· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article    Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Cloudy Nights - Official Forums of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User   You are not logged in. [Login] Forum Archives · Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Observatories Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 macnmotion newbie Reged: 07/05/09 Posts: 3 Advice requested for 20' clamshell Thailand       #3435872 - 11/08/09 06:30 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi everyone, My cousin and I have plans to build a home for his two telescopes, a 20" RCX and a TMB 180. The property is about an hour outside Bangkok, Thailand, and is about as dark as we will get in these parts. We have the luxury of a large piece of property and we can choose the location. Horizon will not be an issue so getting up high isn't critical. A few years ago my local club in NY bought an Astrohaven 12' clamshell. I liked it, so I thought about getting a larger clamshell and having it shipped here. We're considering the 20' clamshell. Since I'm at the early stages of planning this, I'm wondering if any of you had any great ideas or innovations you might recommend. Here are our goals: 1) In person observing 2) In person astrophotography (we each have a collection of Canon DSLRs and I've done DSLR astrophotos for years, but I think we'll get a dedicated astro camera for this project) 3) Remote live observation and remote astrophotography (this would mean networking to the dome, as well as remote automation of the dome itself). There will always be someone on the property who can tell us by phone if there is inclement weather, but I'd really like to set up a camera or some type of weather station there. Any ideas? Ultimately I'd like to tie these scopes into a system accessible by local (or distant) school systems for education purposes, and I'd see this setup as a test case before building systems in different time zones. So, we've already got the scopes. Assuming a budget of say $100K, how would you approach this project. I'm not asking for detailed design ideas, but just a discussion that may get me thinking in different ways to get the best results. Thanks, I appreciate all discussion. Andy Post Extras:       csa/montana Wild Spirit Reged: 05/14/05 Posts: 40253 Loc: montana Re: Advice requested for 20' clamshell Thailand [Re: macnmotion]       #3436161 - 11/08/09 11:00 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Andy, Welcome to Cloudy Nights! We are honored that you have come to our site for this amazing project! We will certainly be excited to follow your building & getting it up & running. I know you will get a wealth of information from the great members here! Remember, pictures are a must! -------------------- Carol AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!) Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm, Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW. 14mm Meade 4000 UWA TV Panoptics; 22, 35 DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2 Post Extras:       macnmotion newbie Reged: 07/05/09 Posts: 3 Re: Advice requested for 20' clamshell Thailand [Re: csa/montana]       #3437087 - 11/08/09 08:35 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks Carol, I've been a member here for years but hadn't visited in quite a while, and the other day the website just popped back into my head. Of course we will be documenting the entire project. I'm hoping to mount a camera to do a time lapse of the construction, but at the very least there will be tons of normal photos. We want to move on this quickly to take advantage of the upcoming months of nicer weather here in Thailand. Andy Post Extras:       starquester sage Reged: 09/03/04 Posts: 469 Loc: Three Rivers, MI U.S.A> Re: Advice requested for 20' clamshell Thailand [Re: macnmotion]       #3437641 - 11/09/09 08:54 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Andy, Welcome to Cloudy Nights, Click on the link below my name to get some ideas, and click on the links page, Alan -------------------- Alan D. Otterson Windy Ridge Observatory 41-58.966N 85-43.069W Alan Otterson Founder&Owner A Yahoo Observatory Group Flip Top & Clamshell & Rubbermaid Observatories http://tinyurl.com/yz9ckk The Nikon D40 Astrophotography Group http://tinyurl.com/5j8qw2 A Yahoo Astrophotography Group Post Extras:       macnmotion newbie Reged: 07/05/09 Posts: 3 Re: Advice requested for 20' clamshell Thailand [Re: starquester]       #3437668 - 11/09/09 09:20 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Alan, thanks! I just joined the Yahoo group, and will start browsing. I appreciate the link. Andy Post Extras:       starquester sage Reged: 09/03/04 Posts: 469 Loc: Three Rivers, MI U.S.A> Re: Advice requested for 20' clamshell Thailand [Re: macnmotion]       #3437673 - 11/09/09 09:25 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Your welcome Andy, Keep looking around here at Cloudy Nights for Ideas also, Their a lot of good folks here to help also. Alan -------------------- Alan D. Otterson Windy Ridge Observatory 41-58.966N 85-43.069W Alan Otterson Founder&Owner A Yahoo Observatory Group Flip Top & Clamshell & Rubbermaid Observatories http://tinyurl.com/yz9ckk The Nikon D40 Astrophotography Group http://tinyurl.com/5j8qw2 A Yahoo Astrophotography Group Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 4 registered and 2 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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