113 replies to this topic

[MalVeauX]

Hey all,

 

So anyone that may have seen my thread from before, I was working on a project to move my mount & telescope stuff outside permanently to avoid the pains of doing it every single time I want to observe or image. I'm in Florida so this presents a few challenges. I also want to do it on a budget as I don't want to construct a several thousand dollar roll-off-roof design shed or something else, even though it would be nice, I just don't have the capital for that right now, but may explore that at a later time. For now, I just wanted to have a reliable way to get my equipment outside and keep it outside. So from talking with others here and elsewhere, I originally was going to do a wooden pier, but eventually bought into the idea of doing it with concrete after getting over the idea and cost of a steel pier. Concrete it is.

 

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Things I wanted:

 

1. Minimal setup time. No more dragging out 40lb to 70lb of equipment out into my yard (which is a dark site) and polar aligning, balancing, star aligning, etc, mid-day or in the dark. No more waiting for the telescope to reach ambient temperature.

 

2. Permanently polar aligned. This is the longest process. I wanted this minimized. With one really good polar alignment, I should be good yearly. I will just recheck alignment once very 6 months or so. I expect to have to re-align it sometimes, but it should be infrequent instead of every single time.

 

3. Something more sturdy to vibration than the stock tripod, which was heafty, but certainly not as sturdy as 1300lbs of concrete.

 

4. Safe means to keep the mount and telescope outdoors, on the pier, permanently regardless of rain or shine. This means I needed humidity control and a cover (instead of a structure) to manage UV light and weather. For this I used a Telegizmos 365 cover. They're a little expensive but it's way cheaper to do this than to build a structure. Eventually I want a structure, but this will get me started.

 

5. Inexpensive build cost. Again, I didn't want to get into a several thousand dollar build project for a structure with a removable roof or dome, etc. I'd like one. But I just don't have the captial right now. So I needed a good solution alternative that was budget friendly.

 

6. Had to be able to do it by myself basically.

 

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So the project was to create a heavy, sturdy, big, concrete pier and put leveling plates on it and my mounting plate along with my tracking mount and telescope. My primary goal is imaging. But I do some minor visual too. With it permanently setup, I will do visual more often.

 

It took me approximately a month to construct after a few weeks of planning and talking about it. Hurricanes Hermine & Matthew decided to come to Florida right as I began working on this, so I had plenty of cure time on the concrete before I finalized it by placing my mount.

 

It's finished, and ready to take on the elements and withstand the sun, rain and humidity of Florida year round. This will serve as a project build log in the posts after this one, as I have completed it, and photodocumented the process since I'm not a contractor or anything and have no real experience "building" things.

 

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Images for this build log are linked from my Flickr, feel free to check there via the links for full resolution. I'm trying to keep the image size low to remain within the file size limits of CN guidelines, while showing all the buildlog progress from a photojournalistic point of view.

 

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Completed Concrete Pier for my Permanent Outdoor Observatory here in Florida:

 

IMG_4303 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

IMG_4305 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

IMG_4307 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

The build log will follow this post from start to finish with description, cost, etc. Please feel free to ask questions, this was a learning process for me and I learned a lot from it, but I only had the nerve to try do build it and make this happen by talking to others who also did something similar, before trusting my gear to the elements 24/7.

 

Very best,

[MalVeauX]

Build Log :: 9-12-2016

 

I planned this for a few weeks, coming up with ideas, bouncing them off others who have observatories here in other threads. I knew what I needed & wanted, but how to get there was the question. After finalizing all my plans, I set to do the work and get this project up and running so that I could enjoy a permanent observatory for this fall.

 

Dark Site & Location:

 

I have 5 acres near the West coast of Florida, and it's a dark site, or fairly dark site. I'm not far form the Chiefland Astronomy Village if anyone is familiar with that. So we have decent skies for astrophotography away from a lot of the light pollution, thought some is still present. I picked a spot in my 5 acre field with low tree horizons so that I could have a wide open field of view to the Southern sky as well as all the other directions too, but my primary interests are in the Southern skies from my location. I picked a spot that I liked and mowed the bahia grass down to give me a location to focus on and a mowed pathway to walk out to it. I kept this area mowed for a few weeks before finalizing where I wanted to put the pier. It's important to have a good field of view so that you're not as limited in time frames to see or image certain objects. Not everything will be at Zenith at a time that you can conveniently image. So the goal is to simply have the most time that is convenient and that comes from having a big field of view over each horizon and less obstacles. I can see everything from about 25 degrees or higher in any direction, which is low, and I only care to image much higher than that to avoid atmosphere, but having the option is better than not having the option.

