Cylindrical observatory construction

I think I've just about got everything done that I can inside. Given that my dome doesn't ship for another 3 weeks (and it rains a lot this time of year here), we took everything down and stacked it up for now.

Observatory Kit Part A:

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I went down and picked up the metal section of the pier yesterday. Looks for all the world like an overgrown bobbin. Cost was €395; weight is about 175 lbs.

The line drawings I faxed to the machine shop are on the previous thread ( http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=360130) if anyone is interested.

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I talked to Jerry at Technical Innovations yesterday, and my dome is running behind schedule. He's going to try and ship it by Nov 4.

OK, I've got a brand new 16" SCT that's been sitting in my hall for weeks now. I've got no tripod or anywhere to mount it, except for a 7' tall concrete pillar out in the middle of my field. And Mars will be at its closest approach before my dome has even shipped. :C

So... time to re-plan.

Here's my current thinking: Go ahead and erect the observatory base. The wall comes up 30" above the floor; the pier 20". Mount the drive base to the pier, and mount/dismount the forks/OTA combo for each viewing session. Place a couple of trestle stands at the walls to hold up a 4x4 between them, roughly 18" above the wall height. Drape a heavy tarp over the 4x4 "peak" and down the sides; attach with bungee cords.

Thoughts?

-- Jeff.

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Once again, this thread is getting a wee bit long.

The continuation can be found at: http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=381632.

-- Jeff.