Contact:

Heather Teeter, President

Robert Teeter, Customer Relations

(973) 495-4462

Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034

Hours:

Monday-Friday 9am-9pm *Eastern*

PAYPAL ACCEPTED

Updated 2/26/2010

Welcome to Shrouds by Heather! Our mission is to bring a product to market for which there is a great demand; custom sized shrouds for Truss Dobsonians. Whether they be commercially available Dobsonians or homemade, we can provide a shroud for almost every application.

Our work was originally limited to shrouds for the Teeter's Telescopes line of Planet-Killer and TT/4.5 scopes, but with an expanded facility and improved equipment, we can meet the needs of many more amateur astronomers.

Our custom shrouds can now be found on scopes manufactured by David Lukehurst, Discovery Telescopes, MiniDobs, Obsession Telescopes, StarMaster Telescopes and many home-built designs. Whether your Truss Scope has four or eight poles, we can custom design a shroud to meet your needs. I personally invite you to Email or call us with your scope's specs and allow Shrouds by Heather to make a shroud that is truly tailored to your individual scope, whether commercial or home-built.

*Please note: Regretfully, our shrouds are not currently compatible with 3-pole and 6-pole designs; ie. Meade Lightbridge and SkyWatcher collapsible Dobs.

ABOUT THE SHROUDS

Every Shroud by Heather is layed out, measured, re-measured, sewn and inspected with great care prior to shipment. We use only the finest Nylon/Lycra blended materials, which in concert with elastic banding on each end of the shroud yield a light-tight enclosure around the open section of your Truss Dobsonian.

Unlike other manufacturers' shrouds, ours are not made from "kite material" and will not sag into the optical pathway of the scope. The materials we use make for a form-fitting, curve-hugging, aestetically pleasing shroud.

There are no draw-strings to break, as on other "custom" shrouds, or tie-downs that rip the fabric, as on some large manufacturers' products,or velcro and snaps that come loose on our shrouds. Simply put, each shroud is custom tailored to your individual telescope and requires no adjustment on your end (simply leave the shroud bunched up around the bottom of your UTA and then pull it down over the Truss poles when assembling the scope).

Furthermore, water will not collect on the shroud surface and then drip onto your primary, as one large scope manufacturer's shrouds allow. Instead, Shrouds by Heather allow the dew to gently soak into the shroud material and spread out, keeping drips from forming. The shroud need only be left outside the next morning for our resilient material to air dry.

A SAMPLING OF PAST WORK

Seen below are a few representations of our work, shown on various Teeter's Telescopes (from left to right; 8" f/8, 8" f/8, 17" f/5.8, 10" f/5.6, 10" f/6):

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And for those customers that require specialized coloration to their shrouds in order to match existing patterns or colors, we gladly cater to those requests. Angie, a Park Ranger at Bryce Canyon in Utah, recently purchased a Royal Blue Shroud to match the focuser and Upper Tube Assembly baffle (two pictures below and left), while Rick, a fire fighter from TX, had to have one of our "Fire Engine Red" shrouds for his new 12.5" Obsession.

Rick had this to say: "It got here and it's beautiful! I love the red! I'm a Fire Fighter and that's what I wanted... fire engine red! I love the truss pole case too, but I know I'll get some comments like "WHERE DID YOU GET A RED COVER?" Thanks!"

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Josh and his wife Carol are also pleased with their purchases from Shrouds by Heather, including a Red Shroud for their 15" Obsession Truss-Dob and a matching Red Truss Carry Case. They had the following to say:

"Everything worked without a hitch. The case works like a charm. It is awesome to be at a star party and be able to tell exactly which scope is yours from a few hundred yards away...the red was most definitely unique. I told people where it came from too and they were shocked at the reasonable price. It looks great and is absorbent to keep the water from dripping on the primary. Thank you again for the great products!"

Shrouds by Heather also creates shrouds for scopes of all different shapes and sizes, including after-market shrouds for some professionally manufactured scopes as well (Right-to-Left: 8"/16" Australian-built scopes, 10" f/5 home-built, 14" home-built from the Netherlands, 16" home-built with proud owner, 18" f/4.5 Obsession, 14" fully motorized UK-built scope):

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Shrouds by Heather also creates shrouds for some of the smaller commercial Truss-Dob and Accessory manufacturers. These include Javana Manufacturing Company (creator of the MiniDob) and Wood Wonders Astronomy Products:

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WHY HAVE A SHROUD?

There is a great debate whether shrouds are indeed necessary for visual observations out in the field, and there are strong opinions on both sides. Our thinking is of course in-line with the necessity of a shroud in all but the darkest, dew-free and people-free environments.

Most observing in our current time takes places in suburban observing landscapes, or at best brighter rural landscapes. Light pollution has become a factor in most astronomers' observing sessions, except for those fortunate enough to have access to truly dark locations many tens, or even hundreds, of miles from population centers. It is this ambient light that can enter the optical pathway of a Truss Dobsonian and reduce contrast at the eyepiece. This is particularly true for those scopes where, when looking down the drawtube of the focuser (without an eyepiece), you can see out the top of the Upper Tube Assembly (UTA) or out the bottom of the UTA, or possibly both. A shroud will help take care of light entering the focal plane from below. The same is also true for your mirrorbox, as light can potentially be entering through the open top and reducing contrast.

