Did my own pier as well. A lot of the builds out there are WAY over-engineered with huge concrete slabs and digging to the centre of the Earth. I have had no issues with my setup. Great build!
Totally agree. So many seem brainwashed and lay blocks bigger than foundations you’d dig for a house. Mine has been superb and just love it. Clear skies
Great job..love it!! Planning a similar build myself...you've given me some great tips and hints. Budget is key as a lot of astro gear companies assume the budget is large!!
Thank you Charles I really appreciate that. It is definitely worth the effort as it makes life so much easier, Its hard work constantly setting up and tearing down every session.
Great set up. I got all the same comments when i built "The Pier of Doom". It works great for me, saves loads of time setting up, i leave the mount head attached and the guiding has been great. I'm working on her indoors to get a small observatory built and that pier is exactly how i would do it. :-)
There are just too many people about that just look for any negative they can. My pier breaks their rules because it didn't cost over £500 and I don't have the equivalent foundations of the Empire State building supporting it. But I guide regularly at 0.5 total RMS...hmmmm 🤔
Yep thinking about the pier myself. Thought about the dome but not in the budget but just the pier with the mount on top a nice cover to keep the rain off and the hot summer heat off to a point is a good thing.
Hi Dan. Definitely a big bonus to your hobby. Better stability and ease of use and set up. Have you seen the pop up tent I use when away on trips and in my garden? czcams.com/video/mnCQQC23M6M/video.html if you scroll 10:00 mins in on this video link you'll see it. Really good and useful and works a treat. (not expensive either) there is a link to it in the description.
Very nice indeed. Looks professionally made. Love the cable management "holes". I dont have an observatory myself (yet), but regarding the 1 cubic meter of concrete - i agree with you. I have a beltmodded and tuned EQ6 with SKF bearings, and i have it out on my balcony which consists of wooden planks. There is vibration for sure, so when i do the PA routine with Sharpcap, i need to have my computer inside to go and check after adjusting, all because of vibrations. But when ive left the balcony and shooting, then i guide stable at 0.4 - 0.6". I believe your pier is rock solid if your not living on top of a vulcano or in between some tectonic plates:)
Exactly.that’s good numbers you are getting. Mine recently has dropped off a bit so will look at my belts but am planning a tune up with a strip down and regrease
@@Astrobloke Yes, it took alot of time, blood, sweat and tears to get there, but i got to know my mount better. My 2 main issues after the tune and belt mod was: backlash and and a oscillating RA graph. Backlash i just learned to live with by having the setup slightly east-heavy (RA) and scope "back"-heavy (DEC). The oscillating RA made was displayed as a peak at 10.2s when doing frequency analysis (PHD2 Log viewer). This is the tooth to tooth period for EQ6, and i learnt that that peak meant not enough tension on the belt. Maybe too much information, but the point was that it was neat to use the PHD Log viewer software to analyse belt tension instead of fiddling too much on the mount :)
@@Hegegutt i may have to venture down the same route. I suspect its belt tension as I have never touched anything since buying it. Now its all bedded in I am sure some small adjustments are needed. I’ll still strip and regrease as these mounts don’t normally come packed with the best.
for people thinking of build a pier, before you start running wires, run a half dozen strings through the pipe. You can use these in the future to add more wires, just tie one end to the wire and pull it through.
Yes, same process as running electrical wires, instead of multiple strings, just use 1 good string and make an endless loop, secure each end to themselves and then just attach the wire(s) to them and loop it through. Then detach the wire or wires and you still have the string available in the event you need to run additional wires. Once you are sure you are done, cut the string and pull through. Cheers and clear skies.
Great video thanks and also your roll off roof observatory one too. I am looking to add a permanent pier to my set up and also a small shed to cover it and protect it from the UK weather, can I ask a few questions please? 1 Firstly, what type of insulation did you cover the shed inside in? 2 Also where did you get the aluminium air ducting pipe from, I have been searching but cannot find any online they all appear to be flexible?? 3 Where did you get the M12 bolts with a kink at the end to put into the concrete? 4 Is that a tubular heater in the corner. I have been looking at an 80w one, are these a good way to go? Do you keep this on during the winter to prevent damp conditions inside the observatory?? I have been considering this for some time and you have given me a kick to starting one this year! Unfortunately, I don't have a large garden to take a 6'x4' shed in the corner also because my horizons are not too good so I would need to position my pier mid garden so was considering a 4'x3' Keter Manor Apex shed. Then the decision whether to have a roll off roof with such a small shed? I have seen other videos online with Backyard Astronomy of a similar shed but rolling the whole shed away from the pier to use. I think this may suit my purpose better and would appreciate your thoughts and any tips in building it. Like you, I don't have a massive budget so want to minimise my mistakes.
