I've recently purchased a pre loved Meade LX200 10" telescope. The cardboard box that houses the OTA and the packing are fine but not particularly weather proof nor easy to transport around.
Is there a specialised case that I can purchase in Aussie preferably? What have other owners of similar setups done to make transporting their heavy fragile OTA a safer and easier experience?
Nice scope , try Bunnings as they have cases in all sizes for fairly good prices , I use the craftright cases for my eyepieces and I know they make some large ones .
Nice scope , try Bunnings as they have cases in all sizes for fairly good prices , I use the craftright cases for my eyepieces and I know they make some large ones .
Brian.
Hey Brian, thanks for the heads up. I'll measure my OTA carton tomorrow and see if I can find one that gets close. Cheers
Many similar available many sizes, just add padding
You can spend hundreds on a dedicated scope cover, but when you attend Astro events most people use £5 tarpaulin or £15 toilet tents, cases are the same, I have yet to see anyone at a star party/event who parts with hundreds on a case when as good is available.
This transports my Edge HD Celestron, padded sides and pillow on top and under
Brand new they come with very good quality pick & pluck foam but, they're around $700...
I picked mine up second hand, it had the foam in it but, it had already been used for whatever the chap had stored in it. I was going to get some foam (not pick & pluck) from Clark rubber & cut out the holes I needed using an electric carving knife. Probably would have cost me $100 or so if I went that route...
Genuine replacement foam from Pelican was about $200 plus so, my case was starting to look expensive again if I went that route...
In the end, I figured there was enough pick & pluck foam left in the case to do what I needed to do but, I had to figure out how I could glue bits together so that, bits didn't come out or move when putting the scope in our out.
After a bit of googling, I discovered that spray contact adhesive was the thing to use.. so, I assembled the remnants of the pick & pluck foam & carefully worked out how to maintain the largest bits complete & construct the padding for the scope...one I had each layer (there are two layers of pick & pluck) I carefully stuck blocks of foam together. The pic I attached is the one before I stuck it all together. This cost me about $30 in spray adhesive
I then left the case open for about a week or so to make sure the glue outgassed before being used to transport my scope..
It's worked out really well; personally, I wouldn't buy a new one at $700 but, if you can find a secondhand one with plenty of foam left in it, you can make it work for a fraction of the cost...
Just a case of checking Gumtree & FB marketplace, etc.. til one comes up locally.
I was almost about to get a cargo case & look at attaching wheels when this one popped up...
This is the key factor you need to be looking at for any case/box you are looking at; this is the Interior Dimensions (L x W x D) 28.5 x 17.37 x 10.5" (72.4 x 44.1 x 26.7 cm) for the 1650, I don't know the dimensions of the LX200 10" but, this one was perfect for my LX90 8".
Quote:
Originally Posted by FredinBroome
Well done Carlton, that's exactly the sort of thing I want to achieve. Does the Pelican case come complete with foam ready to cut mate?
Fred , I just did a quick google on LX200 10 inch dimensions and came up with this ,
Width across forks at widest is 480mm .
Hight from base to top of OTA is 820mm .
A quick look at Bunnings catalogue shows only one that will take your LX200 and it is this one the ,
Rhino plastic , waterproof case Item# 5810642.
It measures 1060 x 550 x 515 , should hold the LX200 nicely with a bit of foam and have room at the end for accessories .
Oh its $354 , not bad at all for a solid plastic case of this size and Bunnings will be able to get it in for you if not in the Broome store , good luck .
Fred , I just did a quick google on LX200 10 inch dimensions and came up with this ,
Width across forks at widest is 480mm .
Hight from base to top of OTA is 820mm .
A quick look at Bunnings catalogue shows only one that will take your LX200 and it is this one the ,
Rhino plastic , waterproof case Item# 5810642.
It measures 1060 x 550 x 515 , should hold the LX200 nicely with a bit of foam and have room at the end for accessories .
Oh its $354 , not bad at all for a solid plastic case of this size and Bunnings will be able to get it in for you if not in the Broome store , good luck .
Brian.
Good morning Brian, thanks mate for your effort. It gives me a good head start that's for sure. Some foam from Clarke Rubber and I should be able to cobble up a nice protective case. The roads in Broome can be quite bumpy so a good case will go far in protecting my investment.
I'm afraid that case won't fit mine. The Rhino tool box is larger and cheaper so that one is a very likely candidate. Thanks for your help mate. Cheers, Fred
True but its $500. A bit too pricey for me I'm afraid. I saw too that its an instore product only so cuts me out. Bunnings sells many different trolleys for mobility. Cheers
Last edited by FredinBroome; 30-01-2019 at 02:14 PM.
Reason: Added some info