Winds are an issue where I image and so a wind screen is a must. I looked all over for a relatively cheap, sturdy and redundant wind screen, but I didn't find any that I liked so I made one myself. It has lasted for several months so far without a problem (up to about 20 mph), so I thought I would share the design. One note - the design relies on sleeves in the ground to hold the vertical posts, so it will not work for a paved surface.

My criteria for the screen is that it be a reasonable cost (total cost of mine was about $120), quick to setup and take down (about 10 minutes), and redundant. By redundant, I mean that if a major component failed, I wouldn't be in danger of the screen collapsing and damaging my setup. The key to the design is that it uses both guylines and ground support sleeves in tandom, either of which would be sufficient by itself to hold the screen in 20 mph winds. I am a structural engineer and I think the design is fairly sound, but you obviously are taking on any risk if you build it. As described here, the screen design allows imaging down to about 40 degrees above the horizon. I have a second set of shorter screens if I need to image lower than that.

Each PVC frame is 8 ft high and 10 ft wide. I use two, and set them up against the prevailing wind direction. Here are the dimensions and descriptions of the main components. All of the PVC pipe is Schedule 40 or its equivalent (i.e., not the thin wall stuff):

• Wind Screen - 6 ft x 10 ft mesh fabric. You don't want to use something solid here like a sheet of plastic - you want mesh so that the wind comes through just a bit. I bought the E&K Sunrise 6' x 10' Black Commercial Outdoor Backyard Shade Mesh for $17 each.

• Main Vertical Posts (2) - 8 ft high, 1-1/2" PVC. The wind screen is attached to the main posts with zipties. At the top of each main post I glued a 1-1/2" T, each end of which holds the crossbrace and also provides a connection point for the guyline.

• Middle Vertical Post (1) - 8 ft 4 inches high, 1-1/2" PVC. This post is not attached to the screen. It simply provides support to the screen and also to the crossbrace.

• Top Horizontal Crossbrace (1) - 10 ft long, 1-1/4" PVC. This brace fits into the T at the top of each main post. This brace is not glued to the T, it is held in place by the natural compression in the frame design.

• Ground Sleeves (3) - 1 ft long, 2" PVC

• Zipties - Connects screen mesh to each vertical post.

• Paracord (2) - 750# cord, 16 ft length with a loop at each end. Paracord fits over the top of each corner post. The middle post does not need a guyline.

• Plastic Tree Stakes (2) - 15" long, top is flush with the ground, top has hook for holding the paracord.

In my 2 screen configuration, the closest distance from each screen to the center of the imaging area is about 7 ft.

Please let me know if you have any questions.