 

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The site in my yard, with the mowed section I will be working with.

 

Pier01 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

To begin, I bought 10 bags of 80lb concrete and some rebar. This would be the beginning of my footer for the pier.

 

Pier02 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

For the footer hole, I dug a pit. Luckily I didn't have rocks or clay to dig through, just sand really, as this field was traditionally used for agriculture, it was already long processed years ago and kept clear. The pit is 24 inches x 24 inches x 36 inches deep, approximately. I was not super precise on things, just close enough for things to line up. I dug the dirt out by hand with a standard shovel onto a tarp in the back of my truck so that I could move the dirt elsewhere.

 

Pier03 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

The top of the pit is approximately 24 inches x 24 inches square-ish:

 

Pier04 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

The bottom of the pit is approximately 36 inches down:

 

Pier05 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

At the base of the pit, I dug farther into the horizons to create a "toe" lip around the base.

 

Pier06 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

At the base of the pit, I threw in some gravel, rocks and chunks of concrete. This is to help with water drainage.

 

Pier07 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Finally, I placed 4 foot pieces of rebar iron in the center of the pit, so they are approximately 8~10 inches above the soil line. The purpose is to reinforce the footer, but also to serve as a marriage point for the pier once it's attached.

 

Pier08 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 10 October 2016 - 07:15 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Build Log Continued :: 9-12-2016

 

Once the pit was completed and the rebar placed, it was time to mix up some concrete. Everyone said I should have rented a mixer or hired a company to come out and pour the concrete. I figured, I'm fit enough to fool with the concrete and it's only 10 bags at the most of 80lb. I could handle it.

 

Well, I proved I'm a fool and should have listened. I did it all by hand. And it was back breaking work.

 

My goodness, never again. I will rent a mixer or better yet just buy concrete and have it poured by a truck. Sure, I saved money doing it this way, but it cost me a lot of aches and pains. Ultimately I used 8 bags of 80lb concrete for the footer, initially, as I wanted to add the rest later in a top slab with more rebar. So this initial footer is 8 x 80lb bags (640lbs) and is about 8~10 inches approximately below the soil line.

 

Pier09 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

After mixing 640lbs of concrete, and poured it into my pit, I added some loops of rebar to serve as more reinforcement for another slab later. I let this cure for about a week before I continued. Also, to let my back heal.

 

Pier10 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

After a week of curing, I picked up a 48 inch by 10 inch diameter concrete pier form (cardboard) from Lowes. It was approximately $10. I used some 2x4's to cut and build a frame that would hug the 10" form at the base and top, so that when I filled it with concrete it wouldn't burst. Concrete behaves like a liquid, so the bottom will build up a lot of pressure unlike the top. So I had to reinforce it there. I used deck screws that I could pull back out when it cured. The cross beams came up last and I used them to level the top of the form. I leveled the form approximately so that there's less precision needed later.

 

Pier11 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Here's the form after being reinforced and sitting on the rebar. You do not need it to be level here. Just close enough. The leveling will be done with the leveling plates later.

 

Pier12 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

After I mixed & poured more concrete and started to fill the pier form, I added some rebar that I bent into sheppard's canes and put it down into the form for further reinforcement. Then I finished filling the pier form with approximately 3~4 more bags of 80lb concrete.

 

Pier13 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Once the form was filled, it was time to prepare the leveling plate cage that will be submersed into the concrete on the top and serve as the contact point for the mount attachment and for the ability to level the surface mechanically. Here, I'm using 5/8" threaded bolts that are about 12 inches long, with 5/8" nuts. I used 3 bolts of this size, and 12 nuts.

