ukskies

Yes it was on ABS, just up the road from one of our dog walking haunts so it was easy to combine the two this morning. Less easy was combining the two in the car tho, poor lad didn't have much room for the return journey!

A few more.......

Well thank you all for the advice it's all been very much appreciated. I have today been to see the Skywatcher 300p flex tube synscan and found it very manageable, so much so I brought it home. 😀 Mrs me was giving me a little static this morning as I had warned her it was a big scope however she must have softened once she saw it because by the time I got the payment sorted and loaded the scope she had named it !! That's a result right there! The scope looks in very good condition tho there are a couple of marks on it there's nothing I can't sort out very easily. I have bought it second hand as it is to be a project scope and will have a good few upgrades before it is complete. Anyway the scope came with a few extras and I got it for a really good price so I have no complaints. With no more chat, here's R2-D2..........

I do like the look of those big alt bearings, That's a nice looking scope John.

Hi thanks fotr the advice, I was considering a used SW 12" and thinking the collapsible idea would make things easier to transport. That scope has a FL of 1500mm and collapsed would fit across the back seat of my car with the base in the boot.

Yes they are more expensive but then you do get a better focusser than the SW one, you also get a cooling fan and better optics if going for the 10th wave option. I've seen a few for sale used in the past on ABS and they seem to go for less than half price. The service stories are a bit worrying, I've also read of some tests on the optics that pointed to the interferometry report not being quite accurate but I guess any manufacturer of anything will have tolerances and sometimes things aren't what they appear top be.

I thought it looked like the long version, do you not get any coma with that then john? Or is it just acceptible?

I wouldn't consider anything in that size other than a super lightweight design but they cost a lot of money and that kind of takes the Dob out of things, IMHO of course.

That's a very worthwhile weight saving there John. I'm favouring the OO more all the while.

That's a very useful solution too.

What a simple and clever idea!

I've never owned a Dob Ed but just assumed tracking would make things easier at higher power. I guess ill have to learn the proper way!

That looks a very professional job John, well done.👏

Hi Ed, just re read your post, do you have tracking on your OO dob mount then? If so do you have any pics or details please?

That's a lovely compact looking mount John, I can see the similarity to the OO one and I too like the sliding weight setup.👍 What's the focal length of that one please?

Thanks Ed, another vote for the OO and helpful info about damp proofing the MDF bases. I think I'm swaying in favour of the OO atm.

Thanks John, that's good to know and is temoting me towards a 10" OO now.

Was the OO dob mount good ?

Yes I'm aware of the seeing being the limiting factor most of the time but when you do get an exceptional night it is nice to know the optics can deliver. I'm attracted to the 10th wave optics I have to admit however I do like the synscan collapsible dob idea too. Why is choosing a scope always a compromise with something? It's no wonder some people have about 10 scopes

That would do it! Still, a good comparison nonetheless.

Yes I am thinking the 10" is the sweet spot. It's no good having a scope I'm not going to use because it's too much effort. What do you think of the OO mirrors John. I remember speaking to Barry Pemberton years ago when they were in Crewe, he seemed to be on a mission for quality optics at affordable prices. I wonder how good the Orion mirrors are today with Zygo reports?

Wow There's a visible difference there John!😮 The OO 14 was a longer focal length model was it?

Thanks for the responses everyone , it is good to know help is at hand. I have no problems with the thought of checking the collimation after I had set up and once the mirror had cooled, I would consider that normal with a truss tube or collapsible dob and good practice with even a solid tube. My point about the collimation was really during use, is the lockup really solid once set up? I assume I'm going to be sometimes holding the top of the scope and dragging it to a new position, I read that you can do this with synscan and just let the motors finish the job off. I just wonder is it as reliable as a solid tube? I did look at the Bresser and it looks great to be honest, I think I would choose that over the Skywatcher if buying new. Also if buying new Orion optics UK VX10 with 10th wave optics isn't out of price range. Every thing I spend on now will delay the Tak purchase tho so I'm mindful of that too. I've been offered a Pristine, so I'm told, 12" sysncan flex tube but I'm worried it might be too big. I'm going to see it in the next few days so I'll probably have a better idea after that. I had kinda decided a 10" would be ideal but I guess it's worth a look. I'm fit and active and fairly strong but 64 soon and not getting any younger, this has also to be taken into account. I may handle a 12" now but in a few years time.....

Hi everyone, I am currently scopeless and live in light polluted skies in town. I have been going around in circles trying to choose a scope that I will use regularly. I am thinking about a Takahashi refractor later in the year but funding is not in place yet and may take several months, meanwhile I thought of a second scope to compliment the refractor in the shape of a used reflector. I'm considering purchasing a dob mainly for cost v aperture. I'm a bit daunted by the size and transportability of a larger dob and am considering a skywatcher collapsible one. This looks ideal as it will fit in the car so I can transport it to a dark sky location sometimes. Does anyone on here have one that they use regularly and if so is it a good design or are there collimation problems with this design? Also I would like to know what is the largest size one may consider as transportable? Finally I like the idea of tracking for higher power viewing of solar system objects and wonder what your thoughts are about the synscan. Gary