The doghouse observatory becomes a reality

[h0ughy]

Actually it is 12 months ago today that i managed to secure the purchase of this dome - and i a weeks time i might even have the morotisation working LOL. 2010 has been a great year

[dugnsuz]

:lol: Love it!
Doug

[h0ughy]

Well i received the Cassidy bars today and quickly put them into action. When Al dropped in i used that as an excuse to stop work cleaning up the garage and shed and mount the C11 on the G11. Photo's tell the story.

BTW an extra 2.5 kg bar bell weight was required and it is double sided tape and electrician tape while i get a bolt and washer later this afternoon. we aligned distributed the weight and balanced the current setup. This is great, it will be crystal clear tonight so i will use the opportunity to align the scopes and image with the 127 - i still need the adapter for the hyperstar on the C11.

I have two computers in there now with full ups protection and ups protection for the g11.

[multiweb]

C11/Hyperstar + 127mm Refractor side by side on the G11? Sure about it? :question:

[h0ughy]

way under the 27kg payload - and find out very soon

[multiweb]

I'll be interested to see how it guides. You're on a peer so I guess you have the time to really balance it out. Still heavy though.

[allan gould]

Bugger all the scopes, David. Have you installed the Maxdome II yet?

[h0ughy]

Well the balance is very touchy - need to look at that again and it is more sensitive to the wind but the seeing is crud tonight - however taking that into consideration i still have round stars?:shrug:

[h0ughy]

maybe tomorrow Allan - had to clean the office and shed today:rofl:

[davewaldo]

Looking great David! I looks like there is plenty of room in there considering the gear you have mounted! Is that a 3.5m dome?
All the best!

[h0ughy]

no its only the 2.3m but i am hoping that the tracking control will aid in both scopes being able to image - almost same width as opening LOL

[strongmanmike]

Wow Dave, that looks awesome dude!

I'd be over in a flash just to feel the vibe standing in the presence of all this wonderful gear in that observatory of yours :eyepop:...only I need to take advantage of the clear weather :).

I'd love to visit one cloudy night soon though and drool...

Mike

[h0ughy]

your welcome to come over and drool

[h0ughy]

ok more updates - i now have my qhy10 adapter, a new 2" Astronomic CLS CCD filter, and new power cables from CentralDS for the 40D - I now have the complete outfit for the hyperstar, but i am looking at getting a modification done to the hyperstar to make it easier to collimate and setup (http://www.eclipsus.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=56). stay tuned for that one

Also looking into a solid dewshield and using a endcap (http://astrozap.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=124)

need to get some more software for collimation of a F2 system:lol: (http://www.ccdware.com/products/ccdinspector/)

[h0ughy]

I haven't taken pictures but i have this afternoon with the aid of Alan installed the rail and motor for the rotation of the dome, and the solar panel. The battery wasn't fully charged but i did manage to manually use the controller and rotate the dome 1 full rotation and back. Cool gear indeed, i installed the motor so that i can reach the PC from the control unit without an extension cable. This is one huge step for the doghouse!

I might add that 20 minutes after we finished and sealed up the bolts and holes etc it rained

[h0ughy]

here are some more progress images - yet to install the magnetic home switch

[sheeny]

Looking really good Dave!

Al.

[h0ughy]

well the next chapter will be written soon - upgrading the mount

[acropolite]

looking forward to seeing the next installment, hopefully that won't involve a marriage status update.....:P

[bartman]

Soooooo what do you have in mind??????
Give us a hint......
Bartman

[h0ughy]

ooohhh no now that would be a titanic struggle:help::eyepop:

[h0ughy]

um its black, has worms, wires and like me is a bit weighty:P;)

[bartman]

:question::question::question::ques tion::question::question:

Putting the two together ....
some sort of Losmandy Titan :shrug::shrug::shrug:
dont think it will weigh as much though!!!
Bartman
P.S. good on you !!!!!!

[h0ughy]

well here is an update,

the titan is in the doghouse

the 14" meade is on top with a ed80 bolted on top

the power supplies are back in after qld astrofest and.....

i cant drift align because i cant find my power lead for the losmandy, it was packed away well at astrofest.
and it a rare night as it is dark and clear tonight - first decent night since astrofest. will have to drift align tomorrow night. I am so looking forward to this.

BTW there is not much room left in the dome with this setup

[sheeny]

I'm not surprised, but I'm sure you aren't complaining!;)

:)

Al.