 

Pier14 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

The leveling plates were fabricated by a local welding shop. I asked them for 8 inch x 8 inch x 10mm thick plates, with 7/8" holes in the triangle pattern that you see, and a 1/2" hole in the middle. Two plates were made identical. I drew up the plans for the shop and they simply made them. Total for the plates was $37 after taxes for everything. They're heavy! The design I used for the pattern of holes is based on the mounting plate that my Orion Sirius sits on that is the center of the tripod. I just measured and traced it out and then made the plates big enough to fit that and have the post holes far enough apart to give me room for the mounting plate. I didn't use 4 post holes because the shape of my mounting plate came from a tripod, and has 3 legs, so it had 3 posts and that's why I used a triangle for mine too, to make it fit.

 

Pier15 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

The leveling plates cage is assembled with 3 of the 12" long 5/8" bolts. The bolt head will go into the concrete. The first plate is sitting on top of 5/8" nuts and 5/8" washers, then the first plate, then more nuts & washers. I then do the same thing again at the end of the bolts with another set of nuts & washers, all 5/8". This way I can keep the form on the bolts, but this allows me to mechanically level the surface by simply twisting the bolts. Shift them up or down to move the plate up or down, side by side, etc. It allows for a leveling plane just by tightening the nuts and shifting the plates however I need. Maybe $20 for all the bolts, nuts & washers. This cage will be sunk into the top of the concrete pier form. It will be permanent, but the plates can be taken off. The nuts all have anti-seize lubricant on them.

 

Pier16 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 10 October 2016 - 07:19 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Build Log :: 9-20-2016

 

After pouring the pier and leveling it over the rebar that was sticking up from the footer, I also put the leveling plate cage you saw before into the concrete on the top and I put a thin piece of wood between the lower plate and the concrete so that I could keep the nuts & plates out of the concrete, while the lower part of the bolts were sunk into the concrete to become permanent. I let this structure cure another week before taking down the frame and cardboard to see how well I mixed & poured.

 

Pier17 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

After I sunk the plates into the concrete, I just checked the plates again to make sure they were sitting in a way that was almost level so that I knew I'd be near level after it cured.

 

Pier18 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

After that week, I disassembled the frame and pulled it away and then pulled away the cardboard form to reveal the pier. The pier was sitting on the 4 rebar pieces if you recall, so it is now joined by concrete to concrete and those rebar bits. I gave it a good shove and it was sturdy so I continued on. You can see here that I placed it below soil line and you can see the remaining pit area and the rebar loops ready for more concrete.

 

Pier20 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Next, I cleared away the grass and used the same 2x4's to make a 28 inch x 28 inch square frame. I placed this around the form and used some split wood to hammer it into the sand and keep the frame in place. This is to serve as a frame for more concrete to make a small slab. I mixed and filled the remainder of the pit, where those loops of rebar are, with 5 more bags of 80lb concrete (400lbs). This concrete is hugging the footer, hugging the pier and hugging the loops of rebar. It's approximately 3.5 inches above the soil line. I leveled the top with another 2x4. I let this cure a good week.

 

Pier23 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Finally after a week of curing, I pulled away the 2x4 frame. The whole structure is now one piece, and it's solid. It looks like a pillar on a slab, but there's a heavy big footer under it holding it down and keeping it where it is. Overall this is 8 x 80lb bags for the footer (640lbs), another 3 x 80lbs bags for the pier (240lbs) and 5 x 80lbs (400lbs) bags for the slab that hugs the pier and marries to the footer with rebar. Approximately 1300lbs of concrete.

 

Pier25 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

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Lastly, let's see if it was worth it. Time to do the "water test." Nothing crazy. But I filmed it with audio. I put a shot glass of water on the leveling plates. I tapped on the concrete pier with a 2x4, hard enough for it to bounce, to see if the vibrations would travel and transfer to the water, causing it to move a little. The water doesn't move. I'm delighted that 2 weeks of back breaking concrete work resulted in something very, very sturdy and very good at dampening vibrations.

 

Here's the video of the water test:

 

https://flic.kr/p/MugGPN

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 10 October 2016 - 07:28 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Build Log :: 10-10-2016

 

Ok, so Hurricane Matthew moved on and I'm back on the project. Had a pause there for a bit.

