Piero

How does it work when one buys a telescope to be imported to the UK from outside the EU? I know nothing about the required modules. I believe one must pay VAT and customs for the cost of the item plus shipping, but when? Will the buyer be contacted for a payment request or will the buyer have to fill in and send forms with the payment?

More seriously, I just prefer a more classic design. I'm not looking for a telescope to take on a plane and I'd actually be more than happy to leave it mounted at home. A 12 or 14 truss dob can be loaded in a normal car by one person. 12 f6 ish or 14 f5 are models that allows one to observe standing up and do not require a CC, particularly if one tends to observe on axis. I'll have a chat with David and see what he thinks and whether he accepts those changes that I'd like to have.

Yup! Very pretty, but too skinny and fast for my tastes! Oh dear.. this sounds innuendo..!

Thanks Stu! I was not aware of your Dobsons! Congratulations! I am actually interested in Lukehurst Dobsons, particularly the 14" f5, but if I decided to get one, I'll need a few structural changes - not just additions - to the deluxe version. An Astrosystems would come with all those mods plus others. Downsides: shipping, VAT, and Customs... I already have a moonlight CR2 to be fitted.

According to https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1681_Orion-Optics-UK-primary---300-1600mm---f-5-4---1-8-Lambda.html It should be 38mm or 1.5in for the 12 f5.3. @scarp15 https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1684_Orion-Optics-UK-primary---350-1600mm---f-4-6---1-10-Lambda.html 41mm or 1.61in for the 14" f4.5.

Thanks a lot for the info. Thank thickness for the 14" was my next question actually! Mm.. maybe they are 1.5"-ish thick.. I have to dig a bit on this...

@John out of curiosity, how thick is your 12" OO mirror? Do you use a fan to cool it down? Thanks

@alanjgreen Do you have bobs knobs for the secondary? Does David install Glatter sling for the primary?

Thanks for your input, Alan. Very informative. You've got a great telescope.

Thank Iain, it looks like a nice scope. I'd just like a bit more aperture.

Thank Ally. When you have some time, could you post a photo of the mirror cell from the back of the mirror box, please?

Sorry, I didn't want to sound aggressive with my previous post.

Thanks for the advice Iain. I will.

it's a fabulous design indeed!

@bingevader mm.. I'm not a great fan of ultra-light "naked" dobsons. Dobsons like Sumerian have portability in mind. Said this, from my standpoint sturdiness and ultra-portable do not go well together. To make it short, my main concern about ultra portable dobsons are collimation holding, thermal issues + dew formation with the primary mirror as this is (in my opinion) too exposed, particularly considering the UK climate. @John The OOVX 12L is a great scope. I particularly like that it is a bit slower than most 12" dobsons. It is a telescope that I have seriously considered in the past. You were lucky to find a very good one in the s/h market for an excellent price. For dobsons of 12" aperture or larger, I prefer a truss but a solid tube has advantages of course. I agree with you about the limitations that the UK weather can cause on a high quality mirror. There are other important factors though, like mount and focal length. I'm quite fussy about the movements of a telescope and much prefer observing standing up. p.s. just expressing my point of view openly. I believe that a telescope is a personal thing and as such we can have different tastes and opinions!

As some of you know, I postponed the purchase of a Dobson for a few good years. Now that things in life are a bit more stable, I am in the market for this Dobson. It will take a bit before I press the button, as I still need to understand a few things about dobsonians. I've been contemplating a classic truss 12"-12.5" f5.5-6 for a while, as this would offer me a trade-off among portability, focal length, power, DSO, planetary, no coma corrector, and standup observing. Mirror and mount are equally important to me. I haven't yet decided, but I'm leaning towards an Astrosystems or Teeter 12.5" f5.5-6. Yes, customs and shipping won't be cheap. It's a telescope to last though. Any thought is welcome of course. Piero

Weight is certainly an advantage. I don't have an E13, but the weight of my Docter 12.5 + Baader Pushfix adapter is similar. Swapping between the Lunt 20 and the Docter does not need any rebalancing on my scopes. The eyecup of the Lunt 20 is also very good.

It looks beautiful, John! Congratulations on your new telescope! Looking forward to reading your reports!

Sounds like a plan! On eyepieces I'm pretty much done, after sorting out the longest focal lengths. What I'd like is a Quark eyepiece (from FLO) and then putting my thoughts on how to get a Dobson with certain specs.

The docter is a fantastic eyepiece and I like it even more after semi permanently fixing the baader pushfix adapter to it. Now I can screw the VIP in T2 mode to both the Zeiss zoom and the docter, essentially gaining a 6-5mm UWA when needed. Plus, no need of 2" to 1.25" adapters..

Nice one! I find the 20 HDC stunning with the Tak. My current set of 2" eyepieces is: 30mm APM-UFF, 20mm Lunt, Docter (w adapter), and Zeiss zoom.

The 42mm gives an exit pupil of 5.67mm in my Tak F7.4. Under my moderately light polluted skies that was useable but the upper limit for me too.

Glad to read that the items arrived safely and as expected. Enjoy them!

Simply stunning!

whats the clear aperture?