Hi,
I've decided to dismantle my home obs for a number of reasons. Firstly, I live in Geelong West and the light pollution is now quite horrendous (worse than when I lived in Northcote near central Melbourne), secondly there have been second story additions on neighbours homes that mean I can now only image over a very narrow swathe of sky, thirdly the weather has changed over the last 6 years so that even when clear, there is a high mist that kills transparency. I haven't had a clear night worth imaging for 4 months. I will keep my refractor/HEQ5 in the lounge or for portable (though Heathcote is 3 hours away and I haven't been there for 3 years!
I had thought about selling everything (including my pride and joy Mesu 200) however the current secondhand market means that even if I could sell my gear, I would only get a pittance for it. Hence I'm going to pack the gear and store it on the basis that when my partner retires in 3-5 years we will move to dark skies.
Are there any special things I should consider for storing mounts? Optics? CCD Cameras? Probably need to minimise condensation etc? Inside house if I can find room? Shed OK?
Optics stored in a fully lined building not subject to high humidity are ok under a cloth - otherwise they need to be in airtight containers with rechargeable desiccant packs.
I’d also be inclined to put the gear out in full sun for a day as UV kills fungus, and unpack annually, repeat and repack to make sure all is well and check the desiccant.
Otherwise if you leave it all untouched for 5years there could be an unpleasant mess, I’ve seen this with camera gear supposedly stored properly for some years after the owner passed away. In the end it was all a mess and was disposed of.
Hi,
thanks all for the suggestions...at the moment looks like I'll find space inside the house, so less prone to moisture problems. I think sitting in the sun to kill fungus is a great idea - hadn't thought of that ! Will stioll get some dessicant though...