 

The pier and leveling plates are done, but now I need to mount my tracker. Instead of purchasing a very expensive third party made pier plate, which cost hundreds of dollars, I just used the mounting surface that my Orion Sirius came with. It comes with a base plate made of steel and has tripod logs. Well, it's flat on the bottom and has the notch needed for alignment. So I'm going to just re-use this since I won't need the tripod now anyways (but I can always reassemble it if needed). The center hole in the plate is actually metric, I found out, after asking around. I couldn't use the stock bolt as it was very long and meant for other purposes. I needed a new bolt. I found out it was M10 x 1.5 pitch. So I shopped for some bolts that had grips that I could use to hand tighten so it could be removed. Also it had to be short enough to fit between the level plates. Again this is the stock plate that came with my mount for a tripod, I'm reusing it, so $0 extra.

 

IMG_0133 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Next, I needed a new center bolt to fit into that hole in the plate and into the mount itself, which is also tapped with a M10 x 1.5 pitch hole. I found one on Amazon of all places, a M10 x 1.5 x 55mm long steel bolt with a nylon grip. Perfect! Was $16, but worth it. To make this work, however, I can't have threads on the whole bolt. I need the threads only on the tip of the bolt, so I had to customize this a bit.

 

IMG_0128 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

To grind away the threads on the bolt except for at the tip, I used a Dremel and a standard grinding stone. Took it down fast, thankfully. I started initially with a handfile, but it was going to take forever, so I went with the Dremel instead.

 

IMG_0130 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

I left the last 20mm or so (1 inch maybe?) of the bolt with the threads intact. The rest of the bolt, I ground away the threading. This is necessary due to how the stock bolt and stock mount worked for my mount. The bolt threads into the lower plate, and passes through, then is free to move, and then threads into the actual tracking mount. Since the rest of the bolt no longer has threading, it doesn't "climb" when you turn it, and instead, the tip of the bolt threads into the mount and "pulls" it down. The grip now rests on a washer, under the top leveling plate, into the mount plate, then threads into the tracking mount, and it "pulls" the mount down, so it sandwiches all the metal between it and they are tight and snug. Sturdy enough to do this job. But also not permanent so I can take it down if needed. I used this design because this is how the stock mount that came with the Sirius works, I just borrowed the idea and had to make my own center bolt.

 

IMG_0132 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Here the center bolt is going through a washer, through the lower leveling plate, threading into the mount plate, then free sliding since I ground off the threads, until it meets the tracking mount, which it then threads into with the tip of the bolt. I hand tighten it and the plates sandwich together nicely and it's very snug. Nothing moves. Permanent yet I can undo it if needed. I used anti-seize on the bolt so that I can undo it easy later if needed.

 

IMG_0137 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Here's the tracker mount & mount plate on the leveling plates surface, joined by the center bolt. This is the same design and setup as the stock tripod & mount is for the Sirius, I just adapted it to a pier instead of tripod legs.

 

IMG_0139 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Finally, the mount is on, everything is solid, and I'm level. Good to go. But how do I store it? I got a Telegizmos 365 cover for the outdoor side of things. This replaces the need for a structure. The next problem is humidity. I used an Eva-Dry unit. It's a renewable silicon dehumidifier. They're good for 20~30 days. Then you simply plug them in, they heat up, and they're dry again, and ready for re-use. $15 or so, on Amazon. When I'm sealing up the mount & scope, I just hang this in there by a hook, and seal up my Telegizmos cover. The low volume of air and pretty tight seal gives the dehumidifier a nice working space to do it's job.

 

IMG_0149 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Last, but not least, the Telegizmos 365 cover itself. This one was costly, it was $140 from Astronomics. A lot of people just use a BBQ cover from the store for cheap. I wanted something totally UV resistant, weather proof, heavy duty. This stuff is used on satellites. It is a small price to pay compared to building a shed or structure. It has a cinch strap at the base, and I added another bungee around it to tighten it up really well against the pillar. Some humidity will enter from the pier itself. That's ok. That's what the dehumidifier is for. Inside the cover, it will not get any hotter than ambient temperature due to the materials and how it's built. These things are really awesome. You just have to manage humidity.

 

IMG_4307 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Complete! I'm now outside, permanently, aligned and setup for visual or imaging use when I want. No more set up times!

