as the rest of the house and should allow me to take it in and out quickly enough.

Did you get the 1:10 focus knob upgrade? 

The Baader universal finder shoe is a direct fit to the Bresser dob if you want to change over the finder bracket to a Synta type. 

Edited November 3, 2020 by johninderby

[HollyHound]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

Did you get the 1:10 focus knob upgrade? 

I am actually looking at this right now.... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-1-10-gear-set-for-hex-focuser.html

Is this the one I should order ?

Also getting one of these... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/rigel-aline-collimation-cap.html as no Cheshires in stock at FLO (some on Amazon), but this will get me going ok ?

Cheers John

[HollyHound]

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

I shut the house doors to the conservatory and don’t have the heat on  Gets quite close to outside temp so no real cooldown needed.

The corridor leading to the back door is usually a few degrees cooler at the far end (near the back door (converted barn) so not only is it convenient storage for "lug and go" but should keep it closer to outside temperature 👍

[johninderby]

Yes that's the right knob. Was always listed as 1:10 but looks identical or maybe a mistake?

Thecollimation cap will get you going for now.

Edited November 3, 2020 by johninderby

[HollyHound]

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The Baader universal finder shoe is a direct fit to the Bresser dob if you want to change over the finder bracket to a Synta type. 

I have one of these already (on my C5), so can move that across first and then order another 👍

Also have a Telrad (with riser) and ordered a Rigel yesterday... was going on the C5 or Mak, so will try out both on the dob and see which works best. Already have a 9x50 RACI (use on the StellaMira but can get another sometime).

[johninderby]

Buy a new scope and find you need some “essentials” to go along with it.😁

You can get a few quid for the stock finder.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/363603-completed-sold-bresser-8x50-straight-finder-bracket/

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by johninderby

[HollyHound]

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Buy a new scope and find you need some “essentials” to go along with it.

Always the way, fortunately I have quite a few bits I’ve acquired this year.

I’m hoping the Aero ED 35mm will make a good wide angle eyepiece and I have a good mix of others too 👍

[orions_boot]

4 hours ago, HollyHound said:

 

I’m hoping the Aero ED 35mm will make a good wide angle eyepiece and I have a good mix of others too 👍

This is what I ordered and will wait to see how it is.

 

Thanks for all the replies which were more than I anticipated.   The polls are closed the votes are cast and the winner is option 2 being first past the post.

My internal storage at the back door is right next to a massive radiator so that could negate some of the benefits mentioned.

I will give option 2 a whirl and get the wife to knock up a massive cover I can use.  I am quite sure the outhouse is not damp at all.  I keep all sorts of electrical etc in there for years without a problem.  Air does not feel humid, nothing is damp and there is a draft through the roof pulled from around the door.  

 

[Louis D]

13 hours ago, orions_boot said:

17 hours ago, HollyHound said:

I’m hoping the Aero ED 35mm will make a good wide angle eyepiece and I have a good mix of others too 👍

This is what I ordered and will wait to see how it is.

The Aero ED 35mm will be pretty good at f/4.7, but not Panoptic sharp in the last 25% of the field, so temper your expectations, and you should be happy with it.  Here's how it looks at f/6 in a field flattened 72mm ED scope:

Edited November 4, 2020 by Louis D

[HollyHound]

16 minutes ago, Louis D said:

The Aero ED 35mm will be pretty good at f/4.7, but not Panoptic sharp in the last 25% of the field, so temper your expectations, and you should be happy with it.  Here's how it looks at f/6 in a field flattened 72mm ED scope:

Thanks for the information. I shall look forward to seeing how it performs. I do also have a Panoptic 24mm as well, so have options 👍

[Louis D]

2 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

Thanks for the information. I shall look forward to seeing how it performs. I do also have a Panoptic 24mm as well, so have options 👍

It will definitely be much lighter and more compact than either a 35mm or 41mm Panoptic, so there is that.

[HollyHound]

13 minutes ago, Louis D said:

It will definitely be much lighter and more compact than either a 35mm or 41mm Panoptic, so there is that.

That’s why I think it will work well enough for me, prefer to keep things more easily balanced 😃👍