Hi Julian and thank you for your comments. The insulation I got from ebay. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373021746297 and just cut it to size and attached it using double sided tape I bought from B&Q Try here for ducting easyhvac.co.uk/index.php?id_product=27&controller=product&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmL-ABhDFARIsAKywVadBvsqaDIfiveW2quEQDFChzt_zZb1rzwB0rt1afrpWRjxPELt-4rcaAu5TEALw_wcB its called spiral ducting. I bought a 3m length 150mm in diameter. If I was to do it again I would most probably go 200mm The M12 bolts I got from ebay. I bent the end myself using a vice and a blow torch. It was hard to do so I only bent 2 of them and the other 2 I loaded with large washers and nuts. You could do this with all 4 to be honest. The tube heater is a 60w greenhouse/shed heater and with the insulation does a great job without costing much to run. I have it plugged into a thermostat plug ( Elixir Gardens ® Thermo-Guard Digital Control Plugin Thermostat TH-928T from Amazon) so its only on when needed. I think in the corner if its black is a mosquito zapper. With a smaller shed you could just use the same rail and wheels that I used for the roof of my obsey as they are rated for security gates so would have no issues supporting the weight. I hope this all helps but by all means contact me if I can help further. Glenn
if you wanted to get that cigarette lighter port at the bottom, drop a piece of string down the pipe, and tie it to the non cigarette lighter part of the cable, then pull it back up (providing the entire cable length is long enough). You'll have your DC port up top and cigarette port at the bottom.
Great and informative video, thanks. Question - when you mentioned "50 x 50 x 50 hole filled with concrete" what measurements were you using, as later in your video you mentioned that a cubic metre of concrete could be OTT. You've done a great job with your observatory and thanks for sharing.
Hi there and thank you. I did 50cm x 50cm x 50cm. This has been ample for me and over a year of continuous use rock solid. Seen many quote 1mcubed as minimum but this was from an old video and only an opinion after all. You can put whatever you think necessary. I made a judgement on what I thought was enough and to keep it within reasonable work and cost limits. Clear skies
Interesting, if you need a 2nd floor observatory how tall can the pier be, what diameter to length ratio should it be, and for the base, would circular or globe be better at eliminating vibrations than a square cube? great video!!
I am sure there is a calculation somewhere for the ideal or minimum diameter to height for something like that. I would have thought re the base the higher it is the wider that should be, hadn't ever thought of shape and thats got me thinking. Thank you for commenting.
Hi Glenn , Gradually getting parts together for the pier build ,would i be right in saying you use a large washer on the underside of the adapter and put a bolt through to hold everything together . once again many thanks r.madley
Hi Richard, Yes that is correct. I ordered a smaller round steel plate when I ordered the larger one for the top of the pier. Drilled a hole in it to make a washer.
Hi Glenn, very nice build mate. I'm just about to embark on a mini roll off roof obsy and your video is the most detailed, but I have a couple of questions... Does your 150mm tube sit at the bottom of your 50cm3 hole? and do you have any rebar or such like at the bottom to give it more strength? Also, your 3mm plate. Is it just held against the concrete surface by the four adapters or is it attached in some way to the tube? Cheers, Tim
Hi Tim, Good luck with your build. Yes the tube goes to the bottom of the hole and I sat it on some rebar grid and have rebar rods running up also. The plate just sits on top of the tube and the 4 adapters bolt it down tightly so didn’t see any need to attach it any further. I attached the 4 threaded rods through the plate to the adapters and made sure it was all as tight as possible with a nut underneath and then sank it into the wet cement.
Its 150mm. If i was doing it again i would go 200mm. Mine performs perfectly well and doesn’t have any issues. I just think a slightly wider pier would look better
amazing work. definitely going to do this. let me ask you though, whats the minimum height you can make one for a relatively normal setup. lets say no bigger than yours
Hi and thank you for watching. Mine are about 0.7M in height. With my CT10 when its vertical the bottom is about 40cm from the floor. So I would say 50cm would be the lowest but it really does depend on the length of your scope.
