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mnpd
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/28/05
Loc: Nashville, Tennessee
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Base plates and dew!
#2567692 - 08/08/08 02:00 AM
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I use my XT-8 pretty regularly in the grass... and the dew. Lately I've noticed that the telescope was hard to turn 'round. It seem to catch in places.
Apparently, the water on the grass had seeped into the base plate of the Dob's mount and caused warpage, which ruined the plate. The nice thing is that Orion is sending me a new base plate at no cost. I think that's pretty nice of them!
I looked closer at the base plate and as expected it is made of particle board. The wood is sealed adequately except for the rim, where the bare wood is covered with a cosmetic "bumper" trim. The water was apparently able to seep into the wood at the edge of the trim which appears to have been left bare.
When I get the new base plate I'm going to coat the edges with several coats of clear polyurethane... maybe even sand and coat the entire plate. That way, I could probably get away with showering with the thing. 
I thought I should mention this for those of you who use your XT's in wet grass. A little waterproofing just might save some trouble.
Clear skies!
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walt r
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/13/07
Loc: Doylestown, PA
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Re: Base plates and dew!
[Re: mnpd]
#2568137 - 08/08/08 10:27 AM
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Its great Orion is replacing the base plate. Your plan of preventive action sounds good. Putting a tarp or plastic sheet under the scope can also help.
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mnpd
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/28/05
Loc: Nashville, Tennessee
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Re: Base plates and dew!
[Re: walt r]
#2568924 - 08/08/08 05:00 PM
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I'd never heard of base plate warpage, but I'm new to Dob mountings. In the past I've only has Alt/Azi and GEM mounts on tripods. Bet I don't warp a'nudder one!
I'm fixin' to buy a 12" Dob... the craving has become too much to bear.
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