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Old 19-01-2010, 02:43 PM
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h0ughy (David)
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: NEWCASTLE NSW Australia
Posts: 33,369
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkm2304 View Post
Hi H0ughy,

It is universally acknowledged among all shed - worshipping cultures that a man needs a place to call his own, to spread out, to take control of in his own style and manner. And seeing this in no way can be achieved in the family home, the shed/dome offers itself as the ideal answer to the primitive urge to be a proud homo sapiens - and hide. As a fellow traveller down the dome slope, I'd like to pass on some learnings from my own personal journey so far:

1. I found that obtaining equipment for a dome observatory is relatively easy. As is installing, callibrating, collimating and interfacing all the neccessary parts. So don't be discouraged by all those loose wires that don't have a home, nor the four Naglers that don't fit into your customised focusser - just put them in a box under the bed and buy four more! The real challenge, David, with respect to gear, is paying for the stuff and this requires some real serious "out of the square" thinking. For example, do I really need that operation? And while we're on the subject, who says the kids need an education - or shoes for that matter! We went barefoot everywhere in my day AND we walked to school, soccer practice, friends places and hitch hiked to the beach and it didn't hurt us! Our entertainment was a stick and an empty jam tin in the back yard! See, Dave, easy in the end!

2. Take full advantage of the amazing acoustic potential of your dome - install a sound system that can play atmospheric mood music while you explore the heavens - I find my son's Metallica collection helps to keep me on the ball at 3am, and judging by the lights that go on at my neighbours house 1km away across the fields, they, too seem to enjoy the music. Sound travels so well on a still night when fired out of a dome with a well - aimed opening.

3. ESSENTIAL!!!! Make sure your bar fridge has an uninterruptable power supply attached. I have personally seen the results of bar fridges failing at critical moments. And it's not justthe so-called "boozy" visual observers either. Astrophotograhpers can be hit just as hard by cooling failure so go for quality AND volume here. (NB. You may also like to plug the espresso machine into the UPS, just in case).

4. Good insulation is essential. Spousal noise can penetrate domestic acoustic screening fitted to a dome, so I recommend "Hear No Wife", available in 30m rolls from Bunnings - but get there early Friday as the truck only delivers on Fridays andthey are usually sold out by Monday morning.(Almost forgot! There is an extra outer layer you can add later called "Sorry dear, I didn't hear your mother banging her fists on the dome" - which I highly recommend).

Hope this helps,

Richard.
LOL well i have a lot to look forward to