Question, I'm planning on building a permant pier in my back yard, what is the concern on the frost line, I believe you mentioned? Any help would be appreciated. Great video by the way!
Hi and thank your for your question.. this will vary depending on where you are in the world. In the UK it is recommended that a hole at least 0.45M deep is recommended. You can do an online search for where you live but other factors like soil type etcetera makes a difference. So clay and large roots from trees. Hope this helps? Whereabouts are you?
richard madley , i have followed your links to the bolt adapters and threaded bar , you have mentioned m12 bar but the link says m10 i have ordered the m10 so i hope these will be okay . i know its a bit of a cheek but is it possible you could place the link to the round steel plates on ebay thanks again so much for the help you have given rich.
Hi Glenn, I'm just getting the pier materials together. Did you use ready mixed concrete in bags for the pier base and column? I'm looking at B & Q where postcrete is nearly half the price of readymix concrete for the same quantity. Any feelings which is best? I am no builder. Also I've calculated 16 bags for 0.5m3 + pier. Seems like a lot but I know volume can be very deceptive.
Hi Mark. I mixed my own with 1 bag of concrete to 5 bags of sand/ballast. It was a bit of rough guesswork on my part. Its surprising how much you need to fill a hole and then the tube as well. I think I found a calculator online.
@@Astrobloke Thanks Glenn. I think self mixing will work out cheaper so I'll probably go for that. I meant to ask if you used any steel reinforcing bars to bind the pier to the base? I guess if the pipe is embedded in the base rather than added afterwards this might not be necessary. Thanks again!
Hi Glenn, the observatory is taking shape here. Pier built, walls up and now to sort the sliding roof. As it is forecast to be clear tonight I thought I would test the pier with my EQ6R Pro but I have encountered an odd problem. I wondered if you had found the same issue. I have a Skywatcher pier adapter from Altair Astro which looks like yours however the central hole in it is much bigger than the diameter of the washer on the attaching screw which screws into the bottom of the mount from underneath to secure it to the pier adapter. From the brief glimpse of what I can see of the underside of the pier adapter in your video it looks like you have a big washer to allow the screw to bind the mount against the adapter. I've done some searching and can't find anyone else with this problem. My EQ6R is second-hand so maybe I have an attachment missing? Did you have to get any additional fittings when you fixed your mount to the pier? Any help appreciated! Cheers. Mark
Hi Mark. No I had the same issue that you did. What I did was jump on ebay and buy a metal disc and drill a hole in the centre and used a cut down M12 thread and 2 x M12 bolts to make what I needed to bolt it down. It is a large hole. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363510422909?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item54a2e8dd7d:g:OkkAAOSwOCxfDxhB&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA4BCCXCQFzlAtZtFj01ObEL0dRm7GvOfy3XxAD8yqxl2E1imF%2FMOIIk8cQrY1ExkFQEVSZL9TvrHHNhIxOVLUbMJXkR%2BZWD%2Fiim8H51kDJNgEhKHxFDFtSfDoVl1J%2BYJDPy3pM6gh5%2BEw4SnnvkjF71HmNkeBrgEaNK30vYk6qRfJj9rh0lajHgSmhcxae17YbdM03L8GWDwSR6IegvtVMr56gxZxIHaEm0GEp7cCzwqdN2%2BgFvRsGIzuk4XPrQtr3x7Wlq3weIeEGZ%2BBdIYU7O83m3T3Hq%2FqcQ%2B0U4K%2FYLJp%7Ctkp%3ABFBMmJfz-4Vg Sorry the link is so huge but cut and paste that. There are others with stainless steel etc. Can't remember the size but it sits inside the bigger hole.
Astrobloke, Having arrived very late to the party but how high did you make the pier above floor level and if you were to do it again would you make any changes in height? Thanks for your help. Cheers, Chris Perry.
Hi Ainsly. The pier is 110cm above the floor level. I measured how high the top of my mount was and built the pier so that was about 12" below the wall height. This was so I could comfortably park any scope I had mounted and it was high enough to get a good sky view
Hi Glenn hope your well. I don't know if i missed this in the video. Just wondering, how high is it from floor of observatory to the top of the pier not including the adaptor? Im planning out at the moment and hopefully going to start putting one together in the late spring , with the scope of building a full observatory at some point. Iv'e also decided I like the air con and inner pipe design so im going to do the same. Since you have built it has it been ok for you?