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 10 October 2016 - 08:28 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Completed Project :: 10-10-2016

 

IMG_4303 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Tracker: Orion Sirius

Telescope: Celestron C6A (150mm / 6 inch) SCT + Vinyl Hood (awaiting upgrading to an 8" or 9.25"!)

 

I use portable lithium batteries to power it all, my dew heater, etc. The mount & scope now stay outside permanently. I remove the hood while storing it in the cover.

 

Pier Materials & Costs:

 

+ Two leveling plates with holes from local welding shop, $37.

+ Four 2x4's, 8 feet each, to make frames, $20.

+ Handful of deck screws to make the frames, $5.

+ 16x 80lb bags of concrete, $4.50 each, $72.

+ Plastic mixing bit for the concrete, $7.

+ 8x pieces of 4 foot 3/8th inch rebar, $3 each, $25.

+ 48inch x 10inch diameter pillar form, $10.

+ 3x 12" 5/8" bolts, 12x 5/8" nuts, 12x 5/8" washers (all steel), $20.

+ M10 x 1.5 x 55mm nylog gripped bolt and washer, $16.

 

Total for materials for the pier & mounting system: $212

 

Cover & Dehumidifer:

 

+ Telegizmos 365 cover for German Equitorial Mount and 8" SCT, $140.

+ Eva-Dry dehumidifier, $15.

 

Total for storage materiasl: $155.

 

Total Cost for Project:

 

$367... and an aching back. But worth it!

 

Tools Used:

 

Note, I already had some basic tools, I didn't buy any tools for this. I used what I had.

 

+ Vehicle to transport material, I have a truck.

+ Circular Saw, I used to cut the 2x4's for frames.

+ A hand saw can do this though if you don't have one.

+ Dremel tool, grinding bit. A hand file works too, just takes longer.

+ Power drill, to screw/unscrew things fast. You can do this by hand if you want.

+ Level, to keep things level. Sharpie, to write on stuff.

+ Tape measure, to measure stuff.

+ Shovel & bucket for concrete mixing and moving.

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 10 October 2016 - 07:36 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Reserving this spot for some first light photographs. Waiting for Hurricane Matthew's aftermath weather to move on, so that I can get some clear skies again.

 

++++++++++++++++++

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 10 October 2016 - 07:37 PM.

[AndrewXnn]

Awesome project management report, site and construction.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[Raginar]

That's awesome.

[gfstallin]

This is good stuff!

[Bigdan]

Very nice job.  I am going to something similar with two plates..... top plate for leveling.  Three bolts will certainly get it done.... I'm going to go with one in each corner..... so 4 bolts.  Look forward to see building construction for obsy.

[MalVeauX]

I took the cover off this evening after we all had too much to eat (Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!), and a bat was stuffed in some folds on my cover. A bat! I had to gently shoo the little guy off. Anyhow, after playing with it a bit and letting my 3 year old pretend to see stuff while we waited for the sun to drop and get some darkness, we then took a look visually at Venus. Pretty cool to see the rounded sides of Venus rather than a pin-point star.

 

IMG_7984 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Very best,

[MalVeauX]

Opened up my cover this afternoon to change out my SCT for my refractor since the moon is out of sight and Orion and other fun things have come into the night sky and...

 

Another BAT!

 

It's like I've built a bat house here. I don't know how that sucker got up under the cover, as it's very tight and cinched down against the concrete but that little thing some how squirmed its way through there.

 

I just redid my cover and cinched it down tight again, folded some of the cover to get it as compact and tight as I could. I will lose my mind if I open it and another bat comes flying out. It's one thing to have a spider fall out, but to have a bat fall out and fly off, uh-uh, not today!

 

Very best,

[mrpizza]

Great job!  You will increase your scope time no doubt.  I did something similar and it was the single best move in my 25 years in the hobby.  Anybody interested in a permanent setup should use this thread as a guide.

 

Chris

[MalVeauX]

Thanks Chris,

 

Yessir, the idea is to increase scope time. I really enjoyed the mount at first, mostly the wow factor of finally having something with real GoTo and a bigger aperture scope (for me at least). But, after a few months, the daunting reality of having to store it in my office, move it (fully assembled, I was losing my mind having to take it apart and reassemble in the dark and I was not setting up hours in advance outside in Florida "surprise!" weather), move it outside, etc, and it just weighed so much that I was finding myself spending more time here rather than going outside and looking through my scope. I figured it was time to find a way to put it outside for good and spent some time on this observatory forum and got a lot of good advise and learned the questions to ask, etc. Finally did it.

