Hello,
just thought i'd put an update.
The embarrassing green wind break around the observatory has been replaced with a 6 foot high wooden fence. Not completely finished as it needs proper anchoring posts but working ok for now.
The obs now houses my new G11, which I couldn't use this weekend because clouds rolled in....
couple of pics, one shows a bit of the work space inside and the other a vewed from outside the fence with the dome door slightly opened while i was setting up the G11. The white section at the bottom of the roll off roof door (just above the fence line, also drops down to allow shots closer to the horizon but usually will stay up for wind shielding purposes i expect.
The observatory has suffered some setback with Cockatoos deciding they really enjoyed pecking away at the top of the obs, creating massive holes which had to be fixed.
A final solution that appears to work to keep them away is a series of upside down nails on the ridges (as is done on statues) and a generous coat of Vaseline over the metal roll-off door and dome surface. The Latter is a trick passed onto me by a friend who works in warehouses where they store furniture. He said they use this trick on ceiling poles to prevent birds perching and doing their business,
I had doubts but threw it in for good measure. Birds haven't been back (and there's hundreds around !)
It's been a great prototype, I've learned a lot and know of a few things I'd do differently the next time i build an observatory.
cheers
frank