Hi Ben. Its about 110cm from the floor to the top. The pipe is another 60cm roughly in length with the bottom sunk into the concrete base. Its been brilliant. The only difference I would do next time is go for a wider diameter . I’s opt for 200mm or even a bit larger
@@Astrobloke Hi Glenn, why would you go for 200mm? Is it just to future-proof it for bigger scopes or have you noticed issues with the smaller 150mm column? Thanks. Mark
@@secretstill hi mate. Yes really just future proofing. Saying that it now has the EQ8 and CT10 on it and has no issues at all. Doubt I will ever go bigger than that. 150mm has been more than adequate
I cannot image below 30deg. To be honest I have found the seeing much lower than this is pretty poor anyways and for me I have quite a lot of trees that lower walls would not have provided more view, I considered wall height a lot and so many factors play a part. Higher walls provide better wind protection and also because my Obsy is automated I can close the roof even with the scope up so no dangers of any accidents.
What do people think of using a Telephone pole as a pier? I have a 6 foot x 12 inch section that I would like to use, as I already have it. The shed will not be attached to the pier.
I am sure that would makes a good solid pier. Some say wood moves too much with temp and weather changes but if inside an obsy it wouldn’t be as exposed. If I used one I would seal and paint it as well. Let me know if you go ahead would love to hear how it works
I haven’t noticed much difference between them to be honest. The only reason I have the sky watcher is a friend was selling it and it provided 0.9 reducer so dropped FL to 585 from 650 and dropped the F stop to 4.5
@@Astrobloke many thanks. I've read many different reviews, some say the baader isn't that great on the full field , that the skywatcher was better but had reflections sometimes. Just can't decide which one to buy. Great videos BTW
@@rushandothercoversongs6166 thank you. I think some people over analyse stuff. Both work well so choose on whether you want a wider fov or not i suppose.
@@Astrobloke sorry another question. Your observatory is lined with foil insulation. I have a metal shed lined with the same. Don't you find it to reflect alot of light which may detract from your images? I am considering lining my insulation with the matt fabric type garden weed cloth
@@rushandothercoversongs6166 It has not made any difference what so ever but I suppose it depends how much light is about to reflect. I was something I considered and was just going to cover with some black cloth or spray paint it even if it caused any issues.
Did my own pier as well. A lot of the builds out there are WAY over-engineered with huge concrete slabs and digging to the centre of the Earth. I have had no issues with my setup. Great build!
Totally agree. So many seem brainwashed and lay blocks bigger than foundations you’d dig for a house. Mine has been superb and just love it. Clear skies
Great job..love it!! Planning a similar build myself...you've given me some great tips and hints. Budget is key as a lot of astro gear companies assume the budget is large!!
Hi Kevin. Thank you. Hope it has helped and if you have any questions let me know and I’ll help where I can
Terrific set up. Well done and thanks for all the info and expertise. Much appreciated. Clear skies
My pleasure. Any help with anything please just ask
You’ve done a good job, it’s 100 times better then any tripod. 👍
Thanks Woody. Its been a great addition to my hobby and now proudly holds my EQ8 and CT10 as solid as a rock
I love your setup, it's practical and doesn't cost the earth. I will be looking to setup an observatory this year as too old to keep setting up.
Thank you Charles I really appreciate that. It is definitely worth the effort as it makes life so much easier, Its hard work constantly setting up and tearing down every session.
Many good details to consider here Glenn, thanx :)
You are very welcome Arnstein, I hear you are planning on attending PAS next year? Will be great to meet you.
@@Astrobloke I look forward to meet you too, and Simon. You'll have to guide med to the right place 👍🔭🙂
Great job Astrobloke
Thanks Derek. Very pleased myself
Nice!
Thanks for sharing
You are welcome. I hope it helps.
Great set up. I got all the same comments when i built "The Pier of Doom". It works great for me, saves loads of time setting up, i leave the mount head attached and the guiding has been great. I'm working on her indoors to get a small observatory built and that pier is exactly how i would do it. :-)
There are just too many people about that just look for any negative they can. My pier breaks their rules because it didn't cost over £500 and I don't have the equivalent foundations of the Empire State building supporting it. But I guide regularly at 0.5 total RMS...hmmmm 🤔
Great pier looks professionally made to me.
