Cannot let go

[Moonshane]

I have what most sane people would consider far too many scopes. They all have a reason though and serve a genuine purpose.....honest. Whenever I walk into my 'office' shared with my wife it strikes me and sometimes I toy with the idea of scaling down my collection. Eyepieces are not really a concern as I tend to keep this to one standard flight case plus another for my finders and filters an they don't take up too much room.

I currently have three largish dobs (16" f4, 12" f4 and 6" f11) plus two large fracs (120mm ED f7.5 and Tal 100mm f10 (converted to a Ha solar scope)) plus a smaller frac (Meade 80mm f6 APO).

All but the biggest dob are used regularly and it's this scope which I most often think about selling. Since I got my 12" f4 which is much easier to handle and cools a lot faster, I use it only for star parties maybe once / twice a year and this irks me as it's such a wonderful scope. Rather paradoxically, I believe that I'd use it a lot more frequently if I got rid of the 12"  but this is such a lovely and convenient scope to use that I am loathe to be rid of it. I am also toying with the idea of creating a more compact truss system as although I can current get it in the car, it would be a lot more convenient to create more compact unit. This would also, I believe create more impetus to travel with it.

No doubt I will retain all of these scopes and it's a nice problem to have but I'd be interested if others have the same conundrum or if you are rather more cut-throat. I have no issue getting rid of things I don't use generally but feel that these items would be much harder to replace than say an eyepiece should I place them on the chopping block.

[Stub Mandrel]

Lend it to a trusted friend ;-)

[Moonshane]

Not a bad idea actually!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

You could always sell some to finance more EPs. Those are easier to hide

[Vox45]

Or maybe storing them at a local asto club so other people could enjoy them

[xtreemchaos]

if i didnt use it i would sell it, but you said you use it at star partys so its still worth keeping, sorry im not very helpfull just thinking out lould.. charl

[RikM]

I have few things that hardly get used, but the times I do use them, the enjoyment I get is worth far more than what I would get from selling them.

[John]

Sometime ago, when my largest scope (a Meade 12" Lightbridge) fell into relative disuse because it was too heavy for me to move around easily, I decided, with some qualms because I had it nicely modded and sorted, to sell it and downsize my max aperture to 10". I was glad I did this because the 10" was used much more frequently.

Fortunately a lighter 12" came along so I was able to get back into that aperture niche again without a repeat of the Lightbridge issues, no small thanks to the mount you made me Shane

I have a similar situation to you in that the vast majority of my viewing is done from home. If I had a larger aperture dob, it would be seldom used from home and therefore only really get an outing at the SGL star parties.

I don't know if you keep observing notes but I've started this recently and they are a good way to remind yourself of when you last used a particular scope and whether it still has a "unique selling point" in your arsenal. If it ticks some boxes that you would miss if they could not be ticked, even if relatively infrequently then it's worth keeping I reckon. Your larger aperture scope is probably about the most convienient way to get 16" of aperture and they don't come on the market very often (I've been looking out for them ) so once it's gone it's going to be tough to get another I reckon.

Why not loan it to a friend for a while and see how much you miss it ?.

[happy-kat]

Reads like there is no burning space crisis to address but rather a feeling of can I justify having something used occasionally. I find I don't know I miss something I once had until that moment when you realise you do and really shouldn't have left it go then it's too late.

[F15Rules]

It's a much bigger decision to let a scope go than an eyepiece Shane. If you don't need to for financial reasons and you still like the scope ( and you clearly do!), I'd say keep it:-)

Dave

[scarp15]

That scope under dark skies will be terrific. The problem with star parties is of course that they are fixed events and the weather cannot be guaranteed, so using the OOUK16 dob at other times would be perhaps more feasible. Recently the clutch went in my old Skoda Fabia. I took a tape measure with me to car show rooms and we now have a Nissan Note, which is ample good enough for my VX14 (the family like it to). So if or when your car gets to its last legs so to speak, scale up marginally with the 16" in mind. If you are able to plan to meet with others then they ought assist with setting it up onto the mount.

[Moonshane]

Cheers all

I think I will err on the cautious side for the hard to replace reasons if nothing else. I could of course find a way to spend the money I could sell the scope for (new focusers for the other scopes, a couple of new eyepieces and a mount etc) but feel I'd regret it in the long run. I agree about cars and my current car (a Daewoo Lanos of all things - about the size of a Rover 200) can just about accommodate everything (much to everyone's amusement when I arrive at star parties!) but yes, an estate would be great in due course. Trouble is, my Lanos is made of sturdy stuff and will be around for a while longer yet! I see a truss on the horizon for sure. Probably along the lines of the Sumerian jobbies I reckon.

