Chris,

Consider a "Jamiesonian." (See Sky & Tel, Sept. 1998) It's easy
to build because you don't have to bend plywood in two dimensions as you
would for a spherical dome. It has great headroom, and a full size door.
The door issue is very important for those of us who still want to unmount
to scope for a trip to a dark sky site. I like the better dew protection
provided by the small viewing aperature. In your dry environment, the
extra wind relief may be the supreme advantage.
helpful, and provided an Excel spreadsheet that calculates the height of
the side panels. Currently, I've completed a modified base ring, and will
be mounting the walls next weekend. All materials have been purchased
for about $400, including the concrete pad.

Bill


>I'm pouring the deadman (a 3'x4'x3' 5000lb solid block of concrete in
>the ground) for my concrete pier this coming weekend and am still
>undecided on how to design the building which will house my 10" LX200.
>I'd like to get feedback from those experienced souls on this list as to
>the best option for me. I have about a $1000 budget for the whole
>observatory (excluding scope and wedge). Clearly this budget will not
>permit the purchase of a Home Dome or equivalent.
>
>My observatory location will naturally be sheltered from most of my
>neighbors lights just by its location, but there are a few houses in the
>distance which will have porch lights in a direct line of sight. I also
>live right next to an easement road which on occasion will have a car
>drive by at night. For these reasons, some kind of dome design may be
>preferable. The building I am planing will be 10' x 12' with the floor
>about 3' above grade.
>
>A roll off roof design would be simpler, cheaper and easier to build
>than a dome structure, but to have the roof move off to the North will
>force me to chop down some pretty beautiful cactus and I don't
>particularly like those rails and those stilts sticking out when the
>roof is not rolled off. A roll off roof has several advantages in terms
>of simplicity, and the idea of having the whole sky open at one time is
>preferable as well.
>
>I'd be interested in hearing from anyone else who has dealt with these
>issues and also any other ideas which might be helpful.
>
>Thanks,
>Chris Vedeler
>http://www.isomedia.com/homes/cvedeler/space.htm
>Tucson, AZ

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