You and me both!
Yep thinking about the pier myself. Thought about the dome but not in the budget but just the pier with the mount on top a nice cover to keep the rain off and the hot summer heat off to a point is a good thing.
Hi Dan. Definitely a big bonus to your hobby. Better stability and ease of use and set up. Have you seen the pop up tent I use when away on trips and in my garden? czcams.com/video/mnCQQC23M6M/video.html if you scroll 10:00 mins in on this video link you'll see it. Really good and useful and works a treat. (not expensive either) there is a link to it in the description.
Very Nice. Great Job
Thank you very much
Now that’s a good idea, will have to make me one of these
Really worth the effort
Very nice indeed. Looks professionally made. Love the cable management "holes". I dont have an observatory myself (yet), but regarding the 1 cubic meter of concrete - i agree with you.
I have a beltmodded and tuned EQ6 with SKF bearings, and i have it out on my balcony which consists of wooden planks. There is vibration for sure, so when i do the PA routine with Sharpcap, i need to have my computer inside to go and check after adjusting, all because of vibrations. But when ive left the balcony and shooting, then i guide stable at 0.4 - 0.6". I believe your pier is rock solid if your not living on top of a vulcano or in between some tectonic plates:)
Exactly.that’s good numbers you are getting. Mine recently has dropped off a bit so will look at my belts but am planning a tune up with a strip down and regrease
@@Astrobloke Yes, it took alot of time, blood, sweat and tears to get there, but i got to know my mount better. My 2 main issues after the tune and belt mod was: backlash and and a oscillating RA graph. Backlash i just learned to live with by having the setup slightly east-heavy (RA) and scope "back"-heavy (DEC). The oscillating RA made was displayed as a peak at 10.2s when doing frequency analysis (PHD2 Log viewer). This is the tooth to tooth period for EQ6, and i learnt that that peak meant not enough tension on the belt.
Maybe too much information, but the point was that it was neat to use the PHD Log viewer software to analyse belt tension instead of fiddling too much on the mount :)
@@Hegegutt i may have to venture down the same route. I suspect its belt tension as I have never touched anything since buying it. Now its all bedded in I am sure some small adjustments are needed. I’ll still strip and regrease as these mounts don’t normally come packed with the best.
Nice job
Thanks! Worked brilliantly and have since built newer ones much bigger. czcams.com/video/KPBTP9BkJkg/video.html
for people thinking of build a pier, before you start running wires, run a half dozen strings through the pipe. You can use these in the future to add more wires, just tie one end to the wire and pull it through.
Now that's a great tip and one I needed when I built this, would have made life easier although I got there in the end.
Yes, same process as running electrical wires, instead of multiple strings, just use 1 good string and make an endless loop, secure each end to themselves and then just attach the wire(s) to them and loop it through. Then detach the wire or wires and you still have the string available in the event you need to run additional wires. Once you are sure you are done, cut the string and pull through. Cheers and clear skies.
Agree, I'm using a 'rat cage' with a heavy rig and it is perfectly fine.
Its amazing how many think that though
@@Astrobloke really depends on the cage itself too.
It does, if the supports are a good diameter and not too tall then its fine.
Great video thanks and also your roll off roof observatory one too.
I am looking to add a permanent pier to my set up and also a small shed to cover it and protect it from the UK weather, can I ask a few questions please?
1 Firstly, what type of insulation did you cover the shed inside in?
2 Also where did you get the aluminium air ducting pipe from, I have been searching but cannot find any online they all appear to be flexible??
3 Where did you get the M12 bolts with a kink at the end to put into the concrete?
4 Is that a tubular heater in the corner. I have been looking at an 80w one, are these a good way to go? Do you keep this on during the winter to prevent damp conditions inside the observatory??
I have been considering this for some time and you have given me a kick to starting one this year! Unfortunately, I don't have a large garden to take a 6'x4' shed in the corner also because my horizons are not too good so I would need to position my pier mid garden so was considering a 4'x3' Keter Manor Apex shed. Then the decision whether to have a roll off roof with such a small shed? I have seen other videos online with Backyard Astronomy of a similar shed but rolling the whole shed away from the pier to use. I think this may suit my purpose better and would appreciate your thoughts and any tips in building it. Like you, I don't have a massive budget so want to minimise my mistakes.
