mauzito

2 hours ago, Gonariu said:

@Louis D. Great, I didn't think a Dobson could compact in such a small space! I would like to ask you what kind of Newton the optic is and how much it all weighs.

Zambuto Optics.  

Here are some specs for the 7"
Focal Length:
    39.2" (996 mm) 
Dimensions:
    10.0" x 10.7" x 20.5"
    (254 x 272 x 519 mm) 
Weight:
    18 pounds (8 kg) 
Eyepiece Height at Zenith:
    41" (1041 mm) 

At the end of the link is this image.

There is an interesting background to these unique scopes in this link. 

http://www.teleporttelescopes.com/About.html

Even Tom Noe of Teleport was known to do the same.

Tom Noe with his Teleport.pdf

7 hours ago, Andrew_B said:

That's a clever design and looks far easier and quicker to set up than some of the travel dobs I've read about.

Does the bike journey not knock your friend's scope out of collimation, or is it rugged enough to cope with any bumps and vibration?

He had no such problems and always raved about the design and sturdiness of the Teleport.

On 10/08/2021 at 15:38, Louis D said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned suitcase or travel Dobsonians built by ATMs as among the best travel scopes.  Select "travel dobs" on the ninth line down on the left.  I can't get the direct link to work.

The 7" Teleport is an excellent TS. http://www.teleporttelescopes.com. 

A friend of mine would take it with him to dark sites on the back of his bike.

On 10/08/2021 at 13:08, happycamper said:

I'm a huge fan of the Baader Travel Companion. I bought it as my air-travel scope, so it had to fit into a daypack that could go in the overhead locker of (even) a light plane. Further, everything else for the scope needed to fit in that daypack (or pinned to the outside in the case of the tripod). Just a wonderful scope...

I would second this. I have one (95/580) and love it. 

On 14/08/2021 at 06:56, Grumpy Martian said:

 

👍

I have the Baader 580/95, which is f6.1.  It has the same dimensions as the original 560/95, f5.9.

Visually, to my eyes, I could not see any appreciable differences between the Stowaway 92, f6.65 and the Baader 580/95, f6.1.  As for focusers, like many, I generally like the FT focuser, which I have on all my scopes except the Baader. But then, I cannot find fault with the Baader RT Diamond SteelTrack Focuser.  I also like the idea of fitting the SteelDrive II motor focuser with controller for heavier loads. 

On 24/08/2021 at 15:06, GavStar said:

I’m a bit of a refractor fan having 40mm, 60mm, 76mm, 85mm, 92mm, 130mm and 160mm fracs.

As a general “cover all bases well” (lunar, planetary and DSOs) my preference is my AP130GTX which at f6.3 is still easy to lift, mount, transport etc. Obviously it still has limited aperture compared to a big dob but for me it’s the best compromise for a refractor. (In practice I would also want a 10-12 inch reflector of some description for galaxies, smaller nebulae etc). 
 

As a grab and go, I’ve found 100mm fracs (I’ve previously had a Tak fc100df and fc100dl) a bit too on the long side, particularly if I want to take it on a plane. So my preference for this role is an 85mm to 95mm. I did have all of the Baader 95mm tc, AP Stowaway 92mm, Tak Fsq85 and tv85 at the same time and enjoyed using them all and comparing them side by side. However, I knew that I was duplicating myself a lot at this aperture so made the decision to reduce the number.

The fsq85 was the last one I bought and it’s flatfield and fast f5.3 pairs with night vision use fantastically - it’s also really nice for planetary even with the limited aperture. So this is my preferred scope for overseas trips. 

The tv85 was my first refractor and I really liked it but it just wasn’t up to the quality of the others, so I sold it.

Finally, I decided I would pick between the stowaway or the Baader. I sometimes find over time my opinion changes with more use, and this happened with the Baader. Initial impressions were very positive and maybe there was a tiny tiny edge on lunar observing to the AP. But the Baader being f5.9 and having a shorter focal length did show more field curvature than the AP (both with and without Nv). The feathertouch focuser of the Stowaway is imo superior to the Baader focuser and generally I preferred the build quality of the stowaway. When I reflected on my observing sessions with each scope I just found that I had more fun with the Stowaway than the Baader. So I sold the Baader.

The fsq85 and Stowaway are the best scopes at this travel/grab and go aperture for me but obviously it’s just my personal opinion. Also I only do visual not AP (apart from some phone pics!). They are both keepers!

Thank you for the detailed report based on your observations.  Much appreciated.

As to the sweet spot for AP, if I had just one scope to keep, it would be the AP 130 GT, with the upgraded 3.5" focuser for the GTX. And for AP, use the 0.72x Quad Telecompressor Corrector. Just my two cents.

On 22/08/2021 at 14:02, Deadlake said:

Someone who owns both, he sold the Baader. Mind hair’s breadth between them. He also had specialist application of NV. For visual very close.

Thank you Deadlake for correcting your post from reportedly “…. not as good”  to …. Hairs breath….”.

Words make a big difference in the message they convey.

I am aware that the Stowaway is made by Astro-Physics and Ronald has a huge die-hard, loyal following in the US, so much so that on CN one can say no wrong about AP scopes.

In fact, I owned several AP scopes, including the Stowaway, which I sold after getting the Baader 95/580 and still continue to own  two AP scopes.

My reason for selling the Stowaway and not the Baader TC is, for reasons mentioned above, the former was easier to sell in the US.

Doing a quick search on SGL, found the following post.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/322208-travel-scope-baader-travel-companion-or-ap-stowaway/page/2/

If I may quote from the link @Gavstar, someone who has/had both scopes:

“I have done a couple of comparisons under the stars. One area I think the Baader possibly has an edge is transmission. On the trapezium the f star is slightly easier to see with the Baader than the Stowaway imo. “

I write this post so as to be fair to Baader, an excellent German company, as much so, as AP. IMO.

On 20/07/2021 at 22:05, Deadlake said:

Not reportedly as good as a stowaway 92….

Interesting.

I wonder what is your source?