Cost effective ways to settle the mind...

[OK Apricot]

Despite the time and effort I put into making The Astro Podium, The number of opportunities to do some imaging that I miss is growing. With work and real life, not to mention the appalling weather the past year, I am finding that I just haven't got the super powers needed to pull a 12+hr shift, cook for the Mrs, do housework then set up in the garden knowing I have to stay awake to tear down again before getting some morsel of sleep, only to feel dead on my feet the next day. Unless I'm lucky enough to get a clear night on a Friday or Saturday, a lot of the time I have to pass. But I was thinking, if I could leave the scope outside safe enough to put my mind at ease, I'd surely be able to increase my imaging time. 

I feel like I live in a rougher area. I had a van broken into within 4 months of moving here after all! Our garden backs onto the public footpath in what could be considered a high footfall area (there's a streetlight above my garden - it must be, right....😒) Last year I decided to use some savings to get a fence installed. A bit of neighbourly tension helped to justify another reason for a fence, which was to raise the height needed for anyone to be able to look over as they walk by. This has helped somewhat, but it's not enough peace of mind for me to leave my kit out overnight. 

With limited space and certainly limited funds until the wedding and H-moon are done, I was thinking of something along the lines of a "portable" observatory. Think of a windbreaker at the beach, then four of them...? It would help hide my scope from the people that I don't want to see it, and with a 250PQ I need to try to shield even gentle breezes. Has anyone made something out of say PVC piping and black tarpaulin? If so, is it as easy as I envisage? Is it practical? Am I wasting my time building a cube lined with dark material within which to place my rig? 

Edited April 21 by OK Apricot

[M40]

How about something like this.....

This was on my mind since one of the neighbours got a dog and a pir floodlight. All the best

 

 

[OK Apricot]

44 minutes ago, M40 said:

How about something like this.....

This was on my mind since one of the neighbours got a dog and a pir floodlight. All the best

 

 

That honestly looks absolutely spot on! Reasonably priced enough to give it a go, and not a tragedy if it doesn't quite work as intended. Easy to install and then put away, maybe a bit of an eyesore but we will get it past the Mrs one way or another lol. A couple of those would do nicely. Thanks for the suggestion! 

[michaelmorris]

Looks like a possible solution for my desire to have a moveable blind to block out next door's outside light.  How opaque are these?

[jjohnson3803]

On 21/04/2024 at 02:26, OK Apricot said:

Has anyone made something out of say PVC piping and black tarpaulin? If so, is it as easy as I envisage? Is it practical? Am I wasting my time building a cube lined with dark material within which to place my rig? 

Sort of, yes, yes, and depends on individual circumstances.

My default lightblock is a pair of black polyester shower curtains on a PVC frame.  I usually only need one but I have used two frames in an L-shape.  I use deck rail torch holders (Torch holders) to hold the vertical stanchions, but I also have PVC table caps screwed to 18-inch round tabletop blanks for use as bases on the ground.  I haven't needed PVC cement to hold the bits together.

One note - these are very portable and light, so they can flap in the wind.  But there are several ways of securing the bottom of the curtains.

 

[OK Apricot]

Forgot about this thread until quoted. I went for one of the side awnings that @M40 suggested and it does the job. Thrown together for now but I will come up with a more aesthetically pleasing solution. I didn't realise it doesn't have a base plate so had to work with it and use some right angle brackets and wood screws... But, Blocks light nicely (both ways, equipment LEDs don't show through) and is large enough to obscure even the big rig, the 250 Quattro on the EQ6-R. It's given me security enough that I can sleep at night now while it runs a sequence. I don't know if it really is my area, or if I'm actually more paranoid than most.