I shall find some links for you and reply fully tomorrow.
Hi Julian and thank you for your comments.
The insulation I got from ebay. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373021746297 and just cut it to size and attached it using double sided tape I bought from B&Q
Try here for ducting
easyhvac.co.uk/index.php?id_product=27&controller=product&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmL-ABhDFARIsAKywVadBvsqaDIfiveW2quEQDFChzt_zZb1rzwB0rt1afrpWRjxPELt-4rcaAu5TEALw_wcB
its called spiral ducting. I bought a 3m length 150mm in diameter. If I was to do it again I would most probably go 200mm
The M12 bolts I got from ebay. I bent the end myself using a vice and a blow torch. It was hard to do so I only bent 2 of them and the other 2 I loaded with large washers and nuts. You could do this with all 4 to be honest.
The tube heater is a 60w greenhouse/shed heater and with the insulation does a great job without costing much to run. I have it plugged into a thermostat plug ( Elixir Gardens ® Thermo-Guard Digital Control Plugin Thermostat TH-928T from Amazon) so its only on when needed. I think in the corner if its black is a mosquito zapper.
With a smaller shed you could just use the same rail and wheels that I used for the roof of my obsey as they are rated for security gates so would have no issues supporting the weight.
I hope this all helps but by all means contact me if I can help further.
Glenn
Thats impressive
Thanks
if you wanted to get that cigarette lighter port at the bottom, drop a piece of string down the pipe, and tie it to the non cigarette lighter part of the cable, then pull it back up (providing the entire cable length is long enough). You'll have your DC port up top and cigarette port at the bottom.
Thats exactly what i did in the end and it worked great. Thank you
Nice!!!
Thank you Klaas
Great and informative video, thanks. Question - when you mentioned "50 x 50 x 50 hole filled with concrete" what measurements were you using, as later in your video you mentioned that a cubic metre of concrete could be OTT. You've done a great job with your observatory and thanks for sharing.
Hi there and thank you. I did 50cm x 50cm x 50cm. This has been ample for me and over a year of continuous use rock solid. Seen many quote 1mcubed as minimum but this was from an old video and only an opinion after all. You can put whatever you think necessary. I made a judgement on what I thought was enough and to keep it within reasonable work and cost limits. Clear skies
@@Astrobloke OK cheers m8. Seems like you got it just right :) Thanks & clear skies to you too
Interesting, if you need a 2nd floor observatory how tall can the pier be, what diameter to length ratio should it be, and for the base, would circular or globe be better at eliminating vibrations than a square cube? great video!!
I am sure there is a calculation somewhere for the ideal or minimum diameter to height for something like that. I would have thought re the base the higher it is the wider that should be, hadn't ever thought of shape and thats got me thinking. Thank you for commenting.
Great vid again. How deep/wide did you do the hole?
Thanks
Hi and thank you. The hole I dug was 50cm3.....so 50x50x50
@@Astrobloke Hi Glen Do you remember how many UK bags of concrete/aggregate and sand it took pls? 1:2:4?
@@alalal1979 i used 2 bags of cement and 10 bags of ballast. 1:5. Ballast is a sand and aggregate mix
Hi Glenn , Gradually getting parts together for the pier build ,would i be right in saying you use a large washer on the underside of the adapter and put a bolt through to hold everything together . once again many thanks r.madley
Hi Richard, Yes that is correct. I ordered a smaller round steel plate when I ordered the larger one for the top of the pier. Drilled a hole in it to make a washer.
Hi Glenn, very nice build mate. I'm just about to embark on a mini roll off roof obsy and your video is the most detailed, but I have a couple of questions...
Does your 150mm tube sit at the bottom of your 50cm3 hole? and do you have any rebar or such like at the bottom to give it more strength?
Also, your 3mm plate. Is it just held against the concrete surface by the four adapters or is it attached in some way to the tube?
Cheers, Tim
Hi Tim,
Good luck with your build. Yes the tube goes to the bottom of the hole and I sat it on some rebar grid and have rebar rods running up also. The plate just sits on top of the tube and the 4 adapters bolt it down tightly so didn’t see any need to attach it any further. I attached the 4 threaded rods through the plate to the adapters and made sure it was all as tight as possible with a nut underneath and then sank it into the wet cement.
