Indoor or outdoor storage

[Left Eye]

What a friendly group this is!

Here's the quandary I referred to in my intro message.

I'm very new at all this, but I so enjoy looking at the planets and DSO's! I started about 18 months ago with a 6-inch Dobsonian telescope. I keep it in my office (inside), and just lift it out a window and onto a table when I have a clear night. With the base and all it only weights about 35 lbs., so it's not really a problem--but...

I want to get a bigger telescope--10-12 inches--which will weight 75-80 lbs. I could still lift that weight now, but I have doubts about lifting it each night 10 years from now. I don't have a garage available, and I want to protect my equipment as much as possible. 

Here's my plan, and I'd like you to pick it apart and tell me if it will work.

I'm planning to build about a 6 foot tower structure keep things off the ground and get a better horizon. Attached to the safety rail of the platform deck I will install a resin cabinet (Rubbermaid type) to store the telescope in, so I don't have to physically carry it out into the cold each night. Eye-pieces, etc. will stay inside in a bag. I'm hoping to keep dust and moisture out with weather stripping and possibly install a small vent for use in the hot weather. I'm not into computer-linked systems or automated gadgetry, so that isn't a concern. 

I live in the damp and drizzle of the Pacific NW, so I'm especially reaching out to those of you from the UK, Germany, or other places with similar climates. Would you leave your scope out in an insulated resin cabinet in the backyard? 

[Left Eye]

By the question is also posed to my good neighbors a few miles to to the north in Beautiful B.C., or to any of you who are here in western WA.

[MartinS]

I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Might I suggest some power and lighting (possibly red) would be beneficial for storing after a long session at night. Depending on humidity levels you may want to consider space for a small, low power portable dehumidifier (cupboard/caravan type) in the container.

[Left Eye]

MartinS,

Thanks for your feedback! After I posted I took a look at some of the observatories other members on the site have built, and I began to feel a little silly. Clearly, there are a lot of people storing bigger, more sensitive (and more expensive!) equipment than I will every have in detached sheds in their backyards. I just didn't know how protective I need to be of my equipment, but when I saw the page of the guy with a high-end scope and a couple of computers on a concrete pier in his yard with a tarp wrapped around everything, I figured I should be ok. 

By the way, though I live out here on the far edge of around the world from Wales, I'm a Price on my mother's side. would love to visit one day!

 

[paul]

Its coming up to the second year for my tent observatory. The gear I use is heavy (for me - I know others lug EQ6s around 😉) so I  keep my active gear set up in the tent. When I close up after a session its all usually damp. I have dew straps fitted at  the Coma corrector, guider and primary mirror (its a newt). I set the straps to maximum and put the end caps on  this keeps the camera and optics clear. The natural heating of the sun on the tent and its draughty nature seems to be sufficient to dry it off the mount and OTA outer parts but I do have a fan heater for when its really bad - a couple of hours is enough to dry off.  (I remote switch the heating off mid-morning).

 

As long as I remember to follow my protocol things are fine, If I forget to close up the OTA I get condensation all over the primary.

 

I know some people have success with reusable desiccant pouches in the OTA.

Edited February 22, 2022 by paul

[Left Eye]

Great thanks to Paul and MartinS! I'm feeling more confident about my plans. I appreciate MartinS' suggestion of a low-power red light in the cabinet for when I put things away, and Paul's comment about desiccant pouches. I find I can get both in battery powered units and won't have to start digging power trenches. 

Thanks, guys! When I step up to the larger scope and start building the tower, I'll post pictures.