[allan gould]

Still want to know how you got it past SHMBO.
Great mount, great scope (thanks for the comet view at Astrofest) expect great photos.

[RB]

You'll have to buy his book.

:lol:

[h0ughy]

it was installed the very next day Al and i got back - i had an rdo ;) even mr alder came over to give a hand to install the ota. But the weather has been pretty ordinary to do anything with it and the family required the attention

[h0ughy]

you're still proofreading it:P

[RB]

:lol:

[h0ughy]

and here is what it looks like very quickly. still need to install the cameras and i probably will have to use a dew strap now seeing as though the scope is so close to the opening of the dome

[h0ughy]

and here is a live demo LOL (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVpP3MB0s7Q)

[RB]

What a monster setup !!!
Green with envy.
Thanks for the YT clip looks and sounds amazing.

LOL Tania will be wondering why you're using a dentist's drill in the doghouse.

:question:

[h0ughy]

well i should be out there later setting the rest of the gear up and drift aligning the scope

[h0ughy]

well here we are, several months further down the track and I have adjusted the scope setup (thanks for the manpower Scott and Alan) and soon will be using an on axis guider. I have a mess of cables (still sorting out the setup then everything will be measured and placed in a nice safe place with spacing loops.) once i have the setup achieved this will be left that way for sometime. Setting everything up is frustrating - especially with this ruddy weather

[RB]

How awesome is that!
Great setup mate.
Careful you don't decapitate yourself in there, not much room left when that 14" starts slewing around.

:lol:

[h0ughy]

:rofl: you should have been there when Al and Scott were in the doghouse with me, helping me adjust the scope on the mount to balance. Not so squizzy:rofl:

[allan gould]

David, if you get a lighting strike on that observatory in Newcastle, we will see the glow in the night sky here in Brisbane!
ET could be in there signaling home and you would never know.

[h0ughy]

what would you be implying Allan:question:

[marc4darkskies]

Hey Houghy!! You should start a competition mate ... how many plug boards can you see in this picture!!:eyepop:.

What adjustment to the scope setup did you make?

Cheers, Marcus

[h0ughy]

there are 8 if you count the UPS's :rofl:

there was polar aligning and then the biggie - moving the scope on the mount to balance it . also removed the ed80 and added the camera and focuser stuff and a few powerboards:question::P

[allan gould]

You must have doubled Newcastle's carbon footprint with that setup!
Put anything else in there and it will collapse to a neutron star

[Bassnut]

Insane, I love it. Just goes to show, more is better, always :-)

[h0ughy]

:rofl: yes it is. power for each item seperately, so if one fails the others still work:question:

[Tandum]

Strewth, don't trip in the dark or you'll end up trapped like a certain horse in a recent spielberg flick. :lol:

[h0ughy]

:rofl: anit theft device :help:

[h0ughy]

here it is nearly 12 months later, last time I imaged from the observatory was back in August last year. Well I got back into the old girl to set things back up today. I still don't have a imaging PC , that is being rebuilt after it burnt out last week. I have set up the C11 with the new zwo camera and a filter wheel - a new era in imaging ahead for me!!! next to that I have the 127ED with the Lunt 60DS on top and a DMK41. for the guide scope I plan to use the orion50 with a loadstar guider slung off the 127ED looking up the middle of the scopes.

As luck would have it we also have a small amount of Mosquito problem here, millions of them. so much so I have a insectocutor on during the day, at night they are horrendous , so bad that even lathered in aeroguard they drove me out of the observatory tonight :sadeyes: also the cloud has come through:(

still have a long way to go lining up the scopes. LOL I even labelled the filter wheel so I know what number is what filter is in the camera lens. I have a vixen 2.4x barlow direct to the camera - still waiting to use this

[allan gould]

Gee Wiz Dave dont fall into the Insectorater or you wont have to worry mozzies only the flies!!!!!
What about setting up a wifi extender so that you can get wifi into the dome and then sit in the house using Teamviewer to remotely control.
Thats what I do now unless I want some alone time in the observatory.

[h0ughy]

I bought a manual filter wheel :help:

tonight setting things up it almost caused a small fire - that many mozzies burnt to death, must be well over a squillion of them - it stinks in there of burnt insects. in all the years I have lived here I have never seen them this bad

[RB]

Yeah Dave but how'z the serenity !