 

Still learning and still figuring out better methods to keep it all outside.

 

Today I picked up some concrete waterproof sealant. I will seal the pier this weekend. I think it will help with limiting moisture trade between the concrete and the dry air within the cover (with my Eva-Dry units). I'm also going to spray down some seal on my steel plates too, to help handle any rust. So far, no rust really that wasn't already there from sitting a few days uncovered when I initially installed it. That's good, means the cover and all is doing its job. But to make it even more effective, I'll seal the concrete and the steel, and hopefully limit even more moisture, to get more effect out of my Eva-Dry units. I'm now running two Eva-Dry units in the cover weekly and swapping them for two more I have inside in bags and rotate them. My goal is to keep working on ways to button it up to combat humidity better and better since that's my persistent biggest pest in Florida.

 

I'm also thinking of putting a sort of foam or weather strip around the pier where the TG cover wraps around and I tie her down. Just to put a little something for it to hug other than the concrete to help with a 2nd barrier to bugs and other things (like these bats!). And if it helps with slowing humidity entering, that would just be a bonus.

 

This weekend, I'm also going to attempt to permanently polar align my Sirius on this pier. I'm terrible with the built-in PA instruments (the polar scope, reticle, etc). I'm going to try the SharpCap software method. If that doesn't put me in a good error range, I may splurge on a Polemaster. Granted, I only need a good alignment once or twice a year on this setup once it's done. But I'd like it to be precise if possible.

 

Right now the only thing I'm not really protected against is lightning. There's ways to ground it from a surge, but ultimately a few strikes are something I'm just having to risk. I was reading about how telephone poles and homes are grounded by the electric company as they get hit by lightning often enough and the methods they use to ground require quite a bit of work. So maybe when I'm ready I may look into that, but for now, I'm risking the lightning. It can happen any time here in Florida. I'm inland a bit, so I'm not getting hammered constantly like the coast is. Granted during an obvious really bad storm (hurricane, tropical, etc) I can unbolt the Mount and bring it inside. This is more about the day to day.

 

But yes, I now walk outside carrying my synscan remote and my little lithium power pack and observe all I wish. For imaging, I just walk out with my laptop which I keep in a little backpack. It's so much faster, simpler and efficient. I can observe or image within a minute or so. Brought a whole new life to the idea of astronomy & astrophotography for me.

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 30 November 2016 - 02:25 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

 

Walked outside this evening, the seeing was good, clear dark skies tonight in Florida in my area. Being able to just walk out and take the cover off and be ready to observe/image is just awesome. I was observing in less than 5 minutes walking outside to my permanently mounted setup. I was imaging in another 10 minutes after I took a look through my eyepiece and noticed the seeing was good. I was observing with a 2x barlow and 15mm plossl, and there wasn't a lot of distortion so I figured seeing was great. Walked inside, grabbed my laptop and camera and attached it and just recorded some quick video.

 

Orion Sirius (Mount)
Orion 80ED (600mm F7.5 Refractor)
GSO 2x Barlow
ZWO ASI178MC (camera, USB3)
Captured all with SharpCap (free)
Stacked with Autostakkert!2 (3000 frames, best 40%)
Panorama (moon only) done with MS ICE
Wavelets with Registax6
Finalized in CS5

 

Venus:

 

Venus_12032016 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Waxing Crescent (Moon):

 

MoonMosaic_12032016 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Crater Petavius:

 

MoonMosaic_12032016_PetaviusCrater by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Very best,

Edited by MalVeauX, 03 December 2016 - 11:12 PM.

[MalVeauX]

Some solar stuff today from the pier.

