I think I am having more fun modifying the Dob than I am looking through it! Conditions have been terrible, so I did some fun mods with all the down time I have had.
I shifted the dovetail for the RACI over a full inch so I could figure out a way to mount the Telrad, but where I wanted to mount it put the long nose of the Telrad well past the end of the OTA. I liked the viewing position, it made it quite easy to use, it did not interfere with the RACI viewer at all, however, it was not very aesthetic.

My only real option was to cut off the bulk and cut down the mount itself since it will only be attached on the rear legs. I drilled two holes into the tube to place the mount, overall the mount width was about an inch. The batteries do not get in the way of the 1x view at all, but it would be nice to get a closed battery case to hide the batteries, but I can mount them to the side if they get annoying - who doesn't love velcro? I used a left-over pool cue bumper to stabilize the Telrad against the end of the OTA tube rim using more velcro. Overall I think this looks MUCH better than the overhanging Telrad, and it doesn't use up so much space in the case, which is a nice bonus.


For fan power, I purchased a USB cable so I could utilize a rechargeable battery pack instead of having to buy AA's, which I wrapped around the fan and put a smidge of hook velcro on the same side of the USB to keep it from dangling when not in use. More velcro to hold the battery pack against the OTA, plus it adds a bit of weight for balancing.

Since my neighbors love their floodlights so much, I decided to install a setting circle so it will be easier to locate stars that I cannot see. I had a few red spokes from the last wheelset I built, so I figured I would use them as pointers on the Dob base. I made up a setting circle and glued it to the base, then notched out the upper base, and installed two red wheel spokes. The thought behind the second 90* spoke is so I can mark true North against my 0* indicator at the three spots in my yard I can view from. Hopefully this will make setup even quicker when I can put the base at my markings without having to find True North, since my visibility of the North is practically nil.


All that is left is to wait for the digital angle gauge to show so I can get proper altitude. I can't wait to try it all out!
Edited by Crankyanken, 16 January 2021 - 05:53 PM.