well ive ordered my observatory(well shed...:d) should be hear in 10 days or so.i looks a bit like this one only mines longer 10x6 im going to have the roof roll off rather than hinged hopefully it will look something like this im going to leave my scope in there permantly along with a pc im going to build with bits ive upgraged and use a wireless network to the this pc thats on cable.i have a question though what if any precautions should i take against damp..will it effect my scope..?

PS do you think sir Patrick Moore would come to the grand opening
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There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who are good with words, and those who are... erm... thingy
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart.
In The Beginning there was nothing, which exploded.

doors to build my former ro/ro observatory.

Major problem we have over here is the "critters" that get inside and eat cables, plastic, and anything else they can get their grungy paws on

You might also want to consider a concrete pad to keep the animals out. I used a spray expansion foam to weatherproof the pad to the structure.

I cut small ventilation holes in the underside of the roof, and covered them with window screen material. That will allow the structure to "normalize" easier to weather changes.

As far as the wireless LAN is concerned, have a look at 2.4 Ghz spread spectrum modules. They are license free in most countries if you dont radiate more than 1.5 watts. You can also operate at a data-rate of up to 115K/bps, and there is no interference since your spread-spectrum.

Good Luck .......

Hi gang,i was going to use my favorite line,rob while your waiting for RJ to answer your question because he had one of those observatories check out the following site but RJ beat me to it.These one's are to expensive but the information they offer in there free robo book might come in handy. http://www.homedome.com
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alien life force

either Walmart or Home Depot (dont recall which). It was all wood and 8 foot x 12 foot with a 6.5 foot high roof.

After assembling the "original" shed, I snapped chalk lines at the 4 foot level, then cut it with a radial saw. You then install the garage door tracks and its hardware.

It sounds simple, but it wasnt at the time.

And dont forget to put stopper bolts at each end of the track, or your likely to dump the whole roof on the ground like I did I finally installed 3/4 inch carriage bolts, since the upper assembly has considerable mass, and just bent smaller bolts.

Had to take off the original door, and made it into a "Dutch door" as well.

When I sold my Parks 16" last year, the wife couldnt wait to get rid of that "ugly barn"

Thanks for the link Alfnapper that robo dome is pretty cool but also a bit pricey but theres some nice info on how to situate your scope.RJ we dont have that many "critters" in the uk(unless you count cats..just kidding Andy" i think im going to keep it as simple as possible that way theres less ways to mess it up but im guessing ill find a way
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There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who are good with words, and those who are... erm... thingy
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart.
In The Beginning there was nothing, which exploded.

Those rodents will eat anything/everything. We also have chipmunks which is yet another problem. Must also mention rabbits and the odd red fox or two.

We dont have much trouble with deer except during mating season. Invariably, one will fall into one of our neighbours swimming pool, and had to be shot.

AND this is SUBURBIA not the wilderness

well i took delivery of my shed today..i think im going to have to revise my original plan just sliding the roof off and resting it on 2 posts just isent going to happen..this thing is built like a brick s**t house i took me and my brother in law(both of us over 6 foot and each over 15 stone) all of are combined effort to get the roof in position there no way i could slide it off on my own. im thinking of some sort of cemented posts with runners and castor wheels arrangment im going to pop up to the local diy store to see if they have anything that will do the job.damn i thought id have it up and running by tonight its just aswell im not at work till teusday..
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There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who are good with words, and those who are... erm... thingy
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart.
In The Beginning there was nothing, which exploded.

for garage doors. It will handle the weight, and are fairly inexpensive.

Thats what I used when I built my "barn" some 20 years ago.

Dont recall exactly how much "rail" I bought, but it was enough to make a near right-angle and burry the rest in a pair of concrete pads.

One hint though. Keep it level so it slides easily in both directions. I made the mistake of giving it about a 3 degree down-angle when opening. That made closing the top, a major effort . Pushing an estimated 400 Lbs of mass even up that small incline gets harder as you get older

You may also need to cross-truss the now detached roof to prevent skewing.

Good Luck.....

Hi Rob,

Here's a pic of my 'tin shed' observatory!



Yea, looks like a meteorite has struck it! My roof is designed to flip open from the middle. Works fine with one person!
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All Men are Born Idle
Some Just Kill Time by Working!

Skype bigdipperandy

paying job . Is that your radio telescope in the foreground ??