[Lvas] Observing Pod

Mon Apr 13 10:35:03 PDT 2009

John my typo. I have an explora-dome from polytank. A relatively
inexpensive solution. I'll send you some pics of my set up. I bought the
round building kit and dome for $1,600 or so. I then added dome rotation
to the mix for a few hundred more.

Jim Gianoulakis
Manager Application Services Mobile
702-876-7093
702-253-7213 fax
jim.gianoulakis at swgas.com 

>>> roger ivester <drivester at hotmail.com> 4/13/2009 10:29 AM >>>
Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I am sure if you have an Observa-dome product it
would be far superior to the Observing Pod. 

John only paid $1500 for his pod and it was in brand new condition when
he purchased it. 

Another amazing story. The Observa-dome at the Williams Observatory on
the campus of GWU was also hit by a relatively small F-2 tornado, and
sustained enough damage that a new dome was necessary. The observatory
is about a mile from me and the funnel cloud came within 1/8 of a mile
of my house. This is not Oklahoma, but North Carolina...however we do
have an occasional tornado.  

Observa-dome brought a new dome on a massive truck, removed the damged
one and installed a new one. I will send a picture of the observatory
again for a size reference, as it is a big dome. I am not sure of the
size. 

Roger 

Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:21:46 -0700
From: Jim.Gianoulakis at swgas.com 
To: lvas at lvlug.org 
Subject: Re: [Lvas] Observing Pod

I contemplated the sky-shed pod as well when deciding on a permanent
solution to my set up. I eventually went with a product from
observa-dome, which is a more traditional dome design. The zenith issue
was a part of that decision but also the clam shell design of the
product as well. It has it's positives, a more open feeling, you can see
the sky better. However those positives were also a negative because you
have little protection from the wind or ambient light that a traditional
dome does provide. At my location I have plenty of both. No matter how
you can accomplish it though having a permanent setup has increased my
eyepiece time a 1000% and that is what really matters. 

Jim Gianoulakis
Manager Application Services Mobile
702-876-7093
702-253-7213 fax
jim.gianoulakis at swgas.com 

>>> roger ivester <drivester at hotmail.com> 4/12/2009 11:34 AM >>>

LVAS all,

Just wanted to share a unique backyard observatory from a lifelong
friend and fellow observer, John Elmore. He has a variety of
instruments, a 10-inch LX200, 10-inch Meade Schmidt-Newtonian and too
many smaller telescopes to list.

John and I grew up slightly over a mile apart, "as the crow flies".
Over a couple of fields and through a patch of woods.

I have been wanting to take some pictures of John's home observatory
for the longest time. He bought it used in Virginia. He said that the
assembly was very easy and he had it ready to go in no time.

This is the type of backyard observatory that I have been wanting for
some time.

John made some adjustments to the base and sent the first three
pictures . This allows him to move the entire base when on occasion the
roof hampers his visibility at the zenith when imaging.

It should also be noted that the picture of Johns log house is his
second. In May of 1989 his first home was completed destroyed by an F-5
tornado...yes an F-5. This is a rarity in western North Carolina.

Just another bit of trivia. One day John and I were riding our bicycles
during the summer of 1965 (a mutual agreement regarding the date) and we
had a bicycle race. This was my first official race. Neither of us can
remember who won. At the time I was 12 years old and John was ten. 

Little did I know that I would eventually ride over 100,000 miles and
would enter quite a few Pro/AM races with good success. 

Enjoy, and best regards, Roger Ivester 

From: jbcustom at darrcam.com 
To: drivester at hotmail.com 
Subject: POD
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:36:39 -0400

Hi Roger
Here are the pics I told you about. Hope someone can benefit from
them.
John

Rediscover Hotmail*: Get quick friend updates right in your inbox.
Check it out. (
http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Updates1_042009
) 
The information in this electronic mail communication contains
confidential information which is the property of the sender and may be
protected by the attorney-client privilege and/or attorney work product
doctrine. It is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this e-mail
by anyone else is unauthorized by the sender. If you are not the
intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure,
copying, or distribution of the contents of this e-mail transmission or
the taking or omission of any action in reliance thereon or pursuant
thereto, is prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you received this e-mail
in error, please notify us immediately of your receipt of this message
by e-mail and destroy this communication, any attachments, and all
copies thereof. Thank you for your cooperation.

Rediscover Hotmail*: Now available on your iPhone or BlackBerry Check
it out. (
http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Mobile1_042009
) 

The information in this electronic mail communication contains confidential information which is the property of the sender and may be protected by the attorney-client privilege and/or attorney work product doctrine.  It is intended solely for the addressee.  Access to this e-mail by anyone else is unauthorized by the sender.  If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or distribution of the contents of this e-mail transmission or the taking or omission of any action in reliance thereon or pursuant thereto, is prohibited, and may be unlawful.  If you received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately of your receipt of this message by e-mail and destroy this communication, any attachments, and all copies thereof.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lvlug.org/pipermail/lvas/attachments/20090413/237b1999/attachment.htm 