[nightfisher]

I tend to have these questions in my head, and i only have 4 scopes, i have ranted many times that i would love to get back to being happy with just one scope, but it would appear that as our "astro experience" develops so does our collection of kit.

I am struggling with my fishing kit, it has not been used for a couple of years but i feel if i sell it for next to nothing i will miss it and want to start fishing again, but also its kind of in the way...........

You need to load the 16 into the car and go to a dark site not to far away one evening and see if you can part with it

[HD-AP]

I find

That the longer you hang onto a good scope ,the issue of letting it go becomes a non issue ,given the fact the most scopes suffer from vertical depreciation ,havng to pay 3-4 times plus what you sold said scope for is a great preventer of rash decissions . 

If a scope came along with better optics /mechanics same apeture f/ratio and i proved it to be better .

Then i might then sell one on .Sometimes you find that as your scope gets older it apprciates /increases in value ,rare but has happened with one of mine ,if i sold it i couldn' t replace it ,not that i would want to anyway.

I have sold a couple of scopes regretted it and bought them back only to find that they have been modified and or not looked after as well as i would have liked ,note to self don't do it  again.

Anyway i'm sure none of this rambling has helped as i have't answered any questions .

But i think when in doubt don't sell.

Buy another one then you can't regret selling it and the new scope is bound to have some justifiable to keep feature/s that your current ones don't  

[Charic]

With so much hidden away, folk tell me, if you dont use it for 3 Months get rid of it!

I like to keep things, on the principle that I would rather have something and not use it rather than need something and not have it?

Also learning from previous mistakes, I have owned quality kit in the past depending on the task or hobby, and once its gone, its very difficult to replace later in life.

Only you can decide !

Are there any Delos in the clearout ?

[m.tweedy]

My C11 is getting very little use (even less with my spine being fuzed 3 weeks ago) but when it does it reminds me why i will never sell it. Even if I have to beg for help to get it in the mount it will be there until the day comes that i cannot do astronomy any longer.

I have a C8, Meg 90, GT81, WO66 and 130 SLT. and they are "nice" and are used for different things. The C11 is LOVELY not just nice.

It is more of an emotional thing when i look through the eyepiece it just deliveres (for me-as I know a few will say "too narrow a field of view"). The wow factor does it for me as it sees that little bit deeper and gives that little beter definition.

Aperture still rules for visual

[mcolbert]

I'll be in the minority here and state that aperture fever hasn't hit and don't think that it's ever likely to.  Too many other distractions.

michael

[m.tweedy]

I'll be in the minority here and state that aperture fever hasn't hit and don't think that it's ever likely to.  Too many other distractions.

michael

I am pleased for your wallet

[paul mc c]

I think about the same thing,I have always wanted a big dob and when the chance of one came up I got it.

To be honest it seldom gets used as the light pollution around me doesn't allow it,plus I can only use it in a certain part of the garden where it is easily rolled out of the garage.

I have thought of selling it for other astro goodies but I know I will probably not have the chance to own another and even if it only occasionally gets used that's ok.

Shane I have seen the scopes you have made so it would be good to make an open tube which you can easily take down and store away and take it out when the time is right,I think you will regret selling the big one and when it's gone the thought it "wonder what that would look in my 16" will always pop up.

[Peter Drew]

I share your angst Shane!  

[perrin6]

I would suggest keeping them all and acknowledging to yourself that for some deep biological reasons we tend to regularly reassess our living space and possessions.  Perhaps this is a remnant behaviour from when we were always on the move as hunter gatherers !

[Stu]

I would suggest keeping them all and acknowledging to yourself that for some deep biological reasons we tend to regularly reassess our living space and possessions. Perhaps this is a remnant behaviour from when we were always on the move as hunter gatherers !

I think of it more like accumulating food stores (or in my case laying down fat reserves!) in case of famine!

One day they may stop producing scopes so I had better have a good stock of them to see me through the hard times.......

I didn't say I was rational at any point, did I?

[Stub Mandrel]

My wife and daughter were watching the TV last night and some poor soul was being forced to throw out a perfectly good desk lamp whilst being accused of 'OCD'.

Poor so&so, I thought.

[Moonshane]

Thanks Stub Mandrel. An illuminating story 

[alan potts]

Shane,

After City scored 6 on Saturday you can be forgiven though I can recall you posting that 3 scopes was the ideal number, or words to that effect about 3 years ago, the same number United got beat by.

All joking aside, I find now I have the Dob I don't use my other scopes anywhere near as often as i once did, I can't recall the last time the 180mm Mak saw light. My trouble is I just can't sell them here unless I mark them at about 30% of new, even then I would receive an offer. I have plenty of space so I just cover them and leave them.

Alan