Quote:
Originally Posted by muletopia
David ,
We have a dob "pad", absolutely functional and minimal.
It is about a third of an old 44 gallon drum (one end). With end cut out and the rim retained.
A circular trench, say four inches deep, to receive the cut end. Place the drum and level it, then
pack the trench
fill the drum with rocks to an inch below the top of the rim
pre-mix cement to make a nice surface at the rim level
A perfect base for Sky watcher dobs. No observable movement in a couple of years.
Chris
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Noice!
I have a dob I will put next to the obsy from time to time and sounds like that’s a great pad idea.
So, after some of the worst form work ever done in the history of observatory builds the footing for the pier is in and the pier mounted. It’s level and the mount is pointed in the right direction. I will do polar alignment via PemPro this weekend.
I have also sorted out a good wifi connection using a spare mobile broadband device and can Remote into a Lenovo M90n Nano that sits on the mount. I have no NBN here so all interweb is via mobile broadband which works fine with 2 adults permanently in teams meetings.
I haven’t yet found a DC adapter that includes Lenovas “slim fit”connection but I can run power temporarily whilst I figure out options.
I could happily call it quits now as I can image and this solves a problem but the key goal here is to do unattended imaging to increase the amount of data I can collect.
So what’s next? A little bit of design work to get approval from Carolyn then I will build the platform using wood I am recycling from a deck I am replacing and look at power options.
I have sourced a roll off roof solution by scope dome. If anyone has experiences or tips they would like to share please shout out. Not pulled the trigger yet so keen to get real experiences.
Thanks for looking