If you have seen Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes (SCT) out in the field, chances are you have seen dew-caps that extend past the front of the main corrector. These help combat dew from settling on the corrector, and the same thought process holds true on Truss Dobsonians. By adding a shroud in front of the primary mirror, you are in essence allowing the scope forward of the primary to act as a giant dew-cap, keeping your primary dew-free in even the most damp of conditions.

Lastly, there's always the fear of dropping tools, eyepieces or other misc. parts next to your scope during an observing session. The same goes for people walking near your scope, especially children who may not be aware of the pricelessness of the primary mirror residing at the bottom of your open mirrorbox. For most scopes, the height of the mirrorbox is at hand-level or lower, increasing the risk of something inadvertently being dropped onto the primary. A shroud is an excellent way to seal up your tube assembly so you can have a worry free observing session.

ARE THERE CHOICES FOR COLORS?

Yes, indeed! Shrouds (and Truss Cases) by Heather are truly customized products. Our standard color is, of course, black, but we understand there are some applications where an exterior coloration of black does not fit the bill. Perhaps your UTA baffle and focuser are a specialized color, or your scope is painted a particular color. In these cases we can work with you to produce a shroud that will compliment, and not clash with, the design of your scope. Below are shown four of our most popular colors, but additional colors and shades are also available, please inquire.

*NOTE: For those shrouds (but not Truss Cases) that will have an exterior color other than black, a black liner must be sewn in the interior of the shroud to retain the darkening ability when on the scope. There is a slight up-charge for this service, pricing is shown below.

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BLACK....................ROYAL BLUE....................FIRE ENGINE RED....................NAVY BLUE

~ Truss Pole Carry Cases, TOO! ~ aaaa

"The truss pole case is a perfect fit. The case diameter allows me to easily slip each of the 8 poles into the sack without having to be too mindful of their placements (so it can be done quickly--I like quick!) and yet once all poles are in the sack it is fairly full meaning that there isn't excessive shifting of the poles inside. This helps me stack it better when loading the car." - S. Edmiston. from LA.

"Got the pole bag today. Great product and excellent craftsmanship, much higher value than the price." - J. Price from CA.

"Wow, the case is very professional! Heather did an awesome job, and the accessory pouch is a perfect extra!" - J. Miller from NJ.

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Shrouds by Heather is proud to announce custom-made Truss Pole Carry Cases to our line of telescope accessories. Now keep your Truss-Dobsonian's truss poles from rolling around the back of your vehicle on the way to a Star Party and keep them safe while in storage between observing sessions. Each case is made from heavy water-repellent Nylon, features a draw-string cord and double-thickness bottom to keep the poles protected and secure. Additionally, each case comes standard with a pocket and snap on the exterior for accessories (standard pocket size is large enough to fit a magazine, as shown).

PRICING*:

(Color options, ordering and shipping information available below)

* When placing order, please specify number of and diameter of truss poles (usually either 1.00" or 1.25") and any additional thickness added by foam padding/covering.

CURRENT 2010 SHROUD PRICING; DELIVERY AND SHIPMENT OF SHROUDS AND CASES

8" - 10" Aperture Truss Dobs (upto f/8), $65.00 (add $10.00 for black liner for colors other than black)

12.5" - 15" Aperture Truss Dobs (upto f/7), $85.00 (add $20.00 for black liner for colors other than black)

16" - 18" Aperture Truss Dobs (upto f/5), $105.00 (add $30.00 for black liner for colors other than black)

*USPS Priority Mail (3-day) shipping within the Continental United States is included with the above pricing.

*WE SHIP WORLDWIDE - First-Class Air Mail is available for an additional $20.00 for customers outside of the United States.

*Please note: Regretfully, our shrouds are not currently compatible with 3-pole and 6-pole designs; ie. Meade Lightbridge and SkyWatcher collapsible Dobs.

All we need from you are the three D's:

Diameter measurement at bottom of Upper Tube Assembly (do not including any hardware that protrudes from the UTA, unless protrusion is excessive, ie. 4"+).

Diagonal measurement across top of Mirrorbox (do not including any hardware that protrudes from the UTA, unless protrusion is excessive, ie. 4"+).

Distance (length) from top of mirrorbox to bottom of Upper Tube Assembly when scope is assembled.

Schedule:

Lead Time is currently approximately 1 week from receipt of order for both Shrouds and Truss Cases.

Payment:

Personal checks or money orders (bank or Postal) are accepted. When sending check or money order, please make payable to and mail to:

Teeter's Telescopes, LLC.

105 Hiawatha Blvd.

Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034

PayPal is also accepted through: shrouds@teeterstelescopes.com

(Please include 3% to cover PayPal service fees)

We may be contacted Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm ET at (973)-495-4462.

Email correspondences to: shrouds@teeterstelescopes.com

Copyright 2010, Shrouds by Heather, Teeter's Telescopes, LLC.