a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

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turonrambar
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a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#1

Post by turonrambar »


Dear SS Forum members,

I've been very busy the last couple weeks getting a concrete pad poured and
putting together a new 2.2 meter NexDome.
IMG_E1011[1].JPG
Right now I'm putting gym matting down on the floor, and applying "Flex Seal" to
the observatory between it and the concrete pad. I'll finish the laying of gym
matting on Sunday and begin to move a LX850 SL f/8 12" into the dome.

I didn't buy the dome rotation and shutter opening kits, but plan on
purchasing them at a later date. I like this style of observatory because of the
dome with the shutter because of need to block light pollution and the wind.
I did buy an add on bay, I'll be able to put my computer in the bay and
a place for my reference materials.

We haven't been able to any observing because of the smoke from
the forest fires in Oregon and California. The smoke cleared out this
afternoon and we have blue skies with a little of wind.

Clear Skies
kip mason
Meade OTA f/8 12” on a CEM120 iOptron Mount,
G10 One Shot CMOS Color Camera, QHY 2” Filter Wheel, QHY OAG, SVBony SV305 guide camera
Canon T3i 60D Prime Focus and Eyepiece Projection,
ASCOM 6.5 SP1, Windows 10 Professional
LX850 Mount, ETX125, LX200 f/10 8” GPS, Meade 6” f/4 Newton Reflector on an Equatorial Mount
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Juno16 United States of America
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#2

Post by Juno16 »


Super nice Kip!

Like a dream come true!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
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Michael131313 Mexico
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#3

Post by Michael131313 »


Very nice. Good luck on your project. I am envious.
ES AR 102 102mm, f/6.5, ES 254mm f/5 DOB, Obie 10x50, GSO SV 30mm, ES 68° 20mm, ES 82° 14mm, 11mm, 8.8 mm, 6.8mm, 4.7mm. Twilight 1 mount.
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#4

Post by AntennaGuy »


Assembling a small observatory is on my wanna-do list. But based on what I've read about most of the ones for sale, I'm concerned that so many people report quality-control or other issues when dealing with purchasing home observatories, home observatory kits, etc., regardless of the brand. I'd appreciate it if you would comment on your experience in regard to your purchase, receipt, and assembly of the Nexdome 2.2m. Did all the parts arrive together and did they arrive on time, undamaged, and as promised? Did they all fit together properly? Were the assembly instructions present and clear? Etc. Or did you (for example) have to request one or more missing parts, personally have to repair/re-work any of the parts to get them to actually fit together, buy/substitute more parts from a local hardware store, send parts back to get replacements, add all sort of other things unexpectedly (like paint, caulk, wood shims, grease, and more) and/or do multiple unexpected DIY-type construction tasks to compensate for the manufacturer's errors, omissions, and/or imperfections in the product? Does/did the dome move smoothly as you rotate it around? Likewise for the shutter. And does it all appear to be adequate at preventing rain from coming in? Thanks!
* Meade 323 refractor on a manual equatorial mount.
* Celestron C6 SCT on a Twilight 1 Alt-Az mount
Prof. Barnhardt to Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still: "There are several thousand questions I'd like to ask you.”
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#5

Post by turonrambar »


Dear TSS,

Thank you for contributing to my post. Yes it's a dream come true for me. My wife calls it "The man cave."

To the AntennaGuy's questions:
Everything came in boxes loaded on a pallet at 250 lbs. Nothing was missing, no broken parts, all the parts and screws, nuts, bolts, waskers, sealing washers were all there.
It's six weeks lead time after ordering the NexDome. In six weeks i received an email from NexDome and FedEx, that the dome was one its way. But I had to jump
through hoops with United States Customs. because the price was over $2500.00, I didn't owe any duties, but had to submit paperwork before it was released by Customs
stating I was an individual purchasing the Dome. I had two choices to make from, 1) purchasing as an individual, or 2) as an organization. I emailed by paperwork to the
Customs agent, and once Customs received the paperwork the dome was released to FedEx. Came from B.C. Canada and it took three days to the Oregon South Coast.

Instruction were lacking, I laid out the dome wrong and we had to fix my mistake. Everything fit and all bolt holes lined up.
Nobody went to hardware store to replace any missing parts. There are a lot of good videos on Youtube to glean information on construction techniques. I recommend those Videos.
Also I recommend that installing a 20 amp, 110 Volt line to your dome, with four outlet plug in.

I used Flexsteel to seal between the concrete and the dome and a non-silicone lubricant and lubricated the shutter. Also I had to adjust the rollers for the shutter, I had to add
spacers and lubricant to assist with shutter closing and opening without pulling my arms out of their sockets trying to open or close the shutter by hand. I'm going to order the
shutter, rotation kits and a fan for temperature and humidity control for the dome. Also, nix the tripod and buy a pier. More room in the dome with a pier. Still a tripod will work,
and it's my second choice, the pier being the first choice. I also bought 3/4" Gym matting to put in for a floor. It came in squares and could be put together, and cut to fit.

Hope this helps you all, as well as the AntennaGuy.

:observatory:

Clear Skies
kip mason
turonrambar@outlook.com
Meade OTA f/8 12” on a CEM120 iOptron Mount,
G10 One Shot CMOS Color Camera, QHY 2” Filter Wheel, QHY OAG, SVBony SV305 guide camera
Canon T3i 60D Prime Focus and Eyepiece Projection,
ASCOM 6.5 SP1, Windows 10 Professional
LX850 Mount, ETX125, LX200 f/10 8” GPS, Meade 6” f/4 Newton Reflector on an Equatorial Mount
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#6

Post by helicon »


Wow Kip fantastic obsy.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#7

Post by turonrambar »


Dear TSS forum,

I've attached several photos setting up my observatory
Rescue dog Macaroni, a Yorkshire Terrier (Silky) taking a break and hanging out with me.


LX850 setup, just installed the OTA and the StarLock.
The Starlock is new from Meade, my old one stopped working???

[image]download/file.php?mode=view&id=15047[/image]
[image]download/file.php?mode=view&id=15046[/image]

I got more photos to publish.

Clear Skies
kip
turonrambar@outlook.com
Attachments
IMG_E1216[2].JPG
IMG_E1211[1].JPG
Meade OTA f/8 12” on a CEM120 iOptron Mount,
G10 One Shot CMOS Color Camera, QHY 2” Filter Wheel, QHY OAG, SVBony SV305 guide camera
Canon T3i 60D Prime Focus and Eyepiece Projection,
ASCOM 6.5 SP1, Windows 10 Professional
LX850 Mount, ETX125, LX200 f/10 8” GPS, Meade 6” f/4 Newton Reflector on an Equatorial Mount
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#8

Post by a100171 »


.. mine is still sitting in boxes, waiting for the back yard to get finished.

I keep saying "soon" but it is half-past October already.
Meade 6", 8", and 10" SN, Meade 10" f/6.3 Lx200, ES ES-102, Meade 90mm DS-2000, Celestron CPC-800 HD, Celestron , AVX, CGEM-DX, Twilight I mounts. Omegon 2.1x 41mm Binocs.
Hyperstar for EdgeHD, ZWO and Celestron Nightscape CCD. A fully-functional Meade 12" RCX-400.
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Re: a dream that came true with a 2.2 meter NexDome observatory.

#9

Post by pakarinen »


Which FlexSeal did you use - spray, tape, or goop?
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I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
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AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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