[Chas]

Well, Rather than building a very tall observatory to clear my nearby trees, I've decided to build a mobile observatory with my dome. 8)

Wondering who has already done this and solved some of the engineering problems as in best way to build a drop pier and build to withstand wind forces while driving.

Below is a pic of my new (used) overbuilt trailer on four wheels. At the outer edges of the wheel wells, it measures 8' 3" and the bed is 12' long.
Very stable as a walking platform as I can climb onto it and my 200 pounds doesn't shake it noticeably, but I know I'll need to have a pier that drops to the ground for a stable viewing and imaging platform.

[Rick Needham]

Chas,

Merlin Raymond...AKA "Magic Man", who is registered here, built his own mobile observatory. Hopefully he will join in on this one and provide you some guidance :wink:

[Chas]

And here is a pic of my Dome which is the first in Kansas! - also shown with Teddy for added interest - lol. I am thinking of a welded steel substructure which will be able to slide on and off the trailer, using the massive 3x3 top rails as guides and slides. I also plan to strip and refinish the trailer before going further (or paying one of my sons to do it for me!) -- :smt003

[Rick Needham]

Chas, Thanks for the posting of the picture! :smt003 Good looking boy you have there too. What's his thoughts of the dome? When did you recieve yours?

[Chas]

Well, here is a pic of yours truly ready to work on any darn dome out there (so long as it's mine)

Thanks Rick - I'll be looking forward to hearing from Magic Man

[Chas]

Rick, My dome arrived at 8:30pm on the 22nd of May. A happy surprise call and here it is. Also got the roller package #2, but not sure if I'll use it since scoring a deal on the trailer. This trailer has 3" U channels about every foot and I think it must weigh about 1500 pounds! I really like the stabilty and overbuilt quality (has two 5000 pound six lug axles, for instance).

I'm thinking of building a substructure for the dome which would entirely rotate (even the floor!) around a fixed pier. As I plan to only view from a seated position, this could be very nice (no moving the chair around the pier and the opening would always be where I want it as I would rotate with the dome!

[Rick Needham]

Hi Chas,

Could you do me a big favor and post the picture of yourself here in a thread started for the sole purpose of "posting a picture of yourself"? Thanks in advance!


http://www.xosmos.com/foro/viewtopic.php?p=2007#2007

[Rick Needham]

Thank you Chas! 8)

[Magic Man (Merli...]

OK I'm here. Yes I have done the dirty dead and will be glad to give you what information I have learned. First get a good picture in your mind of what you want to do. Now don't change it! It took two and a half years to build mine because I kept thinking something more would be nice and kept adding it. Yes the pier needs to sit on the ground. If you are going to build it on the trailer then the center where the pier sets will have to be cut out. If you are going to slide the observatory off the trailer to use it ( not a bad idea) then you won't have to modify it too much. I have gone through three pier designs and think I have the answer this time. If you want me to go into more detail later I will. Also think lite. I built mine to come in at 4,000 lbs and came within 200 lbs of being there but... After I starting adding all the equipment it got up to 5500 lbs and it is all my Ford Explorer can don to pull it. Last rotate the dome. It works a lot better that way and there really isn't a problem if you tie it down before you hit the Hy-way. Any other questions just let me know. I am sure there will be many. Like electrical, rotation, weight balancing, and many many more. If you would like to see pictures of mine with the old dome they are posted in two groups on YAHOO Observatories, and Explora-Dome.

[327Bob]

I gave this "idea" a lot of thought BEFORE I hired a guy with a 40inch bar on his chain saw to remove a couple of trees...

One thing I was going to look into were self leveling jacks found on motor homes...to jack up the trailer "on site"... I have two trailers (both enclosed)
but my son has an open car trailer...setting the scope up on it one evening
proved to me that it would not work without being stabilized or I would have to somehow set the scope down on solid ground and have the tripod (or pier)
come up thru the floor...

For visual use I still think it can be done... In my case the drive to get out of "Sherwood Forrest" and to a local corn field without trees was only a mile drive ...not like having to trailer the rig 50 miles down the interstate ..

Lots of luck...just put your thinking cap on...Or find a guy with a big bar on his chain saw... LOL

Bob G.

[Chas]

Bob, I like your tree removal scheme, but as the offending trees are on my neighbor's property, that may present a small problem - :shock:
Glad it worked for you, however!

Magic Man - YES! I'd like to hear how you solved the pier to ground problem and see pics of your overall job, well done. While my trailer is wonderfully stable for walking on, but even with jacks I am quite sure any movement of myself or a visitor would shake the image terribly if I simply mounted the pier to the trailer bed. I like your view that the first mind picture one has is often the best and to stick with it. I think a simple as possible steel frame would work for the basic structure, covered with who knows what.

I plan to build it up on a free standing platform first (which will be fine for viewing planets and bright and fairly high in the sky objects from my yard).

Then, when I want to get out of here for better viewing, I can back the trailer near the platform, slide the observatory onto it and drive off -- about 5 minutes from here there are nice dark skies with an open horizon in all directions.

I'd like to find a way to make the ride smooth enough to keep the scopes mounted while driving to save set-up/breakdown time -- I think that may have been one reason you went with heavy, heavy on your set-up. I would have no trouble pulling heavy as I have a Cummins diesel pick-up, but will likely not add weight just for this -- maybe add some shocks and lighter leaf springs.

