How do you store yours?

[Daz Type-R]

Just received my Skywatcher 200P yesterday from FLO and was a bit shocked at the size of it. I had seen photos on this forum but I don't think they did it justice. Sufice to say the missus was not best pleased so the scope has to live in the shed / garage.

So my question is, how do you store yours?

Should I leave it in a vertical position, should I leave it in a horizontal postion, would I be best covering it in the packaging it came in, which would require me to remove the scope from the dobsonian mount (not an issue).

Just a bit concerned about moisture settling on the mirrors etc.

Regards,

Darren.

[Stephen]

Stored vertically under the stairs.

Re : Moisture, when you bring it in - don't put the caps / covers on and point it at the floor. Give it an hour or two (even better over night) to "dry" off, then cap it and tuck it away

[jgs001]

Stored in the garage... refractors on the mount, RC in a box (at present, but it'll depend on my target how the kit will end up looking each time it goes away).. keeping them in the garage means that they are much closer to ambient than keeping them indoors.

[Daz Type-R]

Thanks for the quick reply, I wasn't going to bring it in, it was going to be left in the garage when not in use so will be constantly cool/cold.

Would you advise still pointing it downwards?

[Moonshane]

Hi Darren

I personally store mine in the house but we have space amd ecen my 12" takes up less room (foot print) than an 8" Skywatcher (the footprint of my 12" is about 15" square. I store mine in the upright position with the caps on. Yours should be find in a dry shed/garage in the same way. Some people use a bead of silicone in the joints of the composite board bases to prevent ingress of moisture but it's not a problem at least for a while - never used one though and maybe others can advise that have one? It may of course affect any warranty you may have.

After an observing session I bring in my scopes and eyepieces and let them dry off overnight uncapped and with the eyepieces on their sides (in a foam lined case) and the scope at an angle of approx 45 degrees to prevents drips of dew/melted ice dropping onto the mirror. In the morning you can then store back in the shed once dry with the caps on. You may be OK to just cap it and put it straight in the shed as you may not get any condensation forming on the mirrors when you put it in there. Again others who store outside may be able to advise.

[jgs001]

Not really sure... I've heard it's best to keep newts on their side in case anything slips and falls inside onto the primary... but I've also seen images of them stored vertically...

I've been using refractors till now, and that's not an issue... I've had the RC only a couple of weeks... but it's stored horizontally... but left vertical (primary upper most) to 'dry' post use.

[Hawklord]

If the garage is relatively dry then it should be OK stored upright in its box. You can always add some silica gel into the box to keep it that extra bit dryer!

[Daz Type-R]

Cheers chaps, I will wait and see if anybody else has more advice, I`m sure they will.

[swamp thing]

Hi

I am lucky too got me 10" Dob in the dinning room and the 16" upstairs in the bedroom. Pity i couldn't store them the other way round.

Regards Steve

[chard]

Someone else on this forum had their 12 inch new stored upright in the downstairs loo.

It looked just like a massive hot water tank. Hopefully it won't get damp.

[umadog]

My 12" is in the basement. I used to keep my 8" in a large wooden garage which was dry. What I didn't realise was that the temperature swings were sufficient to cause dew to form on the mirror in the mornings. I didn't have the chance to use the scope for a few months and only discovered the issue after the moisture had destroyed the coating on the primary.

Don't let me put you off, however: in many ways a garage is a good location since the scope's mirror will be similar in temperature to the outdoors. You should just check whether dew forms and if it forms you will need to prevent it somehow. One possibility is to suspend a 15W lightbulb inside the OTA. I only had issues because I was unaware of the problem and never checked on the scope.

[prbaxter]

just bought one of these for my 150P. Think I might even manage to get the mount and the scope in it if I can find some padding for it.

Buy Go Explore Extra Large Wheeled Holdall at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Garment carriers and trolley holdalls.

[Stargazer Jack]

This is a stupid question but how do i make my SW 130m eq2 mount point towards the ground quicker ? I can turn this knob but it takes AGES to point towards the ground. Thanks

[prbaxter]

there's the 2 plastic black thumb levers on the mount... loosen them and you will get 2 directions of movement. how to go side to side, thats the tricky one!

[Stargazer Jack]

Ahhh thanks :]

[prbaxter]

sorry i thought you meant the eq3-2! the eq2 doesn't have those black levers. But it does have two 3-pointed knobs:

[Stargazer Jack]

Yeah just tried them but it doesn't work

[prbaxter]

apologies for off topic...

but here's tehe eq3-2 for reference:

[Daz Type-R]

Could we get even more off topic?????

[dlp]

Here's how I store mine in the garage.

[tyco]

My 8" dob is stored vertical in a small wooden shed with caps on and a telescope cover,never had a problem.

[kernowstargazer]

My 150p dob is stored in dry shed with a single spiderman duvet cover;) slipped over it like a sock works a treat and havent had problem yet. I like the bead of silicone on the mount joints idea which is what im going now cheers guys:hello2:.

[Postie]

My 8" dob is stored in cardboard boxes at flo's, but hopefully not for much longer!

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd like to store my 8" SCT in the garage but i am worried about leaving the mount and electronics in there. It is a solid concrete block garage which is 100% weatherproofed with no visible damp whatsoever.

The temp inside is a few degrees above the outside temp. The boiler house is attached to the garage (concrete wall separating them) and the main heating pipes run along side the garage a couple of feet down under the pavement. All of these keep the garage at a temp that is warmer then outside.

Do you think the SCT would be happy in there? In its original box also with a big bag of that moisture absorbing gel stuff that came in the original box.

I store my Heritage in the same garage in its original box and there has been no damage caused by damp. Its just the electronics of the SCT i worry about. I suppose its no big deal to store the mount (with the handset) in the house and leave the rest in the garage.

[paul schofield]

My 200p Dob has pride of place in the corner of my lounge. The only problem it causes is, when people mention it, I bore them to tears talking astronomy ha. Most people have a passing interest, but it makes for a great conversation piece.