DIY Astroscan Telescope Chair Mount

The Astroscan ball scope is my choice of high power binoculars replacement for relaxed observations of wide field objects. To boost the comfort even more, I've made a very simple but extremely efficient and very compact camping chair mount for its base. 

A small pouch and a single pole pictured above are all I need to pack. Both are riding right in the chair's sack.

Car roof carrier - transformer (Continued)

Just added two wheels. Found a pair in my scrap bin (scavenged from an old collapsible shopping cart, I believe). Two small aluminum L-shapes were drilled to accept 2 bolts (one for the wheel, and one for the board mounting) and for 2 screws (to fix the wheel alignment) - each.

In order to keep the car roof carrier function I had to move the footrest / leg / roof rail stop - a bit higher. The new, not oiled yet, insert is visible directly under the footrest piece. The gap between the wheel and the shelf must be wide enough to accept the car roof rail when covered with 2 layers of the tarp. In addition, the higher location of the foot rest makes climbing into the chair easier when it's set high.

Car roof carrier - transformer (Part II, The Chair)

Finally, the test drive of the chair is completed with a great success in the stern conditions of Mojave desert (California). See the photo set of the construction details explained below.

The transformation time I'm getting is less than 20 minutes from opening the trunk door to getting in the chair. However, I have in mind several easy enhancements for particular elements used in the construction, which might halve that time easily, while also removing one of the hand tools out of two required for transformation completely.

The assembled weight of the chair is equal to the assembled weight of the cradle, minus 3 styrofoam inserts and equals to 17 pounds (~8 kg). There are some possibilities for improvement there too, but I felt comfortable enough with that weight while actively observing various objects for 6 hours straight, moving the chair around and adjusting its height often.

What's left to do is to apply some protective finish (more on that later) to all of the surfaces, to add a permanent soft sitting pad, and perhaps a soft backing. So far a folded several times yoga (gym) mat worked just fine for me.

Car roof carrier - transformer (Part I, The Cradle)

We have a relatively small car (Subaru Forester). Even though the OTA and the mount fit OK inside, when one of the rear seats is folded, there is a very little space for the family and camping inventory left. The 4-night GSSP star party was coming soon. So, it's all started from the building of a dirty car roof rack carrier for my Dob OTA using some 3/4 inch plywood leftovers I had at hands. I called it the Dob Cradle.