However, I must admit I am a bit stumped on how to design an easy to employ, supremely stable pier with ground-contact stability. I can think of designs which would work well, but would be heavy and time-consuming to set-up or simple, but not very stable. It's the main problem, as I see it.

What do you think? :?:

[Chas]

Rick - as for my 10 year-old Teddy in photos above, he's kind of the scientist among my seven children - loves rocks, rockets and riding his bike. He has yet to really be treated to much in the way of astronomy views - my fault there -- very busy buying and trading things, but not much time in actual astronomy viewing -- yet. My hope is a nice, comfortable dome will make a difference as conditions are tough here in Kansas -- windy, dusty and lots of unpleasant bugs like mosquitoes, chiggers, gnats and brown recluse spiders (Yes, I plan to seal my dome well!!).

I think Teddy will really take to the project as he likes to build things and I'll get him involved with the design -- wouldn't it be great if he came up with a novel solution to some of the problems faced by this project!

Thanks for asking.

Chas

[Magic Man (Merli...]

Chas around here we have a lot of overseas shipping containers that sell fairly cheap. They are strong, water proof, fairly lite, and relatively cheap. I don't know about where you live but I would look into it. As for leaving the scope on the pier. Forget about it. The jarring of the weight of the scope against the gears would destroy the mount in no time. Mounting the scope will be the least of your worries. Now as for lowering the pier. My current design is to use an electric camper jack mounted inside the pier to raise and lower it. A pretty much standard three leg pier with levelers on each leg with the foot of the jack retracted into the pier when in use. Use 1' sq concrete patio blocks between the levelers and the ground when using it on soft ground.

[Chas]

Magic Man and all,

Much thanks for your advice, but now that I consider the problem of even best case set-up/breakdown time, I have decided to go with what I may call option 3. No portable observatory, no observatory in my backyard with trees and lights to ruin things, but perhaps I have found a location about 1/4 mile north of my property which would be fairly secure and more ..... I need to again approach someone who seemed favorable to the idea initially.

So, please consider my portable observatory idea dead (the pier issue killed it as much as anything else).

I will report back ASAP on "revised plans". I love what our friend in Montreal built with a combination of round on top, square just beneath and octagonal below that for the walls - simply brilliant. I want to do the same.

[mlindsey0711]

I have built a observatory in a trailer. It has a six foot home dome on top of the rear of a sixteen foot trailer. The dome room has a reised floor. The control room has two bunks, a head with shower, air-conditioning and a complete portable power system consisting of 8 D battery, solar charger, 2000 watt inverter/ charger and 2500 watt generator. The trailer has a custom built pier supported on three 2.5 ton screw jacks which in independent of the trailer. The trailer has it's own automatic leveling system. The dome houses a paramount ME with a 12.5 RCOS. I do CCD imaging with an Apogee Instruments U32 camera. I will post some pictures later. Contact me if you would like some construction details. My trailer is fully successfull.

[Gustavo Pohls]

I have built a observatory in a trailer. It has a six foot home dome on top of the rear of a sixteen foot trailer. The dome room has a reised floor. The control room has two bunks, a head with shower, air-conditioning and a complete portable power system consisting of 8 D battery, solar charger, 2000 watt inverter/ charger and 2500 watt generator. The trailer has a custom built pier supported on three 2.5 ton screw jacks which in independent of the trailer. The trailer has it's own automatic leveling system. The dome houses a paramount ME with a 12.5 RCOS. I do CCD imaging with an Apogee Instruments U32 camera. I will post some pictures later. Contact me if you would like some construction details. My trailer is fully successfull.

WOW!!!

All of that sounded sweet!!! What a setup! do you have a website with your images?

[Richard B. Drumm]

Madison! I gotta see what your set-up looks like! It sounds like a dream!
I can just see it now, (cue the dreamy music) there I am, imaging the Great American Novel's cover shot, camping in the lap of luxury, in the darkest of skies, Christie Brinkley brings me another cold drink and whispers in my ear "Honey you stay up as late as you want, I'll be waiting in my skimpy... ZZZZAAAARRRRPPPPPP (sound of a phonograph needle scratching across a record) Whaaa??? OK, OK, OK, I'm back, uh, dang that was a nice dream too...
Rich

[Dan Wolk]

Madison! I gotta see what your set-up looks like! It sounds like a dream!
I can just see it now, (cue the dreamy music) there I am, imaging the Great American Novel's cover shot, camping in the lap of luxury, in the darkest of skies, Christie Brinkley brings me another cold drink and whispers in my ear "Honey you stay up as late as you want, I'll be waiting in my skimpy... ZZZZAAAARRRRPPPPPP (sound of a phonograph needle scratching across a record) Whaaa??? OK, OK, OK, I'm back, uh, dang that was a nice dream too...
Rich

Dude............... Christy B. once had and still may have the ol' Tele-Vue Rennaissance refractor bought for her by Billy Joel when they were still an item! So in reality she may have bonked you on the head with it and said "hey, you've been using the dome almost every nite for a week Dufuss! Mount mine or no................" :wink:

[Richard B. Drumm]

If she said "mount mine" I guess I'd have to comply! :oops:
Rich

[Dan Wolk]

If she said "mount mine" I guess I'd have to comply! :oops:
Rich

I hear ya Man