:lol:

[tornado33]

Mozzies were very bad at my place too, even the odourless Aeroguard struggled to keep em at bay.
Scott

[h0ughy]

abuzz with excitement:P

i have never seen them this viscious

[strongmanmike]

Looking good Houghy, man those mozzies sound bad...are they all QLD bricklayers :question: :P

Mike

[h0ughy]

Mozzie comes from NSW Mike ;) and yes mate they are really bad - so much so that it is explained here http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1206494/summer-abuzz-with-mosquitoes/

I just need some clear weather. last night it was crystal clear at 6 but by twilight it clouded over from nowhere :sadeyes:

[strongmanmike]

Ah I see, near Coffs...kinda like QLD a bit :P :lol:

I hate Mozzies, it's so dry here in Canberra and windy at my place that they haven't been an issue at all this year really.

Mike

[h0ughy]

well lets see - what's changed in 6 months - well the weather is still the same - raining. I haven't taken a DS shot since July last year, but at least now its dehumidified in there. now the dome is suffering from green grunge and is in need of a good scrub

[Tandum]

You got a pressure cleaner dave? That'll strip the crap straight off.
It's wise to cover stuff inside first as the pressure can force water through any gaps.

It's raining here too ...

[h0ughy]

i was thinking of something little more gentle like detergent and a broom but you might be right:question:

[marc4darkskies]

Tried that - no go. Pressure washer works a charm. Then you need to wax on and wax off!

[h0ughy]

OK so then i will be in training - Wax on Wax Off, then do a paint a fence, up and down;)

[marc4darkskies]

You no ask questions! Just DO!

[xstream]

Nah, just pressure wash everything! :P

[ChrisM]

David,

I had the same problem with green gunge after about 3 years. See my post #53 http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=36222&page=2 for how I cleaned mine. It's almost time to do it again; the South side has begun to go a dirty green again. I would be wary of using a high pressure cleaner.

Chris

[AstroFlyer]

Before using pressure cleaner try Tricleanium cleaner.
Available from Bunnings.

http://www.tricleanium.com.au/

[acropolite]

I wouldn't be using a pressure cleaner, nor would I be using Tricleanium (which is caustic soda). I think you're on the money with a soft broom, used with some car wash detergent which is gentle on finished/painted surfaces.

[allan gould]

Thats exactly what I do and find no problems at all. Soft broom and car wash with a wax built in.
Allan

[Tandum]

Bugger you guys, a tinnie in one hand and power cleaner in the other.
I got an attachment for mine that strips paint ...
(insert a tim allen laugh and .. more power) :lol:

[h0ughy]

lol tool time - ahh the memories (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JVGCN0ta9s):lol:

[h0ughy]

Bit of an update – the dehumdifyer is working a treat, but the severe extremes in weather fire/dust/torrential rain have made the need for a big cleanup. Dusting etc. I was using a BBQ cover to cover the scopes but what it seemed to do was trap the moisture under it and sweating the gear. So having left it off with the dehumidifier going we then get fires nearby, smoke and dust, then the heavy rain we have just had seem to have cemented the dust on the scope. Still need to wash down the outside

So I have sent off the G1to be repaired, really should update and install the g2?

I will be preparing the observatory for a dual system once again, but this time with solar on one side and deep sky on the other. Plan to have an ED80 with the Lunt 60 on top on one side and the 127ED and another ED80 on top with the Moravian G2 and the SBIG 2000 using a 60mm guide scope, trying to capture the best of both worlds

[strongmanmike]

Yeah gotta do that to mine some time too :doh:

Sounding good Dave, you should have a rather versatile rig by the sounds of it :thumbsup:

Mike

[Nikolas]

Couple of bags of rice in hessian bags inside the covers will eliminate sweating. Or if the budget allows those gels that absorb moisture.

[h0ughy]

well i have slightly overcompensating for a lack of imaging time, deepsky with the 127ed and ed80, though i am waiting for a gso focoser and sharpsky focus control. and solar array on the right, whit light ed80 and Ha lunt 60. st80 for guiding

sorry for the poor images. mobile phone

[strongmanmike]

Oh my..... :eyepop: looks like a Takahashi ad...only cheaper scopes :lol:

Good luck with that Houghy :rofl:....I have faith :prey:

[RB]

LOL Mike, if you only knew the coversation I had with houghy last night. :lol:
I offered him my brand new 150 but he said no !

