Scope Mods, Have you done any/Plan to do any?

I've been eyeballing those keter storage units.

Paul, they're available from Argos for around €150. Easy to put together in about 20 minutes. I've mine screwed to the ground and screwed to a wall for security and I suppose high winds.
However I think a more secure locking system is required as the basic unit will only keep the kids from poking about. I'll have to work on fixing some metal clasps for better security and perhaps fit an Alarm.

Yeah the only reason i haven't bought one yet is the security issue. I saw the ones in argos. What kind of alarm would you fit on one?

You can pick up a reasonably inexpensive battery powered alarm suitable for sheds and the like in Woodies or other hardware store.

Good to know, thanks.

John O'

The "Oul Fella" has hand a trolley that retracts to half the size of this one that he uses for transporting his music gear. I thought it was genius but unfortunately it wasn't suited to my use as the wheels were not tube tyres but just an inch of hard rubber around the wheel hub. Not an issue with big solid speakers but I felt the vibration would mean a full on collimation every time I set up the scope rather than just a little tweak. It also didn't have handle/legs so couldn't be used as a table base.

With my one you can fold up the 'foot' of the trolley and the top half of the trolley is telescopic (no pun intended )and collapses down to half height/length. Of course now with the scope support attached it isn't quite 'flat pack' but then again I put stuff on top of it in the car anyway so now I just telescope the handle down for transport and leave the foot up along with the scope support with something stored in between. The support and the foot now keep that item from sliding around, so it all works out well.

John M

I got the H6xW6xD3 keter shed. My scope is stored in the vertical position in one half of the shed with gardening tools on the other side. It was the only way I was allowed put one in the garden!! His and Hers Shed! It cost just over 300 quid but is probably one of the best 'Astro' purchases so far! believe it or not. The convenience cannot be understated of not losing storage space in the house, not having to manouver it in and out the door opening down steps and having the scope near the viewing area in my garden and the fact that it is almost at ambient temp 24/7.

Well anyway, the mods got first light last night. Firts off the new Position of the RACI finder. Had this been a 'Straight Thru' finder I would now have had the same problems as with the telrad when that was in this position, ie creaking my neck and leaning over the scope over stretching my muscles on the left side of my abdomen. Not an issue with the RACI. I just had to adjust the RACI rotation in the dovetail holder to position the eyepiece of the finder.

The new Telrad position is a revelation Something so simple made my life so much easier. First off no more leaning and stretching over to use it. Secondly I couldn't use the right angle mirror built into the telrad dew cover in the telrads old position. Aligning the Telrad with the dew cover installed was a massive pain too, as you need the cover folded back obviously to view through the telrad window to align but then the cover is blocking the telrads alignement adjustment thumbscrews! Catch 22!! In the new position I can use the mirror. When using the morrir the dew cover is not folded right back/down so now I can see my telrad alignment star in the mirror while still having full acces to the thumbscrews. The mirror itself in actual use is great to. For initial alignment I fold the dew cover/mirror right back and look along the length of the scope through the telrad window as normal, but then for small adjustments when 'On' and object one puts the mirror in position and one just has to look down into the mirror to see the object and the telrad circles. Simple but effective!

The EP table worked out great too. Easy to set up, EP case just at the right height and I was able to reposition the 'wheeled' table around the scope for better acces to my EP's as I slwed the scope around to different portions of the sky.

The magic sliders worked very well at minimising stiction. Just the barest hint left now. Might go ahead now and buy some Ebony Star laminate for the underside of the base to eliminate the last bit of stiction now that I know how much of a pain stiction really was to me now that I have a lot less to compare to! The big reduction in stiction also served to highlight the vibration of the image when focussing! I am even more determined to get a motorised focus device now!

Last but not least, I don't now whether it was just esceptionally good seeing last night or whether my fan mods for cooling and boundary layer removal actually did something but my view of Saturn last night were the best yet. While I didn't see the cassini division everything was very sharp and I saw 5 moons. Titan, Rhea, Dione, Tethys and Enceladus .....and while I have seen a faint cloud band above the rings (in my upside down scope view), last night I saw another cloud band below the rings!! and they were both higher contrast (ie not as faint). Also saw the ring shadow as usual though not as distinct as we a re looking straight on being at opposition.

So all in, very succesful mods and a great albeit short observing session last night.

Honestly though, I don't know what I am going to do when I run out of mods to do. The planning and excecution of them is the only thing preventing chronic astronomy related withdrawl symptoms caused by the weeks of continuous clouds, bad transparency and moonlit nights!

Oh and thanks everyone for the words of support and encouragement. I am getting some great ideas from others in this thread and I hope some of the info on the mods is also usefull to others.