 

IMG_0160 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

IMG_0162 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

IMG_0165 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

IMG_0168 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

SunSpot_12615 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

 

Very best,

[ram812]

Very nice,Sir! This is what I'm going to do.Always wanted to pier mount my set up. Theft would be a bigger concern of ours as we have no law enforcement out in the county I live in so a lockable building will be a must. (We handle tweakers with S&W ourselves). I already have the re-bar, bolts and nuts, 2x4's and other sundry items. Just the plate and some mod to the tripod adapter as I have a CGEM to put on it. 1300 lbs. of slab should do it! Right now I have a Gazebo frame with dark green tarps around 3/4 of where I set up as a wind and light break but moving all that mount in a out of the house gets into the viewing and imaging time too much. Starting to snow! Thank you again for a  wonderful idea and excellent photo's to go by! Magnifico!!! Ralph in a cold Oregon

[MalVeauX]

Very nice,Sir! This is what I'm going to do.Always wanted to pier mount my set up. Theft would be a bigger concern of ours as we have no law enforcement out in the county I live in so a lockable building will be a must. (We handle tweakers with S&W ourselves). I already have the re-bar, bolts and nuts, 2x4's and other sundry items. Just the plate and some mod to the tripod adapter as I have a CGEM to put on it. 1300 lbs. of slab should do it! Right now I have a Gazebo frame with dark green tarps around 3/4 of where I set up as a wind and light break but moving all that mount in a out of the house gets into the viewing and imaging time too much. Starting to snow! Thank you again for a  wonderful idea and excellent photo's to go by! Magnifico!!! Ralph in a cold Oregon

Yessir, it has definitely made astronomy and astrophotography a lot more pleasing. I too live in the country away from everything, but I don't worry about theft. Where I live, everyone knows everyone and everyone pays attention to new vehicles passing through, who's where, etc. Kind of silly, but it comes in handy. You don't accidentally end up in my field. Theft is one of those things that really, if someone wanted it bad enough, they'd get it regardless of what we do. Locks only persuade honest people.

 

I'm going on two months now on the pier and everything is still great. I still have some things to do, but I'm just doing what I can as I figure things out slowly. But the pier and telegizmos cover with the dehumidifier units are a life saver and back saver. I walk out all the time now and simply take off the cover and start observing right away. If I see something of interest or if I planed on it, I bring out my laptop and camera and image. I've gotten more into observation just because it's so fast and easy and no setup time. There were a lot of nights that I stayed inside when I wanted to be out there, just because I wasn't feeling up to lugging all that heavy stuff out and setting up and getting frustrated with it all. It's so simple now that I actually enjoy the whole process. Even buttoning up for the night is easy and fast.

 

It's so much faster and fun that I constantly contemplate having a 2nd pier with a 2nd mount to have two scopes up at all times. But those are wild dreams. I'll probably get an Alt-Az mount to hold a small scope for observing while I image at some point (thinking about the Twilight I).

 

I just got my guidescope mounted on my refractor and everything is good to go. I'm just waiting for my extension tube and I'll be ready to start guided imaging. This winter should see my refractor get a lot more use as I practice on the big popular targets (Andromeda, Orion, Pleiades, etc).

 

I've never built anything like this, so it was quite the task, but looking back it wasn't so bad. For a few hundred dollars, I have a permanent setup and it really does increase how much I go out now. Even if it's just for a 5 minute look at something, it's so fast that I don't mind just taking a minute and then going back inside.

 

Also I can't stress enough the simplicity of smaller lithium packs to power stuff. You can see it resting on the plates. I use a separate one for each thing (mount, dew heater, camera (if using dSLR), etc). I love not hauling around a 65lb battery and a 60+ lb pile of mount, scope, gear, etc.

 

Very best,

[PirateMike]

I need one.     

[ram812]

Amen on a second pier! If I could afford it I'd have a couple for sure due to trees and such. I can't help but comment on the price of ready mix and 2x4's in your neck of the woods. Things seem a little high to me but then again I live in timber country. I think the hard to find part will be the center bolt but after re-reading your thread I'm pretty sure Amazon or the like will have what I need. I do have to thank you again for going to all that work to not only look after your own health by making it easier on your back but for all the pics of the project through and through. A "Great Job" to ya and look forward to seeing more of your pictures as time goes by. If you have any more astro related projects don't hesitate to post them here. This site is by far the best I've seen for info and ideas'. Good luck and God Bless, Ralph

[MalVeauX]