@@Astrobloke Thanks for the reply matey
Thank you for a great video ,i would be pleased if you could let me know the diameter of the tube,
Its 150mm. If i was doing it again i would go 200mm. Mine performs perfectly well and doesn’t have any issues. I just think a slightly wider pier would look better
@@Astrobloke Thank you for your advice and for the videos you put out ,so helpful and informative cheers.
amazing work. definitely going to do this. let me ask you though, whats the minimum height you can make one for a relatively normal setup. lets say no bigger than yours
Hi and thank you for watching. Mine are about 0.7M in height. With my CT10 when its vertical the bottom is about 40cm from the floor. So I would say 50cm would be the lowest but it really does depend on the length of your scope.
Thanks so much for the replies@@Astrobloke
Question, I'm planning on building a permant pier in my back yard, what is the concern on the frost line, I believe you mentioned? Any help would be appreciated. Great video by the way!
Hi and thank your for your question.. this will vary depending on where you are in the world. In the UK it is recommended that a hole at least 0.45M deep is recommended. You can do an online search for where you live but other factors like soil type etcetera makes a difference. So clay and large roots from trees. Hope this helps? Whereabouts are you?
Located USA Georgia
richard madley , i have followed your links to the bolt adapters and threaded bar , you have mentioned m12 bar but the link says m10 i have ordered the m10 so i hope these will be okay . i know its a bit of a cheek but is it possible you could place the link to the round steel plates on ebay thanks again so much for the help you have given rich.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363510422909
Try that link. I bought slightly larger diameter than the pipe and 3 mm thick
Hi Glenn, I'm just getting the pier materials together. Did you use ready mixed concrete in bags for the pier base and column? I'm looking at B & Q where postcrete is nearly half the price of readymix concrete for the same quantity. Any feelings which is best? I am no builder. Also I've calculated 16 bags for 0.5m3 + pier. Seems like a lot but I know volume can be very deceptive.
Hi Mark. I mixed my own with 1 bag of concrete to 5 bags of sand/ballast. It was a bit of rough guesswork on my part. Its surprising how much you need to fill a hole and then the tube as well. I think I found a calculator online.
@@Astrobloke Thanks Glenn. I think self mixing will work out cheaper so I'll probably go for that. I meant to ask if you used any steel reinforcing bars to bind the pier to the base? I guess if the pipe is embedded in the base rather than added afterwards this might not be necessary. Thanks again!
Hi Glenn, the observatory is taking shape here. Pier built, walls up and now to sort the sliding roof. As it is forecast to be clear tonight I thought I would test the pier with my EQ6R Pro but I have encountered an odd problem. I wondered if you had found the same issue. I have a Skywatcher pier adapter from Altair Astro which looks like yours however the central hole in it is much bigger than the diameter of the washer on the attaching screw which screws into the bottom of the mount from underneath to secure it to the pier adapter. From the brief glimpse of what I can see of the underside of the pier adapter in your video it looks like you have a big washer to allow the screw to bind the mount against the adapter. I've done some searching and can't find anyone else with this problem. My EQ6R is second-hand so maybe I have an attachment missing? Did you have to get any additional fittings when you fixed your mount to the pier? Any help appreciated! Cheers. Mark
Hi Mark. No I had the same issue that you did. What I did was jump on ebay and buy a metal disc and drill a hole in the centre and used a cut down M12 thread and 2 x M12 bolts to make what I needed to bolt it down. It is a large hole.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363510422909?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item54a2e8dd7d:g:OkkAAOSwOCxfDxhB&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA4BCCXCQFzlAtZtFj01ObEL0dRm7GvOfy3XxAD8yqxl2E1imF%2FMOIIk8cQrY1ExkFQEVSZL9TvrHHNhIxOVLUbMJXkR%2BZWD%2Fiim8H51kDJNgEhKHxFDFtSfDoVl1J%2BYJDPy3pM6gh5%2BEw4SnnvkjF71HmNkeBrgEaNK30vYk6qRfJj9rh0lajHgSmhcxae17YbdM03L8GWDwSR6IegvtVMr56gxZxIHaEm0GEp7cCzwqdN2%2BgFvRsGIzuk4XPrQtr3x7Wlq3weIeEGZ%2BBdIYU7O83m3T3Hq%2FqcQ%2B0U4K%2FYLJp%7Ctkp%3ABFBMmJfz-4Vg
Sorry the link is so huge but cut and paste that. There are others with stainless steel etc. Can't remember the size but it sits inside the bigger hole.
