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10.00 Optics dewed again. Though it wasn't so cold last night. 39F. I removed and dried the D-ERF with the hair drier. Remembering to shield the objective from direct sunlight. The I turned the telescope away from the sun while I warmed the objective. Both dew bands on full. The D-ERF blocks the sun's warmth to the objective which might otherwise help to clear the dew.
10.30 Thin cloud obscuring the sun. Making the sky white. Using the 1.6x GPC for wider field of view for the large, southerly filament. Far too much gain needed even at 10m/s exposure. [200] No useful image so far.
Now my neighbour's tree is rocking over the image! I have set the telescope almost vertical to warm in the sunshine. I can feel warmth on the woodwork in the dome. So there is some solar heat to be gained. With the objective at the top I'm hoping for some chimney effect.
I kept capturing new videos but the images were spoilt by the thickening cloud from the NW.
13.00 I have fitted two larger skate wheels to the right shutter. It rolls far better but the wheels need much better support and from both sides. The wheels are leaning over with the long, cantilevered bolt into the bottom board.
Being so "grippy" the rubber is dragging as it rubs against the channel. I thought I was missing something obvious but the "top hat" spacers were for 6mm screws. I am using 8mm bolts which match the bearings. I am wondering if I can use large metal or plastic spacers to keep the wheels upright.
I had to trim the slit ribs to allow the larger wheels to pass. Then trim the bottoms of the shutter ribs so they didn't drag on the channel. The bottoms of the shutters need to be lifted, pushed outwards, or both. They aren't concentric with the dome. The gap is smaller at the top of the original door height.
13.05. Full overcast has arrived. Time for lunch.
Heavier cloud in the afternoon with a shower at 16.00.
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