Amen on a second pier! If I could afford it I'd have a couple for sure due to trees and such. I can't help but comment on the price of ready mix and 2x4's in your neck of the woods. Things seem a little high to me but then again I live in timber country. I think the hard to find part will be the center bolt but after re-reading your thread I'm pretty sure Amazon or the like will have what I need. I do have to thank you again for going to all that work to not only look after your own health by making it easier on your back but for all the pics of the project through and through. A "Great Job" to ya and look forward to seeing more of your pictures as time goes by. If you have any more astro related projects don't hesitate to post them here. This site is by far the best I've seen for info and ideas'. Good luck and God Bless, Ralph

Ralph,

 

I hunted google for what my center threaded bolt was for securing my mount to the tripod base which I used (recycled) here onto the steel plates. After I figured out what it was, I bought one off the web with the nylon grip. As you saw, I had to grind down the threads to mimic what the original bolt was like (threads only at the tip). Functional as the original. But took some digging to figure it out. Once you have the right metric bolt, you're good though!

 

Granted, you can also go for a total replacement for the pier mount and base for the mount, they just cost more. My entire project cost a little bit more than a typical machined pier mounting plate does. I went total budget route. It's working great, just doesn't look as "pro" as some builds. No one is coming to my house to look at it but me, so I'm good with it.

 

Yea I could have paid less for a lot of stuff, I easily went to the most expensive places around due to convenience (except my steel plates, did good on those).

 

My next project will likely be a "tower." I would love to build a cinder-block tower high enough to be above the vapor that forms over my field through the night. I'd love to be able to have a little tower that rests just above that point--it's visible even. With a concrete pier rising in the middle. If I realize this project, I may go for a double-pier. Concrete & cinder-blocks are so cheap, you can build monuments with the stuff on a modest budget. This will take a lot more planning though...

 

Very best,

[ram812]

Gotcha! You really need to update your gear post to include "Pier"!! I figure with my machining experience and access to a Jet lathe and Bridgeport mill I should be able to handle the bolt part. I certainly don't blame you for going for the best stuff to do the project as there is nothing more heartbreaking than coming out in the morning to see your telescope hanging upside down!

  Tower sounds good, too. You must be at or near sea level to be in that vapor zone. I'm at almost 1300' in the Siskiyou mountains about a 2 hour drive from the coast in SW Oregon and the only real bad thing I worry about would be one of the big Douglas firs or maybe a white oak getting blown over on my house! I'm on about an acre and a half that has lots of trees and I really like them enough that I wouldn't think of chopping them all down so a tower wouldn't do.(It would have to be 60' or better) I CAN take pics through several openings that give me a few hours in certain places on the zenith and  dead above. But what I'd like to do is an enclosed observatory to weather protect the equipment and keep things cool. We'll see what the future brings but I'm the type of person that like to rat-hole stuff for projects then when I have all I need start going for it. Pier first, building second!

  So for us budget guys keep us informed of your projects and progressions as we like to glean ideas from you! Too bad you aren't on the left coast I'd hire you to help with mine!!! Take care, Ralph

[Phil Sherman]

I took a slightly different approach to putting the mount on a pier. Like you, I used three bolts to hold the mounting plate to the pier but, instead of flat plates, I used a new brake rotor. A purchased 4" diameter pier extension (from Orion's catalog) is bolted to the rotor using both heavy washers from a plumbing 4" test plug. The mount sits on top of the extension pipe which has the standard mount fitting. The only "machining" I needed was to drill the three holes in the rotor, a simple job with a drill press.

 

When I put a pier in my back yard, I'll probably adopt your approach and use the top of the tripod as a base for the mount. Thanks for some great photos of your pier.

[MalVeauX]

Thanks all,

 

Yeap, I'm at sea level, the grass will always have a zone of vapor above it early morning before dawn. Always. I'd love to be above that line to avoid it. Even with heaters, everything ends up soaked. But that plan is a few years out. I need to actually get good at this to put more money and time into building observatory stuff.

I've seen brakes used as plates, they seem to be popular and work great!

I did three bolts for my leveling plates due to the shape of the tripod base. It was a triangle, so I used 3 bolts to fit between where the legs would have been. Kept it simple.

Very best,