:shrug:

[h0ughy]

I said there would be no way you would get it back:P:D:):thanx:

[h0ughy]

yes black and decker meets makita:P

one of those would love shots Mike :thumbsup:- clearly i am a wannabe:rofl:

[strongmanmike]

Hey Houghy, now that you have all your scopes on one mount will the Hough ma hal be more compact at Astro Fest next year and all fit under a single pop up shower humpy...:question:

[h0ughy]

well the travel mount can take as much as the observatory - and i do have a 14" acf that i haven't really let loose yet and only just learning to use the hyperstar on the C11, and i do have another ed80 not being used, oh and a meade 8" acf and a 120mm F5 skywatcher for a guide scope:help: besides the hough ma hal provide shade and a talking spot for extreme BS

[strongmanmike]

:eyepop:....................faint

[strongmanmike]

David's Texan cousin, one Wyatt Pheonix Hough, at the Texan Star Party

[acropolite]

:rofl:

[RB]

:rofl:
He makes his own sucker holes....

:P

[h0ughy]

if only - i hate the weather at the moment - loved it a few years ago when there was a drought

[spacezebra]

Where's the coffee machine?

[h0ughy]

dont drink coffee and dont own a lx75;) coffee grinder

[TimberLand]

Meade make great grinders.

Hmm. But what do they grind??

Not coffee or steel.

I remember now once I completely rebuilt my LXD55 it stopped grinding.

[h0ughy]

ok my SM90II with BF30 has arrived - need to adjust the scope farm soon. Will be installing the focus systems shortly - one sharpsky on the ed80 and one nfocus DC focus system on the 127.

I also need to modify one ED80 for solar by cutting a bit of the tube - is there a nice clean way of doing this?

[h0ughy]

Well I may as well keep this thread going - after all it is the evolution of the Doghouse.

As some of you may know I now have a slight light pollution problem. I have included a picture on that.

To combat this issue i was contemplating moving - and at $700k it was not an option i really wish to undertake - especially when my darling wife placed conditions. But that’s another story. So i will try narrow band imaging with solar imaging offset to get my fix.

To combat the existing problems I need to block the light that directly comes onto the dome - in particular the slit. Thinking long and hard I forgot to breathe ;) , as a result I thought of something like a curtain that I could attach to the dome but allows the lower lid to become part of the shield, but with an adjustable top, allowing the scope to have a buffer and gain some altitude looking out? How hard can that be? Now I thought of a permanent solution – to be shot for the thought by SWMBO. So I am after your thoughts, initially I thought of black thick cloth with Velcro tabs using some tent poles (bendy fibre ones) - I will call it the DOGHOUSE DOME BRA - pat pending ;) - nothing like a bit of underwire support Eh?

[JohnG]

David

To combat light coming into my dome, I just cut a piece of light MDF and sprayed it Flat Black. you could cut it so it fits over the lower stays...

Works for me. :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

I love that idea John but have a good look at my problem - I need to step it out so it can block higher but still allow the scope to try and image there. While that would be a great solution for one streetlight I have 8 to contend with spreading over 160 degrees - that’s a lot of angles and heights. i will give it a go - desperation is the mother of inventions :thumbsup:

[JohnG]

No worries David,

I think you are going to have a lot of difficulties blocking off light from different angle, the solution I use works for me as the FSQ-106 is not a long tube and the blind is high enough to block the stray light from going down the tube, I do still get light reflecting off the inside of the dome though.

I don't envy your situation..

[RB]

LOL you shouldn't have sold your two 40D's to me.

:P :lol:

[h0ughy]

thats two overbearing to contemplate;):P

[mozzie]

david 700k's for a new house is cheap!!!!!!
just sell half of your astro gear :lol::lol:

mate that light on your dome is a joke you must be able to do something ????
your neighbours whole side of the house is glowing in that light..

[h0ughy]

Have been house hunting. The current views around the doghouse. Who knows what the future will bring

[RB]

Drainage looks good {vertical}..... :P

[h0ughy]

OK i wish to announce that this incarnation of the doghouse observatory will cease to exist within the next 6 weeks and that it will be pulled down before Queensland astrofest 2014. The reason is that we have just in the process of buying a property. The property is a compromise where it meets the needs of the family - then comes the observatory but i will be well away from bunnings's lights. i do have an issue with car headlights but that will be fixed with a nice new shed blocking that off

[marc4darkskies]

Congrats Dave!!! :thumbsup::party2::party: ANYTHING would be better than where you are!

