Monsoon Season! Safeguards? - Forums

Topic starter

May 18, 2023

Hi everyone,

I'm new to Astrobin and still somewhat fresh to astrophotography. This is my 2nd summer in this amazing hobby, but since I've collected much more expensive gear in the last year, and since Arizona seems to be kicking off the monsoons early this year, I wanted to get others input on how they safeguard their equipment in the event a monsoon rips through unexpectedly. This time of year here in AZ, it may just mean staying closer to your gear with no cat naps, but curious if you have something setup that can quickly be deployed to cover your gear or how frequently you check the weather maps. Since the monsoons can materialize out of seemingly nowhere, I just wanted to see how others handled the threat, or even avoid it all together and wait til the season is over. Thanks, and clear skies!

Evan

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Bob Rucker

May 18, 2023 · Edited: May 18, 2023

Hi Evan,

I'm down in Florence and I watch the weather forecast like a hawk during monsoon season. I don't even risk setting up if there is a chance of significant storm activity. If forecasts indicate minimal risk, I will set up to image but I stay close to my equipment. There have been times that unexpected storms flare up and and I've had to bring the equipment indoors very quickly.

I have a good telescope cover but I would not trust it to protect my gear during a big storm. The high winds, dust, hail and heavy rain are to much risk for the sensitive/expensive gear. Needless to say, during last years monsoon I did not do a lot of imaging. It looks like this year might not be much better.

Bob

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Anthony Quintile

May 18, 2023 · Edited: May 18, 2023

I use a Telegizmos 365 cover year-round and leave my stuff set up wind/rain/snow with that as protection. I’ve used it for ~3 years and might need to get a new one soon because of wear and tear at 7000 ft asl in Flagstaff UV, but it’s still working fine.

As a point of clarity, I have a pier and I am able to pretty tightly close the bottof the cover around the pier which helps with dust and keeping things dry in really windy conditions.

I highly recommend it!

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Bob Rucker

May 18, 2023

Anthony Quintile:
I use a Telegizmos 365 cover year-round and leave my stuff set up wind/rain/snow with that as protection. I’ve used it for ~3 years and might need to get a new one soon because of wear and tear at 7000 ft asl in Flagstaff UV, but it’s still working fine.

As a point of clarity, I have a pier and I am able to pretty tightly close the bottof the cover around the pier which helps with dust and keeping things dry in really windy conditions.

I highly recommend it!

The cover might not be enough to protect against a monsoon hailstorm. We had a storm blow through with golf ball sized hail that resulted in about $10,000 worth of damage to my house. I don’t think my Telegizmos would have handled that.

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Anthony Quintile

May 18, 2023 · Edited: May 18, 2023

Bob Rucker:
Anthony Quintile:
I use a Telegizmos 365 cover year-round and leave my stuff set up wind/rain/snow with that as protection. I’ve used it for ~3 years and might need to get a new one soon because of wear and tear at 7000 ft asl in Flagstaff UV, but it’s still working fine.

As a point of clarity, I have a pier and I am able to pretty tightly close the bottof the cover around the pier which helps with dust and keeping things dry in really windy conditions.

I highly recommend it!

The cover might not be enough to protect against a monsoon hailstorm. We had a storm blow through with golf ball sized hail that resulted in about $10,000 worth of damage to my house. I don’t think my Telegizmos would have handled that.

Sure, but that an outlier and your homeowners insurance ought to cover the roof and the scope.

New telescope day!

Evan Drew

Topic starter

May 18, 2023

Bob Rucker:
Hi Evan,

I'm down in Florence and I watch the weather forecast like a hawk during monsoon season. I don't even risk setting up if there is a chance of significant storm activity. If forecasts indicate minimal risk, I will set up to image but I stay close to my equipment. There have been times that unexpected storms flare up and and I've had to bring the equipment indoors very quickly.

I have a good telescope cover but I would not trust it to protect my gear during a big storm. The high winds, dust, hail and heavy rain are to much risk for the sensitive/expensive gear. Needless to say, during last years monsoon I did not do a lot of imaging. It looks like this year might not be much better.

Bob

Thanks for the reply, Bob! I'm on the outskirts of Phoenix, and for whatever reason, the storms seem to part around us just before they hit. The exception is anytime I rely on that to happen, we inevitably get downpour.

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Evan Drew

Topic starter

May 18, 2023

Thanks everyone! I will likely be investing in a good cover for the everyday stuff, but for the monsoon season, I'll stay close by and keep a close eye on things. Anthony, I like the way you think but it's a bit too adventurous for me! Plus, we all know as soon as you get a new telescope, you're guaranteed to have cloudy nights for the foreseeable future.

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Michael Feigenbaum

May 18, 2023

Welcome to Astrobin, it is a really great community and there are a number of really nice AZ members here. I sure hope the monsoon is not starting already… But the weather has not been as it usually is for the last two years it seems.

I had a telescope with a cover on a CGEM. A monsoon storm ripped through and blew my rig over pretty much killing the mount. I personally would not trust a cover unless the stuff is mounted on a pier. Those Telegizmo covers have a terrific reputation and Anthony knows his stuff, that's for sure.

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Evan Drew

Topic starter

May 18, 2023

Thanks! It seems like a great community from just my first two days! I'm looking out to the North, and there is a wall of darkness headed this way for the third day in a row, so I'm thinking it's an early season this year. Here's hoping an early season means a quick season, and we get more time with the Milky Way by late June. One can dream anyway.

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Gary Seven

May 19, 2023

If you have cell coverage at your remote site, a weather radar app for you phone is great. I use MyRadar on the iPhone.

There are also good weather apps that can give you precip probabilities by the hour. If that number starts getting north of 20%, might not want to sleep during the session.

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