Astrobloke, Having arrived very late to the party but how high did you make the pier above floor level and if you were to do it again would you make any changes in height? Thanks for your help. Cheers, Chris Perry.
Hi Ainsly. The pier is 110cm above the floor level. I measured how high the top of my mount was and built the pier so that was about 12" below the wall height. This was so I could comfortably park any scope I had mounted and it was high enough to get a good sky view
Hi Glenn hope your well.
I don't know if i missed this in the video. Just wondering, how high is it from floor of observatory to the top of the pier not including the adaptor?
Im planning out at the moment and hopefully going to start putting one together in the late spring , with the scope of building a full observatory at some point. Iv'e also decided I like the air con and inner pipe design so im going to do the same. Since you have built it has it been ok for you?
Hi Ben. Its about 110cm from the floor to the top. The pipe is another 60cm roughly in length with the bottom sunk into the concrete base.
Its been brilliant. The only difference I would do next time is go for a wider diameter . I’s opt for 200mm or even a bit larger
@@Astrobloke Brilliant, Cheers for getting back to me on that Glenn and for the extra info. I will keep that in mind.
Take it easy mate!!!
@@CosmuzzAstro no worries mate. Any questions just let me know, happy to help
@@Astrobloke Hi Glenn, why would you go for 200mm? Is it just to future-proof it for bigger scopes or have you noticed issues with the smaller 150mm column? Thanks. Mark
@@secretstill hi mate. Yes really just future proofing. Saying that it now has the EQ8 and CT10 on it and has no issues at all. Doubt I will ever go bigger than that. 150mm has been more than adequate
how much do the sidewalls there obstruct the telescope's view? looks like it might
I cannot image below 30deg. To be honest I have found the seeing much lower than this is pretty poor anyways and for me I have quite a lot of trees that lower walls would not have provided more view, I considered wall height a lot and so many factors play a part. Higher walls provide better wind protection and also because my Obsy is automated I can close the roof even with the scope up so no dangers of any accidents.
What do people think of using a Telephone pole as a pier? I have a 6 foot x 12 inch section that I would like to use, as I already have it. The shed will not be attached to the pier.
I am sure that would makes a good solid pier. Some say wood moves too much with temp and weather changes but if inside an obsy it wouldn’t be as exposed. If I used one I would seal and paint it as well. Let me know if you go ahead would love to hear how it works
@@Astrobloke Sure thing! As it has been outside, I think I'll give it a month or three before I seal it. ;)
Question.
I see that you have both the Skywatcher coma corrector and the baader.
I also own a 130pds.... Which is best. Thanks
I haven’t noticed much difference between them to be honest. The only reason I have the sky watcher is a friend was selling it and it provided 0.9 reducer so dropped FL to 585 from 650 and dropped the F stop to 4.5
@@Astrobloke many thanks. I've read many different reviews, some say the baader isn't that great on the full field , that the skywatcher was better but had reflections sometimes. Just can't decide which one to buy.
Great videos BTW
@@rushandothercoversongs6166 thank you. I think some people over analyse stuff. Both work well so choose on whether you want a wider fov or
not i suppose.
@@Astrobloke sorry another question. Your observatory is lined with foil insulation. I have a metal shed lined with the same.
Don't you find it to reflect alot of light which may detract from your images?
I am considering lining my insulation with the matt fabric type garden weed cloth
@@rushandothercoversongs6166 It has not made any difference what so ever but I suppose it depends how much light is about to reflect. I was something I considered and was just going to cover with some black cloth or spray paint it even if it caused any issues.
Hi, how much cost your observatorie structure?
czcams.com/video/5aq4PHKy_jI/video.html
Everything you need to know plus costs are in this video
What did you use as polar alignment pin on the pier adapter ?
How height is the pier mount?
I used the pin that came with the eq6 tripod. The pier height from the ground is 1.2m. Hope that all helps.
@@Astrobloke Thanks, made.
Very inspiring. Will turn the kids playhouse into an observatory.
Your design will be perfect 😊
@@Astrobloke
Did you experience any movement of the pier during frost?
@@One1Raptor no not at all. The pier is inside a roll off roof Observatory so frost is not really ever an issue.
@@Astrobloke Cool.
What diameter tube did you use to feel with concrete?