[h0ughy]

well i also may have a few power lines too, but they are in the glow and wouldn't be imaging there. here is a view looking south in the new proposed yard. shed will be located there

[RB]

Great news Dave.
Congrats on the purchase.

BTW: is Mrs Houghy marking the spot where the new pier will go?

:P

[Dealy]

Dave, all you need then is NCC to install lights on the sport field next door.:(

[marc4darkskies]

Looks very nice mate! Looks like a pretty good sky view too and those power lines are too low (~20 degrees alt??) to be a nuisance anyway.

[stanlite]

by the looks of Google maps one of the fields already has lights

[h0ughy]

Grady you need your eyes checked - no lights there. there is an industrial park to the SE and the east is an airport

[stanlite]

my eyes are fine bill eliott oval has four light stands you can see their shadows (ablit they are small by cricket ground standards) appears to be only 4 lights to each stand.

Street view also shows light stands at said oval :P

[strongmanmike]

Great stuff Dave :clap: I know where that is and it looks to be a really good compromise, only up the road and closer to BT for Brad too. From the backyard photos at least the house looks similar to your current floodlit house (minus the white photons).

LOL! I see it is only 1.85km (as the crow flies) from your current place...can you see Bunnings from there too though..?

Mike

[h0ughy]

goodness that is way over the hill and across the dale;) and that view to the north west wont be possible from the backyard. I get 3/4 of the skies

[stanlite]

still these things matter ... after all you can only move house due to light pollution so many times :P

[h0ughy]

thanks Mike - this was the needle in the haystack, its not perfect and in a storm event that dumps over a 1:100 there may be water issues, but during the pasha storm it came up to a sign post in the paddock - only a meter in height below the back fence:help: during a PMF would be evacuated so life is a gamble. As for Brad yes its closer and Steph can still catch a bus to Uni - after she finishes her HSC this year. Her trials are in July.

[h0ughy]

:help:

[Pinwheel]

If light pollution is an issue it's time to pull the dome off & put a radio telescope on, then you can view day or night.. It will drive the neighbors nuts.:lol:

[Merlin66]

Move across into spectroscopy - "The final frontier"
Light pollution doesn't effectively exist...we see straight though it!!!
Majic.

[h0ughy]

the last post
the image taken late this afternoon from the Bunnings Carpark, the doghouse at the end of the rainbow:thanx:

[RB]

:scared2: :sad:

[h0ughy]

well the packing up has begun. the gear is now being stored at a secret location. i bought 3 new storage bays to start to hold all my gear, i need to have a sale i think - its not my garage

[h0ughy]

its a sad day, polar alignment is no more, the mount is gone and the dome is but a hollow shell:sadeyes::(

[strongmanmike]

All that work :sadeyes:

....just starts all over again at the new place! Yay Fun! :D

I will be dismantling and reassembling my Sirius next weekend...fun :scared:

Mike

[h0ughy]

yeah its right up with a bulging disc:sadeyes:

[RB]

End of an era ....

:sadeyes:

[h0ughy]

this makes things more definitive RB - Alan gave me hand moving some stuff today and cut out the reo

[allan gould]

:sadeyes:

[RB]

The Doghouse will rise again like a Phoenix my friend.
It's heartbreaking to see this one go though.
I still can't get over how much light pollution was at your place when I visited that night.
I was going to say the future looks bright but you know what I mean.
:D

[strongmanmike]

We just gave notice, so I'm praying the landlords don't insist on me doing this :scared:...the understanding was that I would be leaving it behind as a nice clean level concrete pad for some chairs and table or a water tank or something but it was never written in stone :prey:

[tornado33]

Hi all
Houghy has pulled down the famous Doghouse ovservatory, in preparation for his move away from the blinding light pollution. Even the mighty pier is now gone. A big effort indeed.

[tornado33]

Some more pics. Its good the Doghouse is a Sirius Dome that is relatively "portable" Im sure soon we will see "Doghouse 2" rise in the backyard of his new, darker skies home.
Scott

[strongmanmike]

Well, what are the chances Houghy...that you and I would both be pulling down and trailer moving our Sirius domes to just around the corner from each of us, within less than a week of each other and as a result of moving house :eyepop: :lol:

And look, a nice new deck ready for another Sirius Observatory for the next people at your old place :D

Mike

[RB]

Only if they're into Radio Astronomy.

:P

[LewisM]

Opportunity lost...

[strongmanmike]

:lol: yeeeeah Bunnings