[Ajemsa (Andrew)]

Hi everyone,

I've been a member of the group for some time but have not had much time to post comments. I am grateful for all the interesting information that I've obtained from this forum.

I've had my telescopes for many years but have had little oppurtunity to really get involved. Early last year I decided to build an observatory to house my 10" newtonian. It is a colorbond structure with a C-purlin frame and track. Overall dimensions are 3m x 4.2m with the main section for the scope being 3m x 3m. The remaining 1.2m x 3m space is for the control room and storage. I had many issues with the construction and it is still not complete. However, it is usable now and slowly getting the finishing touches it needs. It is built on a concrete slab with a separate foundation for the pier (0.8m x0.8m x 1.2m deep). The roof is white and lined with insulation. So far I have left the walls bare. I found the roof quite heavy to roll manually - someone (me) was going to get a back injury or worse I'll fall on the telescope and damage it! Initially I thought of using a manual device to open and close the roof but after looking at the complexity and also being able to find a cheap garage door opener I decided to automate it.

The observatory was operational mid to late last year but I only recently placed the 10" in it. The setup is currently OK for visual work as my mount is old and severely under-capacity. Funds for an upgrade are not available at the moment and so I will have to do with what I have for now. In saying that, I am trying to add autoguide functions to the mount to do some photography - so far I'm having partial success but this is story on its own.

Anyway, I hope this will give some ideas or inspiration to build your own.

Andrew